Waterkloof base may close

SA Air Force cost-cutting raises a big question-mark over the city's famous facility

A threat is hanging over the continued existence of a prominent Pretoria military landmark - Air Force Base Waterkloof.

The threat of closure of the air force base was announced during a media briefing by the Chief of the South African Air Force (SAAF), Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano, in Pretoria yesterday.

Gagiano said Air Force Base Waterkloof could face closure if it was decided that it was not financially viable to upgrade the base.

Gagiano, in his annual state-of-the-air-force address, also announced the downscaling of two of the country's primary fighter jet air force bases - Air Force Base Hoedspruit and Air Force Base Makhado - to cut costs.

The two bases in Limpopo are to be the homes of the Hawk lead-in- fighter trainer and South Africa's new Gripen fighter jet which are replacing the Impala fighter jet trainers and the current fighter jet, the Cheetah.

There are 2 000 defence force members stationed at the two bases.

Other bases are also apparently to be trimmed, although announcements on which of the country's bases would be made smaller were not made.

Gagiano said they were conducting a study to determine the centralising of positions and to see which non-essential posts at Hoedspruit and Makhado could be moved to Pretoria as a way of making the SAAF cost-effective.

"It is expensive to have people travelling between the bases and Pretoria, so we have decided that those posts that are not required to keep the bases operating will be moved to the capital where the personnel can best carry out their duties," he said.

Gagiano said a major challenge facing the SAAF was "finding the strategic balance between what can be afforded on the operating budget and what the nation needs".

He said the Department of Defence had embarked on a process of reviewing the White Paper on Defence to align departmental resources with government-ordered commitments in support of the country's foreign policy, including peacekeeping and enforcement operations on the continent.

"In view of this, the SAAF has adopted certain measures like streamlining logistical support, optimising personnel structures to sustainable levels and selectively reducing the footprint of the SAAF, particularly on remote bases.

"The SAAF will continue to focus on transformation and the retention of scarce skills, affordability, system integrity, equipment
renewal, infrastructure and regional co-operation with the creation of a more integrated regional air power base," said Gagiano.

He said his vision was to have a tactical air force willing to be deployed to any place on the continent and beyond in support of government diplomatic initiatives.

Commenting on the future of Air Force Base Waterkloof, Gagiano said the base had recently undergone major upgrades to the aircraft apron and runway because of the weakening of dolomite formations on which the base was built.

He said the Department of Public Works had released its report last week on whether it was still viable to have the base where it was or whether it should be moved.

"We are studying the report and recommendations such as building floating foundations to support the runway, which at the moment can only take the weight of C130 aircraft and other smaller planes."

The presidential aircraft and the SAAF's Boeing are forced to operate from Johannesburg International Airport because the runway cannot handle their weight.

Gagiano said the situation at the base had been exacerbated by the recent heavy rains and they were now using Air Force Base Zwartkops in case something "goes drastically wrong".

"We have to decide if we want to spend our budget upgrading our facilities on a dolomite area or not," he said. Sinkholes also had affected certain areas of the base.

Addressing other challenges facing the SAAF, Gagiano said one of these was the C130s. Of the SAAF's nine C130s, seven were grounded last year because of severe wing fatigue.

Gagiano said a report by Lockheed Martin found that only three of the seven could fly now, and that the other four had to undergo further wing fatigue maintenance.

"We have embarked on a strict maintenance programme to ensure that the planes are able to operate well into 2015.

"With these regular and intensive services, it looks like we will be able to use all nine planes until 2015, when the C130s will be replaced by the heavy-lift aircraft, the A400Ms," he said.

The Pretoria News