Cape Town - The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has defended the disposal of military helicopter airframes and spares to Zimbabwe amid threats of legal action to stop the move.

The Mail&Guardian newspaper (M&G) reported on Friday that fears had surfaced that retired military helicopters from the SANDF would be used to prop up President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

However, SANDF corporate communication director Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said the decision to donate and dispose of Alouette III helicopter airframes and spares to the Zimbabwean Defence Force (ZDF) was made by former defence minister Joe Modise in 1997, when they were being phased out of service.

"How the donation of the spares to the ZDF relate to the forthcoming elections in that country is difficult to understand," Mabanga said.

All processes for the disposal had been completed and the spares were ready for dispatch to Zimbabwe as a donation.

"There is no truth in that the donation of this material has taken place. Furthermore there is no truth of the SANDF donating helicopters as alleged in the news reports [on Friday].

"The SANDF would like to place it on record that it has a bilateral agreement with the ZDF, and a number of exchanges in various fields between the two defence forces have taken place and will continue," he said.

The M&G reported that the SANDF was "about to send a gift of helicopters and spares to its Zimbabwean counterparts, raising the spectre they will be used in a military-backed campaign to put Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party back in power in polls expected this year".

"The Mail&Guardian has seen the confidential minutes of a meeting in Cape Town two months ago between defence chiefs of the two countries.

"Under the heading 'disposal of Alouette III helicopters and spares', the minutes noted that 'the administrative processes in the SANDF have been finalised and the equipment will soon be handed over to the ZDF'."

Zimbabwe was scheduled to hold elections by the end of March, but they were widely expected to be delayed for some months, the newspaper reported.

"Apprehension is building in civil society and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that the military will step in, as it did during the violent 2008 presidential run-off to save Mugabe."

The aged, but versatile Alouette III, which had been operated by the military in both countries since the 1960s, would be a force multiplier for the ZDF, providing fast access to rural areas.

Legal action

According to the M&G, Zimbabwe was under European and United States weapons sanctions, hampering its air force's efforts to keep its handful of Alouette III and Agusta-Bell light utility helicopters in the air.

In a statement issued in response to the report, civil rights group AfriForum said it would take urgent legal action to prevent the "imminent delivery of Alouette III SANDF Air Force helicopters" to the ZDF.

AfriForum's legal representative Willie Spies said it would use all legal avenues at its disposal to prevent the dispatch and delivery of the aircraft to Zimbabwe.

"We are also writing to the French ambassador to South Africa, to inform him about a potential risk of his country being in contravention of the European Union arms embargo against Zimbabwe, as a result of the South African government's disposal of French imported spare parts to Zimbabwe," he said.

In terms of the National Conventional Arms Control Act, the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), chaired by Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, had to consider certain principles before a transaction for the disposal of military equipment to another country was authorised.

These principles included, among others, the human rights-record of the country in question, Spies said.

The M&G reported that Radebe's spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said the Alouettes and spares did not "fall within the NCACC's parameters of control" under its enabling legislation.

The NCACC was apparently relying on the classification of the helicopters as "civilian" after their guns were stripped out, though both the giver and the recipient were military.

Related Links

• Outcry as SA donates military gear to Zim

With acknowledgement to Sapa and News24.

richard.young.1253236 - January 25, 2013 at 18:27

Two things spring immediately to mind.

1. If these helicopters are still good for use by another air force, why did we need to purchase new Agusta 109s in 1999?

2. Do we not need these type of helicopters for anti-rhino poaching duties?

Alouettes were the ideal fireforce helicopters in Rhodesia and South West Africa in the 1970s and 80s.

I think that they would make perfect vertical envelopment vehicles for anti-rhino poaching operations.

We have all the logistic support and spares needed to keep these machines in operations for a good few years yet.

Keep them here.

 
richard.young.1253236 - Just posted

I think that the Alouette is too small as a proper casevac helicopter, unless one goes MASH style (Korea 1950s) with the two stretchers attached outside to the skids with the medic safe inside.

But it's excellent for a pilot, ops commander, 20 mm machine gun and gunner or pilot and three troops (or more?).

With some modern electro-optics (FLIR, real-time data and camera link, etc.) these 17 Alouette IIIs, some ex Parabats, SAS and RLI troopers plus a donation of Avtur fuel, could clean up South Africa's (and Zimbabwe's) rhino poaching problem in a year. With zero losses for the enforcement side.

You see, I also have a non-military side.

The rhino devastation actually sickens me more than the Arms Deal.

I can't pilot a helicopter or even jump out of one with any modicum of speed or decorum, but I could volunteer to try my hand as an ops commander, although this is a very demanding job. Gunner might also be a possibility. Less demanding, but very rewarding. Or we could make some donations of Avtur. Or sandwiches and coffee at half-time.

I could also take my good friend Lt Col Carl Alberts HC along as pilot.

He'll do it for a couple of ice cold frosties (at full-time).

Gimme one of those Alouette IIIs.

Any volunteers out there for troopers?

After the rhino problem we can turn our attention to the dusky kob.

It's a target rich environment.