Question NW1594 to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
06 June 2016 - NW1594
Marais, Mr S to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)(a) Which units within the (i) SA Navy and (ii) SA Air Force are responsible for patrolling the country’s exclusive economic zones, (b) how many patrol (i) vessels and (ii) aircraft are available to patrol the country’s waters and (c) how often do the specified (i) vessels and (ii) aircraft patrol the country’s waters; (2) whether, with reference to recent reports that Chinese trawlers are illegally fishing in South Africa’s waters along the Eastern Cape coastline within our exclusive economic zone, any patrols of the country’s exclusive economic zone have been undertaken in response to any allegedly irregular behaviour by Chinese fishing trawlers (a) in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2013, (iv) 2014 and (v) 2015 and (b) since 1 January 2016; if not, why not; if so, when did the specified patrols take place?
Reply:
The information required relates to the strength of the SA Navy and SAAF, and impacts on matters of National Security and can only be divulged in a closed session of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.