Event: SA Navy Gala Concert 2025 Date: November 2025 (Based on context) Speaker: Vice Admiral Monde Lobese
As a South African citizen, you cannot afford to be ignorant about the current affairs and state of our nation. As a parent, you cannot find yourself unconcerned about the future of your children.
As Chief of the Navy, I am entrusted with providing a mission-ready, capable Navy that must be able to patrol and keep our country’s territorial waters safe, so that my fellow South Africans can feel safe and enjoy the resources and wealth found in our oceans.
Let me put it simply, for ease of understanding by any ordinary South African. The point I want to bring across is that the SA Navy is not just a military force but also a protector of our sovereignty, maritime resources, and citizens. Like what former President and Commander-in-Chief Dr. Nelson Mandela said during the International Fleet Review conducted in Cape Town on 5th April 1997:
“The sea is a vital national interest; that’s why we maintain a navy. As a nation, we believe in the freedom of the seas; that is a matter of national strategic interest. We are a maritime nation trading all over the world. We accept our obligation to combine with other maritime nations to uphold the freedom of the seas and to protect our national interest through naval power.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I want us to internalize the fact that our coastline stretches approximately 2,798 kilometers and that South Africa is a maritime nation. Our country’s main trade routes include the maritime route via the Cape of Good Hope, with the major ports of Durban and Richards Bay, which are linked by the N2 corridor and are vital for both regional and international trade. They handle a wide range of exports and imports, including coal, chrome, crude oil, mineral products, vehicles, foodstuffs, and fruit.
The other significant ports include Cape Town, Gqeberha, East London, Mossel Bay, and Saldanha. In the same breath, our country is losing over R6 billion annually due to Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing. Unmonitored vessels in our seas pose a risk to the Republic. At any given time, we have over 600 vessels in our territorial waters, of which some are involved in human trafficking, some in illegal fishing, some stealing our minerals, some smuggling weapons, while some are polluting our beautiful seas and beaches—but to name a few.
Ladies and gentlemen, we also have to appreciate the fact that 98% of our country’s trade volume moves by sea, making it the lifeblood of our international trade. Our maritime trade contributes significantly to our country’s economy, with seaborne trade accounting for about 58% of total trade volume. Furthermore, our country’s entire ocean economy, which includes maritime transport, is projected to contribute between 4.5% and 4.8% of GDP by 2038. These projections are made by academia and several organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the South African Reserve Bank, and various other international bodies and local analysts.
What is of concern is that in making these projections, these organizations might be overlooking a crucial element, which speaks to appreciating who and how we protect our maritime resources of interest. Our Navy is the first line of defense against threats that might emanate from the sea—whether piracy, illicit fishing, or other forms of maritime crimes. Our Navy must keep the critical shipping lanes safe and free so that our economy can prosper. Should or when disaster occurs at sea, our Navy must provide help through search and rescue operations, besides being part of the humanitarian assistance within our country and in neighboring regions.
In order to carry out all these important roles, we must focus on the capability and resources of our Navy. We need to modernize our Navy to match today’s complex and dynamic challenges. We need to invest in our Navy because that will also mean investing in our youth. Training and career opportunities in the Navy can inspire a whole new generation of South Africans, providing them with skills and experience that will benefit the nation as a whole.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, the continuous absence of the Navy at sea is dangerous for our country—and any maritime country, for that matter. Today, as a country, we are battling the high influx of illegal immigrants; our society and the future of our children are being destroyed by drugs which get into their hands through the seas. I invite you to read an article which was recently published on DefenceWeb titled “Opinion: Between Two Oceans and South African Navy in Crisis,” written by Nicholas Gotsell, a Member of Parliament who is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence. There he makes mention that, and I quote:
“Various stakeholders in society tend to see expenditure on defense as being detrimental to expenditure in an economic realm. Yet a robust defense force is essential to protect sovereignty, secure 80% of trade through maritime routes, support domestic stability, and lead African peacekeeping missions. Ultimately, a strong, capable defense force remains the core component of ensuring international and external stability and safeguarding the conditions for positive economic outcomes.”
For our Cabinet to approve the reduction of the SANDF workforce or strength is actually nothing far from telling us to implement a defense version of what General Mkwana has disclosed in the Matlanga Commission with regards to the closure of the Political Killing Task Team. Closing down the SANDF is like having a house without walls, effective CCTV systems, and reaction capability, should thieves violate your space uninvited, or buying a car and not taking out insurance, or not having life cover for yourself and family.
Yesterday I shared with those that attended the Prestige Ball that the past week I was in Australia to attend the Indo-Pacific Sea Power Conference 2025. Whilst interacting with Chiefs of Navies from different maritime countries at this conference, the Chief of the Kenyan Navy mentioned that a week before coming to Australia, his navy caught a ship from East Asia that was carrying a large consignment of drugs which was destined for Mozambique. And you will agree with me that Mozambique was not the final destination, but maybe South Africa was. The Philippine Chief also brought to my attention the fact that on a continuous basis, they arrest ships carrying drugs whose destinations are in Southern Africa.
