Members of the SANDF and the South African defence industry have gathered at the CSIR to continue the conversation started three years ago for sustainable public-private partnerships.
Executive Chairperson of the South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries (AMD) Sandile Ndlovu in his welcome to delegates of the Public-Private Partnership Conference made the point that PPPs thrive in the infrastructure and energy sector and there was no reason why this couldn’t be so in defence and security.
He added that PPPs could unlock sustainable solutions while defence budgets are shrinking.
Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Bantu Holomisa said priorities had changed since 1998 from military security to social security rendering procured military equipment obsolete through shrinking budget allocations. Cannibalisation became the order of the day, he said, as parts and systems were taken from older equipment to sustain the working resources.
He said we needed to assess emerging security threats because analysis suggested the threat was not from a neighbouring country but from internal factors and that we needed to manage internal civil unrest and the effects of climate change effectively.
Holomisa emphasised that the successful implementation of the 2015 Defence Review was a national priority and that we needed to recognise that defence was a unique institution with highly specialised needs. “PPPs will offer a viable way forward for the sustainability of the SANDF”, he said.
This is all in line with President Ramaphosa’s announcement that budget funding for defence be increased from 0.7% to 1.5% of GDP.
“PPP does not mean the privatisation of state-owned defence enterprises, but partnerships that enhance capability and innovation.” Holomisa added that the 2015 Defence Review could use the defence sector for economic development to create employment and foster skills development.
He cited the design and development of the Rooivalk attack helicopter as a highly successful example of public-private partnerships.
