Thula, kwedini. [Keep quiet, my boy.] [Laughter.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and hon members, the UDM supports Budget Vote No 22. [Applause.] I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Minister for taking steps to accelerate the pace of transformation in the department. [Applause.] The setting up of structures such as the National Defence Force Service Commission, the Ombud Office and the Military Veterans department will certainly improve the efficiency of the department.
We further commend the Minister on the establishment of the Defence Review Committee as this gives the nation a rare opportunity to discuss the requirements of the Defence Force. This exercise is long overdue, considering that our Defence Force mandate stretches beyond our borders.
The final report tabled by the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission last year gave a clear warning to the nation that the Defence Force's state of readiness cannot be guaranteed because of obsolete equipment. The Defence Review will assist in ensuring that the challenges identified in the commission's report receive attention.
One of the problems confronting this department is that most of the people who formed the nucleus of the 1994 integration project have either retired or are retiring, more especially at command level. There is, therefore, a need to invest heavily in the training and development of future leaders of the Defence Force. We should consider sending our soldiers to countries with systems similar to ours for training. This method worked very well for us in the former Transkei Defence Force, TDF.
For example, Gen T T Matanzima, former TDF Commander, now has the newly established Office of the Ombud. Gen Matanzima received his military training in the Transkei, then in Ghana and then with the British defence forces. This programme helped to capacitate and broaden the knowledge of the TDF officers on defence issues.
In this regard, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gen Matanzima on his appointment. I have no doubt in my mind that Gen Matanzima will make a good contribution to his new role. He is a hard worker who has earned the respect of his seniors, colleagues and those in junior ranks alike. His experience as a military officer puts him in a good position to understand the challenges of the SA National Defence Force.
The truth of the matter is that increased investment in the training and development of officers and the maintenance of a high standard of discipline will make the task of the Ombud office less difficult.
There needs to be co-ordination between the institutions identified above, once they are fully functional. We, therefore, cannot overemphasise the importance of developing regulations governing these institutions. The regulations must be done in a way that avoids a duplication of duties and functions. This is critical because some of them are going to be expected to table their reports for scrutiny by this House.
Another important matter the nation needs to discuss is the future of unions in the Defence Force. This is necessitated by the pronouncements made by some members of the executive that they do not need unions in the Defence Force, while the law allows them. The sooner we finalise this contentious issue, the better because it will remove the confusion that the National Defence Force Service Commission is there to replace the unions.
Finally, one of the things that the department has to tackle is the lack of accreditation for the in-house short courses it offers. The department needs to work with institutions of higher learning to ensure that the certificates from its in-house programmes are worth the paper they are written on for their former employees' easy absorption into the market. However, I have taken note of the hon Minister's announcement this afternoon in this regard.
To accomplish the important task of the Defence Force ...