Defence & Military Veteran

2013-08-20

THIS FILE CAN CONTAIN UP TO 25 REPLIES.

SEARCH ON THE TOPIC/KEYWORD YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BY SELECTING CTRL + F ON YOUR KEYBOARD

eply received: June 2013

QUESTION 997

PQ997. Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

Whether (a) she, (b) her Deputy Minister and (c) her Director-General had any communication concerning any aspect of the Gupta family wedding; if so, in each specified case, (i) what is the name of the person who was communicated with, (ii) on what date did the communication take place, (iii) what medium was used for the communication, (iv) what was the purpose of the communication and (v) what was the outcome of the communication?

NW1220E

REPLY

The Board of Inquiry is underway and has not been completed

Reply received: August 2013

QUESTION 966 FOR WRITTEN REPLY
PQ 966: Mr J F Smalle (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Since 1 January 2011, how many applications under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, were received by (a) the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and (b) entities reporting to her, and in each case, how many were (i) granted, (ii) refused and (iii) deemed refused under section 27;

(2) since 1 January 2011, how many internal appeals under the Act were received by (a) the SANDF and (b) entities reporting to her, and in each case, how many were (i) granted, (ii) refused and (iii) deemed refused under section 77(7);

(3) who is the information officer for (a) the SANDF and (b) each entity reporting to her, and in each case, what are the contact details of the officer?

REPLY
Department of Defence

(1) (a) and (2) (a):

The Department of Defence has received sixty seven (67) requests for information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, of which;
▪ Thirty two (32) were granted;
▪ three (3) were transferred to other departments in terms of Section 20;
▪ nine (9) are withheld in terms of Section 22 (5);
▪ three (3) were cancelled by the requestor; and
▪ twenty (20) are still in process.

For details see the table attached as Annexure A

(3) (a) Dr SM Gulube, Secretary for Defence, (012) 355 6220

Department of Military Veterans

(1) (b) No applications were received
(2) (b) None
(3) (b) Mr T Motumi, (012) 671 1212

Armscor
(1) (b) Six (6) requests were received
(1) (b) (i) Four (4)
(1) (b) (ii) One (1)
(1) (b) (iii) One (1)

(2) (b) None

(3) Mr J.S Mkhwanazi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, (012) 428 2137

The Castle Control Board

(1) (b) No applications were received
(2) (b) None
(3) (b) Lieutenant General J.T Nkonyane, Chairperson of the Cape Castle Control Board, (012) 339-5155

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 928

PQ928. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:†

1) Whether permission was granted for the private use of Waterkloof Air Force Base for the disembarkation and transportation of guests to the Gupta family wedding at Sun City; if so, why; if not, why was the disembarkation approved by the control at the base;

2) what are the costs regarding the (a) landing rights, (b) layover, (c) refuelling and (d) other specified services arising from this incident;

3) whether these costs were paid for; if not, why not; if so, by whom;

4) what procedure should be followed in order to obtain permission to land and disembark a privately owned aircraft at the Waterkloof Air Force Base;

5) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW1150E

REPLY

The Board of Inquiry is underway and has not been finalised.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 917

PQ 917. Mr M A Nhanha (Cope) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

1) Whether the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) instructors are qualified to train any forces to fight against rebel armies; if not, why not; if so, what type of training was the SANDF giving the soldiers of the Central African Republic (CAR) (a) before and (b) after the coup;

2) whether the SANDF is going to change its training brief; if so, (a) what is going to be the nature of their training brief and (b) what are the relevant details?

NW1143E

REPLY

1) The South African National Defence Force instructors are qualified to train forces to fight against any army.

2) No.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 912

912. Mr M A Nhanha (Cope) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

How many SA National Defence Force personnel are serving overseas in operations led by the (a) African Union and (b) United Nations?

