By Asemahle Vumsindo
Former ANC insider and now EFF member of Parliament Carl Niehaus has formally accused the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of severe mismanagement and neglect following the emergence of video footage that revealed crumbling and unsanitary ablution facilities at the 6 South African Infantry (6SAI) Battalion army base in Makhanda.
Niehaus, who serves on the portfolio committee on defence, initiated the public conflict by posting the shocking footage. He stated that he took no pleasure in sharing the terrible video. Still, he insisted it was time to expose the senior generals and reveal the “abuse” being endured by SANDF soldiers, adding that “enough is really enough.”
The controversy immediately centred on the status of the building shown in the video. The SANDF quickly confirmed the structure belonged to 6SAI but issued a statement asserting that it was “not occupied and therefore not being used for accommodation or any other purpose.” The military maintained that the Defence Works Regiment had already scoped the building for refurbishment and that it would remain empty until renovations are complete.
Niehaus immediately rejected this official explanation. He asserted that the footage was provided by a currently stationed soldier as a “desperate plea for help,” and argued that the video clearly indicated recent use of the facilities. He accused the SANDF of dishonesty and attempting to cover up the dire circumstances faced by its personnel. This conflict highlighted the military’s broader infrastructure issues, which are directly tied to a substantial R41.2 billion budget shortfall.
15 Years of lethal security failure
The collapse of infrastructure at 6SAI extends beyond the internal facilities and is now tied to a lethal public safety crisis due to chronic, long-term neglect of the base perimeter.
Grocott’s Mail understands that the essential need to replace critical perimeter fencing has been pending for an unprecedented 10 to 15 years. This failure has turned the battalion’s 7 000-hectare training ground into a public health and security hazard.
The unfenced area allows residents, particularly from the eNkanini informal settlement, to enter freely to collect scrap metal. This has led directly to multiple tragedies after civilians scavenged unexploded military ordnance (UXO) left on the ground.
At least three civilians have been killed and two injured in three separate incidents since November 2005, after mortars and hand grenades picked up on the unfenced training ground detonated in local residential areas. The victims include a five-year-old child killed in a 2005 mortar explosion. The severity of the risk was underlined in 2018 when the Defence Minister was forced by the courts to pay R1.3 million in compensation to a victim who lost an eye after an earlier blast.
The former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans informed Parliament that the fence had been stolen and that, although a project had been registered and sent out for tender, the process was placed on hold due to “insufficient funding.”
This sustained failure means the battalion must now dedicate time to patrolling the grounds while lacking a clear timeline for permanent repairs instead of focusing on its core military duties, even as illegal poaching activities continue alongside the deadly risk of unexploded ordnance.
