- Motshekga must be held accountable for permitting foreign military access to strategic military infrastructure.
- Chinese technicians are involved in classified infrastructure upgrades at De Brug and have been consulted for maintenance of critical SANDF vessels.
- This represents a serious violation of defence-sector protocols.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is alarmed over serious breaches of defence protocol, oversight, and sovereignty stemming from clandestine Chinese military involvement in SANDF operations, including the secretive Project Zingisa at De Brug and the opaque RMB 100 million military aid agreement signed in Beijing in 2024.
The Department of Defence and Minister Angie Motshekga must be held accountable for allowing a foreign military, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, access to strategic military infrastructure and possibly sensitive naval platforms, without following due process or considering national security risks.
It is now apparent that Chinese technicians are involved in classified infrastructure upgrades at De Brug and have been consulted for maintenance of critical SANDF vessels, including frigates and submarines originally supplied by European manufacturers. These platforms are governed by strict confidentiality and intellectual property agreements, and any unauthorised foreign intervention represents a serious violation of defence-sector protocols.
Repairs to SANDF vessels involving sensitive systems or proprietary technologies should only be conducted by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), or by third parties explicitly authorised by those OEMs. Unauthorized involvement by foreign entities—especially those with no formal linkage to the original design—may violate intellectual property rights, breach contractual confidentiality clauses, and compromise national security.
Furthermore, the RMB 100 million (±R260 million) Chinese military aid agreement, signed without parliamentary consultation in September 2024, remains undisclosed in both content and oversight. There has been no clarity on what equipment is involved, how it will be delivered, or what reciprocal obligations South Africa may incur.
This pattern of backroom deals, classified deployments, and diplomatic appeasement is undermining South Africa’s military sovereignty and constitutional accountability.
The DA calls for the following urgent actions:
1. Full public disclosure of the Chinese military aid agreement’s contents, protocols, and delivery plans.
2. A Treasury and Auditor-General review of Project Zingisa, to determine whether any confidentiality, IP, or procurement laws have been breached.
3. A parliamentary inquiry into all foreign military contracts since 2020 — including involvement of Chinese and Cuban personnel in SANDF logistics, repairs, and base access.
4. A formal undertaking by the Minister of Defence to reaffirm adherence to all OEM and international defence compliance standards, particularly regarding naval technologies.
South Africa’s defence assets and military intelligence must not be compromised by opaque dealings with foreign powers. The blame lies squarely with the Department of Defence and Minister Motshekga for failing to uphold the required protocols and exposing the SANDF to geopolitical and legal risks.