NW1138E

REPLY

MISSION	COUNTRY	Total number of SANDF personnel
UNAMID	Sudan	819
MONUSCO	Democratic Republic of Congo	1046
		1865

NB:

· UNAMID (African United Nation Mission in Darfur

· MONUSCO (United Nations Mission in the Democratic republic of Congo)

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 813

PQ813. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:†

1) Whether any refunds have been received from organisations and/or countries in respect of peacekeeping operations in which the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) participated during bilateral regional operations; if so, (a) what amount and (b) from which organisation and/or country in each case was this amount received in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012;

2) if any such refunds have added any additional costs to the budget of the SANDF; if not, why not; if so, what amount in each specified year;

3) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW1026E

REPLY

REIMBURSEMENT RECEIVED FROM FY 2009 TO FY 2013 PER UNITED NATIONS OPERATION
BREAKDOWN PER OPERATION
	UN OPERATION	2009	2010	2011	2012
1	MONUSCO	R160 089 414-00	R182 291 488-00	R252 104 305-00	R224 735 647-00
2	UNAMID	R71 078 178-00	R68 475 220-00	R108 102 184-00	R345 586 330-00
	TOTAL	R231 167 592-00	R250 766 688-00	R360 206 489-00	R570 321 977-00

2) No refunds were received and should such income have been received it will not increase the cost to the budget.

3) No

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 812

812. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:†

1) Where did the SA National Defence Force participate in bilateral type of regional operations in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012 and (b) what were the costs involved in each case;

2) from which account was the bill paid in each specified year;

3) whether any additional costs were added to the budget of the SANDF; if not, why not; if so, what amount in each specified year;

4) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW1025E

REPLY

OPERATION	2009	2010	2011	2012
OP COPPER (Mozambique Channel anti-piracy	R0-00	R0-00	R94 019 054-00	R56 835 161-00
OP VIMBEZELA (Central African Republic)	R32 014 496-00	R44 949 323-00	R41 742 505-00	R47 496 666-00
OP SENOKO (DRC Election Support)	R0-00	R0-00	R115 686 497-00	R1 312 281-00
OP TEUTONIC (DRC DDR Support)	R22 222 734-00	R11 539 583-00	R0-00	R0-00
TOTAL	R54 237 230-00	R56 488 906-00	R251 448 056-00	R109 644 108-00

2) He expenditure related to OP SENOKO was managed as a Debtor claim against DIRCO in the amount of R100 000 000-00. This was paid by DIRCO.

3) No additional allocation was on the vote of the department. Requests for additional funding was not provided for in the adjustments budget or the MTEF allocation to Defence by the National Treasury.

4) No

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 811

PQ811. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:†

1) Whether any refunds have been received from the United Nations (UN) in respect of peacekeeping operations in which the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) participated in terms of an agreement with the UN; if not, why not; if so, (a) what amount and (b) for which peace mission in each case was this amount received in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012;

2) whether any additional costs have been added to the budget of the SANDF; if not, why not; if so, what amount in each specified year;

3) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW1024E

REPLY

(1)

REIMBURSEMENT RECEIVED FROM FY 2009 TO FY 2013 PER UNITED NATIONS OPERATION
BREAKDOWN PER OPERATION
	UN OPERATION	2009	2010	2011	2012
1	MONUSCO	R160 089 414-00	R182 291 488-00	R252 104 305-00	R224 735 647-00
2	UNAMID	R71 078 178-00	R68 475 220-00	R108 102 184-00	R345 586 330-00
	TOTAL	R231 167 592-00	R250 766 688-00	R360 206 489-00	R570 321 977-00

(2) No additional allocations were received on the Defence Vote for United Nations peacekeeping operations.

(3) No

Reply received: June 2013

Question 763

763. Mr M G P Lekota (Cope) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Whether any long-term financial and other support is being given to the families of those soldiers who had been killed in the Central African Republic;

(2) whether all of the wounded soldiers had been receiving proper (a) medical care and (b) counselling?

NW973E

REPLY

(1) Yes

(2) Yes

5B�od0N�Ene;border-left: none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;mso-border-left-alt:solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'>

R 11,9bn

2011

R 16bn

2012

R 12,4bn

In 2012, exports to Europe from all countries (not only South Africa), dropped by 8% in total in US dollar terms.

According to industry experts, reasons for this include changes in demand as a result of lower production of vehicles in Europe and multinational catalytic convertor manufacturers moving production from South Africa to Europe where they have significant spare capacity.

In respect of South Africa's exports, the European markets showing the largest percentage declines in rand value between 2011 and 2012 were Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Poland and Spain.

South African exports in rand value have increased to certain other destinations, including:

· The United States

· Hungary

· Thailand

· India

· Argentina

· China

Under the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP), the catalytic converter industry has been declared a vulnerable sector, which entitles it to a higher level of production incentive than the standard components. In 2013 for example, vulnerable sectors received an 80% production incentive compared to a standard incentive of 55%; and vulnerable sectors received a 40% local materials allowance compared to a 25% standard local materials allowance.

