There has been a year-long 'CARgate' cover up

One year ago today, a firefight began in the Central African Republic (CAR) which resulted in the deaths of fifteen South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers. 

Soldiers do not choose the battles they fight. But, when the fighting began, our soldiers fought well. 

My thoughts today are with the families of the soldiers who died in the CAR.

However, we still do not know what really happened because there has been a deliberate and systematic cover up of what has become known as 'CARgate'.

We have been offered a heroic battle narrative focused on the 'Battle of Bangui'. This is inevitably only part of the truth. A proper investigation into 'CARgate' would almost certainly reveal:

President Jacob Zuma misled Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF to the CAR and never informed Parliament about the subsequent deployments of the SANDF in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;

Strategic decision-making failures, including the decision to deploy, which may have been taken against military command's advice;

Intelligence failures, including not being properly informed about the size and capabilities of the advancing rebel force or the complex regional political dynamics; and

Major capability gaps in the military, including especially a lack of suitable transport aircraft.

That the operation was not all "military precision" is revealed in leaked documents which provide an insight into the chaos at Joint Operation Command in the early hours of 24 March 2013, as it became clear that five registered/approved companies, contracted to provide air transport services, had no transport aircraft available to lift armoured patrol vehicles, a diesel bowser and more soldiers to the conflict zone.

In the end, the Force Commander, Colonel William Dixon, and his soldiers from 1 Parachute Battalion and 5 Special Forces Regiment appear to have been left dangling in a deadly firefight, without the necessary support, in a country where they should never have been deployed.

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, to brief the committee on 'CARgate'. However, the meeting was a disgrace, largely because of the conduct of the co-chairperson, Jerome Maake MP, who from time-to-time prevented the Minister from replying to questions on 'CARgate'.

Then, despite my best efforts, all subsequent attempts to begin a proper investigation including - two requests to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu MP, to establish an ad hoc committee and numerous requests to the co-chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Jerome Maake MP, to investigate 'CARgate' - were stonewalled. A legal opinion, provided by Parliamentary Legal Services, was used to claim, incorrectly, that the Joint Standing Committee on Defence did not have the legal competence to scrutinize 'CARgate'.

Bizarrely, the only investigation, conducted by Parliament, relating to 'CARgate' was an investigation into my claim, at the disgraceful meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, that President Jacob Zuma had lied to Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF to the CAR. The investigation resulted in a reprimand from the Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, urging me "to refrain from making unparliamentary remarks".

We know that the SANDF conducted an internal review of the deployment in the CAR. We also know that the SANDF convened three Boards of Inquiry relating to 'CARgate', including one to investigate the loss of controlled items, including weapons and vehicles, by the SANDF in the CAR. However, these documents have never seen the light of day and the findings have never been shared with the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

This was the greatest military disaster in the history of democratic South Africa. Yet, one year later we are still none the wiser about what really happened in the CAR. 

In the end, Parliament has failed the families of the soldiers who want to know why their sons died in the CAR. Therefore, it would be appropriate today to have a moment of silence, not just for the soldiers who died, but also for Parliament.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence & Military Veterans, March 22 2014

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