Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The statement issued yesterday follows revelations from Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota earlier this week, in reply to a parliamentary question from DA MP Rafiek Shah, that some suspensions had been for almost six years and had cost R10,9m in the past three financial years.

Shah said Lekota had indicated that "42 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are currently under suspension on full pay, and that a significant number of them have been suspended for more than one year. The average length of time for which members are suspended on full pay is more than two years, and the South African army appears to be the worst offender. Two people at rank level 9, for example, have been suspended for almost six years on full pay.

"The SANDF has spent a total of R10907429 on suspended members' salaries over the past three financial years: an average of R3,6m each year. This is an astonishing waste of money that could have been better spent on training and equipment, which are currently in perilously short supply. It is unacceptable that it should take this long for the SANDF to process and conclude its disciplinary matters, particularly since its suspended members are able to enjoy full remuneration -- at the government's expense -- for periods of years rather than months."

He said that for any member to be suspended for more than a year also indicated that there were serious problems with the effectiveness and efficiency of the military disciplinary system.

Shah said Lekota's reply showed that the most senior officer suspended on full pay held the rank of brigadier-general or rear-admiral and that this had been for a period of four years and two months.

At the rank of colonel or naval captain were two officers who had been suspended for five years and nine months, and for five years and eight months.

"The DA calls for a full review of the military justice system and will be pursuing this matter further at Parliament," Shah said.