SAAF helicopter crisis: money for VIP flights but not for regular flights?

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, must explain why things have been allowed to deteriorate to the extent that the South African Air Force's (SAAF) Agusta 109 light utility helicopters have effectively been grounded.

Thirty Agusta 109 helicopters were purchased at the cost of approximately R 1.95 billion as part of the arms deal to replace the SAAF's 40-year old Alouette helicopter. 

However, just 14 years later the Agusta 109 helicopters are reportedly effectively grounded. 

The budget for the SAAF's "helicopter capability" has been slashed from R915 million in 2012/13 to R 769 million in 2013/14. 

Because of this only 71 flying hours have reportedly been allocated to the operational fleet of approximately 20 Agusta 109 helicopters. 

This means that there are reportedly insufficient flying hours to actually fly the Agusta 109 helicopters. 

The 18 Agusta 109 pilots are reportedly not able to fly the minimum number of hours required to maintain their qualifications  

The situation is so bad that there are rumours that a large proportion of the Agusta 109 light utility helicopters will have to be put into long-term storage.

Ironically, there seems to be no shortage of funds to transport VIPs  - including President Jacob Zuma and the minister - on helicopters operated by the SAAF. 

Between 2009/10 and 2012/13 the SAAF undertook 590 helicopter flights for VIP's at the cost of R50.9 million. 

Many of these helicopter flights were to shuttle President Jacob Zuma from Durban International Airport to his private residence at Nkandla.

The minister herself recently used a military helicopter to "jet in" to deal with a party-political crisis in Tlokwe. 

The SAAF are in danger of being reduced to an airborne taxi service for VIPs.

We cannot go on like this and have to get to the bottom of what is really going on in the SAAF. 

I will therefore:  

• submit detailed parliamentary questions probing the crisis in the SAAF's helicopter capability; and 
• write to Jerome Maake, Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, requesting him to schedule a meeting on the crisis in the SAAF.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, July 24 2013

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter