Defence minister Angie Motshekga has confirmed only one Oryx helicopter was deployed to assist after the floods in the Eastern Cape, arriving more than a week after the event; 103 lives were lost.
The delay, vaguely described as resulting from “technical challenges”, reflects a breakdown in the SA Air Force’s (SAAF’s) operational capacity and exposes structural deficiencies in the state’s disaster management framework.
Motshekga made the admission in an answer to a question from DA MP Peter Atkinson.
No operational data was provided regarding aircraft availability, flight engineer numbers or contingency measures. The lack of transparency has been attributed to potential national security risks, a justification that may not withstand scrutiny if it impedes legislative oversight or conflicts with statutory provisions requiring accountability during declared disasters.
Under the statutory framework established by SA’s Disaster Management Act (2002), reinforced by the Defence Act (2002), the defence department is legally obligated to render logistical and aerial support when civil capacity is exceeded. The deployment of only one helicopter — delayed by more than a week — raises serious questions about whether this obligation was fulfilled.
In practice, operational execution remains discretionary and heavily dependent on internal readiness and resource availability, both demonstrably inadequate in this case. The department has cited proposed remuneration reforms, including flight engineer allowances and the military dispensation allowance, but these remain unfunded and subject to Treasury approval.
With 67.8% of the defence budget allocated to personnel costs, operational capability continues to erode. Chronic maintenance backlogs, attrition of technical skills and a hollowed-out flight engineer corps paint a troubling picture of systemic capacity degradation within the defence establishment.
Parallel parliamentary questions — EFF MP Sixolise Gcilishe to co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and EFF MP Veronica Mente-Nkuna to finance minister Enoch Godongwana — highlighted further fault lines in national disaster response and resource co-ordination.
In his reply to Gcilishe, Hlabisa confirmed the floods had been declared a national disaster, activating provincial budget reprioritisation and emergency procurement. Godongwana in his response to Mente-Nkuna revealed that no disaster funding applications had yet been submitted by the co-operative governance department, despite a verified damage estimate of R5bn and nearly R550m earmarked for response in the 2025/26 budget cycle.
Hlabisa indicated the government’s intent to strengthen national disaster frameworks through structural reform, citing adoption of the Sendai Framework and the “Building back better” approach to post-disaster recovery.
Yet without enforceable timelines, co-ordinated funding mechanisms or municipal accountability in high-risk planning approvals, these proposals remain policy aspirations rather than actionable safeguards.
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