Thirteen years ago then SA Navy (SAN) Chief Johannes Mudimu questioned Armscor’s ability to efficiently manage and operate the Simon’s Town dockyard. Now, the present incumbent raised the same issues in a service command council meeting this month.
SAN Public Relations has it Vice Admiral Monde Lobese “expressed firm dissatisfaction” with Armscor dockyard management during at the Naval Mess Pretoria during the 10-11 February Special Navy Command Council meeting. Under-performance, a lack of responsiveness and contract issues are given as examples of where Armscor is not performing adequately. The SAN communicator notes further “such shortcomings ultimately affect operational availability and, by extension, national maritime security”.
In 2013 Mudimu expressed severe dissatisfaction with the dockyard, noting a lack of critical skills, poor performance and the SAN’s inability to properly maintain its fleet under Armscor management. The “ineffectiveness” of the Armscor managed dockyard meant ships “were tied up instead of being at sea to protect the coastline”. His remarks were the first known public criticism of Armscor’s dockyard management abilities subsequent to the State-owned defence and security acquisition company taking control of the Simon’s Town facility five years previously.
Fast forward to February 2026 and Lobese says much the same. He, as per SAN Public Relations, directed accountability measures be enforced, engagements intensified and corrective action pursued to ensure acquisition and maintenance programmes support – rather than hinder – the SAN mandate.
When Mudimu exited the Chief’s suite of offices in Visage Street, Pretoria, in 2014 his retirement did not signify the end of his public service career with him named as Armscor chair in May the same year. He stepped down from this position in 2018 with ill-health given as the reason. Mudimu was succeeded as SAN supremo by Mosiwa Hlongwane who, in turn, handed command of the maritime service to Lobese in November 2022.
Also during the first Special Navy Command Council meeting of 2026, issues of readiness were a key focus. Lobese directed senior leadership to improve expenditure performance and ensure budget holders actively manage their allocations.
The Council met amid a demanding operating environment marked by fiscal pressure, ageing capabilities and increasing maritime security responsibilities, the SA Navy said. “Notwithstanding these constraints, the Navy continues to demonstrate measurable operational progress. The successful deployment of SAS Amatola reaffirmed South Africa’s ability to project a credible maritime presence beyond its shores and contribute meaningfully to cooperative security within the Indian Ocean Region.”
SAS Amatola on 16 February arrived off Visakhapatnam in India to take part in the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review and Exercise MILAN, having left South Africa on 25 January. It is the first foreign warship deployment by the SA Navy in a decade.
“Concurrently, the Navy sustains maritime security patrols through Operation Corona, the SANDF’s standing border safeguarding mission. This enduring operation remains one of the Service’s most consistent commitments, involving patrols within South Africa’s territorial waters to deter illegal fishing, trafficking, smuggling and other maritime crime while supporting national law-enforcement authorities,” the SA Navy said.
