Defence Committee visits Fort iKapa amid allegations of inhumane conditions

The Joint Standing Committee on Defencehas said that conditions at Fort iKapa, where 146 soldiers for Operation Prosper are being accommodated, are not inhumane. Last week, the SA National Defence Union (SANDU) demanded urgent action from the Department of Defence (DOD), describing inhumane and unsafe conditions, including a leaking hangar with no warm water for showers and unsanitary toilets. The soldiers have been deployed to the Western Cape to assist with gang violence.

This, as R823 million has been allocated nationally for the SANDF to support the SAPS with priority internal tasks, focusing on a government-wide approach to stabilise crime. Photographs were recently shared by the SANDU showing the conditions the soldiers are living in. In reaction, Phiroane Phala, co-chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, together with two members of the committee, visited Fort iKapa Military Base in Acacia Park, Cape Town.

They said they found the living conditions at the base to be adequate. Via a parliamentary statement, the committee said Phala noted that the conditions observed during the visit were contrary to media reports alleging that the 146 soldiers deployed under Operation Prosper are being housed in inhumane conditions. “The visit provided first-hand evidence that the media reports were fabricated to create a narrative that not only undermines the reputation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), but also casts doubt on its capacity and capability,” Phala said.

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The Committee further noted that the co-chairperson said the narrative appeared intended to undermine the morale of soldiers deployed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by the President. Phala added: “While we did not expect hotel-like accommodation, what we witnessed met the standards reasonably expected under the circumstances,” he said.

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