South African National Defence Force (SANDF)

Citation :

Afrique du Sud: la SANDF quitte le Mozambique et l’opposition parlementaire demande son retrait de RDC

24/07/2024 |


Un soldat sud-africain déployé dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) a été tué le 19 juillet. Il appartenait au contingent de l’armée sud-africaine (la SANDF) engagé dans le cadre de la mission de la Communauté de développement de l’Afrique australe (la SAMIDRC) qui soutient l’action des forces congolaises (les FARDC) face aux rebelles du M23 soutenus par le Rwanda.

Ce décès porte à dix le nombre de militaires de la SANDF morts en RDC cette année.

Le dernier incident s’est produit le 8 juillet, lorsque le major Tolla Pieterse a été tué par l’explosion d’une grenade dans la base de Beni. Sa mort est considérée comme un possible meurtre, car de nombreuses plaintes ont été déposées contre lui par des soldats mécontents qui le considéraient comme trop strict.

Seules quelques-unes des victimes de la SANDF cette année sont liées aux combats. Le 14 février, deux soldats ont été tués et trois blessés dans une attaque au mortier du M23, tandis que deux autres sont morts le 29 février dans un attaque suicide.

Le mois suivant, le 30 mai, un médecin a été tué et 13 soldats blessés lors d’une attaque du M23 sur Sake, et deux capitaines ont été tués le 25 juin lors d’une autre attaque au mortier du M23 toujours sur Sake, attaque qui a également blessé 20 soldats de la SANDF. Cette année, il y a également eu un décès non lié à des opérations de combat, un soldat étant décédé de maladie à l’hôpital en RDC.


La DA demande le retrait de RDC

La situation précaire des militaires sud-africains déployés en opex a de nouveau été abordé au Parlement sud-africain.

L’Alliance démocratique (opposition sud-africaine, désormais membre du gouvernement d’union nationale) a appelé à une nouvelle révision de la stratégie de défense sud-africaine et au retrait des soldats déployés en République démocratique du Congo (RDC).

Chris Hattingh, représentant de l’Alliance démocratique pour la Défense et les Anciens combattants, s’est exprimé lors du débat sur le vote du budget de la Défense au Parlement, le lundi 15 juillet. Il a rappelé que le budget de la Défense a de nouveau diminué, passant de 52,5 milliards de rands à 51,8 milliards de rands, poursuivant une tendance à la baisse qui a connu une diminution de 1,3 % sur un an, soit une diminution de 5,69 % en termes réels compte tenu inflation. Une telle baisse ne permet pas d’équiper les forces, encore moins lorsqu’elles sont engagées dans des opérations à l’étranger.

Concernant ces opex, Hattingh a rappelé que le ministère de la Défense avait pour mandat de déployer 2 900 membres de la SANDF en RDC dans le cadre de la mission de la Communauté de développement de l’Afrique australe (SAMIDRC) pour un coût approximatif de 2,4 milliards de rands, tandis que la mission de la même SADC au Mozambique a coûté 850 millions de rands pour l’exercice en cours (cette mission est officiellement close depuis le 15 juillet, soit quatre ans après son lancement).

Hattingh a donc conclu que « le financement est insuffisant » et que rien ne menaçait l’Afrique du Sud du fait du conflit régional dans l’est de la RDC. « Par conséquent, Honorable Président de la Chambre et Ministre, nos soldats devraient rentrer chez eux immédiatement ».


 https://lignesdedefense.ouest-france.fr/afrique-du-sud-la-sandf-quitte-le-mozambique-et-lopposition-parlementaire-demande-son-retrait-de-rdc/

Citation :

 C47-TP grounding leaves SAAF with no maritime eyes in the sky

defenceWeb -9th September 2024


The SA Air Force (SAAF) is stranded when it comes to maritime patrols and the possibility of replacement airframes appearing is slim to non-existent.

This inference comes from the reply to a Parliamentary question asked by Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesman on defence and veterans Chris Hattingh. He wanted to know from Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga what steps are being taken to replace the C47-TP aircraft that are being withdrawn from service.

The former Chief Whip and DA Caucus Leader in the North West provincial legislature posed his question around the possibility of maritime guerrilla operations and piracy, particularly off Mozambique, as well as foreign fishing fleets poaching South African maritime resources against the background of a “throttled” SA Navy (SAN).

He was told Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo’s service had “generated requirements operational capability for the second time in the last 20 years to address the maritime capability with no success”.

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has Project Pelican – to address light air transport and maritime capability – approved by the Military Command Council (MCC) but it cannot progress as funding is not available.

The SAAF previously had a plan to replace the C47-TPs with proper maritime patrol aircraft under Project Saucepan. When that proved impossible, Projects Metsi and Kiepie were launched to replace the C47-TPs and C212s in the maritime surveillance/patrol and light transport roles respectively. Those projects appear to have been superseded by Project Pelican.

