Latest news with #MondeLobese
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
We're not responsible for SANDF budget cuts: National Treasury
The National Treasury says it is not responsible for any budget challenges experienced by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The Treasury said it was concerned by remarks made by the head of the navy, Adm Monde Lobese, who accused it of compromising national security by not providing the defence force with resources. Lobese made the comments during a joint standing committee on defence meeting in parliament on Friday. In response, the Treasury said in line with the constitution, withdrawing funds from the National Revenue Fund can only be done through an act of parliament. 'Final approval is by parliament and the National Treasury is then entrusted to ensure the implementation of parliament's decisions. It is therefore incorrect to suggest the National Treasury is responsible for budget challenges experienced by the SANDF,' it said. Lobese told the committee it needs to take a stand against what he called the 'sabotage' of the defence force due to years of defunding. 'National Treasury for a change needs to be patriotic in how they address the funding of the SANDF. National Treasury can't be allowed to be a super department,' he said. However, the Treasury said in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, the Treasury is responsible for managing the budget process and exercising control over the implementation of the national budget. According to the Treasury, the 2025/2026 proposed defence allocation of R57.2bn in the Appropriation Bill was informed by the government's broader fiscal strategy, which aimed to stabilise public finances, reduce debt service costs and create space to invest in critical infrastructure and frontline services in support of higher growth. 'In this constrained fiscal environment, the department of defence has been allocated an additional R4.3bn over the 2025 medium-term expenditure framework to support priority needs — most notably, the orderly and safe withdrawal of troops and mission equipment from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with other essential operational requirements.' TimesLIVE previously reported that defence and military veterans minister Angie Motshekga said better funding could have allowed the defence force to handle the repatriation of troops deployed to the eastern DRC as part of the Sadc Mission in the DRC, avoiding trauma and logistical chaos.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Tensions rise as SANDF criticises National Treasury over military funding
The Chief of the SA Navy, Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese, highlighted the acquisition of three submarines from Germany, lamenting that 80% of the funds were used just for procurement, leaving a mere 20% for necessary spare parts over their estimated 30-year lifespan. Banele Ginidza The National Treasury has fired back that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), saying that it has allocated an additional R10 billion to its R57.2bn budget in the 2025/26 financial year. This comes after Navy Admiral Monde Lobese launched a scathing attack against the Treasury last week, accusing it of sabotaging the operational capacity of the SANDF through inadequate budget allocations. Lobese's appearance before the Joint Standing on Defence on Friday was initially intended to address ongoing disputes between the SANDF and Amscor related to constrained procurement processes. However, it quickly evolved into a broader critique of the Treasury's budgeting practices, which he claims have long stifled the SANDF's ability to fulfil its mandate. "National Treasury can't be allowed to be a super-department or a government on its own over and above the current government. We cannot afford to compromise the security of citizens by defunding the SANDF because of what the National Treasury is actually doing," Lobese charged. "Our maritime borders are porous because of the lack of capabilities not because of the lack of will from myself and my team and Navy, or the lack of skills to defend our maritime resources and the economy of this country, but it is due to the failure by National Treasury and the government to adequately resource the SANDF to the required level." Lobese pointed towards a historical trend of lean budget allocations, noting that since the year 2000, the Navy's resources have been severely limited. He highlighted the acquisition of three submarines from Germany, lamenting that 80% of the funds were used just for procurement, leaving a mere 20% for necessary spare parts over their estimated 30-year lifespan. Apparently, the submarines have only been used in the voyage from the manufacturer to the dockyard. "We can't run operations through procurement. It's like buying a loaf of bread and eating it on that specific day. The SANDF, specifically the Navy, must have fully stocked depots so that we are able to prepare and provide combat ready and maritime force at any given time that Parliament gives the task to the SANDF," he said. "We should make sure on-board spares and other commodities are also ready and available when conducting operations to guarantee on-time maintenace and upkeep of schedules and plans are achieved, not what we are experiencing as SANDF and the Navy. The absence of spares affects our ability to meet maintenance and schedules as pre-determined by Original Equipment Manufacturers." However, the National Treasury responded swiftly to Lobese's assertions, emphasising its role in facilitating a balanced budgeting process that aligns with broader national fiscal goals. Treasury said Lobese's comments were concerning as it was responsible for the planning process that resulted in a Cabinet decision reflecting trade-offs between various policy priorities. Treasury said the final approval was by Parliament, and [Treasury] was then entrusted to ensure the implementation of Parliament's decisions. "It is therefore incorrect to suggest that the National Treasury is responsible for any budget challenges experienced by the SANDF," it said. "Furthermore, the 2025/26 proposed allocation of R57.2bn in the Appropriation Bill is informed by the government's broader fiscal strategy, which aims to stabilise public finances, reduce debt-service costs, and create space to invest in critical infrastructure and frontline services in support of higher growth." Treasury said within this constrained fiscal environment, the Department of Defence has been allocated an additional R4.3bn over the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to support priority needs—most notably, the orderly and safe withdrawal of troops and mission equipment from the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside other essential operational requirements. It said in addition, the 2025 MTEF fiscal framework contains R5.5bn for early retirement in 2025/26 and 2026/27, most of which will be used by the SANDF to realign their personnel structure with their compensation budget, which is currently unsustainable. "Internal resource allocation in the Department of Defence is the responsibility of the Accounting Officer and if a particular division believes they are underfunded, it is a matter that should be addressed internally," Treasury said. BUSINESS REPORT
eNCA
5 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
Treasury shoots down SANDF funding criticism
JOHANNESBURG - National Treasury is responding to criticism from Navy Chief Admiral Monde Lobese. He accused Treasury of sabotaging the SANDF during a Joint Standing Committee of Defence meeting. Lobese says Treasury cannot operate like a super department or a government on its own. The SANDF has been allocated 1.7 percent of the country's GDP, just over R57-billion. But, Treasury has hit back, saying it's wrong to suggest the department is responsible for the army's funding crisis. It says Cabinet decides on allocations. In addition to funding distributed for this financial year, the SANDF has also been allocated R4.3-billion in the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and R5.5-billion for early retirement for the current and next financial years.
