Serving time at sea is no longer a requirement for a top post in the South African Navy.

Both the Chief of the Navy, Vice-Admiral Johannes Mudimu, and the navy's next Master at Arms, Warrant Officer Pragasen Moodley, who will take up position early next year, were appointed without serving time at sea.

The Master at Arms is the disciplinary co-ordinator for all uniformed staff.

A retired senior navy officer, who asked not to be named, said the fact that the two key members holding these vital positions in the navy hadn't served time at sea was a "complete joke".

He said there was no way anyone could run the navy without serving time aboard ship.

"These guys have no credibility. How can they expect to lead the country's mariners if they have no idea what it's like working at sea? They can't stand in front of a group of senior officers and tell them what to do.

"Maybe that's why the navy is in such a mess."

In response, Defence Department spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the fundamental requirement for those appointed into leadership positions in the armed forces was to demonstrate sound leadership.

Characteristics such as visionary thinking and the ability to inspire and motivate members at every level in the organisation were what was most critical.

"In keeping with military norms, we require that our leaders are role models - persons who epitomise the code of conduct and value system of the organisation in which they serve, " said Dlamini.

"Thus they need, first and foremost, to be persons of principle who are able to lead men and women into difficult and dangerous circumstances in a manner that is befitting of our Constitution and of the people whom we serve."

Dlamini said while being required to operate strategically, people placed in senior positions also needed to have a good understanding of the core business of the organisation - which was, in the case of the navy, fighting at sea.

He said both Mudimu and Moodley would need to have "very good insight" into this.

"We are proud to affirm that the track records of the incumbents of both posts bear testament to the fact that they have demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, leadership of the highest order."

Vice-Admiral Mudimu served witin the ranks of uMkonto we Sizwe from 1975 until the integration of the forces in 1994, serving in broad range of posts across Africa.

Prior to his appointment as the Chief of the Navy in March 2005, Mudimu served in the South African National Defence Force "across the full spectrum of organisational processes, including the inspector general, fleet staff and naval staff process".

"It is such diverse experience, gained in such broad range of contexts, which truly prepares military professionals for positions of leadership," said Dlamini.

"Both Vice-Admiral Mudimu and Warrant Officer Moodley have fully immersed themselves in the sea-going environment, and as such may be held to understand all aspects thereof as may be required of them to execute their leadership positions in the way in which military organisations the world over might demand."

Mudimu has been to sea since being appointe.

Source: Cape Argus, 7 June

The South African Navy has launched a stringent deterrence campaign against foreign vessels fishing illegally in the ecologically sensitive waters of Marion and Prince Edward islands, following its first successful submarine patrol there.

The SAS Charlotte Maxeke, a year-old submarine, made her debut patrol of the area around the two islands last month, becoming the first to succeed in gathering sufficient intelligence in these waters.

The region is renowned for its rough seas, spurred on by stormy weather.

With waves commonly reaching five metres, ships have previously been unsuccessful in patrolling the islands, which lie about 2 300km off the False Bay coast.

The waters surrounding Marion and Prince Edward islands, which were annexed by South Africa in 1947 and 1953 respectively, have been declared an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), making the marine resources available to South Africa only.

However, the SA Navy, mandated to protect the area, has aimed at investigating "the possible involvement by a foreign company or country in pillaging (the) marine resources" there, a SA Navy statement said.

Commander Roland Shortt, the SAS Charlotte Maxeke's captain, said the operation had kicked off on May 22, when the submarine had left for Marion Island with a crew of 32.

They had made a "discreet transit" to and from the Simon's Town Naval Base, making them undetected by any foreign vessels they were investigating.

He said they "gained intelligence", or evidence of illegal fishing, on a number of vessels, which would then be referred to Marine and Coastal Management and the police.

This information had been gathered mainly using equipment such as still cameras and an optronic mast, an advanced type of periscope that was able to use heat-detecting infra-red technology to catch illegal fishers in the act, day or night.

They were not, however, in the position to divulge the information they obtained.

Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Hanno Teuteberg, the director of Fleet Force Preparation, said the patrol had not been successful before because they did not have the required equipment, including the submarines.

This had become possible with the arrival of the final deliveries of new frigates and submarines, which are included in the Strategic Defence Package. They now had three submarines, two of which would be available for patrols, while the other underwent maintenance.

In light of the SAS Charlotte Maxeke's triumph, Teuteberg said they would carry out many similar operations.

Source: Independent Online

Robben Island Museum has confirmed that cultural artefacts on the island, dating from the Second World War have been stolen.

However, it has not been able to confirm that these artefacts - including brass fittings and other metal from historical facilities like old gun emplacements - have been stripped for their scrap metal value.

It says it is working closely with the SA Navy to protect the remaining Second World War artefacts on the island, a World Heritage Site.

Source: Independent Online

South Africa's military top brass have warned that the rate at which soldiers, sailors, pilots and technical personnel are being poached from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) poses a serious threat to the country.

The loss of pilots to the Australian Air Force alone recently prompted the chief of the South African Air Force Lt-Gen Carlo Gagiano to appeal to his Australian counterpart for an end to the poaching.

"I said to him: this is not on, you can't keep poaching from me. He promised me it was not him or his force, that it was other organisations, but I think I need to follow up on that conversation," he told MPs last week.

"I said to him: this is not on, you can't keep poaching from me"

The military officers were presenting the SANDF's strategic plan for the next three years to the national council of provinces' select committee on defence and constitutional affairs.

Even musicians are in demand as a military violinist was recently recruited by a foreign fighting force. But the exodus of technicians and other specialists is far more serious.

The air force lost 218 technical specialists last year and 253 the year before. Fifty more packed their bags in the first three months of this year and April alone saw 23 technicians leave for greener pastures. Pilots are also leaving in droves.

"I have lost my Cheetah Squadron Commander to the Australian Air Force, my Hawk Squadron Commander, my senior instructor on the Hawks and just yesterday I heard that my most knowledgeable person on the Oryx helicopter is now leaving for the Australian Air Force," complained Gagiano.

He warned that the loss of air crews, particularly to the Middle and Far East, "is going to have a huge impact on the economy of the country".

'Every week the navy loses people, even Africans'

All in all, the SANDF lost 910 technicians in 2007 - more than 11 percent of its entire technical staff. One official explained that this would seem like an acceptable loss of skills to some, but that the amount of money and time that went into training these members would make it impossible for the SANDF to get a return on their investment.

It has also caused a juniorisation of technical staff, leaving only a handful of experienced personnel to guide and mentor the rest who average two or three years of experience.

Chief of policy and planning in the defence secretariat Tsepe Motumi said the problem was "across the board" in the SANDF and that the organisations was suffering from "poaching on a month-to-month basis".

Chief of the SA Navy V-Adm Johannes Mudimu sketched a dismal picture of sailors, divers, submariners and navy engineers leaving for higher wages elsewhere.

"Many divers are going to Nigeria to work on the oil rigs. Others are going to the Central African Republic to work in their oil industry. We have members who have left for Australia, New Zealand and the British Royal Navy," he said.

But the haemorrhaging of skills is not only attributed to foreign recruiters.

Local aviation companies, engineering firms, transport companies and the merchant navy are also stripping the military of much needed skills.

According to Mudimu, the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) has recruited many navy drivers and fire-fighters as the company gears up for the anticipated influx soccer enthusiasts in 2010.

Merchant mariners apparently lure young navy cadets literally under the noses of military brass. "We train them for three or four years at universities and technical colleges. They are sought-after individuals.

"You know, when I attend a parade to graduate these members, there are people in the audience with fat cheques. By the time I give him a trophy this youngster has already entered into an agreement (with another employer)," said Mudimu.

In other cases, companies or foreign governments simply buy South Africans out of their study contracts.

The navy chief conceded that losing trained personnel to the South African economy was "not so bad", but complained that many companies in the field no longer spent money on their own human resource development, they simply wait for the military to train staff.

He also emphasised that the problem was not limited to white military officers.

