Obsolete aircraft, arms sold says minister

The aircraft, once the mainstay of South Africa's air defence system before the last one was retired in 2008, were sold to state-owned aircraft maintenance division Denel Aviation, she said in a written reply to a parliamentary question.

They were "disposed of" in this financial year (2013/14), between April and June.

The minister's reply, which lists the sale of all "surplus military material" back to 2009/10, also confirms the sale of two Cheetah last year, one with "associated spares"; and another the previous year, also with spares. In total 19 aircraft have been sold to Denel Aviation; Morewa said another 20 were confirmed as having been sold on to Ecuador. They are currently operated by that country's airforce.

Other military equipment sold during the first quarter of the current financial year included 44 Samil vehicles. The off-road trucks are mainly used by the SA Army.

Last year, the military also disposed of eight Ratel infantry fighting vehicles to the company Mobile Armoured Protection Systems. A total of 155 Samils were also sold to various other companies.

Mapisa-Nqakula's reply also showed that in 2011/12, her department sold 10 "88mm Howitzer GVI Guns" to an African Union contractor, listed as Lefa Engineering and Security.

According to reports, this sale was not recorded in government's reports to the United Nations, as required by international law.

"These guns are not listed in the National Conventional Arms Control Committee annual reports on weapons exports," the Cape Times newspaper reported on Monday (19 August).

The defence department was not available for comment.

In her written reply, Mapisa-Nqakula reported that her department had disposed of "excessive, obsolete, redundant and unserviceable material" since 2009.

"The alienation of defence materiel is facilitated by Armscor," she said.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge