The move of the SA National War College (SANWC) to premises in Centurion’s Irene, briefly in the national spotlight when the Defence and Military Veterans Minister was held hostage by disgruntled veterans there, is a reality but questions and possible repercussions remain.
The college, previously based on the northern side of the Pretoria CBD, apparently had to relocate with a lease expiry looming, Minister Thandi Modise said in a written reply to a Parliamentary question.
It reads, in part: “The decision was taken by the Military Command Council (MCC) of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) prior to expiring of the lease agreement that the SANWC must relocate to a facility conducive to training”.
This saw the Department of Defence (DoD) Logistics Division “commence a search for a suitable facility”, Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister for Modise’s portfolio was told. Among “facilities” investigated but found unsuitable were the upmarket Leriba Lodge in Centurion and the Telkom Learning Centre in Clayville, Midrand.
Her response continues: “It was only the St George’s Hotel that was most suitable after it was put on the market”.
Just on a year ago, a month before Modise and her deputy Thabang Makwetla were held hostage by disgruntled military veterans calling themselves the Liberation Struggle War Veterans (LSWV), the SA Army Foundation was appointed to facilitate “acquisition” of the hotel. This route was followed because the Clubview, Centurion-based foundation has “trading expertise not available in the SANDF”.
Modise acknowledged Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) “processes” were not followed. This, probably as a result of Marais’ questioning, will see Secretary for Defence Gladys Kudjoe and SANDF Chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, “rectify the process and take the necessary action against members who flouted the processes”.
The Ministerial response is not clear on whether the hotel, often used by the majority party for high level conferences and meetings before its liquidation, is now owned by the DoD or whether the defence budget has another monthly rental to pay, albeit to replace rental on the Pretoria CBD property.
The St George’s Hotel move was necessitated, according to Modise, because “the DoD does not have a facility that can be utilised for the War College”.
In its original guise the Struben Street building was the Boulevard Hotel before it was apparently rented to the Department of Correctional Services for use as a college. This arrangement did not last long with the DoD/SANDF moving in.
