Gripen in South Africa

I was doing a bit of research on South Africa(planning to visit soon) and was surprized to find out they had gripen and hawk jets.

In short: how on earth did they afford them and why would they need them?
With the things one reads in the news about SA you would think they would have better uses for the money.

Is there any justification for them to have these aircraft, how are they maintaining them and why were the Swedes prepared to sell them in the first place?

I personally think they could have spent the money on a better cause.