The increased trade with fast-growing Asian and Latin American countries may also contribute to diversifying exports in the event that the European auto industry import of South African auto catalytic converters do not increase in the next few years.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 741

741. Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

Whether there were requests by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Commander in the Central African Republic, between 1 January 2012 and the withdrawal of troops, for additional (a) light-armoured vehicles, (b) light aircraft with reconnaissance capability and (c) transport helicopters, and, in each case, (i) what specific (aa) vehicle or (bb) aircraft was requested on each occasion, (ii) what quantity was requested on each occasion, (iii) why were the requests (aa) approved or (bb) denied and (iv) when were the requests made?

NW949E

REPLY

No requests were made from the South African National Defence Force commander for additional armoured vehicles, light aircraft and transport helicopters

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 740

740. Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) What (a) quantities and (b) type of (i) vehicles, (ii) weapons and (iii) ammunition were left behind by the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Central African Republic (CAR);

(2) what is the value of the (a) vehicles, (b) weapons and (c) ammunition left behind by the SANDF in the CAR?

NW948E

REPLY

(1) The Board of Inquiry has been convened. Quantities of weapons, vehicles and ammunition left behind in the Central African Republic will only be confirmed once the Board of Inquiry has been completed

(2) The total final value of vehicles, weapons and ammunition left behind by the South African National Defence Force in Central African Republic will be visible once the Board of Inquiry is complete.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 732

732. Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) What was the total breakdown of cost for operations in the Central African Republic between 1 January 2013 and 9 April 2013;

(2) what is the breakdown of costs related to chartering aircraft for operations in the Central African Republic between 1 January 2013 and 9 April 2013?

NW940E

REPLY

(1) The breakdown of costs incurred from 01 January 2013 to 09 April 2013 is as follows;

- Allowances to deployment members R21,1 million

- Operating cost R22,9 million

- South African Air Force related cost R10,4 million

TOTAL R54,4 million

(2) The breakdown of the cost for the aircraft chartering is as follows:

- Force build up and sustainment 01^st January 2013 to 06^th April 2013 R65,8 million

- Withdrawal phase 06^th April 2013 R42,8 million

TOTAL for the period 01^st January 2013 to 09^th April 2013 R108,6 million

Reply received: August 2013

QUESTION 731 FOR WRITTEN REPLY
731. Mr A Watson (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) (a) How many troops from the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) were in the Central African Republic (CAR) when SA National Defence Force troops were attacked and (b) what role did the SAMHS play in assisting wounded troops;

(2) did France assist in the medical aid of injured SANDF troops in the CAR?

NW939E
REPLY:

(1)(a) 25 SAMHS members were deployed in CAR.
(1)(b) The SAMHS members performed lifesaving emergency medical intervention and treatment, stabilised, thereafter rehabilitated and nursed the injured soldiers. They continued to do until such time the patients were evacuated.

(2) If by "France" is meant a contingent of the French forces in the CAR; No, it did not provide any actual medical treatment to any of the SANDF Patients. They did however make available their medical facilities where 3 SANDF patients were resting for one night before they were evacuated from the CAR.

In addition they also made available their mortuary where the bodies of the SANDF soldiers were also kept for one night until the mortuary of the SANDF arrived. Requests to assist with actual basic health care provision like sick reports were turned down.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 730

PQ730. Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

How (a) many civilian casualties were inflicted in the battle between rebel forces and SA National Defence Force troops in the Central African Republic and (b) did the SANDF facilitate the search for wounded and killed civilians after the battle?

NW938E

REPLY

It must be appreciated that the conflict that took place in the CAR was not necessity and exclusively between the SANDF and the rebels. The quantification of loss of civilian life cannot therefore be limited nor appropriately linked to the battle that involved the SANDF. As indicated a Board of Inquiry is currently underway to determine various aspects of the battle.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 729

729. Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) How did the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) assist the International Committee of the Red Cross (a) before, (b) during and (c) after the battle between troops and rebel forces in the Central African Republic (CAR);

(2) (a) to whom and (b) how did the SANDF disseminate information in the CAR regarding the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II) of 8 June 1977?

