Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga’s written reply on a DA question on the SANDF’s new personnel carrier tender confirms that a multi-billion-rand defence procurement is being handled in a way that is unfair, risky and careless with both public money and soldiers’ safety.
The reply confirms that a contract worth about R2.8 billion for 462 vehicles was awarded before the vehicles were properly tested in operational conditions. Instead of testing first and buying later, the Department has chosen to sign first and test later. That reverses basic risk management and exposes the state to serious financial and operational risk.
The reply further confirms that no landmine or blast testing was required or conducted as part of this tender, and that only limited small-arms ballistic testing was submitted with the bid. This means vehicles intended to carry soldiers into potentially hostile environments have not been tested against some of the most common modern threats.
At the same time, Armscor formally instructed bidders to deploy vehicles for inspection and field trials. Established manufacturers with existing, proven vehicles already in production and exported internationally complied and deployed their platforms at significant cost. Those trials were then cancelled mid-process. The preferred bidder did not participate in any testing at all.
That is not an administrative error. It is unequal treatment of bidders and a breach of the principles of fairness, competitiveness and transparency required by law.
The Minister claims that the preferred bidder’s capacity and experience were verified, but offers no explanation for how a company with no proven history of serial production of these vehicles, and no established export record in this category, was judged capable of delivering hundreds of vehicles reliably and on time.
South Africa has already paid dearly for failed defence procurement. The Badger infantry fighting vehicle programme has suffered years of delays, major cost overruns and repeated technical failures, wasting billions of rands while failing to deliver even a single Badger vehicle. That should have been a warning.
Instead, the Department of Defence is repeating the same mistake: committing billions before proving capability.
The DA will demand full disclosure of the evaluation process, the cancellation of trials, all deviations from the tender, and the risk assessments relied upon. If this process cannot be shown to be lawful, fair and rational, it must be reviewed and set aside.
Parliament is not a rubber stamp for reckless procurement. Soldiers’ lives and public funds deserve better than this.