The first of the corvettes bought in terms of the government's multibillion-rand arms deal will arrive here from Germany in November.

This was said by the chief of naval staff of the South African Navy, Rear-Admiral Roefilu Mudimu, when he spoke at a media breakfast on board the SAS Outeniqa at the Salisbury Island Naval Station yesterday.

Mudimu said the corvette, the SAS Amatola, would be followed by the delivery of three others during 2004.

He said the construction of three Type 209 submarines was at an advanced stage, with delivery of the first scheduled for July 2005, followed by the others at yearly intervals.

Mudimu said transformation in the South African Navy was progressing well and it was moving towards its targets for racial components. At present 33% of the Navy was African and it was intended to increase this to 50%.

The rear-admiral said that, while the white percentage was 29%, it would be reduced to 23%.

The coloured staff was 28%. This figure would drop to 15% and the Asian component, currently 10%, would fall to 2%.

With acknowledgement to the Cape Argus.