NW937E

REPLY

(1) The South African National Defence Force rendered no direct assistance before, during or after the battle to the International Committee of the Red Cross. However, the Officer Commanding and the Intelligence Officer did have several meetings with the Head of Mission to inform him in terms of the mission and mandate of the South African National Defence Force in the Central African Republic and to obtain information in terms of the general humanitarian situation within the country.

(2) The only involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross in terms of this aspect was that they sent training teams to the South African National Defence Force base to present lectures and hand out pamphlets, to both the troops and the leader group on aspects relating to International Law of Armed Conflict and Rules of Engagement. These lectures were also presented by them to all the other forces and role players in the Central African Republic.

Reply received: August 2013

QUESTION 662 FOR WRITTEN REPLY
662. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

1) Whether the moratorium that has suspended the flying hours of the Reserve Force pilots in the SA Air Force is still in force; if not when was it abrogated; if so what is the reason for this.

2) Whether she intends to abrogate this moratorium; if so, when?

3) (a) How many Reserve Force pilots were used for the security of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament; and (b) what where the costs involved;

4) What have the costs of Reserve Force pilots for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) (i) in (aa) 2009, (bb) 2010, (cc) 2011 and (dd) 2012 and (ii) since 01 January 2013;

5) Whether she will make a statement on the matter?

REPLY:

(1) Yes it is still in force. It will remain in force until all the issues raised by the Auditor General have been resolved.

(2) Yes. Once the issues raised by the Auditor General has been resolved.

(3) (a) & (b)

Two Reserve Force Squadrons were used during World Cup for a total of 37 hours at a cost of R120.000.

(4) (i) (aa) FY 2009/10 was R6 452 983

(bb) FY 2010/11 was R8 300 728

(cc) FY 2011/12 was R9 337 420

(dd) FY 2012/13 was R7 887 591

(ii) FY 2013/14 is R1 328 605

(5) No

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 634

634. Mr A C Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) How many claims were instituted against the SA National Defence Force (a) in the (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10, (iv) 2010-11 and (v) 2011-12 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2) in respect of each specified financial year, (a) what amount was claimed, (b) how many claims were (i) finalised in court, (ii) settled out of court and (iii) are still outstanding and (c) what amount has been paid to each plaintiff in each case that was (i) finalised in court and (ii) settled out of court?

NW793E

REPLY

(1) (a)

	Financial Year	Number	(2)(a)
(a)(i)	2007/ 08	129	R11 595 255-00
(a)(ii)	2008/ 09	198	R28 745 081-00
(a)(iii)	2009/ 10	116	R8 447 210-87
(a)(iv)	2010/ 11	119	R399 389 393-90
(a)(v)	2011/ 12	120	R77 336 836-50
(b)	2012/ 13	116	R6 320 000-00
	TOTAL	788	R570 127 916-75

(2) (b) (i), (ii), (iii), (c)(i), (ii)

It is vital to note that settled and/ or finalised matters in a specific year mainly refers to matters finalised in one specific year regardless when they were received. As such, it is impractical to state how many cases are outstanding from cases received and finalised in specific year

	Financial Year	Number	(2)(c)
a.	2007/ 08	50	R3 090 100-95
b.	2008/ 09	107	R92 569 274-82
c.	2009/ 10	68	R30 389 676-98
d.	2010/ 11	33	R10 496 109-24
e.	2011/ 12	11	R296 877-81
f.	2012/ 13	16	R1 858 573-31
	TOTAL	788	R1 387 700 613-11

NB: The red highlights reflect questions further.

- The calculations are not correct

- We cannot reply by the wording "impractical" – are we not able to reconcile or what does this mean. I should think if there are cases we know their status;

* how many were registered through the court

* how many have been completed at the court

* how many outstanding from the court process

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION 574

PQ 574. Mr M A Nhanha (Cope) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Whether strategic vacancies in the Department of Military Veterans have been filled; if not, how many positions remain unfilled; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) what are the top five positions in her department;

(3) whether the specified top five positions (a) fall under funded posts and (b) have been filled; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW729E

REPLY

(1), (2) and (3)

Not all strategic vacancies have been filled. 7 positions at Director level to be advertised in April 2013 and 1 Chief Director (details below).The following is the macro-structure:-

- Director General:

