ActionSA has condemned the minister of defence and military veterans Angie Motshekga’s priorities after the recent deaths of SANDF members in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This comes after the department revealed that the minister and her deputy spent more than R10m on travel expenses since taking office last year.

According to a parliamentary written reply, Motshekga's department spent a total of R10.4m on domestic and international travel, car hire, accommodation, shuttle services and fuel.

ActionSA MP Lerato Ngobeni expressed concern about the excessive spending, particularly when soldiers are facing dire situations due to inadequate resources.

“It is unacceptable that our men and women in uniform, sent to the front lines of a foreign conflict, are denied basic necessities to protect themselves while the minister indulges in costly travel. This is not just negligence — it is a betrayal of duty,” Ngobeni said.

“ActionSA has long warned that mismanagement and underfunding have crippled our defence capabilities, leaving the SANDF unable to safeguard our national security. This is why we opposed the R2.1bn Section 16 appropriation in the medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) for the DRC deployment and voted against the defence budget vote. We cannot continue to deploy our forces into prolonged foreign conflicts while our own borders remain porous, and our national security deteriorates.”

On Monday, three more SANDF members were killed in an exchange of bombs near the Gama airport, and one soldier who was injured during the battle over the past three days succumbed to injuries in hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to 13 in just one week.

Budgetary constraints have long plagued the defence department. Between 1995 and 1998, the defence budget was cut by 11.1%, and in 2015, the defence force was 24% underfunded. Defence spending in 2022/23 was 8.4% lower than in 2021 and 21% lower than in 2013.

Ngobeni urged Motshekga to advise President Cyril Ramaphosa to halt all unplanned and uncosted SANDF deployments and ensure the immediate return of South African troops from the DRC.

“Families are mourning today while the minister travels in luxury. We cannot allow reckless leadership to squander the lives of our soldiers. South Africa’s men and women in uniform deserve dignity, respect, protection and competent leadership.”