Motshekga warns Defence Department at risk of collapse over R3.3bn compensation shortfall

Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga has warned that the Department of Defence faces a projected R3.3 billion over-expenditure on employee compensation, a funding gap she said could threaten the department’s ability to operate.

Warning delivered in the National Council of Provinces

Motshekga was answering oral questions from MPs in the National Council of Provinces when she set out the scale of the problem, saying the department had already overspent by about R3 billion in the previous financial year and expected over‑expenditure to reach R4 billion in 2027/28 and R4.6 billion in 2028/29 without intervention.

Measures under consideration but not a cure

The department has identified measures to reduce expenditure, including encouraging employees who are able to retire to take early retirement and offering incentives for staff to leave. Motshekga said such moves would not solve the underlying problem, which she attributed to years of underfunding.

She explained that the human resources budget had not kept pace with salary increases, inflation and other costs, and that simply trimming staff numbers would not necessarily close the gap because the South African National Defence Force still needs younger personnel to maintain capability. “We’re not recruiting at the rate which we would have wished to recruit,” she told MPs, noting the department was recruiting about 5,000 people every two years.

Funding depends on Treasury, Cabinet and Parliament

Motshekga said the ultimate solution depended on allocations from Cabinet and Parliament.

“We don’t appropriate monies for ourselves. We live with what we get.”

Responding to claims about senior salaries

Asked whether senior employees and generals were driving the crisis, Motshekga said she was not aware of bloated salaries among generals. She pointed to equipment and infrastructure problems across the SANDF including aircraft, ships and deteriorating infrastructure and said the issues were about underfunding rather than pay at the top.

“It has nothing to do with generals. It’s about underfunding.”

Outlook

Motshekga said the department would continue to try to contain expenditure while seeking the funding needed to sustain defence capabilities, and expressed hope that Parliament and the National Council of Provinces would support efforts to address capability gaps.