-
SANDF soldiers.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has criticised government’s planned budget for the Defence Force Day parade, saying it should have been used to address challenges in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
R372 million has been set aside for the parade, which is scheduled to take place later next month in Thohoyandou, Limpopo.
The labour federation says the SANDF is grappling with budget cuts, mismanagement and poor conditions for soldiers.
COSATU Parliamentary Co-ordinator Matthew Parks says, “We don’t oppose the parade in itself … there’s a certain moral and propaganda value to it. But the amount is just insane; you can’t justify R372 million. So either they should reduce the budget significantly or scrap it.”
“It is difficult to scrap it because they’ve already disseminated it out there, but they need to reduce the amount. It makes no sense when Barracks are dilapidated, when pilots are getting so few hours to fly and to maintain the licences etc.”
Below is the full interview with Matthew Parks:
