The SANDF chief and the defence minister are reportedly at odds over the reinstatement of an unlawfully dismissed colonel.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has denied that General Rudzani Maphwanya is challenging the authority of minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga.
The general has reportedly defied the minister’s instruction to reinstate an Air Force colonel who received a favourable ruling from the military ombudsman.
The SANDF responded to the claims on Sunday, stating that the allegations were incorrect and misleading.
SANDF and ministry in talks
Colonel Eugene Motati was dismissed in 2019 following sexual harassment accusations.
The military ombudsman in March ruled that his dismissal was unlawful, stating that the allegations against Motati were untested.
Minister Motshekga has reportedly ordered Maphwanya to reinstate the colonel, with the SANDF denying claims that the general is refusing.
Department of Defence spokesperson Prince Tshabalala stated that the SANDF would not discuss administrative matters, the minister’s decisions or the ombudsman’s recommendations in public.
However, using the phrase published by City Press this weekend, Tshabalala said the general was not “giving the middle finger” to the minister.
“General Maphwanya remains fully committed to the constitutional authority of the minister and is engaging the matter with the utmost respect and diligence,” stated the defence spokesperson.
Tshabalala confirmed the SANDF, defence ministry and the ombudsman were in discussions, and that the outcome would be based on “established military procedures and the directives of the executive authority”.
Stranded Atlas Oryx helicopters
The SANDF’s operational capacity was also questioned last week after reports that a helicopter severely damaged in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year may remain in central Africa indefinitely.
The DA’s then Shadow minister for Defence, Kobus Marais, said that one pilot was injured in February 2024 when the aircraft sustained at least 40 bullet holes that badly damaged the helicopter’s hydraulic system.
Marais’s successor, Chris Hattingh, criticised Motshekga after it was revealed that only one Atlas Oryx helicopter was available to assist Eastern Cape flood victims in June.
The SANDF said on Friday that none of its Oryx helicopters had been abandoned in the DRC following the force’s staggered retreat from the conflict zone.
“Out of the three helicopters reported, only one sustained damage during the United Nations peacekeeping military operations last year, and it will undergo repairs,” the SANDF stated.
“The other helicopters are operational and remain under the strict control of the SANDF. The SANDF reaffirms that all its Oryx helicopters are being maintained in accordance with technical and safety requirements,” it concluded.
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