So what I am stressing: our prolonged absence at sea due to non-availability of vessels, ships, and submarines—all because of the under-resourcing of our Navy—should concern you as fellow South Africans. I often find myself questioning whether those responsible for making significant decisions, particularly regarding the funding of our defense force, if they may be directly or indirectly influenced by these drug cartels, illegal traders, maritime criminals, and human traffickers. Because it will appear that this consistent underfunding and incapacitating of the South African Navy and the defense force in general is to ensure the success of operations that undermine our nation, compromise its sovereignty, and jeopardize the future of our children.
The unpatriotic—and what appears to be a sellout posture—of defunding the SA Navy and the SANDF in general leaves me with the question of whether the people behind what I would like to call nonsense are not busy with a mission to privatize the SA Navy and the SANDF, seeing that private security is a lucrative business in our country and it is replacing state security machinery. We must refuse this kind of unconstitutional policy decision. I am telling you today: should the Navy’s roles fall into private hands, the same government that is today telling us there is no money to fund the Navy will use the government reserves to fund those private security forces.
To add salt to this wound, attempts have been made by certain government departments to bring a foreign company to come patrol our waters. As the Navy, we rejected this sellout and unpatriotic decision. Maritime security narrative is about protecting our way of life. Our oceans define who we are. It feeds our people, sustains our economy, and connects us to other nations through the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. When our maritime domain is secured, our nation stands secured. But for that, we must first secure ourselves from within through good governance, coherent laws, accountable institutions, and leaders who put national interests above competition and personal greed. We must invest not only in hardware but also in our people—our sailors, our engineers, the analysts, and the families that give meaning to our platforms because they are all the center of gravity of our Navy.
All I am putting to you this evening is that we cannot continue being silent observers of our country at risk of losing its sovereignty. We need to advocate for a strong, well-funded defense force and think about what is at stake in not having visibility and the Navy present at sea. We cannot be ignorant of what is happening around the world. Look at what the West is doing in the Caribbean—Venezuela to be precise—with so much military power in terms of their warships deployed near Venezuela. And the world is currently speculating a possible invasion. On one hand, there are also these ongoing military crises between Russia and Ukraine. Then the West, on the other, are pointing their guns towards Nigeria, threatening them with more military action. The question we should be asking ourselves as South Africans is: who will be targeted next in the African continent?
Ladies and gentlemen, let us not think we are spared from this devilish bullying of the world. With that in mind, I say we need to be found ready, and not be a repeat of what Libya went through after it was accepted back into the so-called world democracy. Libya’s military was caught with their pants down due to failing to rejuvenate itself and thinking that the world was only on their side and that they will never attack them. All I’m putting to you this evening is that we cannot continue to be silent observers of our country being taken to the dogs. We need to advocate for a stronger, well-funded defense force. We need to think about what is at stake for not having the Navy present at sea.
With the responsibility entrusted in me to command the seas of our country, and the love I have for our motherland, I find it difficult to separate emotions from my responsibility, and I am not apologetic about it.
Fellow South Africans, I would like to leave you with those few words to internalize, to ponder on when you go to sleep tonight. As you lock your gates and doors in preparation to go to bed, ask yourselves: is our seas safe? Ask yourself if you are comfortable with what is going on in our country. Ask yourselves if the future of your children is in good hands or not.
Before I close, I want to make mention that I regard my job as a calling, as I have been serving the people from the tender age of 17, and to this day—after 40 years—I regard serving the people and my country as the only thing I know best. When I made mention last night that I will continue serving my people and country in my next life, should I find a navy to join on the other side, the Program Director got me excited when she gave me a report on her quick research that there is indeed a Heaven Navy, which I will gladly join.
In closing, let me take this opportunity to thank the Program Director, Captain Matlangu. Thank you very much for the professional and exceptional execution of your responsibilities as the Master of Ceremony for this important event in the Navy calendar. To the Acting Public Relations Officer, Commander Matiba, and your team—well done and thank you for the good work that went into the planning, organizing, and execution of this beautiful evening.
I also send my appreciation and thanks to our world-renowned SA Navy Band and the 2025 SANDF Choral Competition Champions, our own SA Navy Choir. Thank you for the beautiful music you are providing us tonight, which makes this event more beautiful. Thank you to the management and all the support teams of UNISA for the support provided to my coordinating team and for keeping and making the venue available to us year in and year out. Let us continue the collaboration and support going forward.
I also want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you, the guests, for coming out in your numbers and joining us tonight. Your presence has made this gala a truly memorable occasion. I would also like to thank my close protectors who look after my life, and my office staff who bring warmth and comfort to me, and also ensure that my family has the same warmth and comfort when I leave them behind at home every time duty calls.
As we approach the festive season, I wish you and your loved ones a joyous and safe holidays. May this bring you peace, happiness, and the warmth of family and friendship. Thank you once again for being here tonight. I wish you safe travels back home and all of your planned journeys. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Our untouchable Music Director, Commander Matikizela, and the best Choir Conductor in the SANDF, our one and only Warrant Officer Tuala—let the music play on and keep us mesmerized with a few more music pieces.
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much.