In May it was revealed that the venerable twin-engined C47-TP multi-role aircraft operated by 35 Squadron out of Cape Town’s AFB Ysterplaat will be withdrawn from service, but no official SAAF confirmation has since emerged, nor an exact date of withdrawal.

The withdrawal of the C-47 and its turboprop successor comes after 81 years in SAAF service. “No surprise,” insiders said at the time as none had flown in two years due to non-availability of spares and all eight grounded “due to challenges in finding a maintenance provider” as per an Armscor report to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) a year ago.

As far back as 2016, the steadily worsening state of maritime patrol and surveillance in the SAAF was picked up by consortium which offered up to five Dornier 328TPs being leased to South Africa. That the offer went no further is obvious.


https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/c47-tp-grounding-leaves-saaf-with-no-maritime-eyes-in-the-sky/  

In the wake of presentations by senior defence and military academics, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) is on record as being “concerned about the deteriorating state of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF)”.https://t.co/HajtvjUSKx

— defenceWeb (@defenceWeb_Afr) September 23, 2024

Citation :

It’s official – the SANDF has a Space Command Section

defenceWeb -27th September 2024


That the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and its airborne service, the SA Air Force (SAAF), is committed to space was emphasised to delegates attending the second Air and Space Power symposium on 17 September when the newly established Space Command Section was officially recognised by South Africa’s senior soldier, SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya.

The recognition, as well as making known Major General Lancelot Mathebula as Space Command Section’s first head, marked progress which SAAF Chief Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo said started “a few years ago”. It was a challenge, he told delegates in his closing address to the symposium, “the men and women in blue did not hesitate to take on”. Before taking charge of the SAAF SCIPT (Space Command Integrated Planning Team), Mathebula was Chief Director Force Preparation.

Reflecting on progress since last year’s National Space Conference at the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), where Mbambo said the SAAF would host a space symposium this year, and last month’s second National Space Conference, Maphwanya said two years ago Space Command was “merely a vision, today those concepts have become concrete”.

Maphwanya told delegates to the second Air and Space Power symposium at Air Force Base Waterkloof, as reported by Airman Khanyisile Gina, the South African military’s “engagement with space goes beyond C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance)”. “It is integral to advancing multi-domain warfare and ensuring our strategic edge.”

Acknowledging the financial implications of an alteration to the SANDF’s structure, Maphwanya reassured delegates of his commitment to securing the necessary revenues. “As Chief of the South African National Defence Force, I will ensure that funding is made available over the next few financial years to fully support this vision.”

Closing the symposium, staged to coincide with the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition at Air Force Base Waterkloof, Mbambo is reported as saying “there have been remarkable developments” with “impressive performances and contributions” in the space sector. These, according to the three-star, come from the SA National Space Agency (SASA), the University of KwaZulu-Natal by way of its Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) space propulsion programme, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) under the guidance of Minister Blade Nzimande, and unspecified others.

“Several engagements are taking place both internationally and across the South African space landscape, which have been extremely beneficial in accelerating our nascent South African National Defence Force Space Command. We have learned great lessons from our counterparts, and I must highlight that what the SCIPT team learned in Italy cemented my belief in collaboration. Their model, which showcased a national effort working hand in hand with civilian agencies and private industry, is a prime example. Together is the only way we can achieve great things,” Mbambo said.

A SAAF space-based sensing capability project will be registered before year-end with SCIPT continuing visits to international partners. Mbambo set a 2026 deadline for a technology demonstrator to fly. At the same time a Space Operations Directorate will be staffed and in place to commence limited operations in support of both the SANDF and partners, Mbambo is reported as saying by Gina.


https://www.defenceweb.co.za/sa-defence/sa-defence-sa-defence/its-official-the-sandf-has-a-space-command/  

Citation :

  Lack of serviceable vessels sees SA Navy miss time at sea target

defenceWeb -8th November 2024

By its own admission and not entirely its own fault, the SA Navy (SAN) fell woefully short of its planned time at sea in the 2023/24 financial year, with some improvement on the way according to the October Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS).

The latest Department of Defence (DoD) annual report has it the maritime service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) logged a paltry 2 641 hours at sea. Of these 1 680 are listed as force preparation hours with the balance of 961 being force employment time.

The hours logged make up a third of the planned target – 8 000 hours – set by Vice Admiral Monde Lobese’s service for the 2023/24 financial year.

On the maritime defence programme, the DoD annual report notes “most of the SAN vessels in commission were undergoing maintenance and repair during the reporting period. An added constraint was the unavailability of SAN vessels at the directed level of capability due to a lack of repair capacity at the Armscor Dockyard and related procurement challenges”.

