The South African Navy has announced an ambitious plan to send its ships on several long and unprecedented voyages in 2024, as part of its international engagements and maritime diplomacy.
The first of these voyages will be undertaken by the frigate SAS Amatola, which will circumnavigate the African continent, covering approximately 19,000 nautical miles in the process. This will be the first time that a South African Navy ship has achieved this feat since 1994.
The crew of SAS Amatola, who came up with creative ways to repair their ship after it became inoperable a few years ago, will be rewarded with this historic opportunity. The frigate will sail along the east coast of Africa, through the Suez Canal and to Alexandria in Egypt. Then it will proceed through the Mediterranean Sea, the Straits of Gibraltar, the English Channel, the North Sea and enter the Baltic Sea.
The highlight of this voyage will be the participation of SAS Amatola in the Russian Navy Anniversary Parade in St Petersburg at the end of July. This will mark the first visit of a South African Navy ship to Russia, who is one of the strategic BRICS partner countries.
On its return journey, SAS Amatola will sail along the west coast of Africa, refueling and exercising with various African countries. The frigate is expected to complete its voyage by the end of 2024.
The second voyage will be carried out by the logistics vessel SAS Drakensberg, which will make a diplomatic visit to Cuba, another key ally of South Africa. The Navy Chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, said that this voyage will prove that the South African Navy can fulfil its international obligations and that it is a player in the international maritime arena.
SAS Drakensberg will also make a port call in Brazil on its way back, to exercise with the Brazilian Navy and to possibly uplift essential equipment needed by the SA Navy.
Vice Admiral Lobese revealed these plans while addressing a 20 years long service medal parade in Simons Town on 29 February. He also expressed his desire to send a South African Navy ship to the next edition of Exercise Milan in India in 2026. He said that India and South Africa are very close partners and share many political, economic, cultural and historical connections. He added that the relationship between the two navies must grow from strength to strength.
These international voyages will be in addition to the domestic deployments and operations that the SA Navy will conduct in 2024. The Navy Chief emphasised that the plan is to ensure that all of the ships get the opportunity to do international voyages, as there are many countries who are willing to exercise with the SA Navy. He said that South Africa is part of the international community and that these maritime diplomacy missions go a long way to build cooperation with all the countries who are friends of South Africa.
To foster and grow this cooperation, the South African Navy will also host the Sea Power for Africa Symposium in Cape Town from 14 to 18 October this year. This symposium will see chiefs of navies of all African countries being invited, as well as all BRICS members and those countries that the SA Navy regularly exercises with. Other government departments who operate in the maritime space, as well as representatives from industry and academics will also be invited, according to Vice Admiral Lobese.
Traditionally, South Africa used to boast the most powerful navy in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, however, the South African Navy is a shadow of its former self. Government budgeteers have repeatedly, and excessively, cut their funding. Now, it can barely patrol its waters, much less project South African influence abroad.
An 18 August 2021 progress report from the South African Department of Defence (DoD) presented at a Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) meeting explains that the South African Navy (SAN) does not have enough funds to refit most of its frigates and submarines to keep them in top fighting shape.
Subsequently, in April last year, the SAN was allocated a substantial sum of R1.4 billion to undertake a refit of its submarine and frigate fleet. This investment comes at a critical time for the country’s naval forces, as they seek to modernize their capabilities and ensure readiness for future maritime challenges