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Denel, the state-owned arms manufacturer whose primary mission is to supply arms to the country's armed forces, has only been able to satisfactorily meet 53% of the prime mission equipment orders from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) during the past year, said its chief of staff, General Michael Mantswana.
Of the 104 active contracts and orders for equipment totalling R21.9 billion, Denel has fully delivered on 45 orders and received R11.7 billion in payments for the operational and capital equipment, Parliament's joint standing committee on defence was told on Thursday.
More than R10 billion in orders is still outstanding. These are mainly orders for maintenance and support as well as for spares for the military hardware the SANDF relies on for its operations. Denel Land Systems, which produces land-based infantry weapons systems such as the Rooikat armoured fighting vehicle, is the biggest culprit with an outstanding R8.8 billion in orders. This came from R16 billion worth of orders the entity received from the SANDF.
Mantswana said most of the prime mission equipment in service with the SANDF, of which Denel is the original equipment manufacturer, remains unserviceable and negatively impacts on the SANDF readiness. This has rendered most of the equipment unusable, particularly aircraft that are required for combat and to support troops.
Kobus Marais, a DA member of the committee, said only six of the Air Force's 36 Oryx helicopters in service with the SANDF, were serviceable and operational. Last year there were 17 Oryx helicopters operational, said Marais.
Of the 11 Rooivalk attack helicopters in service, only two are currently operable, said Marais. "The majority of these aircraft are at Denel and cannot be operated. We cannot protect South Africa if we cannot have those assets operating in the air, in the sea and on land."
Vusumuzi Cyril Xaba, chairperson of the committee, agreed with Marais and said the deterioration in the capability of the SANDF is a major cause for concern: "At the rate at which things are deteriorating, next year we will not have a single Oryx helicopter working. Last year there were 17 operational. Today there is only six operational."
Parliament has to find a better way to equip the SANDF and hold Denel accountable. Denel has not filed any audited financial statements for five years, said Xaba.
