By Lungile Ntimba
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the new SA Air Force Deputy Chief Major General Lancelot Mathebula to prioritise boosting the operational capacity of the air force by implementing austerity measures.
DA NCOP member on security & justice Nicholas Gotsell said it was essential to allocate all available funds towards enhancing aircraft availability and ensuring the SAAF’s primary role in safeguarding the South Africa’s airspace.
“This can only be done when persons in leadership positions show true leadership by respecting the severity of the SANDF crisis,” Gotsell said in a statement on Thursday.
He said over the past years, the department has consistently been one of the Auditor-General’s biggest financial offenders. The 2023/24 report revealed rampant unauthorised expenditure amounting to R3.4 billion.
Irregular expenditure amounted to R338 million and fruitless and wasteful expenditure increased drastically from R2,569 million in 2022/23 to R51 million in 2023/24.
“Whilst a large chunk of the expenses relate to personnel costs, more worrying items are, for example, the fruitless and wasteful expenses incurred in respect of Project Thusano, also known as the Cuban training programme,” he said.
Despite recent improvements, Gotsell emphasised that the SAAF’s fighter capacity maintained a limited capability.
He stressed that the Rooivalk fleet needed urgent attention, especially the recommissioning of the aircraft that had just been deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Similarly, the SAAF lacks a proper medium airlift capability with the current C-130BZ Hercules fleet largely grounded and only ad hoc aircraft availability,” he Gotsell said.
The DA has also raised its concern about the state of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to Defence Minister Angie Motshekga on several occasions over the past months.
“Whilst the minister recently confirmed in writing that the South African Navy is in crisis, several parliamentary questions posed to her remain unanswered,” Gotsell said.
He said the party would write to the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces to request her intervention in the matter once the new Parliamentary term started.
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