Arms-deal goods 'lying idle'
2008-08-06 20:11
Cape Town - Military equipment bought as part of the arms deal was lying idle because of a shortage of skilled personnel, said the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday.
DA spokesperson Rafeek Shah said submarines and other military equipment bought as part of the R49bn arms procurement package were not being fully used.
"It is clear that the navy as well as the air force are unable to make proper use of the equipment bought at great expense as part of the arms deal because of skills vacancies and lack of capacity," he said.
The air force was also experiencing similar problems.
"For example, in the air force, there are only two Gripen aircraft in South Africa and none are yet operational, leaving South Africa without fighter capacity to defend our airspaces as the older Cheetahs have been decommissioned."
Most of the equipment bought as part of the deal were either not suitable for South Africa's local needs nor its peace keeping role throughout Africa, said Shah said.
- SAPA