South African National Defence Force (SANDF)

Citation :

Navantia prepares an offer to South Africa six patrol vessels and twelve boats


04/02/2014
(Infodefensa.com) G. Soriano, Madrid - Navantia want to offer in the coming months to South Africa several patrol ships and boats, and the design of a survey vessel. A South African delegation, which eventually led unable to be as planned by its defense minister, Navantia visit this morning, two months before the expected start of the largest of these programs.




The Spanish company plans to qualify for the South African naval procurement program BIRO , which includes commissioned three ocean patrol vessels ( OPV , for its acronym in English), three coastal patrol ( IPV ) and twelve boats. The Spanish naval company estimates that the South African authorities issued its request for proposal ( RFP ) to shipyards shortlisted next April.
The supply of vessels that Navantia expected to opt BIRO program is based on your family Avante , consisting of surveillance and patrol vessels ranging from 45 meters in length and 295 tonnes displacement model Avante 300 , to 98.9 meters and 2,500 tons of Avante 2200 Combatant .
Then, about three months after BIRO program, called program will likely launch HOTEL , which includes the design of a hydrographic vessel which also provides opt Navantia.
Visit of the Minister of Defence
This morning visit of a delegation from Navantia African country led by its ambassador to Spain, Fikile Magubane , accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Navy ( AJEMA ), Admiral Jaime Muñoz-Delgado . The South African Minister of Defence, N. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula , who is visiting in Spain, has finally been able to attend this meeting, apparently by an indisposition, according to company sources.
Minister Mapisa-Nqakula itself was released yesterday facilities Airbus Defence and Space in Sevilla and Indra in Madrid, accompanied by Secretary of State for Defence ( SEDEF ), Pedro Argüelles . Minister's agenda includes a meeting with the Defense Minister Peter Morenés at the headquarters of the Ministry .
Navantia sources point out that South Africa has never been a customer of its products, but the company has always chosen to their offerings. In the '90s, for example, the Spanish firm participated in the process of choosing a program of corvettes was finally canceled the abolition of Apartheid , as the country chose to use the money for other purposes. The program recovered a few years later, but did not finally Navantia with the construction of these vessels.

http://www.infodefensa.com/es/2014/02/04/noticia-navantia-prepara-oferta-sudafrica-buques-patrulleros-lanchas.html?aleat=5763#googtrans(es|en)

Citation :

 Options for new SAAF maritime surveillance platforms


With approval, in principle at present from the National Treasury, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s unhappiness about “her people” flying in aircraft more than 60 years old seems set to end, if only in a few years.
 
During his national budget speech last month Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan approved the acquisition of new maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) in the 2015/16 fiscal term for the South African Air Force (SAAF).
 
The new aircraft, the number of which was not stipulated by Gordhan, will replace 35 Squadron’s C-47TPs, now well over 60 years old and the mainstay of the SAAF’s maritime patrol and surveillance capability.
 
Mapisa-Nqakula specifically mentioned the age of aircraft in the wake of the C-47TP crash in the Drakensberg in December 2012 which left 11 dead.
 
With the door now open for MSAs, two of the potential suppliers have both stressed the importance of acquisitions that can fulfil multiple missions rather than be dedicated to the single tasking of maritime surveillance.
 
Taking an extract from the draft Defence Review, hopefully still to be tabled during the current session of Parliament, Lockheed Martin points to the importance of airborne maritime surveillance. The Review states: “as a trading nation, with over 95% of our trade being reliant on maritime trade routes, the security of South Africa and its people is crucially dependant on the ability to trade, grow the economy, reduce poverty and provide meaningful work for South Africa’s people” and, in reference to the threat of piracy, “protection of the trade routes for merchant shipping is of vital national interest to the nation. No less than 75% of South Africa’s oil imports on which the economy depends arrives by sea from the Middle East.”
 
The United States aerospace and defence company’s relationship with the SAAF goes back more than 50 years, having delivered C-130 Hercules to the SAAF half a century ago. C-130BZs in service with 28 Squadron are still the SAAF’s major airlift and transport aircraft. However, with these nearing the end of their serviceable lives, Lockheed Martin maintains the new generation C-130J Super Hercules is the right replacement.
 