· Director Officer of the Director General – post funded and filled

· Director Internal Audit – post funded and filled

- Deputy Director General: Corporate Services

· Chief Director Strategic Support Services - post funded and filled

· Chief Financial Officer - post funded and filled

· Chief Director Research and Policy Development - post funded and filled

- Deputy Director General: Military Veterans Socio-Economic Support Services

· Chief Director Beneficiary Support Services - post funded and filled

· Chief Director Military Veterans Health Care and Wellbeing Support Services - post funded and filled

· Chief Director Military Veterans Social Economic Support Services - post funded and utilised for Chief Director Communications

- Deputy Director General: Military Veterans Empowerment and Stakeholder Management

· Chief Director Military Veterans Skills Development and Empowerment Programmes - post funded and filled

· Chief Director Provincial Offices Management and Stakeholder Relations - post funded and filled

· Chief Director Heritage, Memorial, Burials and Honour Services - post vacant (Re-advertised in March 2013 – to be filled June 2013)

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION 573

PQ573. Mr M A Nhanha (Cope) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Whether the Naval Command Centre (NCC) at Silvermine was under threat from a communication systems breakdown; if so, what are the relevant details; if not,

(2) whether her department has (a) verified recent reports of alleged theft and stripping of electronic assets at the base and (b) reported it to police agencies; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case;

(3) whether her department has calculated the cost of (a) repair of the damaged and (b) replacing of the (i) stolen property and (ii) systems; if not, why not; if so, what is the cost in each case;

(4) whether suspects have been arrested; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(5) whether her department has put measures in place to prevent such incidents in future; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW728E

REPLY

(1) No. The Naval Command Centre (NCC) at Silvermine work in a complementary manner with Naval Communication Centre Durban. Occasionally, one of the centres will also go off air for maintenance and the other one will take over its functions for a short while.

(2) Yes. There are 5 cases opened which are under investigation dealing with cable and equipment theft. The investigations are conducted by both Military Police and South African Police Services.

(3) No. There is a plan to replace equipment through a project launched to improve security measures. As these were acquired 20 years ago; the cost for re-installation has not been calculated due to the unavailability of lost property in the market.

(4) No. The cases are still under investigation.

(5) Yes. South African Navy has removed all valuable equipment until the Department of Public Works replaces the fence. A Maritime Reaction Squadron Platoon has been permanently deployed to the area in order to further safeguard the remaining equipment.

Reply received: June 2013

PQ 564. Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Whether the 14 ex-SA Air Force Alouette III helicopters which are still in military configuration, and stored at 10 Air Depot at present, were ever put out to tender; if not, what is their present status; if so, what was the outcome of the tender process;

(2) whether these helicopters (a) have been, or (b) will be, donated to Zimbabwe; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW722E

REPLY

(1). & (2)

The 14 ex-South African Air Force Alouette III helicopters were never put on tender. The prescribed disposal process was followed as 5 of them and spares were to be donated to Zimbabwe and other neighbouring countries.

The helicopters have not been donated yet pending the outcome of a court case.

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION 515

PQ515. Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) (a) By what date will the roll-out plan of the Works Regiment be effective and (b) what skills exist within the SA National Defence Force to implement this plan;

(2) what are the limits placed on maintenance contracts;

(3) do capital projects have the same limits; if not, what are the limits placed on the cost of these projects?

NW672E

REPLY

(1) The Regional Works Unit is already functional and effective. The first major project undertaken was the refurbishment of the hospice in Lenz which commenced in August 2011 and was completed in September 2009. There are command and management skills, as well as various trades of the building industry at artisan level.

(2) The maximum limit is R100 000-00 per case. Any maintenance and repair costs above the maximum limit are the responsibility of the Department of Public Works.

(3) The Defence Works regiment does not execute Capital Projects.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 514

PQ 514. Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(a) On what grounds are members of the Air Force wearing camouflage army uniforms and (b) is this a standard norm and practice?

NW671E

REPLY

Camouflage uniform is a standard normal uniform used by all Services in the Department of Defence.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION 449

449. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) ask the Minister: Defence &Military Veterans:†

(1) Whether the commission of enquiry into the Dakota air disaster that took place on 5 December 2012 in which the aircraft flew into Giant's Castle has been finalised; if not, why not; if so, what were the findings of the enquiry;

(2) whether the aircraft concerned had deviated from its flight path; if so, what was the reason for this;

(3) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW602E

REPLY

(1) & (2) The Board of Inquiry is not yet finalised.

