On Friday 25 August, the South African Army’s prime mission equipment refurbishment came to a close at the Department of Defence (DoD) Mobilisation Centre, formerly known as De Brug.
The purpose of the operation is the refurbishing of military equipment that would previously have been deemed “obsolete and unserviceable”.
To celebrate its success, the media was invited to witness the vast quantity of resuscitated vehicles that will be utilised at the upcoming Exercise Vukuhlome. The Commander of the South African Landward Force, Lieutenant General Lawrence Khulekani Mbatha, saw the need to prioritise the cutting of costs in a time where the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is seeing a restriction on their budget. While the Navy and Air Force received strategic defence packages, the South African Army were not afforded such luxury.
Chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Rudzani Maphwanya, who addressed the attendees, explained that “the army had to make do with what they had”. He went on to say that “within the budget, and all constraints that we have, we still need to fulfil the mandate of providing defence and protection, as well as the territorial integrity of the RSA”. The challenges did not deter them but rather encouraged the army to find new ways of improving their fleet. “We set out to find ways of being self-sufficient and sustaining our old fleet,” said General Maphwanya. “We are no longer going to find ourselves wanting.”
In the midst of the hundreds of recently refurbished SA Army Casspirs, Mambas, Samil 50s, Field Stoves, and Unimogs, the success story of this operation was told. Hundreds of vehicles that form an essential part of the country’s Defence Force were repaired and resuscitated by willing and able members of the South African Army Technical Service Corps. These young technicians learnt their trade and garnered experience through Foreign Learning Opportunities (FLO) with Cuba.
Vehicles that once would not have been considered for use have been restored to their former glory and are up and running, and fit for use once more. The SA Army’s repair project resulted in a massive saving of military funds. Lieutenant General Mbatha elaborated on the savings, stating, “we initially started by saying ‘millions’, but we were told by industry that the savings are in the perimeter of billions”.
The “Big Launch” departed from the DoD Mobilisation Centre and made its way to the South African Combat Training Centre (CTC) formerly known as Lohatla, on the outskirts of Kathu and Postmasburg. “This is part of the journey to greatness, and we are already on our way towards the destination of achieving it and be able to defend our people without hesitation,” General Maphwanya stated.
The operation sets a precedent that the SANDF can be a self-sufficient entity that can maintain its own vehicles and equipment in a time where budget constraints are a concern. The South African Landward Force’s ingenuity and enterprise has saved South African taxpayers billions of rands, and will continue to do so in the future, as the SANDF aims to become more self-sufficient.
Warren Hawkins
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