NEWS & EVENTS - FINANCES
23 August 2002
Flying New Jets on Empty Tanks
Finances
By Peter HoneyIt was a terrible year, truly terrible - the worst I have experienced since taking command," says air force chief Lt Gen Roelf Beukes.He's speaking about 2001, when the air force started the year with an R85m (4,4%) budget defi...
5 August 2002
SA Air Force may lease bases for civilian use
Finances
IN THE face of increasing budgetary pressure, the SA Air Force is considering extensive plans to partly lease some of its bases for civilian use. Under the plans, prompted by the rising cost of spares and fuel, the Air Force base at Hoedspruit, would...
29 May 2002
Army and Air Force fight over nuclear bunker
Finances
The Afrikaans Gauteng daily, Beeld, reports that the SA Army and Air Force are fighting over maintaining a nuclear blast-proof bunker next to Army headquarters in Pretoria. The bunker, built in the 1980's to house the SAAF's command post (it ...
21 May 2002
Defence has spent R203m on consultants
Finances
Advice on arms deal cost about R23mParliamentary Editor CAPE TOWN The defence department had spent more than R203m on consultants with about R23m on the strategic defence packages during the past two years, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said yester...
22 February 2002
South Africa's defence budget up 15%
Finances
South Africa is boosting its defence budget by 15 percent for the next financial year. The budget is being increased by R2.4 billion (US210 million) to R18.4 billion (US1.6 billion) to pay for the SANDF's arms acquisition programme and its "...
16 January 2002
Generals grounding air force
Finances
The air force, and the rest of the defence force, must realise there will never again be a defence budget to waste, say military experts. They will just have to cut costs. Departments that want to make use of Air Force planes will have to pay up. If ...
15 January 2002
Fuel shortage grounds air force
Finances
The fuel supply at the Waterkloof Air Force Base is so low that fuel had to be borrowed for some flights recently undertaken by President Thabo Mbeki. Only certain VIP, emergency and emergency maintenance flights can be undertaken. Training flights h...
4 December 2001
Arms deal spending may face cutbacks
Finances
Financing the multi billion-rand arms deal would have no effect on the projected 2002/03 budget deficit of 2,6 percent, but the department of defence might have toreassess whether it could afford all tranches of the deal given its budgets for the nex...
17 September 2001
SAAF Pilots Course has no CO's!
Finances
Pilots course 99/01 made history when they were presented with their rank not so long ago - the first pupil pilots course in 80 years with no candidate officers (CO's) on course.Towards the end of last year, just after the course had all go...
5 September 2001
Tightening your belt around your spine
Finances
Sources say the SANDF has to save R1.2 billion to pay for unbudgeted expenditure, mainly support to the SA Police Service for which the SANDF may not budget. This, they said, would lead to a dramatic cut in flying hours, available flights and ma...
25 July 2001
Hired VIP aircraft costing millions
Finances
The SA Air Force has had to spend more than R5 million on hired aircraft in the past month due to President Thabo Mbeki's and Deputy-president Jacob Zuma's external commitments. This because an existing medium range presidential jet is being ...
28 June 2001
The Flossie is back!
Finances
The SAAF has re-instated the scheduled flight (Flossie) between AFB Ysterplaat and AFB Waterkloof on a limited scale.The service was halted late last year due to budgetary restrictions....
18 May 2001
SAAF to get new Boeing Presidential jet
Finances
A VIP jet costing a total of R408m is to be bought by the SAAF to ferry President Thabo Mbeki and other cabinet ministers to international destinations. It will cost R300m plus an extra R108m for interior fittings.'"With South Africa's r...
28 March 2001
SANDF spent R14.02-million in Mozambique
Finances
South African National Defence Force assistance to flood-ravaged Mozambique earlier this month cost R14.02-million (US1.76-million). President Thabo Mbeki told Parliament in a letter this week that 83 SANDF personnel were deployed in Mozambique from ...
22 February 2001
New jet for President Mbeki
Finances
The 2001/02 Defence Force budget, announced by Finance Minister Trevor Manual today, has made allowances for a total of R300 million to be spent over the next two years to buy a long-range aircraft to be used mainly by the President.The defence vote ...
9 February 2001
Air Force to mothball surplus helicopters?
Finances
While Parliament is probing the Government's controversial R43 billion arms procurement package, the Air Force is considering "storing unused helicopters until they are needed in a few years' time". It says it has surplus helicopter...