(3). No

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION 448

PQ448: Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) ask the Minister: Defence & Military Veterans:†

(1) Whether the permanent members of the Service Commission of the South African National Defence Force have been appointed; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will the final appointments be made; if so, who (i) are the members and (ii) is the chairperson;

(2) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW601E

REPLY

(1) (a) No, the permanent members have not been appointed as yet since a process had to be

embarked upon to identify more women for appointment in order to achieve a greater

gender balance amongst members of the permanent Commission.

(b)(i) and (ii) The final appointments will be made in May 2013. An announcement will be

made once the appointments are finalized.

(2) No

Reply received: October 2013

QUESTION 447 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

447. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) ask the Minister: Defence & Military

Veterans:

2. in each separate year, (a) what type of aircraft was involved, (b) where did the accident take place, (c) how many deaths occurred in each separate accident and (d) what was the (i) damage and (ii) cause, in each case;

3. whether she will make a statement on the matter? NW600E

REPLY

1. (a) 2009: Four (4)

(b) 2010: Two (2)

(d) 2012: Two (2)

(e) 2013: One (1)

2009

(a) Hawk MkII, Tail No 257,

(b) Air Force Base Swartkop.

(d) (i) Damage to Aircraft fuselage. The aircraft has been used for spares

(ii) The pilot landed Hawk 257 outside the aircraft performance graphs.

(a) Astra PC7 MkII, Tail No 2030,

(b) AFB Langebaanweg.

(d) (i) Aircraft Canopy damage and Ejection seat destroyed.The aircraft has been restored to flying condition.

(ii) The passenger grabbed the ejection seat handle and ejected during inverted flight.

(a) Astra PC7 MkII, Tail No 2031,

(b) AFB Langebaanweg.

(d) (i) Damage to the Aircraft under carriage.The aircraft has been restored to flying condition.

(ii) The accident was caused by an excessively hard landing.

(a) Agusta A109, Tail No 4022,

(b) Woodstock Dam.

(d) (i)The Aircraft broke up on impact with water.The aircraft was written off.

(ii) Loss of pilot situational awareness while flying over water resulted in Controlled Flight into Terrain.

2010

(a) Agusta A109, Tail No 4024,

(b) De La Rey Bombing Range in Potchefstroom.

(d) (i) Damage to the Aircraft Structure. The aircraft is being restored to flying condition.

(ii) Whilst in a steep turn, the aircraft lost Revolutions per Minute and

impacted with the ground.

(a) Agusta A109, Tail No 4021,

(b) Ballito.

(d) (i) Damage to the Aircraft Structure. The aircraft was written off.

(ii) Tail Rotor control failure.

2011

(a) Cessna Caravan MK1 Tail No 3009,

(b) Keimouth Airfield.

(d) (i) Aircraft destroyed. The aircraft has been written off.

(ii) Crashed during take-off with the incorrect flap settings.

2012

(a) Dakota C47 Cargo, Tail No 6877,

(b) Mthatha Airport.

(d) (i) Aircraft undercarriage and fuselage damaged beyond economic repair.

(ii) Board of Inquiry convened to establish cause of accident.

(a) Dakota C47 Cargo, Tail No 6840,

(b) Drakensberg.

(d) (i) Aircraft totally destroyed.

(ii) Board of Inquiry convened to establish cause of accident.

2013

(a) CASA 212, Tail No 8021,

(b) New Tempe Airport.

(d) (i) Aircraft structure damaged beyond economic repair.

(ii) Board of Inquiry convened to establish cause of accident.

