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The Joint Standing Committee on Defence has noted with concern the video purporting to show South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members providing security with the South African Police Service (SAPS) at #JusticeForCwecwe protest match in Matatiele. The committee will urgently demand the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, and the Chief of the SANDF to verify the authenticity of the video and provide an urgent report on the circumstances of the presence of the SANDF. 

"While employment of members of the SANDF is a prerogative of the President and the Minister, Section 18  (2) and (3) of the Defence Act stipulates that if the President or the Minister employs members of the SANDF internally as per Section 201 (2) of the Constitution, they must inform Parliament promptly. This has not been done, hence the demand for an urgent report," said Mr Malusi Gigaba, the Co-Chairperson of the committee. 

The committee's concern emanates from the fact that the protest did not represent any extraordinary occurrence nor was there a threat to life. "The report by the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the SANDF must include reasons of the employment(If there was one), why Parliament was not informed and cost associated with the employment," said Mr Phiroane Phala, the Co-Chairperson of the committee. 

SAPS handles protest on a daily basis and they have the requisite skills and training to handle such situations. The Co-Chairpersons are of the view that employment of the SANDF should always be under extraordinary circumstances especially considering the stretched budget the defence force is operating with. 

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the co-chairpersons of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Malusi Gigaba and Phiroane Phala