Tag Archives: Chris Hattingh

DA slams SANDF disaster inaction

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Picture: SANDF soldier

By REGINALD KANYANE

18 June 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said the reports today reveal that disaster management authorities formally requested South African Air Force (SAAF) assistance for flood relief in the Eastern Cape, but no help was forthcoming until yesterday-more than a week after the floods began.

The DA spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP), said according to African Defence Review Director Darren Olivier, the request was made fairly early, but the SAAF could not respond due to a lack of available aircraft and flight crews. Hattingh said the DA condemns this failure in the strongest terms.

“Over 90 lives have been lost and thousands displaced, yet the SANDF only managed to deploy a single Oryx helicopter, days too late and wholly inadequate for the scale of the disaster. This is not an isolated incident. It is the latest evidence of a deep and systemic collapse in the SANDF’s operational capability.

“The same dysfunction was exposed during the chaotic withdrawal from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. What was once a foreign policy failure has now become a domestic humanitarian crisis,” he said.

Hattingh further said the SAAF, once a critical first responder during floods, fires and natural disasters, is now near collapse. He added that most aircraft are unserviceable, maintenance budgets have been gutted and key personnel, especially flight engineers are leaving the force due to poor pay and conditions.

“This is not just a funding problem. It is a failure of leadership and political will. The DA calls on Defence Minister Angie Motshekga to appear urgently before Parliament to account for the delay in deploying aerial support, despite early requests from disaster authorities.

“To disclose how many flight engineers, serviceable aircraft, and qualified pilots are currently operational. Present an emergency plan to address the looming flight engineer shortage that could halt air operations entirely by December; and explain how her department intends to restore domestic disaster response capability,” said Hattingh.

He said the people of the Eastern Cape were not abandoned by chance—they were failed by a government that has allowed the SANDF to decay through years of budget cuts, mismanagement, and political indifference. Hattingh said the DA reiterates its call for a full parliamentary inquiry into the SANDF’s operational failures and demands that the President and Cabinet take immediate responsibility for the dangerous state of our national defence capabilities.

“It is time to treat the collapse of the SANDF as the national crisis it is,” he said.

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DA calls on Minister Motshekga to convene Defence Industry Lekgotla

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Picture: SANDF soldiers

By REGINALD KANYANE

2 June 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said South Africa’s defence industry is in steep decline, suffering from years of neglect, poor leadership, and broken promises. The DA alleged that at the centre of this crisis is the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga’s continued failure to take action, including her inability to deliver on a long-promised South African Defence Industry (SADI) Lekgotla.

The DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) said, the Lekgotla that was first proposed under former Minister, Thandi Modise, was meant to provide a path forward for the struggling sector. Hattingh said despite formal commitments, including a written parliamentary assurance that it would be convened by 31 March 2025, no progress has been made.

“The deadline has passed without any explanation, update, or new date. This silence is indefensible. Parliamentary replies now cite vague reasons like the “non-availability of stakeholders” and “factors beyond control.”

“These excuses dodge responsibility and show a shocking lack of urgency from the Minister tasked with protecting a sector critical to national security and economic growth,” he said.

Hattingh further said South Africa’s defence industry has been in decline for years. He added that revenue fell from R19.5 billion in 2016 to R12.5 billion in 2020.

“Exports have halved. Research and development has ground to a halt. Skilled professionals are leaving the industry. These are not just statistics, but they represent lost jobs, stalled innovation, and a weakening of our sovereign capability.

“Motshekga met with defence leaders in August 2024 and again promised the Lekgotla would be held by March 2025. That promise, like so many before it, has been abandoned,” said Hattingh.

He said while the Secretary for Defence now scrambles to salvage the process behind closed doors, the lack of ministerial leadership sends a chilling message to local industry, workers and global partners. Hattingh said the longer this continues, the greater the damage to the defence sector, job creation, and national security.

“We demand that Motshekga immediately break her silence, provide a public update, publish a binding date for the Lekgotla and take full responsibility for the leadership vacuum in her department,” he said.