3. No

Reply received: August 2013

QUESTION 387 FOR WRITTEN REPLY
387. Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Whether, in terms of the Military Veterans Act, Act 18 of 2011, any benefits have been provided to military veterans; if not, why not; if so, (a) (i) what benefits have been provided and (ii) to how many members was each type of benefit provided and (b) how many of the members concerned who received each type of benefit were (i) black people, (ii) white people, (iii) Indians and (iv) brown people;

(2) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW535E
REPLY
(1) Yes, there were benefits provided

(a) (i) Burials and honouring, Health care and wellness, Education

(II)

TYPE OF BENEFIT	NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES
Burial	77
Honour	270
Health care and wellness	5629
Education	100

(b)

TYPE OF BENEFIT	RACE
	Black	White	Indian	Brown
Burial	73	0	0	4
Honour	230	16	15	9
Health care and wellness	3589	765	11	1264
Education	100	0	0	0

(2) No

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 234

PQ234: Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask Minister of D & MV

(1) What do the total costs of the peacekeeping operations amount to in which the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has participated in each individual year in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012;

(2) what account was used to recoup the costs in each individual year;

(3) whether any additional costs have been added to the budget of the SANDF; if not, why not; if so, what amount, in each individual year;

(4) whether she will make a statement on the matter?

NW250E

REPLY

(1) The total costs with reference to specifically the participation in peacekeeping operations as defined by the United Nations definition of peacekeeping operations, and excluding bilateral type of Regional Security operations are as follows:

OPERATION	2009	2010	2011	To date 2012
OP CORDITE (Sudan)	R246 000 000-00	R320 000 000-00	R251 000 000-00	R288 000 000-00
OP MISTRAL (DRC)	R528 000 000-00	R559 000 000-00	R574 000 000-00	R577 000 000-00
Grand Total	R774 000 000-00	R879 000 000-00	R825 000 000-00	R865 000 000-00

(2) The costs for peace support operations are provided for as part of the departmental budget vote as approved by Parliament. The reimbursement that is paid by the United Nations to the South Africa as a troop contributing country in the peace support operations are surrendered yearly to the National Revenue Fund.

(3) No additional costs were received for the peace support operations for the periods under discussion. Operational commitments were executed within the voted funds and these budgets provided for normal budget escalation and some capital replacement in the financial year 2010.

(4) No

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 209

PQ209: Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

How many soldiers have raised grievances regarding their career development within the SA National Defence Force since 2009?

NW224E

REPLY

The number of soldiers who have formally raised individual grievances regarding their career development within the South African National Defence Force since 2009 is 432.

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 208

PQ208: Ms S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans

(a) When was Hangar 7 at Air Force Base Bloemspruit built, (b) who was contracted to build it, (c) at what cost and (d) what were the terms of the contract?

NW223E

REPLY

Hangar 7 at Bloemspruit Airbase was built in the early 1940s and was donated by the United Kingdom during the World War II. The records on the costs to build and contractor are not available as it was donated.

Reply received: April 2013

Question 207

PQ207: Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(a) When was Hangar 6 at Bloemspruit Airbase built, (b) (i) who was contracted to build it and (ii) at what cost and (c) what were the terms of the contract?

NW222E

REPLY

Hangar6 at Bloemspruit Airbase was built in the early 1940s and was donated by the United Kingdom during the World War II. The records on the costs to build and contractor are not available as it was donated.

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 140

PQ140: Dr P J Rabie (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) How many legal matters were dealt with by her department (a) in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2) (a) how many of the specified legal matters were dealt with by (i) the State Attorney and (ii) private attorneys during the specified periods and (b) what are the reasons why her department was not represented by the State Attorney in each specified case;

(3) what total amounts were paid by her department to (a) the State Attorney and (b) private attorneys during the specified periods?

NW146E

REPLY

· On the Department of Military Veterans:

(1), (2) and (3)

There are no legal matters that the Department of Military Veterans dealt with during all

financial years identified. Noting that the department started operating with effect from 24^thFebruary 2010

· On the Department of Defence:

(1) The table below reflects number of legal matters handled by the Department of Defence for the respective financial years;

FINANCIAL YEAR	TOTAL NUMBER OF LEGAL MATTERS
2009/ 10	116
2010/ 11	119
2011/ 12	77
01 April 2012 to date	92
TOTAL	404

(2) (a)

STATE ATTORNEY			PRIVATE ATTORNEY
(2)(a) Financial Years	Total number of legal matters	(3)(a) Costs	(2)(a) Financial Years	Total number of legal matters	(3)(b) Costs
2009/ 10	114	R7 766 497-13	2009/ 10	2	R218 295-73
2010/ 11	118	R14 346 598-12	2010/ 11	1	R4 853 747-32
2011/ 12	61	R10 274 658-80	2011/ 12	16	R8 271 293-52
2012 to date	89	R12 084 964-89	2012 to date	3	R8 553 632-47
TOTAL	382	R44 472 718-94	TOTAL	22	R21 896 969-04

(b) The department, after having considered the history of litigation with military trade unions, considered it strategic to outsource the court applications in order to strengthen its litigation strategy and general management of litigation as the Office of the State Attorney lacked capacity required and agility to handle such litigations, more especially in instances where court applications were filed on urgent basis.

