As the northeastern region of South Africa faces the possibility of flooding and infrastructure collapse due to heavy rains from tropical cyclone Freddy, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has drastically cut the budget for the SA Air Force (SAAF) helicopters, which save lives in these emergencies.
Defense journalist Dean Wingrin, noting that the SAAF’s operating budget for helicopters has been cut by almost a third, wrote on Twitter: “Like a bad stepchild, the SANDF is forgotten and unloved, fed scraps and simply tolerated.
“However, when disaster strikes and your home is threatened, who do you always call? SANDF of course!”
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Ironically, the news came as President Cyril Ramaphosa extolled the virtues of the SA National Defense Force (SANDF) on Armed Forces Day as “more than a defense force”.
The SANDF budget has increased, albeit less than the rate of cost increases – and is still half of what taxpayers pay for the police.
And while the military choked, the government allocated a further R1 billion to help save South African Airways (SAA).
The SANDF provides a vital service to the public in times of crisis. We cannot allow that capacity to be lost.