Minister fires Armscor chairman and deputy

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula (Image: GCIS)

The dismissals at the state-owned arms procurement agency‚ which are effective immediately‚ follow delays in crucial decisions that have stalled a R9bn manufacturing production contract for a new infantry fighting vehicle by Denel Land Systems (DLS).

Defence secretary Sam Gulube told journalists in June that the contract for the Badger infantry vehicle had been approved in February.

The paperwork was with Armscor‚ which was expected to send it out shortly after to DLS‚ the main contractor in the defence industry.

Mapisa-Nqakula said in a statement that she had informed the board of her decision to terminate the services of its chairman‚ retired Lt-Gen Maomela Motau‚ who is a former chief of defence intelligence and his deputy‚ Refiloe Mokoena‚ who is a corporate compliance executive at Telkom.

The minister said her decision was made to enable Armscor to deliver effectively on its objectives and mandate as stipulated in the Armscor Act.

Concerns expressed

However‚ in the most recent Armscor annual report‚ Lt-Gen Motau had expressed concern that the state armaments corporation could cease to exist if a proposal in former defence minister Roelf Meyer's draft defence review was implemented.

He said Armscor had struggled in recent times‚ noting that‚ "the once glorious Armscor‚ that driver of technological advancement in the South African economy‚ that bastion of innovation‚ that flagship of strategic capabilities of the South African National Defence Force‚ was now a mere shadow of its former self".

Lt-Gen Motau also said Armscor had become "a mere spectator" in decision-making on arms acquisitions.

He challenged the board to decide whether it would "preside over the continuing decline of the corporation's role and influence or take it to a higher plane to reclaim its legislated position".

Sonwabo Mbananga‚ spokesman for Mapisa-Nqakula‚ said the minister would fill three current vacancies on the board‚ which already had been without one of its members.

"Only once the full complement of the board is in place will the minister designate a new chairman and a deputy from among the members of the board to serve the remainder of its term of office‚" he said.

It is anticipated that the appointment of the new board members and its leadership will be finalised by the end of September.

Mbananga said the minister believed that there would be no disruption in the functions of the board in the meantime as it still had nine serving members.

"Section 9(4) of the act provides that if both the chairperson and the deputy are absent from a meeting of the board‚ the non-executive members present must elect a nonexecutive member to act as a chairperson at a meeting‚" he said.