Apart from being able to do what the current SAAF BZ fleet does more efficiently, the J models are also multi-mission. This means configurations can be changed to suit specific taskings, ranging from transport of troops and equipment through to medevac, VIP transport, firefighting and maritime surveillance and patrol as well as search and rescue, an important tasking given South Africa’s responsibilities in terms of its massive economic exclusion zone.
 
In similar vein the C295 from the Airbus Defence and Space stable is also a true multi-mission aircraft. It offers transport in all its variants; maritime surveillance, unarmed with the option of either palletised or permanently installed mission systems; maritime patrol, armed and also with either palletised or permanently fitted mission systems as well as oil spill response and protection.
 
With no real prospect of growth in the defence budget, the SAAF would be getting “more bang for its buck” if aircraft acquisitions are of the multi-mission type. This would cut down on the number of platforms to be purchased and allow more different mission taskings.
 
These are only two of the possibilities SAAF acquisitions personnel will be investigating - many other manufacturers have also expressed interest in Project Saucepan, including RUAG, Saab, L-3, ATR and HAL. Another possibility comes from a suggestion made by retired lieutenant general Carlo Gagiano, when he headed up the airborne arm of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF).
 
He proposed acquiring a number of smaller twin-engined aircraft, in the King Air size, to be fitted with the requisite equipment and operated by SAAF Reserve Force pilots from airports along the country’s coastline. Given that current SAAF chief, Lieutenant General Zakes Msimang, has stated the revitalisation of the SAAF Reserve is one of his priorities, this could well add another arrow to the quiver that is maritime surveillance.
 
Reserve Force pilots based at say, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town, could utilise these SAAF assets, freeing up whatever other platforms are acquired for other duties.
 
All told, military aviation watchers maintain there are options aplenty available to the SAAF acquisitions personnel to beef up maritime surveillance and keep the seas off the country safe, essential given that South Africa is very much a maritime trading country.

http://rpdefense.over-blog.com/2014/03/options-for-new-saaf-maritime-surveillance-platforms.html

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‘Neglected South African military needs big investment’

SOUTH Africa’s cash-strapped armed forces are in a "critical state of decline" that will take at least a decade to fix even with urgent action, says a military strategy review seen by Reuters news agency.

It said "neglect" of defence capability could affect everything from border security to trade and constrain Pretoria’s continental peace-keeping and diplomatic ambitions.

A regular contributor to United Nations peace missions in Africa, South Africa has troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, and its ships and frigates support antipiracy efforts off Mozambique.

But the 2014 South African Defence Review, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, says such deployments are under threat.

"Even with an immediate intervention, it could take at least five years to arrest the decline and another five years to develop a limited and sustainable defence capability," the review said. The long-term strategy document, approved this month by cabinet, is the first major assessment of the military capability of Africa’s biggest economy since one in 1998.

As specific examples, the report cited lack of proper ammunition, ageing military transport aircraft and "block obsolescence" of the army’s prime mission equipment, such as infantry trucks.

The required ammunition stock for the national reserve is supposed to supply an army mechanised brigade for 90 days in a mixture of high-, medium-and low-intensity operations, but current ammunition levels cannot support this.

Military analysts say the logistical shortcomings were brought into sharp relief in a nine-hour firefight with rebels in the Central African Republic last year in which 13 South African soldiers were killed.

But the report said a lack of funding was preventing modernisation of the 97,000-strong armed forces.

As a solution, the review suggested investment in heavy combat capability, to augment peace-keeping in high-risk situations, as well as enhancing missile, air-lift and joint sea-lift capabilities.

It did not specify what heavy combat capability should be, but experts said it could include attack

www.bdlive.co.z

Citation :

Upgrade for South Africa’s air defence system



German defence company Rheinmetall AG will be responsible for the modernisation of South Africa’s air defence systems.

