Our Soldiers Live in Deplorable Conditions

Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) demands answers following the submission of a legal complaint on behalf of SANDF members deployed at Fort Ikapa as part of Operation Prosper. The allegations contained therein are deeply disturbing, not least because they mirror exactly what I personally witnessed during an oversight visit to Fort Ikapa on 11 May 2026. While the SANDF insists they’re “Putting the Soldier First,” it is a lie. I found our troops packed into a leaking hangar during a severe storm.

This stands in direct contradiction to the lofty promises made in the 2026/27 Defence Budget Vote, where the Department claimed it had embraced the Ministerial Priority of “Putting the Soldier First,” including ensuring “habitable facilities,” “well-maintained bases,” and priority support for soldiers on deployment.

The reality at Fort Ikapa tells an entirely different story.

After receiving repeated assurances from the SANDF top brass that Operation Prosper was fully planned, fully resourced, and logistically ready, it turns out our soldiers were deployed into conditions that even the SANDF’s own legal team would struggle to defend. This is no mistake, but instead systemic neglect.

The contradiction becomes even more glaring when one considers that approximately R823 million has reportedly been allocated to Operation Prosper.

South Africans deserve to know:

• How exactly is this money being spent?
• Why are basic accommodation, sanitation, and troop welfare seemingly not being prioritised?
• How can government justify spending hundreds of millions on deployments while soldiers sleep in squalor?

The SANDF leadership cannot continue hiding behind public relations exercises and ceremonial rhetoric while these conditions persist.

Particularly troubling is the continued obsession with SANDF golf days and fundraising events, which are routinely marketed as being for “charity” or “communities in need,” while members of the Defence Force themselves are apparently living under conditions that require charity at home first.

The SANDF cannot preach “Putting the Soldier First” in Parliament while treating soldiers as an afterthought in practice. Our troops deserve dignity, proper accommodation, functioning ablution facilities, decent food, and leadership that prioritises their welfare above optics, golf days, and political spin.