eNCA
5 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
Treasury fires back at SANDF funding criticism
JOHANNESBURG - National Treasury is responding to criticism from Navy Chief Admiral Monde Lobese. He accused Treasury of sabotaging the SANDF during a Joint Standing Committee of Defence meeting. Lobese says Treasury cannot operate like a super department or a government on its own. The SANDF has been allocated 1.7 percent of the country's GDP, just over R57-billion. But, Treasury has hit back, saying it's wrong to suggest the department is responsible for the army's funding crisis. It says Cabinet decides on allocations. In addition to funding distributed for this financial year, the SANDF has also been allocated R4.3-billion in the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and R5.5-billion for early retirement for the current and next financial years.
IOL News
10-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
Hawks eye Kommetjie submarine tragedy
During the one year anniversary of the September 2023 tragedy, Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese hosted a memorial for families renaming of submarine buildings in their honour. Image: Henk Kruger /Independent Newspapers 'I JUST want to give one last, hard fight for my wife. This will be the last thing I ever do for her and I want to do it right. I want to give it everything." These were the words of Romero Hector, widower of Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector, one of three South African Navy members who died in the 2023 Kommetjie submarine tragedy. Hector, along with Warrant Officers William Malesela Mathipa and Mokwapa Lucas Mojela, lost their lives during a storm when rough waters disrupted a vertical transfer operation. The incident saw seven crew members swept out to sea, with only four surviving. Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector, Warrant Officer William Malesela Mathipa, and Warrant Officer Mokwapa Lucas Mojela were killed during a submarine exercise in Kommetjie. Image: File Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The SA Navy on Tuesday handed over a copy of its Board of Inquiry (BOI) investigation report to the Hawks at Naval Headquarters, in Pretoria. 'The engagements were meant to assist the Hawks with their ongoing investigations into the tragic incident wherein the SA Navy lost three of its submariners following a vertical transfer (VERTREP) exercise between SAS MANTHATISI and SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter in September 2023. The Chief of the SA Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese subsequently convened a Board of Inquiry on the incident. This meeting and engagement with the Hawks underscores the Navy's commitment to transparency, cooperation and accountability, as the Chief of the SA Navy has always maintained that the organisation will, within the confines of the laws and regulations, communicate the outcomes of the Board whenever the need arises,' the SA Navy said. The Hawks did not respond to further requests for comment on the status of its investigation by deadline. Romero said the handing of the BOI to the Hawks was welcomed but it still brought him no closer to accessing it, despite requests spanning over a year. In June, he had supported calls to have the report declassified. 'It must be stated that the handing over of the BOI to the Hawks does not mean I will have access to the board. I am still in the same position as it has not been handed over to me and more steps need to be taken to obtain a copy. 'The transparency that is claimed is not true. If it was, I would have also received a copy, as I have been requesting it via the legal system for more than a year. We will write again to the office of the Navy to obtain a copy in order to proceed with our steps in the civil matter. This matter is different to the Hawks (criminal) investigation,' he said. Romero still missed his wife daily. He recently embarked on a cycling campaign titled #Justice4Submarine3, where completed 800 kilometres in four days, capturing and documenting the journey along the way. "It's been a rollercoaster. I miss everything about her. You still dream about that person and then you must wake up and realise this person is no longer alive. We worked together, drove together, went to the gym and ran together. There wasn't a single part of my life that she wasn't part of. Without her, my life feels like one big, empty void. I just loved supporting her. She was a woman with enormous potential in her career, doing what she loved. All I ever wanted was to support her on her journey and I did that for 13 years. "When it comes to closure, I find it very difficult to even look for it. I'm fuelled by the desire and fight for justice. For me, this is a journey of making sure this never happens again, of finding justice for Gillian and the widows of the other two members involved. Right now, I'm 100% committed to that fight. I just want to give one last, hard fight for my wife. This will be the last thing I ever do for her and I want to do it right. I want to give it everything," he said. DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh the handover of the Kommetjie investigation report to the Hawks was long overdue. It also marked an essential first step toward justice. 'Choosing to push ahead with a high-risk vertical transfer exercise, despite clear weather warnings and a blatant disregard for critical safety protocols, was more than reckless. It was a decision that cost lives. The evidence now confirms what many feared: catastrophic failures in planning, risk management, and operational oversight directly led to the deaths of Lieutenant-Commander Gillian Hector and her two colleagues. That the Hawks see possible grounds for culpable homicide charges underscores the gravity of the failings on that day. 'Justice delayed is justice denied. The families of the fallen deserve closure. South Africans deserve answers. If negligence is proven, those responsible must be held fully accountable, swiftly and without compromise,' said Hattingh. Cape Times