“The contract was signed some days ago. Including logistics and training services with the complete package scheduled for completion by 2017,” the company, represented in South Africa by Rheinmetall Denel Munitions, with State owned Denel a 49% shareholder, said in a statement.

Among others, the contract will see Oerlikon Skyshield fire control systems being supplied to the SA National Defence Force (SANDF). These, the German company said, will substantially improve the performance and accuracy of the twin-gun systems currently used by the SA Army’s Air Defence Artillery Formation.

A number of guns will be retrofitted with upgrade kits to accommodate Rheinmetall’s state-of-the-art Ahead airburst ammunition.

“The new Skyshield technology will enable the SANDF to protect sensitive installations such as the Houses of Parliament, power plants, stadiums and other critical and civilian assets from a wide array of aerial threats, including asymmetric terrorist-type attacks. Because Skyshield air defence systems can be easily transported they can basically be deployed anywhere depending on the evolving threat situation,” the statement said.

The value of the contract was not disclosed.

South Africa is no stranger to Oerlikon, having acquired and used the former Oerlikon Contraves in the 1980s for air defence purposes.

The SA Army currently operates twin 35 mm air defence guns acquired from Rheinmetall ancestor company Oerlikon. The landward arm of the SANDF acquired 169 of these guns, along with 75 Superfledermaus fire control units (FCUs) in 1963. In 1990, 48 of these Mark (Mk) I guns were upgraded to Mk V status and the Superfledermaus fire control units replaced by Italian LPD20 radars, according to Engineering News.

Rheinmetall specialises in short range air defence systems, including fire control technology, anti-aircraft guns, integrated guided missile launchers and Ahead airburst ammunition.

An Ahead shell comprises 152 tungsten spin-stabilised sub-projectiles, which, when released, form a cone-shaped metal cloud, placed so the target, whether aircraft, missile or bomb, flies into it and is destroyed. The shells know when to detonate because an electronic timer is programmed, as it leaves the barrel, by an electromagnetic inductor in the gun muzzle. These inductors are fitted to the Mk VII guns.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34175:upgrade-for-south-africas-air-defence-system&catid=50:Land&Itemid=105

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South African Air Force Plane Crash Kills 3




JOHANNESBURG — Three people were killed and two others seriously injured Tuesday when a South African air force plane crashed into mountains in the northeast of the country, police said.

Police said the dead were the two pilots and a passenger. All five were found trapped inside the wreckage of the plane after it crashed in Mpumalanga province shortly after 10 am (0800 GMT).

“There were five people on board, two were seriously injured and the other three died at the scene,” said police spokesman Selvy Mohlala.

The South African air force said the plane, a Cessna Caravan C208, was being used for training.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

In 2010, seven policemen were killed in a helicopter crash in the same province.

http://www.defensenews.com

Citation :

Paramount readies AHRLAC for first flight

South African conglomerate Paramount unveiled a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft called the advanced high-performance reconnaissance light aircraft (AHRLAC) on 10 July in Pretoria.


Paramount

The twin-boomed, singled-engined AHRLAC – launched nearly three years ago – has completed initial high-speed taxi tests, and first flight is expected “shortly”, says Paramount chief executive John Craig.


Paramount

The 3,800kg (8,380lb) type will become the first aircraft designed and built in South Africa since the Denel Rooivalk, an armed helicopter launched during the Apartheid era.

The maiden flight of the experimental demonstrator should be followed within months by an advanced prototype, Craig says. The first demonstrator will focus on handling qualities, while the second will integrate sensors and weapons.

Paramount plans to offer the aircraft to the market early next year, with deliveries possible by 2016. AHRLAC is aimed at a developing market among military and paramilitary groups for a low-cost surveillance and attack platform. The South African air force is also monitoring the programme, Craig says, but Paramount is focusing on a wider, global market for orders.

Paramount is using US Part 23 regulations as the baseline for qualifying the basic airworthiness of the aircraft, but there are no plans to formally obtain civil certification.

http://www.flightglobal.com

un bronco ov 10

L'AHRLAC sud africain fera son premier vol le 13 août prochain :

Citation :

Inédit. Le premier avion 100% africain va décoller depuis l’Afrique du Sud, le 13 août 2014.

Le premier avion 100% africain, conçu en Afrique du Sud, prendra son envol le 13 août prochain, à 7 heures du matin, depuis l’aéroport Wonderboom de Pretoria. Près de 200 millions de dollars ont été déboursés par les deux constructeurs de l’avion, Aerodus et Paramount, pour le développement et la certification de l’appareil.

Une équipe de 60 ingénieurs africains a travaillé à la conception de cet appareil à mi-chemin entre un avion de chasse et un hélicoptère, au gabarit certes miniaturisé, mais compact, destiné à un usage militaire, et tout spécialement à la surveillance aérienne. Le cockpit peut transporter un pilote et un passager.

L’AHRLAC (Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Air Craft) pourrait intéresser d’autres pays émergents en Afrique, Asie ou Amérique Latine. Le responsable de Paramount, Ivor Ichikowitz, dit avoir déjà signé un contrat de livraison de 50 engins avec un pays dont l’identité est gardée secrète.

Un appareil vulnérable en zone de combat

L’AHRLAC est « un très bon appareil pour opérer des missions d’observation, de reconnaissance et d’intelligence, mais je ne le vois pas vraiment dans des zones de combat. Il peut être vulnérable », souligne le spécialiste de la défense à l’Institut d’études de sécurité à Pretoria, Anton Kruger. Mais ce type d’appareil n’existe nul part ailleurs. « Il n’y a aucun appareil de ce type sur le marché », se réjouit le directeur d’Aerosud, Paul Potgieter.

L’AHRLAC pourrait se voir doter de systèmes armés par la suite. Selon les spécialistes, cet appareil, capable de voler durant 11 heures d’affilée, réunit toutes les technologies les plus modernes de l’industrie aéronautique militaire.

http://www.afrik.com/ok-afrique-du-sud-le-premier-avion-100-africain-pret-a-decoller

Citation :

South African Army preparing immediate response force

http://www.janes.com/article/41966/south-african-army-preparing-immediate-response-force

Citation :

Cape Armature Winders ready for the SA Navy




Cape Armature Winders was recently awarded an electrical contract in support of the South African Navy, to perform electrical repairs and services on their fleet of vessels, based across South African shores and 5 ports.

The South African Valour class frigates are the major surface ships of the South African Navy, comprising of the SAS Amatola, SAS Isandlwana, SAS Spioenkop, and the SAS Mendi. The frigates were designed to be capable of conducting sustained operations at sea, and to negotiate sea conditions such as those found off the South African coast. Boarding up to two AgustaWestland SuperLynx 300 helicopters, the frigates routine tasks include patrols for the protection of marine resources against poaching and pollution, law enforcement at sea with respect to piracy and the smuggling of contraband. The frigates are also tasked to peace and civil support missions, wartime duties and sea-denial/mine-laying missions.

Cape Armature’s work on this contract will consist of the repair and maintenance of electrical equipment to the Navy’s fleet.

“We will build on our record of superior service to the SA Navy, and enhance our services to meet their requirements,” said George Epenetos, Commercial director. “The SAN Officers deserve our very best service and technical expertise to prepare them for going to sea and being successful on their missions.”

Cape Armature Winders is a specialist in the repairs and overhauling of electric motors, generators and alternators. Based in Cape Town, they offer a complete solution to the SA Navy and commercial maritime industry, providing repairs and overhauling, installations, maintenance and support services.

http://cbn.co.za

Citation :

South Africa's first Type 209 sub returns to service after seven years

Helmoed-Römer Heitman, Pretoria - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

22 October 2014

SAS Manthatisi (S 101), the first of three Type 209 submarines acquired by the South African Navy as part of the 1999 Strategic Defence Procurement Package, has re-entered service after a major refit and is participating in the biannual Exercise 'Ibsamar IV' in Cape waters with the Brazilian and Indian navies.


