WATCH: IFP lashes out at SANDF over Armed Forces Day activities in Cape

Cape Town - The IFP says it has submitted questions to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to ascertain what the total cost of the vanity exercise, named Armed Forces Day was and how many active members of SANDF were deployed to the City of Cape Town for this project.

Armed Forces Day celebrations will be happening across Cape Town from 16th until 21st February 2019. The event is the largest on the SANDF calendar. The demonstrations commemorate the sinking of the SS Mendi on 21 February 1917, which took place on Monday at Sunrise Beach in Muizenberg.

The beach was lined with army tankers ready to fire its canons.

"It is shameful that our military might was abused to the detriment of our environment, coastal waters and domestic pets. Many calls by civil society organisations have fallen on deaf ears which include the City of Cape Town, as the SANDF continues to parade itself around the city," said IFP spokesperson Narend Singh.

"The SANDF would be better placed along our porous borders to combat the illicit flow of trade, goods and people. The country is bleeding money because of poor border management to the benefit of organised crime syndicates."

"Moreover, the uncontrolled flow of people into the country is a burden on services, infrastructure and national security – that should be the main priority of our defence force outside of peacekeeping missions and war."

The IFP also calls for the immediate cessation of this military exercise, and for the Minister of Environment to ascertain whether an environmental impact assessment was completed and approved for such wanton environmental destruction.