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South Africa’s Navy Warns of a Growing Crisis as Budget Cuts Leave the Coastline Exposed
A warning that hit home
When Admiral Monde Lobese stepped onto the stage at a gala concert in Pretoria, guests expected the usual ceremonial speeches. Instead, they got a hard truth that cut straight through the music. He asked South Africans to think about their own homes at night when they lock their gates and switch off the lights. Then he challenged them to wonder whether the sea surrounding the country is safe at all.
It was not theatre. It was a plea. Lobese wants the country to understand how fragile maritime security has become after years of shrinking defence budgets.
A Navy struggling to stay afloat
According to the admiral, the Navy’s ability to guard South Africa’s vast coastline has slowly been stripped away. Ships are ageing. Key equipment cannot be maintained. Recruitment and training have thinned out. He questioned whether those deciding on defence funding truly understand what is at stake and even suggested that criminal interests may be benefiting from the weakened state of maritime protection.
This was not Lobese’s first warning. He gave a similarly honest briefing earlier in the year to the parliamentary committee that oversees defence. The message has remained the same each time. The Navy is underfunded and overstretched.
Why the stakes are higher than most people realise
South Africa’s maritime economy is enormous, even if it is often overlooked. Defence expert Helmoed Römer Heitman has repeatedly reminded the country that most of its trade moves across the sea and that nearly all imported oil passes through the Mozambique Channel. It is a region known to attract piracy and other security risks.
Heitman also warned that South Africa could easily face the same maritime threats seen in places such as Somalia or the Gulf of Guinea. Offshore energy projects, fishing grounds, and shipping routes remain vulnerable when naval presence is thin.
He believes the Navy needs far more than it currently has. His assessment is detailed. At least four frigates, six offshore patrol vessels, long-range surveillance aircraft, and essential support ships. At present, there are no maritime aircraft at all. Existing ships are growing older, and maintenance cannot keep up.
The cost of cuts
Defence analyst Dean Wingrin highlighted how the defence budget has steadily shrunk to just 0.83 percent of national GDP. The target set by President Cyril Ramaphosa is almost double that figure. Years of austerity have redirected funding to struggling state-owned enterprises, and the impact on the South African National Defence Force has been severe.
Wingrin explained that cuts since the 2015 Defence Review amount to more than R62 billion in real terms. The consequences are visible. There is a growing maintenance backlog, delayed upgrades, and reduced capacity. The Navy and the Air Force have been hit the hardest.
The effects are not theoretical. In September 2023, three sailors died when freak waves struck the submarine SAS Manthatisi. The inquiry pointed to a lack of operational hours, limited training, and inexperience. All these issues were tied back to years of budget reductions.
Hours at sea are drying up
Operational time is the heartbeat of any navy. It is how ships remain ready and how sailors gain experience. Last year, the Navy managed only 2,400 hours at sea instead of its budgeted 8,000. During the first half of this year, it achieved just 2,377 hours. That figure is barely half of what is needed to maintain readiness.
Wingrin noted that Lobese’s frustration is understandable. Many military leaders have been concerned about defence funding, but he has become the most outspoken.
A coastline unprotected
The message from the admiral and defence specialists is unmistakable. Without urgent investment, South Africa’s coastline, its shipping routes, and its energy future remain exposed. The seas carry the country’s economy, yet the force tasked with protecting them is fighting with fewer resources each year.
The warning is not simply about ships or budgets. It is about what can be lost when a maritime nation looks away for too long.
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Source: The Citizen
Featured Image: defenceWeb
