Latest news with #Hattingh
The Citizen
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
SIU to investigate Defence department's surgical mask tender from 2021
The SIU will look for any irregularities relating to a tender for surgical mask elastic hoops. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been given the green light to investigate a 2021 procurement contract signed by the Department of Defence (DoD). Authorisation for the investigation was approved on Friday, granting the SIU the mandate to look into any maladministration or irregularities that may have occurred between 1 March 2021 and 23 May 2025. Should the SIU identify any actions of concern, it will pursue civil litigation or refer matters to the National Prosecuting Authority for consideration of criminal charges. Surgical mask tender The tender in question relates to the supply and delivery of surgical mask elastic hoops procured at an undisclosed amount 'The probe will also look at any irregular, unlawful, or improper conduct by officials or employees of the department, its suppliers or service providers, or any other person or entity implicated,' stated SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago. Democratic Alliance spokesperson on military and defence, Chris Hattingh, called for implicated officials to be suspended immediately, noting the Auditor-General's previous findings against the DoD. 'What's worse is the department's ongoing failure to act. Despite multiple oversight reports from Parliament, there's been zero meaningful effort from within to clean house,' said Hattingh. Investigation a 'turning point' This is not the first SIU investigation in the DoD, as serious alleged procurement irregularities relating to a R33.4 Cuban medicine deal were revealed earlier this year. The SIU stated in January that the DoD had signed a procurement agreement only after 930 units of antiviral drugs had been delivered from Cuba during the Covid-19 global health crisis. The antivirals were later found to be non-compliant with South African Health and Product Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) standards, and only 15 were ever used, five of which were for testing. 'South Africans deserve an armed forces institution they can believe in, not one broken by corruption and weak leadership,' stated Hattingh. 'This investigation must be a turning point. It's time to rebuild trust, restore integrity, and bring real accountability to the DoD,' he concluded. NOW READ: SIU is not done with NLC yet, as more corruption allegations emerge
The Citizen
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Concerns raised about ‘disorganised' withdrawal of SA troops from DRC
It has been reported that SA troops started making their way out of the DRC earlier this week. The DA has expressed concern about the withdrawal of SANDF troops from the DRC. Picture: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach The withdrawal of South African troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been marred by some controversy, with the DA complaining about an alleged lack of planning. Reports suggest that soldiers from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania have started moving by road to Tanzania. The soldiers are part of the SADC mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC). The DA has been calling for the troops to return home from the DRC since the death of 14 South African soldiers. ALSO READ: Motshekga gives update on return of SA troops as DRC ceasefire negotiations progress SANDF's 'disorganised' exit from the DRC However, Chris Hattingh, the party's spokesperson on defence and military veterans, has described the current withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as 'disorganised'. 'Poor planning, vague objectives and a disturbing lack of transparency have marred the withdrawal of our troops from eastern DRC. 'What should have been a coordinated and strategic exit has instead become a confused and dangerous process, placing our soldiers at risk and leaving the nation with more questions than answers,' he said. Hattingh said South African troops have had to negotiate with M23 rebels for safe passage out of Goma. 'Alarming accounts suggest that M23 rebels – widely believed to be backed by Rwanda – are inspecting SANDF military equipment as the convoys pass. 'Members of the elite quick reaction force (QRF) have described this experience as both frustrating and humiliating,' he said. The Citizen understands that the soldiers will move in groups, with the final meeting point set to be in Tanzania. Poor communication on troop withdrawal Meanwhile, Hattingh said SA soldiers continue to report logistical failures, poor communication and uncertainty about the status of military vehicles and heavy weaponry. 'There has been no official communication from the Department of Defence, SANDF or SADC. It has instead emerged that safe passage for our troops had to be negotiated with Rwanda after M23 seized control of vital infrastructure,' he said. Hattingh said the DA would ask Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga questions about the mission when she appears before the Portfolio Committee on Defence on 9 May. He called on Motshekga to tell the nation what the terms and scope of the SANDF's deployment were. He also wants to know the cause of the alleged operational failures that led to the current 'disorganised' withdrawal. There are also concerns about safety of remaining personnel and equipment in the DRC. 'Fourteen South African soldiers lost their lives in the battle for Goma. The lack of accountability since then is unacceptable,' Hattingh said. The Citizen contacted the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans for comment on the matter, which will be added once received. ALSO READ: The wait for SA troops to return home from the DRC continues
Reuters
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
South Africa's military reinforces beleaguered Congo mission
Summary Fourteen South African soldiers have died in fighting Pretoria has deployed 700-800 additional troops to Congo Deployment comes amid fears of regional war JOHANNESBURG, Feb 10 (Reuters) - South Africa has sent additional troops and military equipment to Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days, political and diplomatic sources said, after 14 of its soldiers were killed in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels last month. The South African reinforcement comes amid fears that fighting in eastern Congo could spark a broader war in a powderkeg region that has over the past three decades witnessed genocide, cross-border conflicts and dozens of uprisings. Flight data reviewed by Reuters showed transport aircraft flying from South Africa to Lubumbashi, in southern Congo. An airport employee there confirmed that military planes had landed last week. "We have been informed of a (South African National Defence Force) troop build-up in the area of Lubumbashi. We gather that approximately 700-800 soldiers had been flown to Lubumbashi," Chris Hattingh, a South African lawmaker, wrote in a text message to Reuters. Hattingh, the defence spokesperson for the Democratic Alliance, a member of the governing coalition, said it was "difficult to figure out what is exactly unfolding" because parliament's defence committee had not been briefed. The SANDF spokesperson said on Friday he was not aware of the deployment to Lubumbashi and declined to comment further on Monday. A Congolese army spokesperson said he could not confirm or deny the deployment. Lubumbashi is about 1,500 km (930 miles) south of Goma, the eastern city on Rwanda's border that the M23 rebels seized last month during an offensive that has killed over 2,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. South Africa is believed to have around 3,000 troops deployed in Congo, both as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission and a Southern African regional force tasked with helping Congo's army combat the M23 insurgency. 'NOT OUR WAR' Its intervention has drawn heavy criticism at home after the fall of Goma left South African soldiers surrounded and with no clear exit strategy. "They're extremely poorly resourced and equipped," said Kobus Marais, who served as the DA's shadow defence minister before the party entered a governing coalition last year. "This is not our war." Marais, now a defence analyst who said he was being kept abreast of the situation, said the flights to Lubumbashi carried medicine, ammunition and consumables. The additional troops were to assist in the case of further clashes and as a deterrent as negotiations to end the fighting get underway. An IL-76 cargo plane with the tail number EX-76008 made five round-trip flights from Pretoria to Lubumbashi between January 30 and February 7, according to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24. The flights left from the south side of Pretoria, where the South African air force has a base. An employee in Lubumbashi airport told Reuters on Saturday that he had seen several rotations of aircraft bringing troops and equipment. Three diplomats and a minister from a country in the region said they were aware of the deployment. With M23 rebels controlling Goma's airport, South African troops there are cut off from resupplies. "The pattern of chartered cargo flights under SANDF callsigns from South Africa to both Lubumbashi and locations inside (neighbouring) Burundi points to the likely creation of some type of additional contingency force," said a defence expert who asked not to be named. Two successive wars in the 1990s and 2000s grew out of the Rwandan genocide, drawing in a half dozen of Congo's neighbours and killing millions, mainly through hunger and disease. Uganda and Burundi, which already have thousands of troops in eastern Congo, are also reinforcing their positions. Rwanda rejects accusations that thousands of its troops are fighting alongside M23, while African leaders have urged the parties to hold talks.
