The South African Navy & Marine and Coastal Management: Tag Accident

Lekota: Lohatla deaths were an accident

admin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Investigations into the incident at the South African Army Combat Training Centre in Lohatla in which nine soldiers were killed have revealed that the tragedy was caused by a mechanical failure, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said on Friday.

The nine soldiers died when a 35mm Oerlikon GDF MK-5 gun malfunctioned at the training centre in the Northern Cape on October 12 last year.

Fifteen other soldiers were injured in the incident.

Speaking to reporters in Pretoria, Lekota said a board of inquiry, which was established two days later and headed by retired Major General Johan Jooste, found that a mechanical failure occurred on gun 124 when the interface between the hand-motor actuator selector level and the traverse gearbox broke.

No negligence behind Lohatla mayhem

admin — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:38:00 +0000

Police say their preliminary investigations into an accident in which nine soldiers were killed at Lohatla in the Northern Cape do not indicate any negligence, the SABC reported on Monday.

Members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) were busy with military exercises on October 12 when a computerised gun malfunctioned, killing nine soldiers and injuring 14.

Police spokesperson Cherelle Ehlers said the investigations were at an advanced stage.

Two investigations - one by the police and another by the SANDF - started shortly after the accident. Sources within the SANDF said the military investigation had been concluded.

However they said the outcome would only be made public once the families of the deceased soldiers had been informed.

Source: The Times

Military accident: 'stop speculation'

admin — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:39:00 +0000

The accident at the SA National Defence Force's Lohatlha training grounds last week happened immediately after technicians had finished repairing the weapon, a Mark V twin-barrelled 35mm gun, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said in the National Assembly.

A one-eighth of a second burst of explosive shells from the barrel of the anti-aircraft gun killed nine soldiers and injured 15 others, MPs heard on Tuesday.

Explaining the circumstances of the incident, which happened on Friday, Lekota said the training exercise had involved eight guns positioned 20 metres apart in a line facing north.

The day was the first on which the soldiers involved had used "live" ammunition in a training exercise. The ground targets being fired at were located between 1 500m and 2 000m away.

Each gun had a crew of four. The gun in question was the one on the far right, at the east end of the line.

"As all guns commenced firing, the gun on the far right had a stoppage. This is something that happens from time to time.

"Technicians repaired this gun, while all the other guns continued firing. This is a very normal drill.

"As they continued firing, after the gun was fixed, it swung completely to the left, and one barrel fired off a burst of 15 to 20 shots in one-eighth of a second. The gun immediately to the left was hit.

"This fatal burst then killed or injured members of all the guns to the left. The effect was therefore that all of those killed or injured were hit from the right and lost right hands, or right legs, or lost their lives."

He confirmed the total number killed was nine, and 15 injured.

Lekota said the eight guns had been used the day before, "and each one had successfully fired between 500 and 800 rounds".

He further explained the guns could be set on either "manual or electric firing mode".

On Friday, they had all been set on manual. This meant they were sighted on the target, and the barrel then clamped into position "so that the barrel should not move from side to side".

"When firing in electric mode, safety boundaries are computerised and the barrels are not clamped, but move within the boundaries set in advance."

Lekota said care was always taken within the SANDF to avoid accidents, and he offered his condolences to the families of those killed and injured.

He said the soldiers killed would each receive full military funerals.

Soldiers in 'satisfactory conditition'

admin — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 16:54:00 +0000

Five soldiers injured when an anti-aircraft gun went "haywire" during a training exercise were in a "satisfactory" condition at the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

SA National Defence Force (SANDF) headquarters said another two soldiers seriously hurt in the incident were also in a satisfactory condition at 3 Military Hospital, in Bloemfontein.

Seven troops, who were slightly injured, had been treated at the sickbay at the SA Army Combat Training Centre in Lohatla, said SANDF spokesperson Brigadier-General Kwena Mangope.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Chief of the SANDF General Godfrey Ngwenya have wished the injured soldiers a speedy recovery.

They have also extended their "sincerest sympathies and condolences" to the families of the nine soldiers who died in the incident involving a 35mm MK5 anti-aircraft gun during the Exercise Seboka.

All of the soldiers were members of 10 Air Defence Artillery Regiment, in Kimberly.