This has been echoed by Lobese on, among others, the official SAN publication Navy News and a Simon’s Town medal parade. He is on record as saying he is prepared to “divorce” his service from the Armscor facility.

Aside from budget restrictions, he told the medal parade another factor severely limiting the SAN’s ability to get ships to sea, is the “non-performance of the Armscor Dockyard”.

“As Chief of the Navy, I have reached the end of my patience with their inability to repair the SAN ships. I have engaged the Chief Executive of Armscor on numerous opportunities to resolve this situation,” he said at the Martello sports ground parade.

“The SA Air Force and the SA Navy were detrimentally impacted by the lack of maintenance contracts for prime mission equipment not being in place, resulting in the unavailability of spares, which affected the number of hours flown/hours at sea, level of force preparation and accreditation of pilots,” the annual report read.

“Given the lead times required to finalise maintenance and repair of specific naval platforms designated to conduct long-range maritime patrols, and given that most naval platforms were undergoing maintenance and repair, no Op Copper long-range maritime patrols were conducted during the strategic period.”

The lack of performance at sea in the 2024/25 financial year was noted by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in last month’s MTBPS.

The MTBPS reads, in part: “Although the department [of defence] had conducted only one maritime coastal patrol by mid-year against an annual target of four, it remains on track to meet the target by the fourth quarter”.

“Similarly, only 3 290 hours were spent at sea by mid-year against an annual target of 12 000, with the expectation that this target will be met in the fourth quarter. Delays in the maintenance and repair of vessels resulted in only 1 721 hours at sea against an annual target of 8 000 hours. Performance is expected to improve in the second half of the year once the maintenance and repair work is completed.”

Respected defence analyst Helmoed Heitman has long been against the use of hours at sea as a performance indicator saying days is widely used internationally. Using his preference the SAN planned to spend 333 days at sea in 2023/24 but managing to log a third – 110 – of the target.

The major contributor to Godongwana’s expectation of increased time at sea will be the Valour Class frigate SAS Amatola (F145). Following participation in last month’s Exercise Ibsamar she is scheduled for an extended anti-piracy mission in the Mozambique Channel. It is in line with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) anti-piracy initiative off the east coast of the region involving Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania. The South African commitment is codenamed Operation Copper by the Joint Operations Division of the SANDF.

The 2023/24 DoD annual report noted that “Maritime Defence continues to experience challenges with sourcing critical ship spares that are required to effect repairs on the SA Navy legacy vessels. Progress is being made to ensure the availability of combat-ready ships to meet the Joint Force Employment Requirements. With additional funding received from the National Treasury during FY2023/24 for the refit of Strategic Defence Package platforms, the Armscor Dockyard is in progress with the refit(s) of the frigate SAS Isandlwana. The appointment of a Commercial Refit Partner/Specialist Engineering Service for the Submarine is still to be finalised and will be unpacked during the next reporting cycle.”

Last year, the SAS Mendi and elements of the Maritime Reaction Squadron conducted three Operation Corona maritime coastal patrols in conjunction with the SAPS and Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, namely in the Eastern Cape over the period 3 July to 1 August; in the Gansbaai area from 11 October to 8 November; and in the False Bay and Saldanha area from 20 October to 17 November 2023.

The annual report explained that the SA Navy’s inability to meet the set target of four coastal patrols for FY2023/24 was due to ongoing challenges experienced with preparing ships to be operationally available for deployments.

“The underachievement can be attributed to the unavailability of the SA Navy vessels at the Directed Level of Capability due lack of repair capacity at Armscor Dockyard and related procurement challenges. The Concept of Operations for Op Copper is being reviewed and efforts are being undertaken to improve the situation and ensure the availability of platforms for East Coast patrols.”

Other Navy highlights for the 2023/24 financial year were deploying its Chemical Biological Radiation Defence Team under Operation Prosper between 5 December 2023 and 28 April 2024 in support of the South African Police Service to neutralise illegal mining activities in South Africa; hosting Exercise Good Hope with Germany in January/February 2024 in the Saldanha area; and carrying out force preparation Exercise Red Lion in November 2023.


https://www.defenceweb.co.za/sa-defence/sa-defence-sa-defence/lack-of-serviceable-vessels-sees-sa-navy-miss-time-at-sea-target/

CSIR and Sysdel collaborate on new Acepod electronic warfare pod for the SAAF https://t.co/d3eGbTOmcK via @defenceweb_afr pic.twitter.com/bO0DDuZxAs

— Tango III's Military News (@IiiTango) November 8, 2024

The South African contingent of the three nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has a new commander.https://t.co/B9Rp2HKEt5

— defenceWeb (@defenceWeb_Afr) November 13, 2024