“The latest senior appointments in the South African National Defence Force places the spot light on the problems on the country’s armed forces and emphasises how expertise is made subservient to politically correctness in appointments,” Dr. Pieter Groenewald, the Freedom Front Plus’ chief spokesperson on Defence says.
According to Dr. Groenewald, it is well-known that the Defence Force is castigated by budget deficits, a lack of experience, expertise and discipline which largely contributes to the problems in the Defence Force.
“The appointment of Vice Admiral Samuel Hlongwane as the new SA Navy chief is a good example of this. Hlongwane is a counter intelligence officer with no combat or operational experience and he has no expertise with regards to the Navy.
“Rear Admiral Hanno Teutenberg who was passed over for this position and has been appointed as deputy chief of the Navy in contrast is a seasoned officer with decades of experience and even as a submarine officer.
“In other cases, individuals such as Maj-gen. Nontobeko Mpaxa, who had committed various offences such as drunk-driving and unlawful conduct against subordinates, were promoted.
“These types of appointments is counter-productive for the morale and discipline in the Defence Force, as it is clear for all members that hard work, expertise and discipline are not necessarily rewarded,” Dr. Groenewald said.
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