The dead were named by the SANDF on Sunday as:

Staff Sergeant John Bezuidenhoudt, 30, survived by his mother, Mrs W Bezuidenhoudt, of Upington;
Bombardier Khangeziwe Lephunah Malaza, 24, survived by her mother Mrs A N Malaza, of Tembisa;
Gunner Emmah Thembekile Mthimunye, 20, survived by her mother Mrs N L Mthimunye, of Siyabuswa, in Mpumalanga;
Gunner Rhulani Mihloti Mtileni, 23, survived by Samuel Mtileni, of Limpopo;
Gunner Sebenzile Veronica Nhlabathi, 20, survived by her sister T T Nhlabathi, of Ladysmith;
Gunner Thapelo James Nkwana, 21, survived by his mother Anna Nkwana, of Atteridgeville;
Gunner Sammuel Sphiwe Nyembe, 22, survived by his sister Thabisile Nyembe, of Mabopane;
Gunner Botse Seipato, 21, survived by his mother, from Mabopane; and
Gunner Rudzani Christopher Siphuma, 21, survived by his father Simon Siphuma, of Chiawelo.

"The Department of Defence is to begin with the process of liaising with the families of the deceased to discuss funeral arrangments," said Mangope.

Funeral arrangements would be announced once they had been confirmed by the families.

He said the Department had appointed a high-level board of inquiry to investigate the incident.

Source: Independent Online

9 SA soldiers die in 'accident'

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:31:00 +0000

Nine South African soldiers were killed on Friday in a shooting accident involving an anti-aircraft gun during a training exercise at a base in the central Bloemfontein region, the army said.

"I can confirm that nine of our people have died and another 15 were injured and taken to various hospitals around Bloemfontein," South African National Defence Forces (SANDF) spokesperson Brigadier General Kwena Mangope told AFP.

"We are still waiting for details but we do know it was an exercise, a yearly exercise that 27 soldiers participated in.

"We use a variety of weapons (in the training exercise). This particular one is a 35mm MK5 anti-aircraft gun," he added.

An investigation has already been launched into the incident which, happened at around 09:00.

The area where the accident took place has been sealed off and officers from the military police and civilian police service are at the scene.

Agulhas seaman dies in 'unfortunate incident'

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:14:00 +0000

A seaman aboard the Antarctic supply vessel SA Agulhas died on Friday morning in an incident involving other crew members.

"Following a non-work related incident ... in the early hours of this morning, we regret to advise of the death of one of the crew members, 22-year-old Edward Robert Hulley," the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the company operating the vessel said in a statement.

The government-owned Agulhas, under contract to Smit Amandla Marine, is en route to pick up scientists on Tristan da Cunha, where she is expected to dock later in the day.

Contacted for comment, company spokesperson Clare Gomes told the South African Press Association the crewman's death was the result of "an unfortunate incident between off-duty crew members".

Hulley was employed by the company.

At least one other crew member had been detained on board, she said, declining to comment further because the matter was being investigated by the South African Police Service.

Forty-one crewmen, including officers, a doctor, six helicopter crew and two South African Weather Service officials were on board at the time of the incident.

Although the vessel is due to dock at Tristan da Cunha, the matter falls outside the jurisdiction of the island's authorities because the vessel is registered in South Africa.

The Agulhas is due back in Cape Town between the October 13 and 15, depending on the weather.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online

Fishing vessel's chef accidentally stabbed at sea

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:55:00 +0000

South Africa's National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) boarded a Korean fishing vessel at 3am on Thursday to treat the ship's chef, who had accidentally stabbed himself in the stomach in heavy seas.

The NSRI's station commander at Port Elizabeth, Ian Gray, said the station was placed on alert on Tuesday, "following a request for assistance from the ship's agents of the 47m Korean fishing vessel Oryong 353, reporting an abdominal evisceration injury to their 39-year-old Chinese chef on board the vessel after he had accidentally stabbed himself in the abdomen while slicing food".

The Oryong was fishing in rough seas more than 500 nautical miles (926km) off-shore of the Port Elizabeth coast at the time of the accident.

"It appears that the vessel rolled in heavy seas while the chef was slicing food, causing a knife to lacerate his abdomen. A provincial metro doctor gave advice to the crew to treat the injury while the vessel made her way to the nearest port, Port Elizabeth."

On Wednesday night, the NSRI launched a deep-sea rescue craft, with a Netcare 911 paramedic aboard, to rendezvous with the vessel 60 nautical miles (111km) south-east of Port Elizabeth.

NSRI rescues fishermen in rough seas

admin — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 13:05:00 +0000

Six fishermen were rescued in rough seas by the Hout Bay National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in the early hours of Saturday morning when their catamaran hit a submerged object and nearly sank.

The collision tore a large hole in the hull and water poured into the boat, flooding the engine compartment.

Boat, 4 crew, still missing

admin — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:49:00 +0000

Cape Town - The South African air force, navy and sea rescue vessels were searching the country's west coast for a tug boat carrying four crew that has been missing for two days, an official said on Sunday.