I am astounded that Daily Maverick provides its columns to promote militarism, and to argue that “robust defence capability is required of any nation with aspirations for continental leadership”. (South Africa’s military at a crossroads, 7 January 2019).

The final bio identifying Todd M Johnson as a US political-military analyst perhaps provides the answer. The reality is that US military interventions around the world since 9/11 and before have been an utter disaster both for the world and the US. The US most certainly is not an example that South Africa should emulate on our continent.

Our own South African experience is that the apartheid government also promoted militarism that brought this country nothing but bankruptcy and shame. Our post-apartheid priority is peace through social upliftment through education and health and alleviation of apartheid legacies of poverty — not war.

Even military analysts reluctantly concede there is no conceivable military threat to South Africa. The perennial bleat that we need a navy to protect fish is infantile. A coast guard could better perform that job at 10% of the cost.

Has Daily Maverick still not learnt the lessons of the Arms Deal and the corruption deliberately unleashed by militarists to destroy our transition from apartheid to constitutional democracy? Section 198 of the Constitution establishing the principles governing national security is clear:

“National security must reflect the resolve of South Africans, as individuals and as a nation, to live as equals, to live in peace and harmony, to be free from fear and want and to seek a better life.”

Squandering billions on useless warships and warplanes makes absolutely no contribution to that objective. DM