DA Demands Actions Against Minister Motshekga for "bunking" Parliament Yet Again

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has shared their frustrations following postponement of yesterday’s parliamentary briefing on the catastrophic Repair and Maintenance Project (RAMP) at 1 Military Hospital due to the absence of Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga.

DA Member of Parliament and Spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans Chris Hattingh shared that it is not the first time Motshekga has snubbed Parliament.

Hattingh said that yesterday’s meeting was even shifted from a scheduled in-person engagement at Parliament to a virtual platform, in order to accommodate Motshekga, however she still failed to attend, and added that her constant evasion of parliamentary, “oversight borders on contempt and reinforces the growing culture of impunity and disregard for accountability within the Ministry”.

According to Hattingh, the RAMP project which started in 2005, over R1 billion has been spent on 1 Military Hospital, meant to be the flagship medical facility for the South African National Defence Force, remains only 40% operational.

“The first and second floors, which should house the ICU, casualty units, theatres, and the pharmacy, are abandoned and unsafe,” he said.

Hatting lamented that the indirect consequences of this “failure” are just as severe. He stated In the 2024/5 financial year, the government spent R38.8 million outsourcing medical services that the hospital should be providing internally.

“The loss of medical specialists and the collapse of military health training capacity continue unabated. Most tragically, soldiers wounded in combat deployments, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, return home to a system that cannot properly care for them,” Htattingh said.

The DA MP also highlighted that Reserve force members and military veterans do not have access to medical services due to lack of operational funding and unaffordable outsourcing medical services. He pointed out that it is unfair for those who have served the country with honour to be denied medical care due to issues within health institution intended. 0

“Despite multiple forensic investigations and an ongoing Hawks probe into allegations of fraud and corruption, no arrests have been made and no official has been held accountable. There have been no consequences, no urgency, and no justice,” he added.

However, according to the media state by South African Government, Motshekga attended the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial that took place in Berlin, Germany, on 13 and 14 May 2025.

The government declared that the Minister’s participation is vital for the country’s continued dedication to international peace and security, as well as the its longstanding commitment to multilateral cooperation through the United Nations.

The DA has requested for the Joint Standing Committee on Defence in Parliament to deal with issues within the military in the presence of Motshekga in Parliament.

They further demanded the Minister to present full and detailed recovery plan, consisting timeframes, funding models, and clear lines of accountability.