Navy chief Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese said what many in uniform have been whispering for years: South Africa’s defence force is crumbling, starved by a government that refuses to fund the very institution tasked with protecting the country’s sovereignty.
Speaking at the SA Navy Gala Concert 2025 on Saturday, Lobese warned about the deteriorating state of the country’s maritime security and accused parts of government of undermining the defence force, thereby placing South Africa’s sovereignty at risk.
He said the navy’s prolonged absence at sea ― caused by ageing, unserviceable vessels and shrinking budgets ― had left South Africa vulnerable to drug cartels, human traffickers, illegal miners and maritime criminals.
He is right. The navy’s inability to put ships to sea is not a small administrative setback but a national security crisis.
Lobese’s comments drew a quick response from defence minister Angie Motshekga, who described Lobese’s comments as disingenuous and inappropriate.
She said his comments cast aspersions on the government’s leadership and added she would be taking appropriate steps to deal with Lobese’s “unfortunate outburst, worse still from someone in such a senior position”.
Instead of taking his warning seriously, Motshekga rushed to scold him, as though the real scandal was his honesty, not the state of our armed forces.
While the gala may not have been the ideal platform to raise these pressing issues, the chronic underfunding of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) demands that senior leaders speak out. The problems Lobese highlighted should have been addressed proactively by government years ago.
It is evident that government has been slow to respond to the SANDF’s declining budget, which has been reduced year after year. The consequences have been deadly.
Earlier this year, 14 South African soldiers were killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after being sent into combat without the necessary equipment, air support or intelligence. Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum admitted that our troops are simply not being prepared or protected. Yet nothing significant has changed.
Lobese’s concerns about South Africa’s vulnerability at sea must be taken seriously. He revealed that during a visit to Australia, naval chiefs from Kenya and the Philippines shared troubling intelligence with him.
The consequences of underfunding stretch beyond the battlefield.
During the flooding in Mthatha in June, an SAAF Oryx helicopter was only deployed on June 17, a full week after severe flooding devastated the area and killed more than 90 people.
According to African Defence Review director Darren Olivier, the request for assistance had been made early, but could not be acted on because aircraft and crews were unavailable. Had the Oryx been sent in time, some lives might have been saved. This is a stark example of how funding shortfalls directly affect SANDF operational readiness.
In 2023, six soldiers died in a veld fire at the Lohatla training centre in the Northern Cape. Shockingly, instead of being able to supply basic necessities to survivors, the SANDF had to request emergency support from the NGO Gift of the Givers. Founder Imtiaz Sooliman said the army urgently needed underwear, hygiene packs, toiletries, sanitary products, energy drinks and blankets, basic items no army should be unable to provide.
Even land border protection is a farce.
In October, the joint standing committee on defence (JSCD) and the portfolio committee on defence and military veterans expressed serious concern that South Africa’s borders were effectively open due to inadequate enforcement.
During an oversight visit to Musina in Limpopo, JSCD co-chair Malusi Gigaba said the SANDF was “severely underfunded”. He said the country required 22 military companies to adequately patrol its borders, yet only 15 were deployed, and even these were struggling due to shortages of personnel, vehicles and modern surveillance technology such as drones.
These examples show clearly that underfunding is compromising South Africa’s ability to protect its borders and safeguard its soldiers.
Lobese’s concerns about South Africa’s vulnerability at sea must be taken seriously. He revealed that during a visit to Australia, naval chiefs from Kenya and the Philippines shared troubling intelligence with him.
The Kenyan navy had recently intercepted a ship from East Asia carrying a large drug consignment destined for Mozambique, a destination that he implied was only a transit point. The Philippine navy reported regularly intercepting drug-laden ships bound for Southern Africa. Lobese further warned that more than 600 unmonitored vessels operated in South African territorial waters at any given time.
These warnings should not be dismissed as outbursts. They amount to a cry for help from the very person tasked with securing South Africa’s waters. Instead of reprimanding him, Motshekga should stand alongside Lobese to ensure that the vulnerabilities he highlighted are addressed urgently.
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