Darren Olivier
@darren.africandefence.net
Director at African Defence Review (@africandefence)
Covering African conflicts with a specific focus on Southern Africa.
Email: dolivier@africandefence.net
Signal: darren.13
Covering African conflicts with a specific focus on Southern Africa.
Email: dolivier@africandefence.net
Signal: darren.13
So please go ahead and read the rest of Dean’s thread.
He details more funding allocations that are all stopgap measures to keep the lights on, not serious capability and availability enhancements.
If government really intends to increase defence spending it needs to start in the very next budget.
He details more funding allocations that are all stopgap measures to keep the lights on, not serious capability and availability enhancements.
If government really intends to increase defence spending it needs to start in the very next budget.
November 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
So please go ahead and read the rest of Dean’s thread.
He details more funding allocations that are all stopgap measures to keep the lights on, not serious capability and availability enhancements.
If government really intends to increase defence spending it needs to start in the very next budget.
He details more funding allocations that are all stopgap measures to keep the lights on, not serious capability and availability enhancements.
If government really intends to increase defence spending it needs to start in the very next budget.
Note too that the 12 000 funded SAAF flight hours is already a huge decline over what it used to be. Up until 2010/2011, the SAAF was routinely funded (and achieved) over 40 000 flying hours a year. This year it will achieve no more than 6 000. The public should be outraged.
November 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Note too that the 12 000 funded SAAF flight hours is already a huge decline over what it used to be. Up until 2010/2011, the SAAF was routinely funded (and achieved) over 40 000 flying hours a year. This year it will achieve no more than 6 000. The public should be outraged.
The need for more funding going toward capability maintenance is beyond an urgent crisis. These flight hour and sea hour achievement levels are already causing serious losses in capabilities & many resignations of key personnel. Time has run out, real harm is being done.
bsky.app/profile/dean...
bsky.app/profile/dean...
Operational readiness remains under strain: By mid-year the SAAF had flown only 2,411 of 12,000 planned flight hours and the Navy had sailed only 2,377 of 8,000 sea hours due to maintenance delays.
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November 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
The need for more funding going toward capability maintenance is beyond an urgent crisis. These flight hour and sea hour achievement levels are already causing serious losses in capabilities & many resignations of key personnel. Time has run out, real harm is being done.
bsky.app/profile/dean...
bsky.app/profile/dean...
This is because, as he shows, most of it is reimbursement of costs already incurred (and pulled from other budget lines) and R439 m is for early retirements.
It helps more than not having reimbursement, but it’s not new money flowing into acquisitions, procurement, etc.
bsky.app/profile/dean...
It helps more than not having reimbursement, but it’s not new money flowing into acquisitions, procurement, etc.
bsky.app/profile/dean...
Of this increase, R439 million covers the government’s early retirement programme (to fund exit incentives and medical continuation), and R1.45 billion comes from self-financing revenue: Reimbursements from UN/SADC missions and sales of equipment.
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November 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
This is because, as he shows, most of it is reimbursement of costs already incurred (and pulled from other budget lines) and R439 m is for early retirements.
It helps more than not having reimbursement, but it’s not new money flowing into acquisitions, procurement, etc.
bsky.app/profile/dean...
It helps more than not having reimbursement, but it’s not new money flowing into acquisitions, procurement, etc.
bsky.app/profile/dean...
Reposted by Darren Olivier
The Oryx undertaking firefighting duties shortly after arrival in Bredasdorp.
November 8, 2025 at 6:16 AM
The Oryx undertaking firefighting duties shortly after arrival in Bredasdorp.