Public service pay increase â and gratuity â add up to bigger headache for Mapisa-Nqakula Written by Kim Helfrich - 45 At nation/state level South Africa faces no major current and medium term threat. This is an indicator of why those in charge of the national purse are and will prioritise government spend on social issues with defence and security the poor cousins. This approach is one not well-liked by Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and those in senior positions at the Department of Defence (DoD) and its major responsibility â the SA National Defence Force (SANDF). What mustnât be forgotten in this scenario is that over 60% of the just on R50 billion allocated for the defence budget by National Treasury goes to pay people in uniform and civilians employed at DoD and the national defence force.