No maintenance strategy for SAPS helicopters

The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Armscor have made a hash of the maintenance plan and tendering process for police helicopters - resulting in almost half of the SAPS helicopters being grounded. 

It was reported earlier this year that the police decided to use Armscor to manage its tender process around the maintenance of helicopters due to its track record in facilitating product support for aircraft. A quick glance at the Armscor tender bulletin will tell you that despite numerous calls for tenders, only five tenders were awarded in 2011 and only 3 in 2012.  

In terms of the SAPS helicopters, there were two requests for quotations placed this year for product support services: one for the McDonnell Douglas MD500 and one for the Robinson R44. No tenders for the SAPS helicopter maintenance have been awarded to date. 

As the DA stated yesterday, the Robinson R44s which the SAPS purchased for the World Cup are apparently yet to be used. It appears that these specialised helicopters were bought without putting a plan in place for its maintenance.

I will be asking the Minister of Police Nathi Mtethwa how he allowed a situation to develop where R300 million worth of equipment cannot be used.  

The spokesperson for Minister Mthethwa stated yesterday that the helicopters are "instruments of our trade, which enable police to fight crime" and "we therefore support our management when they properly manage the fleet and, further, encourage them to do so". 

We would hardly call the lack of a maintenance plan properly managing the fleet. In fact, the fleet clearly isn't being managed if half of it is grounded.

The question needs to be asked why the Minister would spend hundreds of millions of rands on crime-fighting equipment and then not ensure that there was a proper maintenance plan put in place. It does not matter whether this is to be handled by Armscor or by the SAPS, the fact of the matter is that those helicopters need to be fixed and put back in the air to fight crime. On average 46 South Africans are murdered each and every day, and multi-million rand equipment gathering dust in hangers is hardly likely to assist in bringing this number down.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, July 25 2012

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