Denel staggers on!

Nice place if it wasn't for some of the locals
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TheGreenGoblin
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Denel staggers on!

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:15 pm

Terry Crawford-Browne
The ANC and its militarist hangers-on just would not listen when it became glaringly evident during the 1994/95 Cameron Commission of Inquiry that Denel could NEVER be economically viable, and that Denel should have been immediately disbanded. The late Joe Modise insisted in Parliament in 1999 that Denel would be the prime beneficiary of the arms deal offset "benefits" amounting to R110 billion.

As predicted, the "benefits" never materialised, and were merely an instrument to pay bribes -- of which Modise's advisor Fana Hlongwane plus the so-called white "greasy brotherhood" at Armscor led by the late Ron Haywood and Llew Swan were the main beneficiaries.

As Andrew Feinstein related in his book After The Party, even Trevor Manuel recognised that Modise was irredeemably corrupt. Modise was a one-time township gangster, Thabo Mbeki however, had depended on Modise's support to become president, and no one in the Cabinet including Manuel had the guts to stand up to Modise or Mbeki.

The late CEO of Denel, Victor Moche told Parliament in 2004 that Armscor had foisted the DIP contracts onto Denel, which was losing money on 80% of them. Moche was fired by Alec Erwin (by then Minister of Public Enterprises) within three months for his honesty but indiscretion.

Just when will the current minister Pravin Gordhan stop pouring public money down that Denel drain?

South Africa is now in desperate straits because of the corruption that Modise, Mbeki, Erwin, Manuel and Siqcau inflicted on this country. President Cyril Ramaphosa and Gordhan: have you no balls or the guts to put Denel into liquidation?

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Re: Denel staggers on!

#2 Post by tango15 » Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:29 am

Strange as it may seem GG, a subject close to my heart. Denel were our main competitor when I was a merchant of death and there were often cries of 'foul' in the OMC offices. It was felt that Denel were handed contracts without any form of bidding process, while OMC had to fight for every deal. Of course, the irony of this was that when BAe took over Alvis (thus making me redundant) they then sold OMC off to Denel!

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Re: Denel staggers on!

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri Oct 29, 2021 2:12 am

tango15 wrote:
Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:29 am
Strange as it may seem GG, a subject close to my heart. Denel were our main competitor when I was a merchant of death and there were often cries of 'foul' in the OMC offices. It was felt that Denel were handed contracts without any form of bidding process, while OMC had to fight for every deal. Of course, the irony of this was that when BAe took over Alvis (thus making me redundant) they then sold OMC off to Denel!
Denel were cosseted by the Nat government, and a lack of true governance and due process (despite the appearance thereof ;))) ) was built into the system, as you clearly know. Now in the post Nat world and with the ANC kleptrocrats in power, the whole the edifice, rotten to the core, as it was even before the current regime came to power, has collapsed, or is collapsing, like so many other things, in my benighted homeland!

By all rights Denel OMC should be very profitable with some good export products but... (don't get me going).... ;)))

OMC would have been better off with BAe. A good friend of mine finished his contract with BAe in Saudi yesterday. He is being moved out of his compound today and flies back to SA, on Sunday, facing enforced retirement at 60 years old. The grave yawns wider by the day. =))

Talking of the Vickers, Alvis incorporation into the BAe, my better half's brother in law, really nice guy, did his apprenticeship with Alvis in the 60's but took early retirement after they were swallowed by the BAe behemoth. He is really old school and now spends his day in his workshop turning out exquisitely crafted parts for the two Alvis cars he is restoring. The depth of talent that has been wasted and will be lost when his generation dies out is beyond measure.
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Your destination remains
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Re: Denel staggers on!

#4 Post by tango15 » Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:15 am

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Fri Oct 29, 2021 2:12 am
tango15 wrote:
Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:29 am
Strange as it may seem GG, a subject close to my heart. Denel were our main competitor when I was a merchant of death and there were often cries of 'foul' in the OMC offices. It was felt that Denel were handed contracts without any form of bidding process, while OMC had to fight for every deal. Of course, the irony of this was that when BAe took over Alvis (thus making me redundant) they then sold OMC off to Denel!
Denel were cosseted by the Nat government, and a lack of true governance and due process (despite the appearance thereof ;))) ) was built into the system, as you clearly know. Now in the post Nat world and with the ANC kleptrocrats in power, the whole the edifice, rotten to the core, as it was even before the current regime came to power, has collapsed, or is collapsing, like so many other things, in my benighted homeland!

By all rights Denel OMC should be very profitable with some good export products but... (don't get me going).... ;)))

OMC would have been better off with BAe. A good friend of mine finished his contract with BAe in Saudi yesterday. He is being moved out of his compound today and flies back to SA, on Sunday, facing enforced retirement at 60 years old. The grave yawns wider by the day. =))

Talking of the Vickers, Alvis incorporation into the BAe, my better half's brother in law, really nice guy, did his apprenticeship with Alvis in the 60's but took early retirement after they were swallowed by the BAe behemoth. He is really old school and now spends his day in his workshop turning out exquisitely crafted parts for the two Alvis cars he is restoring. The depth of talent that has been wasted and will be lost when his generation dies out is beyond measure.
That's exactly what I thought when I worked with them. One of my jobs was to find new markets in Europe and elsewhere for their products, many of which were innovative. The OMC guys were a very competent group of people at all levels, and were much respected with the organisation.

Totally agree re the skills aspect, too. There were a lot of talented people in Alvis/Vickers on the land systems side, all of whom were thrown on the scrapheap. Their arguably best product, the Challenger 2 tank, is now due for major overhaul/replacement, with the OEM out of business and no-one competent to do it, eye-watering amounts of money will be required to address this.

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Re: Denel staggers on!

#5 Post by Woody » Mon Nov 01, 2021 8:32 am

When all else fails, read the instructions.

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Re: Denel staggers on!

#6 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Nov 02, 2021 1:16 pm

Who woulda thunk this back in the 70's...
A seven-strong group of SA Air Force (SAAF) pupil pilots working on aviation skills including piloting fighters, attack helicopters and transports are recipients of qualifications from the Russian Air Force.

According to a SA National Defence Force (SANDF) report by Major Mpho Mathebula of SAAF Corporate Services, the seven candidate officers left South Africa in 2015 for advanced aviation training. They are Moshe Malete, Mohau Mphaka, Mashaka Nengovhela, Thato Letshwene, Jacob Diseko, Peter Kobbie and Phuti Moloto.

The “qualifications”, presumably the Russian equivalent of pilot’s wings and half-wings for navigators, were presented to the South Africans during a parade at Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School.

In addition to time at Krasnodar, the SAAF seven spent time training at Syzran Higher Military Aviation School and Chelyabinsk Military Aviation Institute of Navigators. Some of the SAAF pupes trained as pilots while others learnt the finer arts of air traffic management and aviation combat control during their more than five years in Russia.

In addition to congratulating the SAAF seven, CAF Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo said the South Africans flew both the national and SAAF flags high while away from home.

SAAF students are undergoing flight training in Cuba (pilot, aviation technical and aviation engineering). Since August 75 SAAF staff have been in Cuba and will be there until 2024-2026.
Not even a token white face... =))

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It is racist I tell you... =))
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

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