Nombembe shines light on air force’s idle trainer aircraft
Date: 1 October 2009
Linda Ensor
The Department of Defence incurred irregular expenditure of R118m last year because it did not follow proper procurement procedures, auditor-general Terence Nombembe has reported.
The department, together with the departments of Public Works and Sport and Recreation, which tabled their annual reports in Parliament yesterday, received qualified audit opinions.
Among the reasons for the defence qualification was the inability to verify the R193m paid to consultants for services rendered. A staggering R2,9bn was spent on consultants, contractors and agency or outsourced services.
The auditor-general also noted an overstatement of departmental revenue by R67m and of operating lease costs of R8,4m. Supporting documents could not be provided for operating leases of about R176m, irregular expenditure of R118m was understated by R103m and the department could not provide documentation to support R77m of irregular expenditure. Internal control deficiencies and failure to comply with the Public Finance Management Act were uncovered.
A performance audit of resource management of the air force's trainer aircraft found "significant operating budget constraints which resulted in the aircraft being brought into service at significantly lower utilisation rates than planned".
The 24 Hawk trainer aircraft were bought in the multibillion-rand strategic arms acquisition package.
Ineffective logistical support had a negative effect on the utilisation and condition of equipment and insufficient training meant there were not enough experienced staff to ensure the optimal utilisation and maintenance of the trainer aircraft. The absence of a retention policy led to a large-scale outflow of skilled technical personnel.
The department said in the report the strategic arms procurement package was not funded to operate the aircraft at intended rates. There were insufficient funds to bring in-service logistics support.
Source: Business Day