18 January 2001
VIP flight budget overspent
Finances
Increasing diplomatic intervention in foreign countries, coupled to the declining rand, has been blamed for VIP jets of the Air Force having already begun two months ago to exceed their flight quota for the current financial year.The jets are mainly ...
6 October 2000
Armed forces creak to a halt
Finances
A CONFIDENTIAL defence department report has painted a grim picture of decrepit machinery and shortages of ammunition and fuel in South Africa’s armed forces.The reports states that the airforce would have to ground 88 aircraft and 46 helicopte...
4 October 2000
Air force rescue budget depleted
Finances
The SAAF maritime search and rescue's annual budget has been depleted after three days searching for a missing skiboat off the Cape south coast.A search by a Dakota, the NSRI and coastal patrols have found no trace of the Jo-Anne which failed to ...
12 August 2000
Alouettes fly again, C-130 still in the doldrums
Finances
The SAAF's geriatric Alouette III helicopters, which were temporarily withdrawn from service due to a problem in the supply of rotor blades, are again in service. But units such as 28 Squadron, the Air Force's C130 Hercules-equipped medium ai...
7 August 2000
Oryx flying again
Finances
It would appear that the SAAF has allocated funds from other budgets to restore the Oryx to flying status within the past week. It has also renewed a lapsed contract with Denel Aviation to supply depot level spares and maintenance support. ...
4 July 2000
Boeing 707's Grounded
Finances
All can now be revealed (well, at least more than I dared report on 17 April!).The SAAF has grounded all five of its B707 EW and flight refuelling aircraft, reportedly because the wrong maintenance schedules have been followed. ...
29 June 2000
SAAF Grounds Oryx due to Budget Restrictions
Finances
Lieutenant-General Roelf Beukes, Chief of the Air Force, ordered the grounding this week after the Air Force had tried in vain to get hold of the promised compensation from other State departments, donor countries and world aid organisations for emer...
17 April 2000
Airforce in crisis 1
Finances
Due to the severe budget problems the SAAF is experiencing as a result of its operations in Mozambique, all scheduled shuttles (Flossies) between the major bases have been cancelled with effect from 19 April until further notice. Apparently, the mone...
17 April 2000
Airforce in crisis 2
Finances
It is rumoured that the entire fleet of a strategic transport and special mission aircraft has been grounded due to problems with the paperwork of spare parts and replacement items. It is unknown whether the aircraft will fly again....
Flying New Jets on Empty Tanks
Finances
By Peter HoneyIt was a terrible year, truly terrible - the worst I have experienced since taking command," says air force chief Lt Gen Roelf Beukes.He's speaking about 2001, when the air force started the year with an R85m (4,4%) budget defi...
SA Air Force may lease bases for civilian use
Finances
IN THE face of increasing budgetary pressure, the SA Air Force is considering extensive plans to partly lease some of its bases for civilian use. Under the plans, prompted by the rising cost of spares and fuel, the Air Force base at Hoedspruit, would...
Army and Air Force fight over nuclear bunker
Finances
The Afrikaans Gauteng daily, Beeld, reports that the SA Army and Air Force are fighting over maintaining a nuclear blast-proof bunker next to Army headquarters in Pretoria. The bunker, built in the 1980's to house the SAAF's command post (it ...
Defence has spent R203m on consultants
Finances
Advice on arms deal cost about R23mParliamentary Editor CAPE TOWN The defence department had spent more than R203m on consultants with about R23m on the strategic defence packages during the past two years, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said yester...
South Africa's defence budget up 15%
Finances
South Africa is boosting its defence budget by 15 percent for the next financial year. The budget is being increased by R2.4 billion (US210 million) to R18.4 billion (US1.6 billion) to pay for the SANDF's arms acquisition programme and its "...
Generals grounding air force
Finances
The air force, and the rest of the defence force, must realise there will never again be a defence budget to waste, say military experts. They will just have to cut costs. Departments that want to make use of Air Force planes will have to pay up. If ...
Fuel shortage grounds air force
Finances
The fuel supply at the Waterkloof Air Force Base is so low that fuel had to be borrowed for some flights recently undertaken by President Thabo Mbeki. Only certain VIP, emergency and emergency maintenance flights can be undertaken. Training flights h...