Manthatisi pictured before it was withdrawn from service in 2007. (South African Navy)

Commissioned in November 2005, the submarine has been subject to much speculation and disinformation since it was withdrawn from service in 2007.

Its withdrawal after less than two years prompted criticism from some commentators that South Africa had wasted its money on a non-operational submarine. However, the move was in line with the South African Navy's intention to operate two of the three submarines at any one time and keep one in reserve: the same operational cycle used with the Daphné-class submarines that the Type 209s replaced.

http://www.janes.com/article/44962/south-africa-s-first-type-209-sub-returns-to-service-after-seven-years

Citation :

Helicopter makes emergency landing on golf course

The navy helicopter's cockpit caught fire, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

CAPE TOWN – A South African Navy helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing at the Milnerton Golf Club after the cockpit caught fire on Monday afternoon.

Residents living near the golf course told Eyewitness News that the pilot made the emergency landing on the 11th hole.

There were no injuries, but residents said they were shaken by the incident.

Military police cordoned off the 11th hole where the chopper stood and nobody is being allowed near the scene as they work on the helicopter, which experienced an apparent electrical malfunction.

One resident told EWN she was blow drying her hair when she heard a loud noise above her house and a sudden “thud” when the chopper landed on the green.

(Edited by Phumlani Pikoli)

Citation :

Denel confirms Seeker 400 delivery

Helmoed-Römer Heitman, Pretoria - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
30 August 2015






The annual report of South Africa's Denel group states that its Seeker 400 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system has completed its flight test programme and has entered production for "our local customer".

The South African Air Force has not confirmed that it is re-establishing a UAV capability after having closed down its previous UAV unit, 10 Squadron, which operated Israeli Scout and Denel Seeker UAVs.

It is possible that the local customer for the Seeker 400 is the Defence Intelligence division and that there is still some indecision whether the air force will resume UAV operations on behalf of Defence Intelligence, or whether the latter will choose to establish an operating capability themselves, perhaps contracting Denel Dynamics to actually operate the aircraft.

Citation :

Barrett Delivers Advanced HF Training for the South African Army Signal Formation

Friday, September 04, 2015 by Barrett Communications



Following the supply of Barrett PRC-2090 HF tactical radio systems to the South African National Defence Force, Barrett Communications has undertaken an on-site training exercise for experienced HF operators of the South African Army Signal Formation team.
The course included the programming of radios for use within networks using both Selcall and ALE systems.
Selcall was an unfamiliar feature to the class but due to class competency, the concept and instruction was quickly understood and well-received. The training was very hands-on allowing operators to gain a higher level of understanding of the equipment, its features and operational deployment.
Training concluded with a 'field exercise' where operators were tested on their knowledge and application of all features and functions of the PRC-2090 systems.
Barrett operations and field support manager Mr Rob Tweed commented: "It was a pleasure to have worked with this class and with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as a whole.
"The SA Army Signal Formation team again showed high levels of experience and knowledge, which will help ensure effective installation and operational communication of Barrett Communications equipment whilst SANDF troops are deployed on the ground."




http://www.army-technology.com/contractors/navigation/barrett-tactical/pressadvanced-hf-training-for-the-south-african-army-signal-formation.html

Citation :

New South African EW pod takes first flight

Alan Warnes, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 September 2015



South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) completed the first flight of its electronic testing, evaluation, and training pod at Lanseria, South Africa on 10 September, the organisation announced a week later.

The Inundu (Zulu for 'moth') pod was fitted on a Hawker Hunter, which flew at up to 350 kt (648 km/h) to assess the pod's influence on aircraft handling and determine the performance of its airframe.

The CSIR has been working for about 16 months on the pod, which is designed as an 'airborne laboratory' for testing electronics on a military-type fast jet and supporting electronic warfare (EW) testing and evaluation. It can be set up so that it is completely independent from the platform that carries it.

"The pod is similar in size and mass to the widely-used BL-755 store, which allows low-cost integration with many fast jet aircraft types, such as the BAE Hawk, Alpha Jet, Hawker Hunter, F-16, Tornado, F-4 Phantom, and the Mirage III. It is highly configurable with a modular interchangeable payload," said Kevin Jamison, leader of the CSIR Inundu aeronautic development team.