"Every week the navy loses people, even Africans. When we were building these new frigates in Germany, we sent a lot of blacks to Germany to train. When they came back they served the navy for one or two years and then they all left," he complained.

He said the navy lost 75 Africans last year.

The SANDF has set aside R408-million to provide incentives to those with scarce skills, but officials pointed out that, in the long run, the demand for skills was a global phenomenon and that it is hard for South Africa to compete.

Source: The Daily News

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) on Friday conceded in the Pretoria High Court that its policies preventing HIV positive people from employment, foreign deployment and promotion in the armed forces, were unconstitutional.

It agreed to formulate a new health classification policy within six months.

This followed an application before the court to force the SANDF to change its policies preventing people with HIV from being deployed externally, from being given promotions as well as from getting a job in the armed forces.

Instead of opposing the case further, the defence force agreed to formulate a new policy.

The court ordered that its discriminatory policy be set aside and a new health classification policy be formulated.

The application was brought by the AIDS Law Project, acting on behalf of the SA Security Forces Union (SASFU) and individual members of the SANDF.

Source: polity.org.za

Two South American naval ships have collided in South African waters, according to reports reaching Engineering News Online on Friday.

The two ships are believed to be Uruguayan naval frigates undergoing joint military exercises off Cape Town. The two Uruguayan frigates involved are the ROU Uruguay and the ROU Comandante Pedro Campbell, both formerly units of the Portuguese Navy.

The two frigates were only recently acquired, second-hand, from Portugal, and sailed straight to South Africa from the European country to participate in this year’s edition of the Atlasur series of naval exercises.

Atlasur is normally biennial, and involves South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, with the function of host rotating between these countries.

The two ships were part of the Portuguese Comandante João Belo class, and each displaces 2 250 t, is armed with two by 100 mm and two by 40 mm guns and anti-submarine torpedo tubes, and has a top speed of 26 kts.

Although originally built in the late 1960s, they were significantly modernised in the 1990s, receiving new radar, sonar, electronic countermeasures and data-link systems.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Uruguayan frigates will be repaired at South Africa's naval dockyard in Simon's Town to enable them to continue to take part in the joint south-south naval exercise.

Once the exercise has been completed, further repairs will be undertaken in South Africa to allow the ships to return to Uruguay.

Ships have been damaged during exercises in the past, the HMS Leopard once being damaged by the SAS Pietermaritzburg.

Source: Engineering News

Johannesburg - A union representing South African soldiers is to take the country's armed forces to court on Thursday for alleged discrimination against HIV-infected personnel, it said Wednesday.

The South African Security Forces Union (Sasfu) is accusing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of discriminating against HIV-infected people by refusing them employment, promotion or deployment to foreign posts.

"They have got a policy of mandatory testing. Being HIV-negative is a pre-requisite to gain employment in SANDF," said Sasfu deputy president Charles Jacobs.

He said that after being employed, members of the military had to undergo mandatory HIV testing once a year during a health assessment, and every time they applied for a promotion or deployment overseas.

Jacobs said South Africa was the only country in the world whose military operated under these "unconstitutional" policies.

With 5½ million HIV infections in a population of 48 million, South Africa had the world's worst Aids problem and, according to Nonkosi Khumalo, a researcher with the Aids Law Project (ALP), up to 35% of defence force personnel was infected in 2004.

Read more at: News24.com

Capetonions can board the visiting Indian and Brazilian warships, as well as the South African ships, when they berth in the V&A Waterfront from 09 – 11 May 2008. These ships are in South Africa as part of the inaugural tri-nation IBSA (Indian, Brazil and South Africa) government initiative.

The fleet has just concluded a very successful series of exercises in Western Cape waters. Some of the exercises included surface gunnery shoots, anti-air warfare exercises, replenishment-at-sea (RAS) approaches, Officer-of-the-Watch maneouvering and boarding exercises (simulations of how to board vessels suspected of illegal activities). Although the recent spate of bad weather made the sea conditions less than pleasant, the professionalism of the sailors of all the ships was more than up to the task. The sailors are looking forward to some time off this weekend to explore Cape Town.

All the ships will be open to the public from 0900 – 1400 on Saturday and Sunday. The people of Cape Town are invited to go on board the vessels and to interact with the sailors of the three countries. There are no costs involved, but members of the public are kindly asked to refrain from carrying dangerous weapons when they visit the ships.

The Indian Navy’s INS MUMBAI (a destroyer) is a very large, impressive vessel and is nearly 160m long. Although the INS KARMUK (a corvette) is smaller, it is still armed to the teeth with 16 surface missiles and an armoury of other offensive weapons. Both the Brazilian ships, BNS INDEPENDENCIA and BNS DEFENSORA, are impressive ships that are about the same size as our own VALOUR CLASS frigates, SAS AMATOLA and SAS ISANDLWANA.

The fleet will be departing the V&A Waterfront on Monday 12 May and will then proceed to sea for a further series of more advanced exercises. During this phase the fleet will split in two, with an Indian, Brazilian and South Africa ship in each force. Then the two forces – red vs blue – will conduct a series of Battle Exercises during which they will simulate a war situation where the forces try to “kill” each other. This Battle Exercise will be a culmination of all the exercises that occurred this week and is a very good means of preparing sailors for war scenarios in peace time.

Source: SA Navy

Capetonians have until Friday to go on board one of the world's tallest and fastest sailing ships belonging to the Argentinean Navy.

Called the Ara Libertad, the vessel is currently in Cape Town until 2 May for a six-day goodwill visit as a guest of the City of Cape Town and the SA Navy.

"Libertad is Spanish for 'freedom' - and the visit of this magnificent vessel coincides with South Africa's Freedom Day celebrations," said Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille, who will visit the vessel on 1 May.

Built in Rio Santiago in 1958, the Libertad was incorporated into the Argentinean navy as a training frigate in 1963.

It weighs 3 765 tons and measures almost 104 meters in length and 14.3 meters across the beam.

Her 27 sails span 2 700 meters squared of sail surface and her main mast is 52 meters tall.

The Libertad is the pride and joy of the Argentinean navy, said Captain Gustavo Díaz Durán, Military Attaché of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic.

"Since the Libertad maiden voyage in 1963, it has travelled over 800 000 nautical miles and visited 513 ports in 69 countries," said Captain Diaz Durán.

She established the world record for a trans-atlantic crossing between Canada and Ireland by sailing 2 059 nautical miles in 8.5 days, he said.

The commanding officer, Captain Juan José Iglesias, is a veteran of the Falklands War of 1982.

Under his command are 310 men and women including 26 officers, 90 midshipmen, 186 warrant and non-commissioned officers, and eight junior naval officers from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, India, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru and South Africa.

"This year, Sub-Lieutenant Thandeka Snail, 24, from the South African Navy will be the first black woman to participate in this world-renowned training course," said Captain Diaz Durán.

Cape Town is the first stop on the vessel's eight month around the world trip.

Libertad is currently berthed at Quay 2, V&A Waterfront, next to the Table Bay Hotel.

Members of the public will be able to visit the ship from 2pm to 6pm on 30 April, and again from 3pm to 5pm on 1 May.

As from 2 May, the frigate will continue on to another 16 ports before returning to Buenos Aires on 6 December.

The ports include Port Louis (Mauritius), Port Victoria (Seychelles), Mumbai (India), Malaca (Malaysia), Manila (Philippines), Shanghai (China), Pusan (South Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Apra Harbour (Guam), Noumea New Caledonia (France), Sydney (Australia), Wellington (New Zealand), Papeete (Tahiti) and the Isla de Pascua (Chile).

Source: BuaNews

Louis Vosloo has taken some pictures of the SA Navy Festival 2008.

German Navy Hamburg, currently on visit due to Exercise Good Hope III - Image: Louis Vosloo

German Navy Berlin, currently on visit due to Exercise Good Hope III - Image: Louis Vosloo

New submarine S102 in dry dock beside the decomissioned S98 - Image: Louis Vosloo