City Press reports that despite past challenges with contracts involving Cuba, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) is determined to proceed with a new plan to use Cuban technicians for vehicle maintenance.

According to previous findings by the Auditor-General (AG), the SANDF had recorded irregular contracts with Cuba worth about R1.7 billion. A similar prior agreement relating to Cuban mechanics, called Project Thusano, will now be revived in a new form as Project Kgala. In a presentation to the joint parliamentary defence committee, the military revealed that Thusano had cost them R3 billion over 10 years. The new ‘cost-saving’ five-year contract is estimated to be worth R537 million. However, Thusano also had optimistic financial projections, yet ultimately resulted in significant additional expenses. Neither the first nor the second Thusano contracts complied with Treasury regulations. The AG found that repairing vehicles through the Cubans had cost the SANDF nearly four times more than if SA’s local industry had handled the repairs. But, Defence Minister Angie Motshekga insisted that Thusano had not been a failure, arguing that local industries had failed to adequately maintain prime mission vehicles, leaving the military stranded with broken equipment and a loss of expertise.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Erika Gibson at City Press (subscription / trial registration required)

Get other news reports at the SA LabourNews home page