Publication	Independent Online
Date	2006-07-28
Reporter	Graeme Hosken
Web Link	www.iol.co.za

The South African Navy is facing a crisis over finding enough sailors to crew and man its latest multi-billion rand acquisitions.

This was revealed at the commissioning of the SAS Isandlwana - one of four MEKO A-200 frigates - at Naval Station Durban on Thursday.

The missile frigates Isandlwana, SAS Amatola, SAS Mendi and SAS Spioenkop, which were designed primarily for self-defence, were purchased under the country's controversial arms deal.

The Amatola was commissioned in February while the Mendi and the Spioenkop are due to be commissioned and handed over to the Navy early next year.

The vessels have been tasked with protecting South Africa's sea borders, providing support in times of natural disasters as well as assistance to SADC, United Nations and African Union peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions on the continent.

Speaking at the commissioning of Isandlwana, Rear-Admiral Kevin Watson said the biggest challenge facing the navy was recruiting and training enough people to man the frigates.

Watson, who is project director for Project Sitron - the acquisition programme tasked with purchasing billions of rands' worth of military hardware for the South African Navy, said getting enough trained people for the frigates was a "serious problem".

It is believed similar problems are being experienced with trying to attract people to crew the country's new submarines.

Information given to the Pretoria News reveals that the Navy has also embarked on a major drive to recruit people as submariners for the three new submarines due to go into service next year.

Watson said: "A task team is in the process of being established to find ways of establishing a corp of highly trained personnel to man the vessels."

To operate at its full potential, each frigate needs three crews of 110 personnel. Information given to the Pretoria News reveals there are only enough sailors for one crew for each vessel.

The crews are meant to operate on rotation with one crew stationed on a vessel while the others are either undergoing training or are on leave.

It is believed the task team is looking at various ways of fast-tracking the recruitment of people on to the corvettes, but sources within the navy's human resources department say that it could take well over two years before there is enough manpower to man the frigates so that they function to their full potential.

A similar time-frame is also facing the submarines.

An able seaman stationed on the SAS Amatola said the shortage of crew on the vessel was at a crisis level.

"While we are able to function when nobody goes on sick leave or takes leave, the crunch comes when people are off duty.

"If something is not done quickly to recruit more people to crew these frigates, then the Navy and its entire frigate program is going to be in dire straits," he said.

"We are trying our best to address the situation," Watson said

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