The South African Navy (SAN) had ambitious plans for a historic voyage to Russia, but those dreams have been dashed due to a critical issue: lack of maintenance. The cancellation of this voyage not only deals a blow to the country’s prestige but also serves as a stark reminder of the dire state of the SAN’s fleet.
The Ambitious Voyage
The SAN selected the frigate SAS Amatola (F145) as the flag bearer for an extended voyage that would include participating in the Russian Navy anniversary parade in St. Petersburg. This Baltic Sea city, home to the Russian Navy Baltic fleet, was to witness a momentous occasion—the first visit of a South African Navy ship to Russia.
The plan was for SAS Amatola to circumnavigate the African continent, covering approximately 19,000 nautical miles. The frigate would sail along the east coast of Africa, through the Suez Canal, and stop at Alexandria in Egypt. From there, it would proceed through the Mediterranean Sea, the Straits of Gibraltar, the English Channel, and the North Sea before entering the Baltic Sea.
The highlight of the voyage was to be SAS Amatola’s participation in the Russian Navy Anniversary Parade in St. Petersburg at the end of July. As one of the strategic BRICS partner countries, Russia held significant importance for South Africa.
According to a South African-based defence news outlet defenceWeb, SAN Public Relations said the decision to cancel Amatola’s Russian visit was in line with “current defects to the vessel”.
The Harsh Reality
Unfortunately, none of these historic trips will take place. The SAN faces a critical challenge: maintaining its fleet. Traditionally, South Africa boasted the most powerful navy in sub-Saharan Africa, but today, it is a mere shadow of its former self. Government budget cuts have severely impacted the SAN’s ability to keep its vessels seaworthy.
First, The SAS Drakensberg, a pivotal component of the Navy’s fleet, is nearing the end of its operational life, prompting the need for a modern replacement.
An 18 August, 2021 progress report from the South African Department of Defence (DoD) revealed the grim situation. The SAN lacks sufficient funds to refit most of its frigates and submarines, leaving them far from top fighting shape. Only R786 million was allocated for naval vessel refit in the 2021/22 financial year, falling significantly short of the required R1.479 billion.
The underfunding of refit, maintenance, and repair of vessels negatively affects the preparation of naval platforms for force readiness and employment. Without proper maintenance, the SAN cannot achieve its planned sea hours.
The SAN reports ever-diminishing sea hours to Parliament each year. Driven by a declining budget, the Navy has failed to meet its annual sea hour target of 10,000 hours.
The effects of budgets cuts are far-reaching and are now being felt as only one of the four frigates, SAS Amatola, was partially refitted in 2014/15 and only one of the three submarines, SAS Manthatisi, was refitted in 2013/14.
While the three remaining frigates; SAS Isandlwana, SAS Spioenkop, and SAS Mendi; and the submarine and the SAS Queen Modjadji 1; could not be refitted since they became due for it due to funding shortage.
To keep naval vessels available for operations and to extend their service life depend mainly on periodically scheduled refits (major overhauls) of all systems, equipment, and machinery to ensure effective, efficient, and economical combat readiness of the total platform.
“Plans to refit the remaining three frigates and submarine will be finalized based on the availability of progressive funding to enable the phased commencement of their refits. In this regard, it is to be noted that the average cost estimate for a frigate refit amounts to R687 million and that of a submarine refit amounts to R660 million,” the DoD started.
Although, Armscor Dockyard is currently refitting the submarine SAS Charlotte Maxeke and R189 million has been earmarked to ensure the completion of the current refit during the 2023/24 financial year.
South Africa’s once-mighty navy now struggles to patrol its waters, let alone project influence abroad. As the SAN grapples with financial constraints, the dream of a historic voyage to Russia remains unfulfilled. The lesson is clear: neglecting maintenance can sink even the grandest of ambitions.
This funding challenge is not localized to the South African Navy alone, so far, financial woes continue to imped South African military’s readiness. For year’s, the SANDF has been grappling with severe budget cuts which have been negatively impacting it’s operational efficiency. The air force has been unable to keep entire Hawk and Gripen fleets flying, and opted to place half of the Gripen fleet in ‘rotational storage’ in WaterKloof Air Force base.
Two of the South African Air Force helicopter types– the Oryx transport and Rooivalk attack helicopter are largely grounded, with only a handful serviceable at present. For the landward force, there is a maintenance backlog for the G5 and G6 artillery and Samil trucks.