The Democratic Alliance (DA) has sharply the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for approving a R28 million programme to send 20 officers to Cuba for what the party describes as “unaccredited, wasteful training.”
The plan comes despite repeated findings by the Auditor-General that the SANDF’s long-running cooperation with Cuba – previously known as Project Thusano and now rebranded as Project Kgala –has resulted in irregular expenditure and questionable outcomes.
According to the DA, the new scheme mirrors past failures. Project Thusano was flagged for irregular contracts, inflated tariffs and non-recognised training, racking up more than R1.7 billion in irregular expenditure before its name change.
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Past Problems Resurface
- Cuban personnel were reportedly paid at almost four times the local rate.
- Medical training in Cuba cost 146% more than similar South African programmes.
- Many Cuban-trained graduates had to redo their qualifications locally due to lack of accreditation.
The DA argues that the new initiative, which dedicates the first year to officers learning Spanish, further delays genuine skills development. “This is an ideological vanity project at taxpayers’ expense while accredited courses at home sit underutilised,” the party said.
Questions Over Value
Defence Minister Angie Motshekga confirmed that 298 SANDF members are currently training in 13 countries, many of them in English-medium institutions with recognised qualifications. Cuba, the DA insists, is the “costly, non-accredited exception” and offers little strategic value compared to partners such as the United States, United Kingdom, India or South Africa’s own academies.
The DA has called for the immediate suspension of the Cuban deployment and full disclosure of all Project Kgala contracts. “This is not reform, it is recycling failure,” the party said, demanding that the funds be redirected to South African technical colleges and defence academies to strengthen local capacity and create jobs.
Political Clash
Framing the issue as political, the DA accused the ANC of “ideological nostalgia for Cuba” at the expense of building a professional and effective defence force. “We will not allow ANC politics to cripple our defence force,” the party said. “The SANDF must serve soldiers and taxpayers first, not the ANC’s debts to its old allies.”
