Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau delivering the keynote address at the Defence Industry Lekgotla on Monday.
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has called for a coordinated "South Africa Inc" approach to revitalise the country's defence industry, arguing that the sector should be treated as a strategic pillar of South Africa's industrialisation agenda rather than a niche manufacturing industry.
Delivering the keynote address at the Defence Industry Lekgotla on Monday, Tau said South Africa's defence industry remains one of the country's most advanced manufacturing sectors despite decades of declining investment, shrinking employment and reduced government procurement.
Tau said the defence sector possessed sophisticated capabilities spanning air, sea, land, cyber and space technologies, placing South Africa among a select group of industrialising countries with advanced defence manufacturing expertise.
"South Africa's defence industry is not a niche sector standing apart from our industrialisation programme. It is one of its most advanced expressions," Tau said.
