Members of the SA National Defence Force Reserve Force are getting older as no recruitment has been made in the past five to six years.
Brigadier-General Zoleka Niyabo-Mana, acting chief of defence reserves, says the budget constraints have affected the functioning of the Reserve Force.
“You must always have combat-ready forces. Because when you have to deploy them, there is no time for training. However, we have been struggling with the continuation training required to ensure they remain combat-ready due to budgetary constraints,” said Niyabo-Mana. “The average age there is now 49, it has risen from age 45 in the past five years and this is because we have not recruited any reserve force members.
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