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The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans heard from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) yesterday that 13 soldiers have died over the past couple of weeks. The committee was briefed yesterday by the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) and the Department of Defence on the Budgetary Review and Recommendations Report (BRRR).
 
The SANDF used the opportunity provided by the briefing to tell the committee about the recent fire at the Combat Training Centre at Lohatla in the Northern Cape that resulted in the loss of six lives. The SANDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Michael Ramantswana informed the committee that equipment was also lost, including 12 Casspir armoured personnel carriers and 14 other army vehicles.
 
Meanwhile, a board of inquiry has been established to investigate the cause of the fire. The committee has recommended that it would like to be briefed on the board’s findings once the investigations are completed.
 
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Cyril Xaba, said that the committee continues to keep the families of the deceased soldiers in their prayers. These events occurred against the backdrop of the continued budget cuts in the SANDF, he said.
 
The committee resolved to engage with the Joint Standing Committee on Defence on undertaking a joint oversight visit to the Lohatla training camp in the Northern Cape for a first-hand assessment of the extent of the damage and its impact on training activities.

Issued by the Parliamentary communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Cyril Xaba