M A Y 2 0 1 2 • S A S O L D I E R - Department of Defence

S A S O L D I E R 2011 review of defenceProgress for theDepartment of DefenceBy Mr Manelisi Ndaba,Specialist Writer in theDepartment of DefencePhoto: Sgt Elias MahumaAs the DOD celebrates tenyears of its official monthlypublication, SA Soldier,it becomes imperative toacknowledge and appreciatethe hard work done by DODmembers in telling military stories ofthe past decade in their own words.This anniversary takes place againstthe backdrop of the third BudgetVote Debate that was delivered bythe Minister of Defence and MilitaryVeterans, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, to theNational Assembly on 13 April 2011.During her address the Ministershared the successes and challengesfaced by the Department and howthese were being dealt with. Thebudget vote also gave the Ministeran opportunity to articulate the wayforward and describe the kind ofnational defence force we are creating.In this regard a well managed anddisciplined national defence force iswhat we are constructing.When she took over the defenceportfolio, there were enormous longstandingchallenges that seemedimpossible to overcome, but in thethree years of her leadership hope hasbeen restored in the hearts of many inthe National Defence Force.The first challenge that confrontedthe Minister was a declining budgetin which the Department’s domesticobligations were defined in theConstitution against the backdropof the DOD’s growing internationalresponsibilities, a deterioratinginfrastructure and, very importantly,the pressing reality that conditions ofservice for the National Defence Forceneeded immediate attention.In her first budget vote speech in2009, Minister Sisulu boldly stated theneed for a separate dispensation forthe DOD that would allow it to dealcreatively with its own needs and thespecificities of its own unique securityrequirements. This was reiterated byPresident Jacob Zuma in September2009 when he said: “The SANDF mayserve the public, but its members arenot public servants. They may receivea salary at the end of every month, butthey are not ordinary workers. The highstandard of behaviour we expect fromthem necessitates that special attentionbe paid to their working conditions,their remuneration, their pensions, andgenerally their place in society”.The starting point was theestablishment of the Interim NationalDefence Force Service Commissionto look into the conditions of serviceof the members of the SANDF. Tofurther advance this effort in 2010,the DOD submitted to parliament anAmendment Bill to the Defence Act of2002. The bill proposed, among others, aseparate dispensation for the DOD fromthe public service sector, which wouldgive it legal standing and a permanentservice commission. This is in theprocess of being established and thenames of nominees have already beensubmitted for consideration.Furthermore, salary increases rangingfrom 2% to 65% for all members of theSANDF on salary levels 2 to 12 wereeffected as from 1 December 2009.The increase was part of the DOD’scommitment to ensure that membersof the SANDF were remuneratedat levels that complemented theirresponsibilities.In order to address the declining stateof defence infrastructure, the DODis finalising discussions with theDepartment of Public Works on theestablishment of the Defence EstateManagement mechanism which willresult in the DOD progressively exitingfrom the current arrangement onProperty and Facilities Managementby the Department of Public Works.This objective and the rolling out of theDefence Works Capability to maintainand repair defence facilities will beimplemented in this financial year.The DOD has worked tirelessly overMs Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister ofDefence and Military Veterans.the last few years to eliminateaudit qualifications arising fromthe Auditor General’s report. In theyear prior to the appointment ofthe current leadership in the DOD,the department faced six auditqualifications. To fulfil this promiseover the past financial year theDOD worked very hard to reducequalifications to one, which raised thepossibility of a clean audit in the nextfinancial year.The Department of Military Veteranswas proclaimed as a separate andstand-alone department within theministry. This was done in orderto create a department withingovernment whose sole responsibilitywas to govern and cater for the affairsof all former members of militaryorganisations, both from before thedawn of democracy and those whohave served in the current SouthAfrican National Defence Force36 • M A Y 2 0 1 2