Given the escalating HIV/Aids pandemic and the vast resources that will be needed over the next couple of decades to deal with the treatment and care of affected people, it is difficult to understand how our government has committed taxpayers to spend tens of billions of rand on arms over the same period.

There have been charges that the arms deal was a political mechanism to enrich key members of the ruling party and entrench the inner circle of the ruling elite. These fears have not been put to rest by the exposure of a few scapegoats such as former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni.

In fact, they have been exacerbated by political pressures which appear to have been brought to bear on the parliamentary oversight committee, the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), the auditor-general, the public protector and the special investigation committee.

It is significant, therefore, that Thandi Modise, the chairman of the portfolio committee on defence and a former senior member of Umkhonto weSizwe, saw it necessary to warn this week that parliamentary oversight procedures should not be regarded as an "irritant".

In a debate on the report of the joint investigation team into the arms procurement deal, Modise said that, with the wisdom of hindsight, parliament should have taken a closer interest in the acquisition process. She said that parliament should have had sight of acquisition policies and procedures and in future should be able to obtain full briefings on the price of equipment to satisfy itself that what is being acquired is necessary.

While the report absolves government and ministers of improper or unlawful conduct, the arms deal will go down as one of the more controversial episodes in this young democracy.

There are indications that the trumpeted offsets - intended to create thousands of jobs - are on the brink of collapse. The government will have to accept responsibility for this state of affairs.

With acknowledgements to Cape Times.