The CSIR told IHS Jane's that the next step is to integrate the pod with the Phase 1 electronics payload, which will include the company's Digital Radio Frequency Memories (DRFMs). These simulate radar threat waveforms that can be used to test EW receiver systems as well as radar target and electronic countermeasure waveforms.

The ability to evaluate the performance of existing sensors on naval vessels and aircraft would provide detailed data that would enable users to develop their own concepts of operation and doctrines.

The pod has been designed to support the CSIR, local industry, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and international requirements.


http://www.janes.com/article/54746/new-south-african-ew-pod-takes-first-flight

Citation :

Première visite de militaires sud-africains dans l'Extrême-Orient russe


Défense
18:18 07.10.2015(mis à jour 18:23 07.10.2015)

Une délégation militaire de la République sud-africaine se rendra pour la première fois dans l'Extrême-Orient russe pour évaluer le niveau de préparation des tankistes et assister à un exercice tactique, a annoncé le porte-parole de la Région militaire de l'est, le colonel Alexandre Gordeïev.

La visite de la délégation sud-africaine débutera le 12 octobre et durera quatre jours.

"Cet octobre, une délégation militaire de la République sud-africaine effectuera sa première visite dans la Région militaire de l'est. Les membres de la délégation prendront connaissance des méthodes de formation de sous-officiers pour les troupes blindées, assisteront à des tirs réels menés par des chars T-72B et suivront, dans l'un des champs militaires de l'Extrême-Orient russe, une étape pratique d'un exercice réunissant une grande unité de fusiliers marins", a déclaré le colonel.

La délégation sud-africaine rencontrera les commandants de la Région militaire et de la Flotte russe du Pacifique et déposera une couronne de fleurs au pied du mémorial de la Gloire à Khabarovsk. Elle visitera également certaines unités militaires déployées dans l'Extrême-Orient russe.

http://fr.sputniknews.com/defense/20151007/1018666933/visite-militaires-afrique-du-sud-extreme-orient.html#ixzz3nucbyiEp

Citation :

Camcopter completes South African Navy trials

Jeremy Binnie, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
26 October 2015




A Schiebel Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has completed shipboard trials with the South African Navy (SAN), the Austrian company announced on 27 October.

It said the trials were carried out from 20-23 October aboard the survey vessel SAS Protea and described them as successful, despite the "exceptional challenges" of turbulent winds, limited deck size, and a lack of a NATO landing grid.

The S-100 carried a Selex ES SAGE electronic support measures system that geo-locates radio-frequency sources: a capability Schiebel said would be ideal for supporting the SAN's maritime surveillance and anti-piracy missions.


http://www.janes.com/article/55536/camcopter-completes-south-african-navy-trials

Citation :

South Africa re-establishes Durban navy base

Helmoed-Römer Heitman, Pretoria - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

09 December 2015


Durban will again become the base for the Warrior-class patrol boats that remain in South African service. Source: South African Navy


The South African Navy (SAN) has redesignated Naval Station Durban as a naval base and begun initial work on refurbishing its facilities, it was announced on 8 December.

Once all the work has been completed, Durban will serve as the home base for the three Warrior-class patrol boats that remain in service with the SAN and provide support for other naval vessels operating on the east coast of South Africa and northwards into the Mozambique Channel. It will later be the base for the offshore and inshore patrol vessels (OPVs and IPVs) the SAN will acquire in the coming years.

The naval base on Durban's Salisbury Island was downgraded to a naval station in 2002 as part of cost-cutting forced on the SAN by its shrinking (in real terms) budget. The 2011 decision to patrol the Mozambique Channel triggered a rethink as conducting those patrols from Simon's Town Navy Base on Cape Peninsula was far from ideal.

The initial focus will be on refurbishing and upgrading the accommodation at the Durban facility to accommodate additional personnel.

It will then shift to creating the technical and training facilities needed so it can serve as the home base for the patrol squadron. These facilities will include workshops and magazines; probably bridge, operations room and platform-management simulators; and some capability to maintain the hulls.

