Antipiracy operations in the Mozambique Channel
The cash-strapped South African National Defence Force will get an extra R81m from the Treasury this financial year to fund its antipiracy operations in the Mozambique Channel.
The infamous piracy off the coast of Somalia has been steadily moving south into the Mozambique Channel, forcing SA to deploy a frigate to patrol the area in conjunction with the Mozambique Defence Force. The medium-term budget policy statement says the budget for the defence and criminal justice cluster of departments has increased from R93bn in 2008-09 to R123bn in this financial year and that it will increase to R150bn by the end of the medium-term expenditure framework in 2014-15.
The adjusted estimates tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan yesterday show that despite the additional allocation, the Department of Defence will spend R255m less than was originally budgeted in February. The statement notes that the bulk of the funding will go to paying personnel, because of the labour-intensive nature of the defence force, the police and the Department of Correctional Services.
There has been a R600m saving on the strategic defence procurement programme because of delays in the supply of equipment. The statement says: “Over the (medium-term expenditure framework) period, investigative capacity in the criminal justice sector will be strengthened, as well as the control of the country’s borders.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act (comes into effect), allowing for the transformation of the Independent Complaints Directorate into an agency tasked with investigating police misconduct and offences, but with a broader focus on additional categories of serious and priority crimes.”
The police get an extra R489m to pay remuneration increases not budgeted for in February. An extra R127m was given to correctional services for the same reason.
Source: Business Day website
