MEDIA STATEMENT
Johannesburg, Wednesday, 26 February 2025 – Public Interest SA rejects with the utmost contempt the remarks made by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans chairperson, Dakota Legoete, during his appearance on SABC’s Face the Nation last night.
Legoete’s characterisation of Lieutenant General Ntshavheni Maphaha’s candid assessment of South Africa’s military and border security as “anti-establishment” is a blatant attempt to deflect from the government’s failure to adequately support the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). His comments reflect the worst form of obfuscation and a disturbing lack of accountability for the dire state of our military, which is expected to defend the territorial integrity of the Republic without the necessary tools and resources.
Lt Gen Maphaha, the SANDF Surgeon General, was entirely justified in highlighting the alarming state of our border security and the inadequate support provided to our military. His remarks reflect a painful but undeniable reality: as long as our borders remain porous and our armed forces lack the equipment and resources needed to safeguard our nation, South Africans will continue to suffer from rampant violent crime and unchecked corruption. With politicians like Legoete in Parliament, the security of our democracy will forever remain in peril.
We call on Legoete and his fellow politicians to focus on addressing these critical issues raised by Maphaha rather than seeking to retaliate against military personnel who dare to speak the truth — especially in solemn moments when families deserve honesty about the sacrifices made by their loved ones in service to this country. While Legoete himself admitted that there was nothing factually incorrect in Maphaha’s statements, it is abhorrent that he still advocates for punitive action against him for simply articulating what so many within the military and the broader public already recognise as an undeniable reality.
To say that the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS), under Maphaha’s stewardship, is at the epicentre of the military’s lack of support by the Executive and Legislature that expect miracles from it would be a gross understatement. Its dire state underscores the systemic neglect faced by injured and military personnel who often experience pitiful healthcare service while politicians patronise private healthcare facilities.
The ongoing debacle surrounding the DRC "peacekeeping mission" has laid bare our politicians' deceit, as they have repeatedly sought to keep the public in the dark about the true nature of the mission — its effectiveness, costs, casualties, and the logistics of repatriating our fallen heroes.
Instead of targeting those who expose the truth, our leaders must engage in honest introspection. They must ask themselves whether the democracy for which so many sacrificed their lives is being upheld—or betrayed.
“There is no greater act of patriotism than courageously speaking the truth about the state of one's nation no matter how uncomfortable it may be for those in authority. General Maphaha stands as a lodestar for those who feel constrained by convoluted military doctrines that invariably protect incompetence and corruption within the system. South Africans should take pride in having men and women of his calibre as role models and steadfast defenders of our democratic principles during one of our nation's most vulnerable moments,” said Tebogo Khaas, founder and chairman of Public Interest SA.
ENDS
