Hon Chair, the previous hon Minister of Defence and Military Veterans effectively turned the Defence Force into a state beyond proper oversight by Parliament. We do not know everything about the Defence Force. There is too much confidential information and, at times, the Minister refused to reply to questions in Parliament.
The department has been briefed but with limited information and sometimes it has appeared as if the department itself was in the dark. The information on capital expenditure and projects by the Defence Force remains a concern. The Defence Force provides peacekeeping forces to African states, and we should be able to take pride in that.
We have therefore called for a division. This is a demonstration of our strong opposition to the fact that the previous Minister was allowed to turn the Defence Force into a state beyond proper oversight by Parliament. It is an absolute disgrace that the Minister was allowed to undermine Parliament. The reshuffle was necessary and was long overdue. For the sake of South Africa and our proud image, the DA hopes that the department will improve in the future. I thank you, hon Chair.