The Democratic Alliance welcomes the instruction to end Project Kgala, the successor to the discredited Project Thusano. After years of DA pressure, repeated Auditor-General findings and even a legal opinion finding the contract invalid, the SANDF must now translate this overdue decision into a lawful, transparent and time-bound exit.
The ANC’s Cuban obsession has consumed billions of rand through military cooperation, technical services and training arrangements while the SANDF struggles to maintain its equipment and fund essential operations.
In March 2025, the Department told Parliament that Thusano had cost approximately R3.04 billion over a decade. The Auditor-General reported R1.699 billion in disclosed irregular expenditure. Kgala was presented as the solution, yet the reporting on it identifies a further R278.6 million in irregular expenditure under the successor arrangement.
The DA warned Parliament on 12 March 2025 that changing Thusano’s name would not change the laws governing public procurement. Defence nevertheless assured the committee that irregular expenditure would not recur. Those assurances now demand an explanation from the officials who gave them and the leadership responsible for implementation. Proof that the ANC’s idea of ‘cost-effectiveness’ is selling South African jobs to Cuba.
The costs extend beyond payments to Cuban specialists. The DA previously exposed a nearly R34 million charter flight carrying more than 200 SANDF personnel, including senior officers and students, to Cuba for a graduation ceremony. The latest reported Kgala expenditure includes R100.3 million for aircraft chartering. Defence must disclose the flights concerned and establish whether the previously exposed charter forms part of that amount.
The training outcomes also require scrutiny. Cuban medical qualifications do not automatically entitle returning graduates to practise medicine in South Africa. They must satisfy South African registration and clinical requirements. AGSA reported that only six of the first cohort of 21 medical students successfully completed the initial 18-month integration course at the University of Pretoria. Expensive overseas training must deliver recognised qualifications and usable skills.
The AGSA also found that Cuban technical services cost substantially more than comparable South African services, denying skilled South Africans work opportunities. Defence cannot justify neglecting domestic artisans, engineers, training institutions and defence companies while committing scarce resources to arrangements whose value remains inadequately demonstrated.
The announcement is not yet a completed shutdown. Existing courses will reportedly continue, but no firm end date or full remaining cost has been disclosed. Completing students’ qualifications requires a lawful plan; it cannot become an excuse for indefinite irregular expenditure.
The DA will demand the termination instruction, a complete expenditure reconciliation, and a costed exit plan identifying every Cuban agreement that remains active.
The SANDF must now be watched closely to ensure that its dealings with Cuba comply with the law. Another name change or transfer to a different budget cannot substitute accountability.
South African defence funds must strengthen our soldiers, operational readiness and domestic skills. The DoD has far too long claimed to be defending South Africa when in reality they are repaying an age-old ANC debt.