Do you trust the troops? SANDF chief says public confidence and morale ‘has never been higher’

SANDF members at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Centurion on 15 June 2025. Picture: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo Despite reports of public mistrust and low morale in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), its chief says confidence could not be higher. General Rudzani Maphwanya was speaking at the Armed Forces Day commemoration in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, on Saturday.

Armed Forces Day is observed annually to commemorate the sinking of the SS Mendi in 1917. President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to lead the event and address a military that is reportedly demoralised. Maphwanya claimed the United Nations had described South African troops as the best ever deployed.

“They are raring to go. They fight, and they have done extremely well so far.” Maphwanya’s comments come three months after parliamentarians rubbished the defence ministry’s claims that morale was high in the SANDF. The SANDF’s 2024/25 Defence Morale Survey found that soldiers were happier and more confident than in previous years, but the defence committee said oversight visits found a different picture.

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“It is important to highlight that the discrepancy between what we encounter in our daily oversight process is not reflected in the report. Although this is not intended to question the legitimacy of the report, we urge the SANDF management to utilise the survey as a tool to close the gap between the report and the lived experiences of soldiers,” committee chair Phiroene Phala said. Phala further warned that “the morale of the SANDF cannot be ignored, as it has a direct impact on national security.” The distortion between the report and reality on the ground was also challenged by committee member Carl Niehaus, who questioned whether troops were pressured into giving higher scores on the survey.

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