It is not yet clear whether the syncrolift installed to raise the Warrior-class patrol boats out of the water in the 1970/1980s will be replaced or modified to handle the much-larger OPVs the SAN will acquire. Alternatively, major hull work could be handled in Simon's Town or contracted out in Durban.

The two naval bases at Simon's Town and Durban will be supplemented by a naval station at Port Elizabeth, and smaller facilities at Saldanha Bay (collocated with the SAN's basic training establishment), Richard's Bay, Cape Town, and East London that will be capable of providing basic support for the currently envisaged six IPVs, which will be deployed at the major commercial ports for extended periods.
 

Citation :

South African Soldiers Difficulty in Presenting Grievances
January 22, 2016


SA’s soldiers are between a rock and a hard place — the mechanism in place to attend to their grievances lacks executive teeth and they are excluded from the bargaining council enjoyed by public servants.

In the wake of the 2009 protest march on the Union Buildings by about 600 soldiers that turned violent, then defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu created the interim defence force service commission to investigate soldiers’ service conditions, including remuneration and how to attend to grievances.

Most notably Judge Ronnie Bosielo, who chaired the interim commission, told Parliament’s defence committee at the time that soldiers’ poor service conditions, including squalid housing, were a “ticking time bomb”.

Since then, a permanent South African National Defence Force Service Commission has been established as an advisory body to the minister of defence on military service conditions.

Pikkie Greeff, the national secretary of the South African National Defence Union (Sandu), said the service commission was not working and “there are no records, or results, of what has been considered available — it is dysfunctional”. Sandu has been representing the soldiers who took part in the 2009 protest, which resulted in more than 500 of them being placed on special leave.

Mr Greeff said disciplinary procedures against the soldiers were set to resume next month, with the union mounting legal arguments against their suspension.

However, Bantu Holomisa, the deputy chairman of the service commission and leader of the United Democratic Movement, said Sandu needed to understand that the commission was an advisory body and did not have executive powers.

Mr Holomisa said the defence ministry had indicated it was considering granting the commission more powers to create an independent body similar to the Public Service Commission.

“This raised the expectations of soldiers that they would have a bargaining forum to address their grievances and they were promised that the extra powers for the commission would be attended to,” Mr Holomisa said. “If Sandu wants to do more, then it must direct its energy towards the minister and the Department of Defence to demand progress in granting additional powers to the commission.”

Defence expert and analyst Helmoed Romer Heitman agreed that the service commission was an advisory structure that made recommendations to the minister.

He said the commission had travelled widely in the country, listening to soldiers’ representations. If grievances were urgent then another avenue was to approach the military ombud, which was an independent body, Mr Heitman said.

Military ombud Themba Matanzima said he felt the mechanisms in place to deal with soldiers’ complaints were effective. He said a soldier’s grievance was processed up the chain of command and referred to his office, whereupon it was investigated.

As reported by Wyndham Hartley




http://www.african-defense.com/defense-news/south-african-soldiers-difficulty-in-presenting-grievances/

Citation :

26.02.2016

Pas de blague: les Casques bleus sud-africains quittent le Darfour le 1er avril






C'est un communiqué laconique de la présidence sud-africaine qui l'a annoncé: Pretoria retire ses Casques bleus de l'UNAMID, la mission conjointe Union africaine-Nations Unies au Darfour, créée le 31 juillet 2007 après l’adoption de la résolution 1769 du Conseil de sécurité (photo by Albert González Farran, UNAMID).

Les effectifs déployés étaient de 21 357 personnes au 1er janvier 2016 dont 17 794 soldats et policiers. 218 de ses membres ont perdu la vie (146 soldats et 44 policiers). 8 Sud-africains ont, par exemple, été tués dans une embuscade en septembre 2015.

La RSA a déployé des soldats depuis 2008; le bataillon d'infanterie qui devait être relevé fin mars ne le sera donc pas. Selon DefenseWeb, le coût annuel de ces 850 hommes est de 369 079 895 Rands (21,5 millions d'euros).

