Publication: Business Day Issued: Date: 2007-03-15 Reporter: Terry CrawfordBrowne

Arms Anomalies

 

Publication 

Business Day
Date 2007-03-15

Reporter

Terry Crawford-Browne, Milnerton 

Web Link

www.businessday.co.za

 

Opinion & Analysis

The Anglican church, during the Cameron commission inquiry into Armscor in 1994-95, called for a break-up of both Armscor and Denel, and a conversion of their assets for peaceful purposes.

At last, but only after billions of rands of public money have been poured down the drain and massive corruption uncovered *1, Armscor is to be dismembered, Cash-strapped Armscor set for a shake-up (March 14).

A belated hallelujah.

Meanwhile, the public protector, the auditor-general and the director of public prosecutions will meet today to decide whether to reopen the arms deal investigation.

Will they succumb, as did their predecessors in 2001, to pressure from the executive?

Of the BAe warplane contracts, only 11 of 24 BAe Hawks and one demo model of 28 BAe/Saab Gripens have been delivered, but the 20-year Barclays Bank loan agreements, signed by the minister of finance, run until 2019.

The Commerzbank loans for the German warship contracts run until 2012 and 2016.

In short, the arms deal has not been paid for and can still be cancelled, and the financial consequences would flow to British and German, rather than South African, taxpayers.

Terry Crawford-Browne
Milnerton

With acknowledgements to Terry Crawford-Browne and Business Day.


*1       Apart from discounts on smart cars from Micky Woerfel for Ron Haywood and Llew Swan (and maybe one or two others), there is no or little evidence or even indication of Armscor employees being corrupt.

So far the evidence suggests that the corruption was on the DoD side, with Joe Modise, Fana Hlongwane and Chippy Shaik standing out like bright shining disa-stars.