EWN reports that Cyril Xaba, chairperson of parliament’s joint Standing Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, has warned that if state-owned arms manufacturer Denel collapses, so will the country’s multibillion-rand defence industry.

Xaba was addressing a National Assembly sitting on Thursday where MPs considered the committee’s report on engagements with the defence industry. Members like Xaba painted a bleak picture of the state of Denel and how this could affect other companies in the sector. He said the country should enhance its defence capabilities and Denel should be a key focus. “The committee welcomes the turnaround strategy to reposition Denel and other measures taken to intervene in its affairs. Denel must be saved. If it goes down, it will go down with parts of the defence industry,” Xaba warned. The Democratic Alliance’s Sarel Marais agreed with Xaba, saying the declining defence budget was the biggest challenge facing the sector. “It seems little to no political will exists to rescue this industry and to recoup the defence force to protect our nation in a sustainable manner,” he lamented

• Read the original of the short report in the above regard by Babalo Ndenze at EWN

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