Tony Yengeni should be fired from the Defence Review Committee
The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, should immediately fire Tony Yengeni, who was convicted of fraud and is currently being investigated for illegal company directorships, from the committee dealing with the Defence Review.
The fact is that Tony Yengeni is politically toxic and risks contaminating the entire defence review process.
The last Defence Review - a process aimed at long-term Defence Force planning - was conducted thirteen years ago. The Interim National Defence Force Service Commission therefore recommended that the Defence Department once again undertake an extensive and properly funded Defence Review.
The Defence Review is absolutely vital because it provides an opportunity to reset the mandate, capabilities and funding levels of the Defence Force.
A high-level committee, headed up by Roelf Meyer and including Tony Yengeni, has now been appointed to conduct the Defence Review. The fact is that Tony Yengeni should never have been appointed to this committee because: