There’s an urgent need to fix SA’s military equipment: Holomisa

Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa says the government is considering partnering with the private sector to help address the funding crisis facing the department and improve the country's military capabilities. Holomisa's remarks follow the Defence Industry Lekgotla held yesterday, where government and industry representatives met to assess the current defence landscape and discuss ways to address systemic challenges within the sector. South Africa's defence capabilities have faced scrutiny in recent years amid concerns that prolonged underfunding has weakened the country's military capacity.

Holomisa says there is an urgent need to modernise military equipment to ensure South Africa's defence capabilities keep pace with those of leading countries. "Today's equipment, as you can see, I'm sure you've watched in the Iran and the United States war, that the technology has completely shifted in terms of fighting. Not to say that we are going to buy missiles and so on, but we need to make sure that our defense force, at least equipment-wise to at least guarantee that the country is safe, our borders are protected, says Holomisa.