The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) faces a critical challenge as the majority of its programmes are underfunded by more than 40%, with the 2025/26 defence budget providing only a nominal 0.78% increase to R55.94 billion—well below the inflation rate of 4.4%—and with none of the Air Force’s 26 Gripen fighters currently operational due to a lack of support contracts, according to the defence department’s 2026 annual performance plan and multiple parliamentary briefings.

Operational Capacity Hit By Budget Shortfalls

The Department of Defence has warned that a budget deviation of about R1.14 billion—representing 48% underfunding—will undermine intelligence staffing and capabilities. This comes as the defence budget declines as a portion of GDP; at 1%, it now falls below the international norm of 2%, as reported by Dr. Sam Gulube, outgoing defence and military veterans’ secretary. Over the past two decades, the SANDF’s budget has declined by an average of 5% annually. The issue has led to a real terms decrease despite the budget standing at R59 billion for 2025/26, a figure set to shrink by R2 billion to R57.6 billion the following year.

In 2025, the South African Air Force received a nominal increase that failed to match inflation, directly impacting procurement and maintenance. The absence of a support contract since 2021 has grounded all 26 Gripen fighter jets, reducing air power capability in a regional context where military readiness remains significant for border defence and peacekeeping obligations.

Calls For Strategic Solutions Amid Growing Pressures

Dr. Sam Gulube highlighted the consequences: “The declining defence budget increases the persistent disconnect between government’s defence expectations and the resources allocated to defence, placing the department in an unenviable position where the loss of essential defence capabilities has become a reality.” Angie Motshekga, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, stated during a parliamentary session, “We will continue to reprioritise and do more with the little that we have received. This includes ensuring that our soldiers are properly equipped with uniforms, protective gear, habitable facilities, and support during deployment.”

Recent studies, acknowledged in an official annual performance plan, have stressed that ongoing shortfalls risk eroding the country’s sovereign defence industry and ability to keep skilled personnel. The operational and strategic gaps highlighted by the SANDF have reignited calls for urgent policy reform and a long-term funding strategy to restore South Africa’s military capacity and safeguard national security. The next Estimates of National Expenditure, due in early 2027, will be closely watched for any signs of substantial policy shift or resource infusion.