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The DA will write to the Minister of Defence, Thandi Modise, to call for an investigation into the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) bizarre decision to create a chain of bakeries which could potentially constitute as irregular and wasteful expenditure.

According to reports, South African soldiers are putting their guns aside to run bakeries in order to help the SANDF deal with its budgetary crisis.

While the DA acknowledges the fact that the cash-strapped SANDF is confronted with a number of operational challenges, the opening of bakeries is not the solution. These bakeries fall outside of the defence force’s mandate and has potentially opened SANDF up to irregular and wasteful expenditure of its already limited funds.

This decision once again highlights the lack of strategic thinking and foresight within the SANDF’s leadership ranks.

In order to address its budgetary contracts, SANDF needs to be reformed and repositioned to address the modern-day challenges that South Africa faces, building  a chain of bakeries will do little to achieve that goal.

Issued by DA Shadow Minister of Defence, Kobus Marais MP