Two Agusta A109s with the South african flag and the falg of the Air Force during the South African Air Forces Prestige Parade held at Air Force Base Swartkop in Pretoria, 4 February 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) doesn’t have the capacity for a full scale domestic rescue mission, as it’s been crippled by budgetary cuts, the impact of which experts believe will hit home now that they are needed to step in with the flooding in KwaZulu-Natal.
The SANDF was widely lauded for the sterling flood rescue missions launched during the devastation caused by tropical cyclone Idai that left a trail of destruction and death in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe in 2019.
The following year, they earned further respect when pictures of a SANDF soldier dropping from a helicopter to rescue a new-born baby and mother trapped on a tree in Mozambique made headlines.
However, the force has since been stretched thin and most of its fleet of aircraft grounded, while the fiasco involving border control and a soldier being killed while waiting for evacuation in Mozambique have experts lamenting the SANDF’s decline to nothing but a shell of its former self.
Lt-Gen Siphiwe Sangweni, SANDF joint operations chief, on Wednesday told journalists that their current deployment in KwaZulu-Natal involved aircrafts, one of which he said was already in the Durban area.
He said the deployment was handled by joint operations through the security cluster, but confirmed they have been requested to assist and immediately made necessary preparations.
“We are part of the joint operations tasked with planning and preparation. Our part is to assist with aircrafts and we have started moving aircrafts,” he said.
Defence expert Helmoed-Römer Heitman, however, has said the SANDF does not have the rescue capacity it had before and the main shortfall was the shortage of helicopters, particularly the Oryx fleet.
He said 17 of these were reported operational in February, five of which are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while two are in Mozambique, leaving just 10 in the country for all other purposes.
Heitman also said not all of these would be available at all times, as some would be undergoing minor maintenance at the squadrons.
“Add to that that only three A109s were operational and the SAAF is clearly not at full capacity. I think it has enough Caravan aircraft for spotting and monitoring flood lines, but will have to move helicopters from around the country. Army engineers, Navy divers and medics will be able to help,” he said.
According to defence expert and SAAF enthusiast Dean Wingrin, the SAAF was unable to fund the maintenance and operation of its full helicopter fleet due to budgetary shortfalls.
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“The SAAF certainly cannot currently undertake a rescue mission such as when the MTS Oceanos cruise ship sank in 1991, initially due to the downscaling of the SAAF post the Border War, and now further exasperated by the severe funding crisis affecting the entire SANDF.”
Dean Wingrin
He said the situation was so dire, that only about 17 of a fleet of 39 Oryx helicopters were available for operations, and only three of five BK117s were available, while three of 25 A109s were available.
The 15 Squadron, equipped with the A109 LUH light helicopter, Oryx medium helicopter, and the BK117 utility helicopter, is based at the old Durban airport.
Wingrin said the SAAF has been located there since September 1956, and was awaiting funding before moving to King Shaka airport.
“I understand that two BK117 helicopters of 15 Squadron (Charle Flight) based in [Gqeberha] are on their way to Durban to assist with flood relief. A third BK117 is to join later,” Wingrin said.
He said adding to this limited operational availability was the requirement to deploy three Rooivalk attack helicopters and three to four Oryx medium lift helicopters to the UN Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and two Oryx helicopters supporting the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).
Also, Wingrin said, the Oryx, BK117 and A109 fleet were also operated by a number of other SAAF squadrons, which meant the fleet was spread thinly around the country and commitments to the DRC and Mozambique are shared amongst the various SAAF squadrons.
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