Publication: FF Plus Issued: Date: 2007-03-13 Reporter: Pieter Groenewald

Armscor Implodes

 

Publication  FF Plus
Date

2007-03-13

Reporter

 Pieter Groenewald,
Spokesperson : Defence

 

Armscor's Executive Head, Mr. Sipho Thomo, today reported to the Portfolio Committee for Defence in Parliament on the position Armscor finds itself in with regards to its capabilities, its mainframe (IT) and the reason why 72% of its budget is being spent on salaries.

"From the report it is clear that Armscor no longer has the required knowledge and skills, that its computerised mainframe is extremely outdated and that it does not have the necessary funds to do its work. The report is extremely upsetting and indicates that Armscor is busy imploding", Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), the FF Plus's spokesperson on Defence said.

The report mentions that people with the required qualifications are not readily available. That transformation (affirmative action) makes it more difficult to obtain qualified personnel and the existing workforce's ageing are allowing people to retire. The average age of the work force is 45 years. To a question of Mr Pieter Groenewald as to whether affirmative action is a hindrance to appointing qualified people, Mr Thomo said he could not deny it.

"Here once again is proof that the government's policy of affirmative action is costing taxpayers' money *1. The lack of expertise results in sophisticated management systems not being optimally utilized, which is to the detriment of Armscor", Mr. Groenewald said.

The mainframe is so outdated that institutions are no longer offering training in it and the replacement will cost between R45,8 and R 213,3 million *1. The reason for 72% of the budget being spent on salaries is, according to the report, because Armscor is a complex technical field of which the operational nature requires personnel to be highly qualified people in technical disciplines.


Mr Pieter Groenewald (MP)
Contact No. : 083 627 4397 / 082 472 0189

With acknowledgements to Pieter Groenewald and FF Plus.


*1       The torture never stops.