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R813 Million in Troop Allowances

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured agreement from the Co-chairpersons of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence to formally request critical information from the Minister of Defence regarding the missing R813.3 million allocated for the SADC deployment in the DRC.

This follows the Minister’s dismissive response to the DA’s calls for accountability, in which she claimed the matter was being handled with “seriousness and care”.

The facts do not support this claim.

Soldiers remain unpaid, weeks after returning from deployment, and military unions are now in urgent talks with the Department over outstanding allowances.

The DA has asked the Committee to obtain the following from the Minister:

  • A full breakdown of the R813.3 million allocated to Compensation of Employees, including payment timelines.
  • Clarity on who is responsible for repatriation, equipment backloading and related logistics.
  • A report on tracking, reporting, and internal audit mechanisms for the SADC deployment expenditure.
  • The Minister’s view on the union engagements over outstanding allowances.

The Minister’s reassurances are contradicted by her department’s actions. In May, SANDF’s Brigadier General Edem Abotsi told the Committee that the force “becomes [soldiers’] welfare officer” and keeps the money “in their accounts back home.” Yet there is no evidence of payment. The Minister, meanwhile, was absent from that critical briefing, reportedly attending a military parade in Russia.

She has since labelled the DA’s request for transparency “shameful and irresponsible.” But what is truly shameful is that soldiers are still waiting for what they are contractually owed, long after completing their deployment.

From logistical failures to payment delays, this deployment has been mishandled from the start. The Minister cannot hide behind vague statements while soldiers are left out in the cold.

Every cent counts in a constrained budget. The DA will not allow this matter to be buried in bureaucratic spin. South Africans deserve the truth and our soldiers deserve their pay.

Regards

Nicholas Gotsell MP
DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice

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