ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has described as “worrying” the growing phenomenon of generals within the SANDF speaking out against austerity that is crippling our military prowess.
Mbalula said our army generals were fast becoming politicians overnight, and it was increasingly becoming difficult to tell the distinction between military men and civilians.
The Luthuli House administration boss was reacting to the latest public statement by SA Navy chief Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, who labelled austerity measures that are slowly collapsing public service as a “sellout” and “unpatriotic” position that was compromising the safety of the country.
Lobese was speaking at the SA Navy Gala Concert 2025 at the weekend.
Skimping on security is unwiseÂ
“Our prolonged absence at sea due to the unavailability of serviceable ships and submarines, all because of the under-resourcing of our navy, should concern you as fellow South Africans.
“I often find myself questioning whether those responsible for making significant decisions, particularly the funding of our defence force if they may be directly or indirectly influenced by these drug cartels, illegal traders, maritime criminals and human traffickers because it will appear that this consistent underfunding and incapacitating of the SA Navy and defence force in general is to ensure the success of the operations that undermine our nation, compromise its sovereignty, and jeopardise the future of our children,” said Lobese.
The unpatriotic and what appears to be a sellout posture of defunding the SA Navy and the SA Defence in general leaves him with questions, Lobese said. He wondered if these people were “not busy with a mission to privatise the SA Navy and SANDF, seeing that the private security is a lucrative business in our country and it is replacing the state security machinery”.
Lobese is not the first senior leader in the country’s armed forces to complain about austerity measures and blame politicians for it.
Blast from Luthuli HouseÂ
In response, Mbalula said this trend was not one that should be treated as a by-the-way, as it bordered on possibly a collapse of military discipline in the SANDF and a deliberate fomentation of a coup d’état against the government of the day.
“South Africa is faced with a difficult situation of outbursts by senior people in security positions. It is unheard of in the world that generals just address gala dinners and talk about big things. No man, it should be worrisome,” said Mbalula during the press briefing at ANC head office on Tuesday.
“This country has got a president who is the commander-in-chief. We have the National Security Council, but you have army generals just having outbursts. The comments they are making should only be made by civilians like me up until we are guided by securocrats.
“The issue of the funding of our security apparatus is a sore point. I can imagine an admiral of an army going on TV saying we are naked, those things are supposed to be said by civilians who do not know anything, and then generals will come in and say you are making a mistake.”
The makings of a coupÂ
“Are these people fermenting situations for a coup d’état? Hey, they start like this when generals become politicians overnight. One day we (politicians) will be woken up from our beds naked and be arrested by these people.
“This is worrisome; it is a problem. If our army generals just do as they wish…you cannot have generals of the army speaking like that. We must step in now in terms of discipline, this is not how countries are run and protected by senior people in the army.”
Mbalula said the army generals must learn to calm down and to raise their concerns about austerity within the right platforms.
Speaking about security matters publicly without restraint, said Mbalula, was a matter that all South Africans should be worried about.
“If that army turns out to be political, then we are in trouble. SANDF is not a guerrilla army. It must be respected even by generals. If generals do things like this, we are going to tell them ‘you are running our country down’. Where are the political principals who run these generals?”
