Showcasing the navy to the public
THE SA Navy, which is organising a festival this weekend, says it has to “make do with what we have” because of steep budget cuts.
Vice-Admiral Mosiwa Hlongwane, Chief of the Navy, said a cut of R5 billion in the navy’s budget has meant it had had to employ innovative thinking to continue doing its job.
Hlongwane said: “Despite challenges in the security-development-economy nexus, the navy is poised to work harder and smarter, doing more with less, and now more than ever we need to challenge traditional constructs, employing innovation to propel our navy into the future.”
As the South African economy wasn’t growing fast enough, the Navy was throwing its weight behind Operation Phakisa, a government plan to “grow the oceans’ economy”, part of which is a R100 million upgrade of small harbours.
“In line with its objectives (Operation Phakisa), the SA Navy is preparing to host the government garage concept for all state-owned vessels in Simon’s Town, including the maintenance and repair of government-owned vessels, through the newly established SA Navy/Armscor/Denel partnership.
“The future business model for the management of the dockyard places the dockyard firmly under the sovereign control of the SA Navy.
“I am confident this relationship can be leveraged to ensure the SA Navy is better able to fulfil its mandate, concomitant with unlocking the economic potential as conceived by Operation Phakisa,” said Hlongwane.
Rear Admiral Bubele Mhlana, Flag Officer of Fleet, said that with no additional funding, the navy was suffering, but the repairs done on vessels was ensuring the
‘NOW MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO EMPLOY INNOVATION TO PROPEL THE NAVY INTO THE FUTURE’
“effective deployment” of an ageing fleet, which included the SAS Amatola, which had successfully completed operations in icy conditions in northern Europe.
The SA Navy was relying less on contractors and relying more on its own maintenance crews for servicing the fleet, said Mhlana.
Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Asiel Kubu, said the SA Navy had 9 400 active posts, but only about 7 000 posts were filled.
He did not foresee an improvement in staffing levels, but indicated that the navy had managed to retain staff through skills training initiatives and had been able to hold off losing staff to “poachers”.
Ever mindful of the current socio-economic climate and the need to account to South Africans, Hlongwane said he encouraged the public to visit Navy Festival 2017, when the SA Navy opens “our doors and hearts” so the public was able “to see and experience their navy first hand”.