Skills shortage keeps subs idle: DA

admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:20:00 +0000

The Democratic Alliance is complaining bitterly about the shortage of skills in the South African navy, and has asked the defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota to explain why, many years after concerns were raised, the defence force still faced a shortage that rendered useless the submarines in the strategic weapons package.

Rafeek Shah, the party spokesman on defence, said that he had written to the minister asking for an explanation.

Shah said that since 1995, numerous concerns had been raised about the cost and appropriateness of the equipment, as well as the supposed need, and that in 2004, the DA said in parliament that the defence force would not have the resources to integrate the submarines into the navy, but was ridiculed for raising these concerns.

In 2005, the DA released a statement criticising the fact that the forces had to freight the submarines to South Africa because they lacked suitable crews to pilot them.

"It is now clear that the DA's concerns have been vindicated," Shah said, "with reports indicating that only one of the submarines in South Africa is operational, with the second lying mostly idle due to a critical staff shortage."

Source: SAAF Forum

The South African Navy & Marine and Coastal Management: Skills shortage keeps subs idle: DA

Skills shortage keeps subs idle: DA