eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba was a January visitor to Naval Base (NB) Durban, home port of the SA Navy’s (SAN’s) three-strong patrol squadron which continues the Warrior Class in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) maritime service.
The first citizen of the KwaZulu-Natal port city is no stranger to matters military having served as chair of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) and co-chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) from July 2019 to May 2024. Xaba has been mayor of eThekwini since 2024.
His 21 January visit to the base now commanded by Rear Admiral (JG) Neville Howell was, according to NB Durban public relations officer, Sub-lieutenant Fikile Duze, an oversight and familiarisation one. Xaba heard Howell explain the base’s intent, roles and functions as well as being informed of the importance of a naval presence on South Africa’s east coast and at its busiest port.
“The engagement,” as per Duze, “provided a valuable platform to strengthen collaboration between the SAN and the City of eThekwini in support of maritime security and shared developmental objectives, reaffirmed the importance of sustained inter-governmental co-operation, with an underscore of a shared commitment to safeguarding maritime interests, enhancing coastal security and advancing socio-economic development along the eThekwini coast”.
No mention is made of the naval base moving 85 nautical miles (157 km) north to Richards Bay which is seemingly no longer on the agenda of SAN Chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese.
The rationale behind the move dates back to 2011 and a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) entered into between Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania. The MoU was seen as part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) maritime security strategy – Operation Copper – to combat piracy, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as well as trafficking in arms, drugs and people in the Mozambique Channel. Planning originally included a naval base at Richards Bay and the upgrade of what was then Naval Station (NS) Durban to a base. The upgrade happened with the Salisbury Island installation now home to the South African built multi-mission inshore patrol vessels (MMIPVs) SAS King Sekhukhune I (P1571), SAS King Shaka Zulu (P1572) and SAS Adam Kok III (P1573).
Lobese is on record saying expansion plans for the Durban port, harbour and associated facilities indicated relocation from Salisbury Island for NB Durban to tie in with the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) master plan.
Strategic requirements for a new naval base in Richards Bay were at that time said to include essential infrastructure including antennae and fuel farms, bulk ration stores, material and armament depots, maintenance support (to C level including repair), dry docking and synchrolift as well as waterfront services, messes, a “navy village”, general base support capabilities and military medical facilities and services. Other must haves cited were aviation, diving, firefighting and small boat jetty facilities, with ceremonial and recreational facilities also on the list.
In October 2024 Lobese told the SAN Festival in Simon’s Town the move would only happen if TNPA built “a fully-fledged naval base” in Richards Bay as well as another naval station in Durban as his service was not in a financial position to pay for either construction or the move.
