Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is appalled by the deferment of today’s parliamentary briefing on the catastrophic Repair and Maintenance Project (RAMP) at 1 Military Hospital following the inexcusable absence of Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga.
This is not the first time Minister Motshekga has snubbed Parliament. Today’s meeting was even shifted from a scheduled in-person engagement at Parliament to a virtual platform, solely to accommodate her. Yet she still failed to attend. Her continued evasion of parliamentary oversight borders on contempt and reinforces the growing culture of impunity and disregard for accountability within the Ministry.
The RAMP project commenced in 2005. Twenty years and over R1 billion later, 1 Military Hospital, meant to be the flagship medical facility for the South African National Defence Force, remains only 40% operational. The first and second floors, which should house the ICU, casualty units, theatres, and the pharmacy, are abandoned and unsafe.
The indirect consequences of this failure are just as severe. In the 2024/5 financial year alone, R38.8 million has been spent outsourcing medical services that the hospital should be providing internally. The loss of medical specialists and the collapse of military health training capacity continue unabated. Most tragically, soldiers wounded in combat deployments, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, return home to a system that cannot properly care for them.
Reserve force members and military veterans are also being refused service or turned away due to a lack of operational funding, funding that has been drained by the rising cost of outsourcing medical services. Those who have served this country with honour are now denied medical care because the institution intended to serve them has been crippled by mismanagement and corruption. This is not only unjust, it is criminal and unforgivable.
Despite multiple forensic investigations and an ongoing Hawks probe into allegations of fraud and corruption, no arrests have been made and no official has been held accountable. There have been no consequences, no urgency, and no justice.
The DA calls for the Joint Standing Committee on Defence to reconvene within days, in Parliament, not online, with Minister Motshekga summoned to attend. We further demand that the Department tables a full and detailed recovery plan, complete with timeframes, funding models, and clear lines of accountability.
This is no longer just corruption in action, incompetence or a construction failure.
It is a moral failure.
Our soldiers, who sacrifice their lives in the service of our country, are repaid with neglect, silence, and systemic decay.
South Africa cannot afford to look away any longer.
Regards
Chris Hattingh MP
DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans