Inside Politics Reporter
The Department of Defence and Military Veterans on Tuesday distanced itself from scathing public comments by the head of the navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, over the weekend.
At the Chief of the Navy’s Prestige Charity Ball held at St George’s Hotel in Tshwane, Lobese said that defence budget cuts reflected an “unpatriotic, and what appears to be a sell-out posture of defunding the SA Navy and SANDF in general”.
He also suggested that criminal networks could benefit from a weakened military.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the department said it had “noted with concern” Lobese’s comments, which “cast aspersions at the leadership of government”.
The department said defence minister Angie Motshekga regarded the remarks as “inappropriate, disingenuous and unfortunate” on an issue that was already receiving attention at multiple levels, including in parliament.
The department said Motshekga would be “taking appropriate steps to deal with this unfortunate outburst … from a senior person at his level”.
Lobese’s views did not reflect those of the Department of Defence, according to the statement.
Lobese’s speech drew wide attention. He compared the reductions in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) workforce to a “defence version” of the politically sensitive decision to disband the police’s Political Killings Task Team. He also reportedly accused decision-makers of treating detailed planning documents as a “mind game” because they would not be properly funded.
The navy chief also warned that years of underfunding and the non-availability of ships and submarines had left the service facing a “prolonged absence at sea”, which exposed South Africa’s coastline to drug cartels, human traffickers and illegal traders.
He questioned whether officials responsible for cutting the defence budget might be “directly or indirectly” influenced by such criminal interests.
This is not Lobese’s first public critique. He voiced similar frustrations in July to Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence, where he accused National Treasury of “sabotaging” the SANDF.
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