Question NW1261 to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
07 July 2021 - NW1261
Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to Project Thusano which guides the overall agreements with the Cuban government, military and any other Cuba-related party, what (a) are the full details of the skills transfers that the Cubans have completed, with specific reference to the (i) number of persons and (ii) official qualifications achieved as outcomes from the project, (b) number of newly skilled South Africans have been transferred back to their respective units in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and (c) is the impact of costs to her department as a result of the dependence on Cubans to service and maintain SANDF vehicles and equipment?
Reply:
a) The details of the skills transfers that the Cubans completed are as indicated in the paragraphs below.
(i) One-thousand-three-hundred-and-eighty-six (1 386) SANDF members formed part of the Project THUSANO skills transfer.
(ii) Three-hundred-and-nineteen (319) SANDF members received official qualifications as an outcome of the project.
b) Four-hundred-and-eighty-three (483) SANDF members are currently working in their respective units.
c) Due to a bilateral agreement between Cuba and South Africa, there are no costs involved as a result of the dependency on the Cubans to service and maintain SANDF vehicles and equipment.