SANDF soldiers waiting on hundreds of thousands of rands owed to them, claims DA

Some members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo are owed more than R600,000 in deployment allowances by the state, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA).

This is despite several months passing since soldiers were first withdrawn from the Central African country back in May this year.

However, the SANDF has claimed that this is “entirely false.”

In a letter addressed to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence co-chairperson, Malusi Gigaba, DA MP Nicholas Gotsell called on the committee to meet with the Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga.

Gotsell said that he had been in a meeting regarding the troop withdrawal in May this year, where he said Brigadier General Edem Abotsi, had described how soldiers are paid these allowances.

According to Gotsell, Abotsi said that “most of the monies are put into their bank accounts back home” and that the SANDF “becomes their welfare officer”

However, Gotsell that there an increasing number of reports that soldiers are yet to receive these deployment allowances, with some allegedly owed over R600,000.

This is depsite Motshekga’s recent response to a Parliamentary question, where she said she had no knowledge of there being any outstanding allowances.

The MP says the National Treasury has confirmed that R2.1 billion was allocated to the Department of Defence to facilitate the deployment of soldiers in the DRC.

“Of this R2.1 billion, R813.3 million was specifically earmarked for the compensation of employees, including various allowances for troops on deployment,” Gotsell wrote. 

The letter also calls on the Parliamentary Committee to clarify the issue by “summoning the Minister, military veterans, as well as senior officials in the Department of Defence.”

In response to Gotsell’s letter, the SANDF rejected that soldiers deployed to the SADC Mission in the DRC were not paid their full allowances and that a “General Abotsi” exists.

“Soldiers deployed in the mission receive their allowance for immediate daily needs, while the remainder is securely deposited into their personal bank accounts in South Africa,” the SANDF said.

“This payment method safeguards members’ earnings and prevents loss or misuse of funds while serving in high-risk operational environments.”

They added that the Acting Chief Financial Officer, Edom Abotsi, attended the meeting mentioned by Gotsell, but “at no point at no point made such claims.”

However, Gotsell hit back at the department, saying that the SANDF is “trying to have it both ways,” by rejecting that the allowances were not withheld by soldiers while failing to account for the R813 million.

“The DA’s demand for answers is not going away and the reason is simple: our troops are still not being paid their full allowances,” he said.

“The ANC and the SANDF appear to be in cahoots to cover something up, and every delay only strengthens that suspicion.”

Lack of scrutiny

This follows a previous letter addressed to the chairperson of the National Assembly, Cedrick Frolick, to escalate the matter following the committee’s lack of oversight.

“Instead of addressing this mess, JSCD Co-Chair Malusi Gigaba has shielded the Minister and the SANDF from scrutiny,” Gotsell wrote.

“After initially agreeing to write to the Minister for answers, Malusi Gigaba made a sudden U-turn and blocked the Committee from acting. This came just days after Minister Motshekga issued a press statement bemoaning the DA’s oversight.”

Like his recent letter to Gigaba, Gotsell demanded that the committee go about its responsibility of scrutinising the allocation of the R813 million.

“Minister Motshekga simply must account for the R813 million allocated to the payment of SANDF deployment allowance,” Gotsell said.

“This blatant lack of oversight undermines transparency and accountability, but also insults our brave men and women in uniform, who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo under very dangerous conditions.”

He added that, beyond Motshekga’s failure to account for the money and troops being short paid, soldiers in the Congo had to buy their own food while surviving on R22.91 daily.

The DA MP also points to basic accounting errors, with the SANDF office-based staff receiving the “full allowances meant for soldiers,” leave pay being miscalculated and no clarity on where the rest of the money was spent.

The first cohort of South African soldiers was withdrawn from the DRC in May this year after it was decided in March, following an outcome of a DRC Summit of Heads of State.

“The outcome of these meetings has led to a decision for the termination of the mission and withdrawal to allow political and diplomatic intervention to resolve the security issues in the DRC,” Motshekga said at the time.

“I want to say to them that your contribution has helped to lay the groundwork for peace in the region. And to the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, your loss is shared by a very grateful nation full of appreciation.”