South Africa Navy Chief Slams Budget Cuts as Submariners Mourned

The deaths of three South African Navy submariners in an accident at sea sent shockwaves through the country, Daily Maverick reports.

On Wednesday September 28, 2023, family, friends and colleagues paid tribute to the fallen officers: Master Warrant Officer William Mathipa, Warrant Officer Class One Mokwapa Mojela, and Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector.

The three were among several submariners who were swept overboard by high waves while conducting a vertical transfer using an air force helicopter while on board the SAS 'Manthatisi. The submarine was just off Kommetjie, in Cape Town, when the incident occurred on Wednesday, September 20. Rescue operations saved the lives of five personnel.

Speaking at the memorial service in Cape Town, chief of the South African Navy Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese made a clarion call to the government to cease continual maritime defence budget cuts. "The SANDF, and the SA Navy, has for too long suffered with constant reductions in our budget. Although our budget is cut every year, our constitutional mandate is not reduced in any way. We are still expected to make miracles with the little money that we have," he said.

AllAfrica reported earlier that Hector was Africa's first woman to qualify as a submarine navigator.