By KEDIBONE MOLATSI
14 November 2024– The Select Committee on Security and Justice yesterday conducted its first oversight visit in the 7th Parliament to the South African Navy base in Simonstown in Cape Town, hailing the engagements as robust but productive.
The Chairperson of Select Portfolio, Jane Mananiso said that, among other things, the committee wanted to familiarise itself with the Navy’s services and operations and to engage on its 2023/24 annual performance report and 2024/25 performance indicators.
“We are a new committee. We wanted to hear first-hand the challenges that they have and how we can assist from our side. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is the backbone in efforts to secure South Africa from external threats.
“In the value chain of the security cluster, the SANDF assists with maritime safety, border patrol, and air and land space monitoring, among other valuable functions,” she said.
Mananiso further said the naval base was chosen for the committee to receive a comprehensive introduction to the work of the Navy and its programmes, staffing, challenges, infrastructure, maintenance of its assets and how the budgetary constraints impact on operations.
She added that at the start of yesterday’s proceedings, they invoked Rule 127 of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), wherein a committee can, at the start of a meeting, deliberate on whether to close the proceedings to the public if it deems that the information to be presented is of a confidential nature and impacts on the security of the country.
“The committee deliberated behind closed doors on the matter and resolved that the meeting with the Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga and the department, would be closed to the public. However, thereafter, the physical oversight and walkabout would be open to all.
“The committee heard that the Navy is working hard to provide combat-ready vessels and platforms for the defence of the country, as well as to satisfy its international commitments. It is further committed to eradicating all acts of maritime criminality within South Africa’s domain and surrounding waters,” said Mananiso.
She said, however, years of underfunding have resulted in the scheduled upkeep, maintenance and repair of vessels not taking place as required. Mananiso said the committee was informed, severely compromising the Navy’s ability to “fight and win” at sea.
“The committee was told that South Africa has 3 924 kilometres of maritime borders, with 96% of South Africa’s imports and exports moving by sea.
“The Navy indicated that its “Operation Corona” maritime coastal patrols are a deterrent for illegal, unregulated and uncontrolled fishing, but the monetary value of these forms of fishing exceeds that of legal fishing,” she said.
Mananiso said the committee noted that the Navy is working with other departments to put a stop to this criminality. She said the committee also heard that the Navy did not achieve its target of hours at sea for the 2023/2024 financial year due to prolonged maintenance and repairs to its vessels.
“This is mainly due to capacity constraints at Armscor dockyard, which is further compounded by procurement challenges. The committee urged the Navy to establish a better working relationship between itself and Armscor.
“Regarding maintenance of Navy facilities, the committee requested more information on the relationship and functions with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI). The committee heard that day-to-day maintenance and emergency repairs were devolved from the DPWI to the Department of Defence,” Mananiso.
She said the committee also requested information about transformation relating to women, disability and LGBTQ+ and the committee was assured that programmes exist within the Navy to ensure inclusion and mainstreaming. Mananiso the committee also did a walkabout of the naval base, boarded the SA Drakensberg and visited the dry dock and the maintenance workshop.
“We have seen the picture and it shows the capabilities. We encouraged them for future plans for some services to be digitalised in the workshop. This is one of the spaces where it really shows you must find a way to deal with procurement matters. It was also highlighted to us that the new Bill in terms of procurement assists them to find a better way of dealing with procurement.
“The committee will forever advocate for more budget. We have emphasised, too, that they need to better prioritise. They have committed to meet the targets where they underachieved. We are committed to work with them,” she said.
Mananiso said they requested a detailed report on procurement and supply chain matters so we can ascertain if everything is above board or if consequence management should be meted out. She said they are moving in the right direction, irrespective of the challenges.
The Guardian 