Buoyed by her victory in a lengthy political battle with MPs
over her accountability to Parliament, Defence and Military
Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has signalled her desire for
closer co-operation with the defence industry.
Briefing journalists yesterday before Parliament approved the
Defence Amendment Bill, Sisulu also expressed her determination
to keep Gripen fighter jets in the air without begging the
National Treasury for more money.
The bill must first be approved by the National Council of
Provinces before it can be signed into law by President Jacob
Zuma.
Sisulu denied promoting a culture of secrecy on defence matters
and insisted that it was standard international practice not to
release detailed information about presidential flights for
security reasons.
She also announced her intention to persuade the cabinet to
agree to a day being set aside to celebrate the contribution
made by the armed forces, before the end of the year. There was
no greater symbol of reconciliation than that which could be
shown by men and women who had once taken up arms against each
other, the minister said.
On speculation that she was about to be
redeployed in a cabinet
reshuffle, Sisulu *1 said there was no indication that
Zuma was ready to make changes.
She also indicated that military unions - to which both she and
Zuma are opposed - would be dealt with "when it was convenient".
On closer relations with the
defence industry *2, Sisulu that said while the post-1994
decision to have state entities such as Denel and Armscor report
to the ministers of public enterprises and trade and industry
was logical at the time, it was not sustainable. "It is in our
interests that we promote the defence industry - it is what all
ministers of defence do."
But bringing entities such as Denel back into "the defence
family" was proving more difficult than she had first thought:
discussions were still under way a year down the line.
The bill provides for conditions of service in the military to
be governed by a permanent defence force commission.
With acknowledgements to
Gaye Davis and Cape Argus.
*1 Although
Dr Sisulu knows little about defence and less about defence
acquisition, the rest of the idiots know less about anything and
even less than that about defence and defence acquisition (other
than how to sing Dubula Amabunu [Shoot the Boers),
chanting One Settler One Bullet, killing and raping their
wives and daughters, feed from the freshly refilled troughs of
British Aerospace, Saab, Thomson-CSF, Thyssen, Ferrostaal and
EADS, inter alia), she should at least be given a proper chance.
*2 On closer relations with the defence
industry, I hope she does do mean closer proximity to the
feeding troughs.
But whatever, all new age defence ministers since Modise have
been trotting out the same old driver.
Talk is cheap, action is less easy to achieve.
In the meantime the ANC has sold most of the national family
silver for the proverbial song. The rest has atrophied - or is
this oxidised?.
The truly South African defence industry is in a shambles and is
almost bankrupt. Denel asks for billions of Rands per year just
to keep going.
Nearly all the smaller high-tech defence companies have closed
down since 2000, after the Arms Deal (indeed I can think of only
three still going and they are MTEK, Sysdel and CCII Systems).
The reasons are clear: most of the workshare went to the
international companies and the local companies part owned by
international companies who were prepared to give up to 40% of
their equity to BEE and ZEE companies, very little new contract
have been awarded since 2000 and even that's to overseas
companies such as Thales for its Starstreak VSHORAD missile as
part of GBADS (and as part of Zuma's permanent support of its
projects).
I have said that part of the whole Arms Deal strategy was value
and equity manipulation via the tried and tested methods of poop
and scoop (viz. Altech Defence Systems to Thomson-CSF,
Futuristic Business Solutions and Nkobi Holdings) and pump and
dump (viz. Conlog Holdings, Applied Logistic Engineering, etc.).
I am certain that in the build-up before the next major Arms
Deal(s) and poop and scoop is being applied as we speak.
The next time round there will be fewer players, but one's with
bigger obligations.
Right now there are series of smoky room, closed door meetings
shaping the acquisition battlefield.
'Tis an art near perfected.
Until it comes to delivery of the systems and their support.
Watch this space.