Hon Chairperson, when this Bill was debated here, the EFF opposed it on the basis of some key fundamental points. None of those points have been addressed even by the NCOP. The minor technical amendment proposed by the NCOP does not deal with the substantive issues we raised before.
The 2015 Defence Review Report stately demonstrated that the decline in defence allocation has declined year on year by approximately five percent per annum. In the real terms, over the last 20 years, to less than one percent of the gross domestic product, resulting in the loss of essential defence capabilities. The result of this has been horrendous and the defence review noted the consequence as loss of significant impact on the capacity and capabilities of the Department of Defence and the level of the Republic of South African defence ambition in support of its national interest and foreign policy.