Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

19 percent short of the target but eight percent more than two yearsago, navy chief Vice Admiral Refiloe Mudimu said on Tuesday. The eight percent Asian complement still exceeded the target by six percent, while the 25 percent figure of coloured members had to be brought down by 10 percent, he told reporters in Pretoria. Twenty-six percent of uniformed personnel were white -- three percent more than the eventual goal. Mudimu said care was being taken to meet targets without compromising combat readiness. "Provision has been made for concerted mentoring and focused and directed fast-tracking, particularly within the combat and technical fields where the African component remains significantly under-represented." Some short-term targets included the appointment of two female officers in command of ships -- one a mine countermeasure vessel and the other a strike craft, he said. The female component of uniformed navy personnel was currently at 16 percent -- three percent higher than in 2003. Female attendance of the Gordons Bay Naval College's military officers training course had increased significantly this year, Mudimu said. Achievements in the recent past included the appointment of the first female Flag Officer and the qualification of the first black female diver. "These achievements will hopefully spur other women within the organisation on to greater heights." Mudimu pointed out that the SA Navy's share of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) budget had increased by "only" R200 million from the 2003/04 financial year. It got R1.27 billion or 9.9 percent of the SANDF's R12.8 billion budget for 2005/06. Fifty-six percent of the navy's budget would be spent on personnel costs -- a reduction of 7.5 percent from 2003/04, Mudimu said. The navy had made good progress despite budget limitations, he added.