TimesLive reports that a food supply crisis‚ which potentially affected hundreds of soldiers from military bases across the country‚ was caused by a new government procurement system.  

Food to bases in Mpumalanga‚ Gauteng‚ and Limpopo began running low from Sunday‚ with base commanders ordering troops to return home because they could not be fed.  Soldiers‚ who have monies deducted from their salaries for accommodation and food‚ were forced to pay for their own transport home.  Scores who could not afford to go home were left both stranded and hungry.  The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) on Wednesday revealed that a new electronic procurement system had resulted in certain food suppliers being unable to make their deliveries.  Among the bases affected were those situated in Zeerust‚ Doornkop‚ Middelburg and Mafikeng.  The crisis appears for now to have been averted after a meeting was held on Wednesday between the SA National Defence Union (Sandu) and the SANDF.

• Read this report by Khanyi Ndabeni‚ Aphiwe Deklerk And Graeme Hosken in full at TimesLive
• See too, Soldiers go hungry due to new electronic procurement system, at News24

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page