Pourquoi un tel retrait? Pour faire des économies? Possible, puisque le budget de la défense sud-africain est largement insuffisant et que le coût des missions de maintien de la paix devient prohibitif. Une autre raison, très politique, réside dans les relations fraternelles entre les présidents Zuma et Béchir (que la RSA avait laissé filer l'an dernier, en dépit d'un mandat d'arrêt international). On lira ici un article de l'ISS sur ce thème.

Béchir veut la fin de l'UNAMID; le retrait sud-africain pourrait convaincre d'autres contributeurs de faire de même. A suivre donc.

http://lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2016/02/26/pas-de-blague-les-casques-bleus-sud-africains-quittent-le-da-15720.html

Citation :

South African Defence Budget Cuts Disastrous
February 26, 2016



Budget cuts in the Department of Defence over the next three years spelled disaster for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the implementation of the Defence Review, experts said yesterday.

The cuts could also threaten the SANDF’s peace missions.

While President Jacob Zuma’s announcement this week of the return in April of South African troops keeping the peace in Darfur in Sudan will ease the burden, there will still be increased pressure on defence spending.

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, himself a former military man, said the cuts clearly showed that the Defence Review approved by Parliament last year, had not yet been integrated into the systems of the SANDF.

The review — an assessment finalised last year that measures SA’s combat readiness and proposes what must be done about it — found that the SANDF was in a state of severe decline that would need immediate attention.

“I suspect that the DoD (Department of Defence) has not yet sat down with the National Treasury to determine the scale of budget increases for the SANDF,” Gen Holomisa said, adding that the effect would not be good for SA’s peacekeeping operations.

Peacekeeping is a pillar in SA’s foreign policy in Africa and South African soldiers and Rooivalk helicopters have played a key role in stabilising the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with the defeat of some rebels in the area.

Local defence analyst Hëlmoed-Romer Heitman said the defence force was already lagging in what had been planned in terms of renewal of equipment.

He said the air force was almost 20% behind what was planned and noted there was no new money in the budget for urgently needed heavy-lift transport aircraft.

The aircraft are needed for the rapid deployment of peacekeepers.

“It could have been worse, but it is still bad news for the SANDF,” Mr Heitman said, adding that there had not been a start to the integration of the Defence Review.

“There will definitely be repercussions for peace missions, not necessarily the cost because they are reimbursed by either the African Union or the United Nations, but with manpower and equipment like the transport aircraft.

“If the Sudan soldiers are sent to do border protection on their return to SA, then there will be savings in terms of the number of reserve force members that have to be called up.

“That will take some of the pressure off but only if more peacekeeping deployments, perhaps in troubled Burundi, aren’t needed,” Mr Heitman said.

As reported by Wyndham Hartley for BusinessDay Live




http://www.african-defense.com/defense-news/south-african-defence-budget-cuts-disastrous/

Citation :

South African Special Forces Likely to Extend Mission to Nigeria
March 8, 2016


The Nigerian Minister of Defence, Mansur‎ Dan-Ali, on Monday [March 7] said arrangements are currently on-going between South Africa and Nigeria’s military for the extension of their military special forces to Nigeria.

This, he said, was a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in 2013, prompting the Chiefs of Defence of the two countries to meet and thrash out all the areas that are relevant to the two countries.

The Minister disclosed this while receiving the South African delegation led by the Minister of Defence , Ms. Nobise Mapisa-Nqakula.

According to him, “The two countries should look at how the two industrial complex would come into being. It is a very good thing that we are thinking that South Africa being the closeness ally to us should come and help us in developing our industrial complex, that is the Defence Corporation of Nigeria.”

He added, “We are of the opinion that very soon when the two Commander in Chiefs meet, and the visit is finalised, we will look into going deep how the two countries will work together and coming to an agreement ‎between the MoU and technical expertise between the two countries.”

As reported by ThisDay




http://www.african-defense.com/defense-news/south-african-special-forces-likely-to-extend-mission-to-nigeria/