Cape Town — A report describing soldiers' service conditions as a "ticking time bomb" demanded urgent action and should be made public, Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier said yesterday.

His call on Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu follows a report to Parliament's defence committee by the National Defence Force Service Commission -- established shortly after soldiers ran amok in Pretoria after an illegal march in August .

The commission's chairman, Judge Ronnie Bosielo, told MPs that the pay of some soldiers was so low they were forced to live in squatter camps, and that there was a complete breakdown of discipline in some camps.

The defence force commission has presented its interim report to Sisulu.