Парламент Южной Африки требует ясности в стратегии «Путь к величию» для вооруженных сил

Nearly four years have passed since the Department of Defence (DoD) began the process of developing a coherent strategy to revitalise the ailing South African National Defence Force (SANDF), yet according to a parliamentary briefing paper, Parliament still cannot confidently say what the long-touted ‘Journey to Greatness’ actually is. The briefing paper, titled Strategic Oversight of the Future Defence Force and dated 26 August 2026, was drafted and provided to members of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) in the lead-up to last Friday’s special closed meeting of the JSCD at Youngsfield Military Base, Cape Town, on 28 August. While the precise contents and outcomes of the closed session remain unknown, the briefing paper raises some key questions over Parliament’s involvement in and ability to meaningfully scrutinise the DoD’s plans for the future of South Africa’s national defence. Chief among the concerns raised in the briefing was the fact that the executive has, over the past several years, drafted a number of documents that represent “a potentially significant attempt by the executive to establish a long-term defence posture and force-development trajectory”; however, this has involved little input from parliamentarians. Consequently, and despite the programme reportedly being at a fairly advanced stage, parliamentarians still need to establish exactly what the strategy is, alongside the logic and processes that led to its adoption. Dr Raymond Steenkamp Fonseca, the briefing’s author, also expressed concern over the overlapping names and functions of some of these policy and strategy documents and how they individually and collectively relate to what the Chief of the SANDF coined as the “Journey to Greatness.” This led him to recommend that the JSCD first should “ask for the complete document set before it can meaningfully assess the strategy” and “before getting into the merits, clarity is needed on which document is actually the ‘Journey to Greatness’, who owns it, what has Cabinet approved, and what exactly is Parliament being asked to consider?” The three core documents identified by the briefing include: the Future Defence Policy Concept, Military Capstone Concept, and Military Strategy 2025–2055. According to the DoD’s 2024/25 Annual Report, all three documents were submitted to the Presidency on 31 October 2024. The briefing paper also identifies the Defence Capstone Policy Document, Military Capstone Strategising Document, and the Long-Term Defence Capability Development Plan, known as “Journey to Greatness,” as part of the cohort of documents that need to be better understood. This is of particular importance since Cabinet approved the Long-Term Force Evolution Strategy and Planning Concept for the SANDF alongside the relevant supporting documents on 6 May 2026. And according to the relevant Cabinet statement, it “is structured according to the milestones outlined in the ‘Journey to Greatness’ plan.” Yet, as the briefing points out, Parliament has not had a meaningful opportunity to engage with either the process or substance of the “Journey to Greatness.” “Parliament has sufficient information to know that a significant strategic process has taken place, but not yet all the necessary information to conduct informed oversight of its substance, costs and consequences,” the briefing paper said. These are not new concerns. The briefing notes that Parliament, through the JSCD and Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV), has on a number of occasions called for the relevant documents to be presented, including previously expressing concern that “force design and long-term capability planning were proceeding before the full framework has been presented to Parliament.” The briefing goes further, arguing that Parliament must be able to “scrutinise the policy choices, resource implications and risks underlying those decisions.” “Cabinet approval does not displace Parliament’s constitutional oversight and budgetary responsibilities,” the briefing emphasised. Noting these and other concerns, the briefing presented JSCD members with a number of suggested questions that could be put to the DoD and other representatives of the executive at the 28 August meeting. While these cover topics ranging from questions on status and authority to strategic purpose, as well as from force design and funding to trade-offs and accountability, some notable examples include: precisely what constitutes the ‘Journey to Greatness’? What is South Africa’s desired defence posture? What has changed since the 2015 Defence Review? What risks remain at each milestone? And what exactly is Parliament asked to approve, appropriate, legislate for, or merely take note of? The briefing paper also made a number of substantive recommendations aimed at strengthening Parliament’s oversight of current and future defence planning processes. These include: “Consider whether a new process for drafting an updated Defence White Paper is needed as a basis for further consultation and discussion with Parliament and civil society”; “insist on transparency and accountability for the implementation status of strategic documents”; and, most fundamentally, “prioritise strategic-level oversight to interrogate the coherence, implementation, and adaptation of defence policy and military strategy documents and plans.” “Only by refocusing parliamentary oversight at the strategic level can South Africa restore an effective, credible, and constitutionally accountable defence posture fit for present and future challenges,” the briefing paper concluded. While Parliament was finally afforded an opportunity to engage with defence planners on the substance of the ‘Journey to Greatness’ on 28 August, whether the meeting at Youngsfield finally has brought some much-needed clarity and enabled Parliament to begin the process of meaningful scrutiny is yet to be determined.