The adoption takes the (defence) policy a step further towards adoption by Parliament and is a major milestone in ensuring the revitalisation of the country’s armed forces.
I have written about the Defence Review (essentially a whitepaper on the future of South Africa's military) several times in the past. South Africa's National Defence Force really is in a dire state and not at all equipped for the missions it is currently expected to fulfill. Like being part of the U.N.'s Force Intervention Brigade in the DR Congo.
To the best of my knowledge this is not disputed by anybody in South African politics. What I'm missing from the debate around the Defence Review so far is a discussion about how South Africa wants to use its military in the future. The Defence Review gives several possible scenarios but these cover only the operational capabilities of the SANDF. So far, South Africa's government has not formulated a convincing military doctrine, e.g. under which circumstances it will be prepared to deploy the military inside or outside its borders.
Source: Defence Review given the thumbs up by Parliamentary review committee | defenceWeb