Navy Chief warns defence cuts are leaving South Africa’s seas unprotected

Vice Admiral Monde Lobese has delivered one of his strongest warnings yet, saying South Africa’s shrinking defence budget is eroding the country’s ability to protect its own coastline. Speaking at the Navy’s Prestige Charity Ball, Lobese criticised what he called an increasingly “unpatriotic posture” among some officials people who, he argues, make decisions that weaken national security while pretending it is normal.

He said the SANDF is trapped in a cycle of producing performance plans and reviews that can never be implemented because budgets are consistently slashed. The result, he warned, is a Navy that cannot send its ships and submarines to sea often enough to deter traffickers, smugglers and organised criminal networks operating along South Africa’s maritime routes.

Lobese hinted that some of those pushing austerity measures may be influenced willingly or not — by groups that benefit from a weakened naval presence. He contrasted the current state of the defence force with his early years as a young liberation fighter, recalling a time when resources, uniforms and ammunition were never in shortage.

The Admiral said the country cannot claim to safeguard its sovereignty while simultaneously underfunding the very institution responsible for defending it. He urged South Africans to rally behind a stronger, properly resourced defence force, warning that without a functional Navy at sea, the country is left exposed to threats “that do not wait for budget approvals.”