By Odwa Mkentane
Questions are being raised over the R2.4 billion spent by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on charter flights over the past five years, with the Democratic Alliance calling for greater transparency from the Defence Ministry.
The party says Parliament has yet to receive a detailed breakdown of the expenditure, including the number of flights, their individual costs and the companies that benefited from the contracts.
Speaking to VOC, defence and national security analyst Ricardo Teixeira said the amount spent on chartering aircraft over five years is an indication of a much larger problem.
“Addressing the logistical constraints facing the Air Force is going to cost an enormous amount of money, and that is not realistic in the current fiscal environment. Given the current constraints facing the Air Force and the Defence Force, I think they will most likely have to continue relying on chartered aircraft.
“They currently have only one flying C-130 out of an original fleet of 12. It is tail number 401, which has been the sole operational South African C-130 for the past few years. It was first acquired in 1962. I believe the remaining 11 aircraft are either inoperable or undergoing maintenance and overhaul,” said Teixeira.
Teixeira added that the South African Air Force also withdrew from an offer to purchase A400M aircraft.
“There was an initial order for eight aircraft, which was withdrawn around 2010, if I remember correctly. After that, there were no plans to purchase larger transport aircraft until now.
“There is currently a Memorandum of Understanding with Embraer to acquire C-390 aircraft. However, obtaining the full requirement of 16 aircraft would cost more than R35 billion. The Defence Force is simply not going to receive that amount of money, and such an acquisition is not possible in the near term.
“The Air Force’s responsibilities would not really require a repurposing of its mandate because it is already responsible for many of these functions. It is mandated to assist with disaster relief and to support the Department of Transport with coastal search and rescue and maritime patrol operations,” Teixeira said.
He concluded that there are serious concerns about financial accountability and transparency within the Defence Force and the Department of Defence.
“The Auditor-General has repeatedly flagged the department for irregular and unauthorised expenditure, as well as a lack of transparency around its procurement and acquisitions.
“At some point, you have to understand Treasury’s position when it comes to calls for more funding. The Defence Force needs to be accountable for the funding it already receives and needs to follow proper financial procedures.
“For example, more than R1.7 billion has reportedly been spent on Project Thusano, the Cuban labour programme, despite the programme having repeatedly faced questions about its legality and constitutionality,” he said.
Photo: SA National Defence Force/FB