Arms deal spending may face cutbacks
Finances
Financing the multi billion-rand arms deal would have no effect on the projected 2002/03 budget deficit of 2,6 percent, but the department of defence might have toreassess whether it could afford all tranches of the deal given its budgets for the nex...
SAAF Pilots Course has no CO's!
Finances
Pilots course 99/01 made history when they were presented with their rank not so long ago - the first pupil pilots course in 80 years with no candidate officers (CO's) on course.Towards the end of last year, just after the course had all go...
Tightening your belt around your spine
Finances
Sources say the SANDF has to save R1.2 billion to pay for unbudgeted expenditure, mainly support to the SA Police Service for which the SANDF may not budget. This, they said, would lead to a dramatic cut in flying hours, available flights and ma...
Hired VIP aircraft costing millions
Finances
The SA Air Force has had to spend more than R5 million on hired aircraft in the past month due to President Thabo Mbeki's and Deputy-president Jacob Zuma's external commitments. This because an existing medium range presidential jet is being ...
The Flossie is back!
Finances
The SAAF has re-instated the scheduled flight (Flossie) between AFB Ysterplaat and AFB Waterkloof on a limited scale.The service was halted late last year due to budgetary restrictions....
SAAF to get new Boeing Presidential jet
Finances
A VIP jet costing a total of R408m is to be bought by the SAAF to ferry President Thabo Mbeki and other cabinet ministers to international destinations. It will cost R300m plus an extra R108m for interior fittings.'"With South Africa's r...
SANDF spent R14.02-million in Mozambique
Finances
South African National Defence Force assistance to flood-ravaged Mozambique earlier this month cost R14.02-million (US1.76-million). President Thabo Mbeki told Parliament in a letter this week that 83 SANDF personnel were deployed in Mozambique from ...
New jet for President Mbeki
Finances
The 2001/02 Defence Force budget, announced by Finance Minister Trevor Manual today, has made allowances for a total of R300 million to be spent over the next two years to buy a long-range aircraft to be used mainly by the President.The defence vote ...
Air Force to mothball surplus helicopters?
Finances
While Parliament is probing the Government's controversial R43 billion arms procurement package, the Air Force is considering "storing unused helicopters until they are needed in a few years' time". It says it has surplus helicopter...
VIP flight budget overspent
Finances
Increasing diplomatic intervention in foreign countries, coupled to the declining rand, has been blamed for VIP jets of the Air Force having already begun two months ago to exceed their flight quota for the current financial year.The jets are mainly ...
Armed forces creak to a halt
Finances
A CONFIDENTIAL defence department report has painted a grim picture of decrepit machinery and shortages of ammunition and fuel in South Africa’s armed forces.The reports states that the airforce would have to ground 88 aircraft and 46 helicopte...
Air force rescue budget depleted
Finances
The SAAF maritime search and rescue's annual budget has been depleted after three days searching for a missing skiboat off the Cape south coast.A search by a Dakota, the NSRI and coastal patrols have found no trace of the Jo-Anne which failed to ...
Alouettes fly again, C-130 still in the doldrums
Finances
The SAAF's geriatric Alouette III helicopters, which were temporarily withdrawn from service due to a problem in the supply of rotor blades, are again in service. But units such as 28 Squadron, the Air Force's C130 Hercules-equipped medium ai...
Oryx flying again
Finances
It would appear that the SAAF has allocated funds from other budgets to restore the Oryx to flying status within the past week. It has also renewed a lapsed contract with Denel Aviation to supply depot level spares and maintenance support. ...
Boeing 707's Grounded
Finances
All can now be revealed (well, at least more than I dared report on 17 April!).The SAAF has grounded all five of its B707 EW and flight refuelling aircraft, reportedly because the wrong maintenance schedules have been followed. ...
SAAF Grounds Oryx due to Budget Restrictions
Finances
Lieutenant-General Roelf Beukes, Chief of the Air Force, ordered the grounding this week after the Air Force had tried in vain to get hold of the promised compensation from other State departments, donor countries and world aid organisations for emer...
Airforce in crisis 1
Finances
Due to the severe budget problems the SAAF is experiencing as a result of its operations in Mozambique, all scheduled shuttles (Flossies) between the major bases have been cancelled with effect from 19 April until further notice. Apparently, the mone...
Airforce in crisis 2
Finances
It is rumoured that the entire fleet of a strategic transport and special mission aircraft has been grounded due to problems with the paperwork of spare parts and replacement items. It is unknown whether the aircraft will fly again....
