As its prime customer, the SA Navy (SAN) has twice “registered its concerns with the chronic under-performance of [the] Armscor dockyard”.
In a nutshell, that sums up the situation the maritime service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) finds itself in, as responded to in a lengthy Parliamentary question reply by Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga. Her questioner was National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Democratic Alliance (DA) public representative Nicholas Gotsell. Quoting the official SAN publication – Navy News – he wanted Ministerial input on why the “marriage” between the SAN and the dockyard was “stumbling”.
Her response reads: “The SAN has over the two medium term strategic frameworks registered its concerns with the chronic under-performance of Armscor Dockyard. The legislative administrative processes to register/report on SA governmental performances and under-performances are the primary means that the SAN utilised to register its concern….”
“The SAN’s Annual Performance Plan (APP) and its performance against plan on a yearly basis highlights in great detail the chronic under-performance of the Armscor Dockyard. Additionally, yearly engagements in the form of presentations to the Portfolio Committee on Defence [and Military Veterans] as well as to the National Council of Provinces was further utilised by the SA Navy to officially register the SAN’s concerns.”
In support of her response, Motshekga supplied four enclosures – letters to Armscor – regarding the “chronic under-performance”.
Elaborating on what her response has as “the current severe crisis” in the SAN, put down to the “capacity challenges” at the dockyard, Motshekga informed Gotsell the “annual maintenance upkeep programme” and “hull available programme” were not being executed as required.
“Additionally, the SAN in presentations [to] and correspondence [with] the PCDMV and NCOP reported under-funding of the SAN refit and mid-life upgrade programme of its Strategic Defence Acquisition Programme [referring to the SDPP – Strategic Defence Procurement Programme] will result in the SAN not having the required operational vessels available at the directed level of capability.”
The lack of operational vessels saw cancellation of a voyage to St Petersburg in Russia by SAS Amatola (F145) for a Russian Navy anniversary parade and an indefinite hold put on a planned transit of the Atlantic Ocean by SAS Drakensberg (A301) to Cuba and Brazil. Both were made public by SAN Chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, during a February medal parade in Simon’s Town. At the parade he described his service as being “in intensive care”.
Motshekga did say the SAS Amatola carried out border safeguarding patrols under Operation Corona off the West Coast of South Africa between 8 and 29 August this year. “The operation was supported by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) and the South African Police Service (SAPS),” she explained. She added that the SAS Amatola was scheduled to commence with mission readiness training to participate in Exercise Ibsamar VIII that will take place in the Western Cape between 7 and 16 October.
The SAS Amatola has also been identified to execute a long range piracy patrol off South Africa between 30 November 2024 and 28 February 2025. This will include transit through the Mozambique Channel.
