SANDF’s major employment generating mechanism on hold till 2024

The annual intake of the SA National Defence Force’s (SANDF) military skills development (MSD) programme has been put on hold until 2024.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans heard at its first meeting of the year earlier this month there wasn’t going to be a 2021 intake, apparently due to the coronavirus pandemic and the implementation of the national state of disaster, now in place for over 300 days at various lockdown levels.

TSA reported earlier that compensation of employees (CoE) is the single largest expenditure item on the defence budget.

Top-heavy: One general for every 184 people in the SANDF

Once every two years

The committee also heard, as part of cost-saving measures, particularly in the human resource component of the SANDF, consideration will now only be given to MSD intakes once every two years.

A presentation by the SANDF senior human resources director Vice Admiral Asiel Kubu stated that “the next MSD intake is planned for January 2022 followed by January 2024.”

That plan is now out the window, defenceweb reported, with the latest SANDF statement saying: “Due to the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic, the SANDF has taken a decision not to advertise the application forms for the Military Skills Development System (MSDS) programme for the year 2022.”

“There will not be any MSDS selection for the indicated period.”

Applications forms on social media not valid

SANDF’s corporate communication’s department also cautioned those thinking of applying not to make use of forms “currently circulating on social media.”

“They are old forms and the public must not use them.”

The MSD system annually sees around 1 700 to 2 000 volunteers who make it through a selection programme before starting a two-year stint in one of the four SANDF units.

At the end of the 24-month period a handful of these volunteers are fortunate enough to be offered short-term contracts in the regulars, the full-time force, with the remainder expected to put their military skills to use in the Reserve Force.

MSD is the military’s major contribution to providing employment as per the National Development Plan 2030 with the stated aim of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality in South Africa.