SANDF and Border Management Authority Receive Major Funding Boost in Finance Minister’s 2026 Budget

Published 25 Feb 2026

by Byron Pillay

3 min read

The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, delivered the 2026 Budget Speech at Parliament on 25 February 2026
The minister noted that there would be a boost for the Border Management Authority to tackle illegal immigration effectively
The South African National Defence Force and the South African Police Service will be given extra funds for crime prevention operations
Briefly News reached out to Stellenbosch University's Professor Abel Esterhuyse for comment about the budget

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The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, delivered the 2026 Budget Speech at Parliament on 25 February 2026 — The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, announced funding boosts for the SANDF and BMA. Image: Rodger Bosch
Source: Getty Images

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE – The country’s peace and security are set to get a major boost thanks to the 2026 Budget.

The budget was delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in Parliament on 25 February 2026. With the country’s defence force and the issue of illegal immigrants in the headlines of late, the minister noted that extra funds would be poured into the country’s security.

Border Management Authority and SANDF to get a boost

During his speech, the Minister of Finance stated that the Border Management Authority (BMA) would be allocated an additional R990 million. This increase is aimed at strengthening border management, improving enforcement and addressing illegal immigration. Illegal immigration has been a hot topic after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) released a damming report detailing systemic corruption and failure within the country’s immigration and border control systems.

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It’s not just the BMA that is set to get a boost.

The minister announced that the budget for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be increasing from R268.2 billion to R291.2 billion. The minister also stated that another R2.7 billion was being added to defence over the medium term to improve operations, which would include the South African Air Force's capability.

Another R1 billion will be allocated to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and R1 billion will also be allocated to the SANDF for crime prevention operations. The SANDF have been deployed to assist the SAPS in tackling organised crime in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape. The announcement was made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2026.

Stellenbosch University professor reacts to defence budget

Briefly News reached out to Stellenbosch University for comment, regarding the upgraded budget for the SANDF BMA and Professor Abel Esterhuyse, PhD, from the Department of Strategic Studies, Faculty of Military Science, weighed in on the matter

“As long as the Defence Force approaches institutions like National Treasury and the media with an adversarial mindset, and as long as the Defence Force cannot provide a comprehensive motivation for a bigger slice of the National budget with an updated Defence Review, it is probably not going to see an increase in the defence budget.

“On top of that, the Defence Force needs a process to align the institution in structure, personnel, and technology with the existing budget, which the Defence Force could not do since the late 1990s,” Professor Esterhuyse said.

President Ramaphosa commits to improving SANDF

Briefly News reported that President Ramaphosa weighed in on the state of the South African National Defence Force and what needs to change.