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 107

PQ107: Mr G G Hill-Lewis (DA) to ask the Minister of D&MV:

(1) Whether (a) her department and (b) any entities reporting to it paid any bonuses to senior officials in December 2012; if so, in each specified case, (i) to whom and (ii) what amount was paid;

(2) whether the specified bonuses were performance-based; if not, what is the justification for each bonus; if so, in each case, from which budget were the performance bonuses paid;

(3) whether, in each case, (a) a performance agreement was signed with the official and (b) regular performance assessments were conducted; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

NW113E

REPLY

The Department of Defence and Military Veterans with its entities did not pay any bonuses to senior officials in December 2012.

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 74

PQ74: Mr N D du Toit (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence & Military Veterans

(a) How many tickets did (i) the SA National Defence Force and (ii) any of its entities purchase to attend business breakfasts hosted by a certain newspaper (name furnished) (aa) in the (aaa) 2010-11 and (bbb) 2011-12 financial years and (bb) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and

(b) what was the total cost in each case?

NW80E

REPLY

The Department of Defence and Military Veterans and its entities have never purchased tickets nor attended any breakfast hosted by any newspaper in all financial years mentioned.

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION 63

PQ63: Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of D&MV

(1) Whether Armscor conducted any research on the female court shoe; if not, why not; if so, (a) what is the purpose of the research and (b) in respect of each specified financial year, (i) how many persons were employed to conduct the research and (ii)(aa) how much was spent on the research and (bb) what is the breakdown of such expenditure;

(2) whether the research culminated in the (a) development and (b) production of the female court shoe; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether she intends to wear Armscor's female court shoe as part of the evaluation of the product; if not, why not;

(4) whether Armscor will conduct any further research on the female court shoe; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the research work?

NW67E

REPLY

1. Yes the research and development work was done on the female court shoe. The requirement was based on the poor fit, poor comfort and foot pathologies associated with the current court shoe.

The requirement followed a formal process and a project was established and agreed with the client for specific costs and schedule as well as defined outputs.

Armscor, as custodian of the anthropometric (body size) database of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), has the capability to address fit and performance issues through the application of this data to the development of military equipment, including uniform items such as shoes.

a. The research and development on the female court shoe is directed at improving the fit, comfort and protection afforded by the female court shoe that is part of the official SANDF uniform office dress for females.

b. Work on the project commenced in 2009/10 and to date the project is on schedule and within the budget. A total of R1 303 490 including material costs have been expended on the research and development utilising a number of Specialists, who although employed full-time by Ergotech, have contributed to this project on a part–time basis. This is because they are also involved in the other projects within Ergotech.

2. (a) A range of lasts were developed based on the size variance of the SANDF female foot. A last is an insert that represents the shape and size of a human foot and that is used in the production of shoes and boots. The shoe upper leather is formed tightly around a last to provide the shape to the shoe.

(b) The lasts are used in the manufacturing process of the shoes. Armscor's involvement in the production of the shoes is limited to samples only that can be fitted on SANDF female soldiers during the fitting evaluations of the project.

3. The nature of the research has been such that only a sample of the population of women serving in the SANDF is used for statistically determining the outcomes. The Minister is not the member of the Armed Forces, and therefore was not part of the sample. So the Minister will not wear the shoes.

4. Armscor intends to continue and complete the current research and development project as required by the client. This entails executing and concluding the fitting trials, documenting the results, implementing adjustments, refitting where applicable, and making the last set available to industry for production as required by the SANDF as per the agreed project plan. It is to be noted that the project is on schedule and within budget as agreed with the client. The goals have been achieved with a total budget of R 1, 3 million, within the period of four years. (2009/10 – 2012/13).

The intention is to complete this project in the 2013/14 financial year within the budget limitations agreed with the client. Armscor has undertaken a bench marking exercise of similar projects. Armscor is executing this in half the time with half the resources. By international standards, a similar exercise would have required double the time and double the resources.

2013-08-20

What's wrong with this page?