The Department of Defence, in partnership with the South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD), officially convened the Defence Industry Lekgotla at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) International Convention Centre in Pretoria on 20 July 2026. The high-level, three-day engagement brings together government leadership, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), defence industry executives, academia, organized labour and state institutions to establish a sustainable long-term framework for South Africa’s defence sector. The gathering aims to reposition the industry as a vital national driver of economic growth, technological innovation, industrialization and sovereign defence capability.
Opening the Lekgotla, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga emphasized that the gathering marks the beginning of an ongoing national process to resolve structural challenges within the defence sector rather than serving as a standard conference. Reaffirming government’s commitment to peace and diplomacy, Motshekga stressed that national security represents a shared responsibility extending across government, science, industry and civil society. She called for increased investment in local manufacturing, research, innovation and youth skills development to ensure South Africa’s defence industry maintains its global competitiveness.
Delivering the strategic overview, Secretary for Defence Mr Bareng Mthimkhulu challenged delegates to look beyond immediate operational demands and address the long-term sustainability of South Africa’s defence infrastructure. Acknowledging the industry’s international reputation for engineering excellence, Mthimkhulu warned that capability alone cannot guarantee long-term survival. He cautioned that specialized strategic capabilities, once lost through declining investment or skill attrition, take generations to rebuild, making long-term planning and alignment between national defence and economic policy essential to national resilience.
Chief of the SA National Defence Force, General Rudzani Maphwanya, advocated for a fundamental operational shift, calling on industry to move from traditional maintenance, repair and overhaul models toward a “maintain and modernize” doctrine. Maphwanya urged defence firms to integrate emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cyber warfare, space systems and autonomous platforms to prepare forces for future operational environments. He further emphasized that South African-developed defence technologies must first equip and prove themselves within the SANDF before international export, as local adoption strengthens operational readiness while enhancing global export credibility.
The three-day program centres on six dedicated strategic commissions tasked with formulating actionable policy recommendations: Innovation, Localisation and Exports, Acquisition and Procurement, Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration, Capacity Building and Inclusion, and Financing. These commissions engage key stakeholders including Denel, the Defence Technology Innovation Centre (DTIC), the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, AMD and National Treasury to address intellectual property utilization, procurement reform, supply chain transformation and sustainable funding models. The final outcomes of the Lekgotla will establish a long-term strategic roadmap to revitalize the defence industrial base and safeguard South Africa’s sovereign capabilities over the next three decades.
