11 new generals will make SANDF top-heavy – DA
The defence ministry has rejected a suggestion that the appointment of 11 new brigadier-generals and two rear admirals was adding to a “top-heavy” South African National Defence Force.
In a statement released yesterday, DA spokesperson on defence, Rafeek Shah, said that the SANDF had too many generals in relation to the number of men and women in uniform – a case of “too many chiefs and too few Indians”.
Shah questioned the new appointments announced by Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota this week, saying that they were “likely to add further weight to the already top-heavy structure of the SANDF”.
But yesterday ministerial spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said all 13 personnel had been promoted into existing posts and that no new posts had been created for them.
Eight of the 13 people promoted were women.
Shah had raised concerns that too many senior people would have serous implications for remuneration costs and questioned whether there was sufficient work available to justify the appointment of more senior staff.
“The top-heavy structure of the SANDF is in excess of international trends where there are fewer generals relative to the number of troops on the ground,” Shah said.
On Monday Lekota said that the promotion of the eight women to the rank of brigadier-general was a step towards attaining a truly representative national defence force.
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28 Juin 2007 à 15:54 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
