SANDF soldiers in the DRC don't have proper tents and parachutes because of Armscor bungles
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula, is absolutely right to take on Armscor for compromising the operational capability of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
Recently released court papers in the North Gauteng Court in Pretoria [Case #51258/2013] provide clear evidence that Armscor bungling compromised the SANDF's operational capability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
At an Armscor board meeting on 14 August 2013 the Minister stated that:
"the biggest challenge that we have right now is that as we deploy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo our soldiers do not have tents, our soldiers have no parachute equipment, our soldiers - I mean there is just a whole list that was given to me. And on my part as Minister I think it would be totally irresponsible if I don't put pressure on Armscor to at least do something about it. I can't have a situation where we deploy our soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a very problematic area without the necessary equipment they need. I think it, it is inhuman to do that."
Supporting the Minister, Antonie Visser, Chief of Defence Materiel at the Department of Defence, provided terrifying insights into the bureaucratic bungling at Armscor, citing two unclassified defence acquisition projects, which have a direct impact on the SANDF's operational capability in the DRC, including "Project Swatch" and "Project Porthole".
Both projects were delayed, for between 36 months and 32 months, because of Armscor bungling.
The details are as follows:
|
Project Name |
Description |
"Schedule Slip" |
Financial Cost |
|
"Project Swatch" |
Acquisition of a "transportable camping system". |
36 month/3 year delay. |
R44 467 000 remains uncommitted and is presumably "warehoused" in the Special Defence Account. |
|
"Project Porthole" |
Acquisition of a "high altitude parachute system". |
34 month/2.8 year delay, |
R97 000 000 remains uncommitted and is presumably "warehoused" in the Special Defence Account. |
The bottom line is that, because of bungling at Armscor, SANDF soldiers do not have the equipment they need to execute their mission in the DRC.
The Minister's frustration with Armscor's bungling is evident when she states that:
"...millions upon millions of rand budgeted by the Department of Defence for the acquisition of defence materiel are not spent annually, with the result that the Department of Defence will find it increasingly difficult to justify more funds to be made available to it for purposes of the acquisition of defence materiel."
We cannot sit back and allow Armscor's bungling to compromise the SANDF's operational capability in the DRC.
I will, therefore, be asking hard questions about Armscor's failure to implement defence acquisition projects, vital to the SANDF's mission in the DRC, including "Project Swatch" and "Project Porthole", when the Armscor board appears before the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, on Thursday 10 October 2013.
Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence & Military Veterans, October 8 2013
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