The Joint Standing Committee on Defense says it is concerned about the continuous reduction of the budget allocation for the South African National Defense Force (SANDF).

The committee held a joint media briefing with two other committees of Parliament that belong to the Peace and Security Cluster.

Committee chairperson Malusi Gigaba says the decrease on the funding allocation of the SANDF has been a pattern since 1996.

“As you would have noted from the budget, the defense budget only increases slightly. But which means when the inflation is taken into consideration it actually drops. It’s a major issue of concern for us because since 1996 we have seen the defense budget growing gradually from over two percent of GDP to 0.7 percent as it stands right now.”

SANDF’s budget cuts remain a concern