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‘Paintball guns issued to guard municipal properties’

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BY REGINALD KANYANE

THE Matlosana municipality says investigations are underway to establish the truth of allegations that a security company hired to guard the municipality’s water purification plants uses paintball guns.

It has been alleged that Tshireletso Security Company arms its guards with paintball guns instead of real firearms, a situation described as scandalous.

The DA’s Chris Hattingh said: “The DA discovered that some guards are only equipped with batons and not even paintball guns. It is absolutely unacceptable and an affront to the people of Matlosana that this security business received more than R24m for its services in a 22-month period without so much as a single firearm on site.”

He said the DA had submitted a letter demanding that the security company’s contract be terminated after an audit report from July until May 2015.

Hattingh said the reports showed that the company was in breach of contract.

“Despite this, huge contract payments to the company continued after this audit report. Municipal property valued at R820 000 was still stolen or destroyed from under its nose,” he said.

Matlosana mayor Kagiso Khauoe said the municipality was under administration and all submitted grievances were under forensic investigation.

“All the enquiries are now under forensic investigations, including the Tshireletso security company. We started to offer the company posts that needed no firearms and we will look into which areas demanded armed guards and take it from there,” Khauoe said.
-TDN
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DA in North West to probe R250m tender scandal

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DSC_4393

BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE in the province said the power to change the future of the North West, lies in the hands of vote who government must fear and respect. The DA member of the legislature, Chris Hattingh said they believe in accountable, responsive government that is fair, that promotes freedom and that opens opportunities to all people.

“It can therefore never be accepted that Premier Supra Mahumapelo has just given the top job in this province – the Director-General of the provincial government – to an individual who the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority are pursuing for fraud and corruption of R250 million.

“It is a crime against the people of the North West who struggle every day to get ahead, and the premier chooses to give jobs to R250 million corruption suspects,” he said.

According to Hattingh, the new Director-General, Lydia Sebego, will now receive a salary package in the region of R1.5 million per year, despite being deeply compromised by a forensic audit.

The DA said they will challenge this appointment and said what they only see is jobs for pals, jobs for friends, jobs for family, while the tragedy of unemployment for everyone else.

“It can never be accepted that premier Mahumapelo runs this province like his own private spaza shop. The people of this province can change the future, and with their vote, they can tell Mahumapelo that the province will not accept a culture of turning a blind eye to corruption and fraud.

“It is high-time too that he [Mahumapelo] admits that municipal governance in the North West is in crisis, and is not being turned around. Seven municipalities cannot function at all on their own and are under Provincial intervention,” he said.

According to Hattingh, Mahumapelo is also covering up the outcomes of the Special Investigating Unit’s reports into all North West Municipalities, which were initiated by Proclamation R27 of 2009. He said Mahumapelo, like previous North West Premiers, has hidden the outcomes and not a single report has been made public in the North West Legislature

“The DA believes that freedom, fairness and opportunity for all must be realised in the North West, through the transfer of power and the voting in of a DA government,” Hattingh concluded.

However the provincial acting spokesperson, Brian Setswambung refuted the claims by DA nad said the premier screened both employees before being offered employment. “We will like to refute the claim that the Director-General, Dr Lydia Sebego and Vuyo Mabulawa were hired while having criminal records in their names. We screened them and at the time, there were no case pending against them,” Setswambung said.

Provincial spokesperson, Frank Lesenyego said: “This matter involves the allocation of tenders to provide equipment to two hospitals in the North West Province which are Moses Kotane and Vryburg.  Some equipment were paid for and not delivered and other items were delivered contrary to service level agreements.  The total amount involved is R250 million.”

He saId the matter was investigated by the HAWKS (DPCI) Commercial Crime Unit situated in Klerksdorp was first reported to the SCCU Regional Office in Mmabatho on 13 February 2014 by representatives of National Treasury and Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo auditors, as instructed by National Treasury.

Lesenyego said the investigation was guided by the prosecution and most of the investigation, contained in a great number of lever arch files, was finalised by Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo and the investigation officer towards the end of April 2015.

“We are, however, awaiting a complete cash flow analysis from the Financial Asset Forfeiture Investigative Unit (FAFI) of the DPCI before a final decision will be made regarding the matter,” he said.

-TDN

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