Defence minister seeking a suitable Armscor chairman

724

The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans confirmed the resignation of Armscor chairman retired vice admiral Johannes Mudimu.

In response to a defenceWeb question the Ministry confirmed his resignation adding “since then the deputy chair has been acting” and that “a process is currently underway to appoint a replacement”.

In addition to finding a suitable successor to the retired Navy chief, who cited ill-health as the reason for his resignation, Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula also has to come up with suitable candidates to monitor the workings of the Defence Industry Sector Charter Council.

The council officially came into being when it was gazetted by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies last November. This was six months after it was signed off by Mapisa-Nqakula. The code flows from the National Defence Industry Council (NDIC) where it was agreed a team would develop a sector code. A team comprising the Department of Defence (DoD), Armscor and SA Aerospace Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) among others was established to drive consultation, negotiation and drafting of the sector code.

According to a Trade and Industry Department statement the defence sector code aims to give effect to the constitutionally enshrined right to equality by addressing systemic past exclusion of black people from participating in the economy.

Monitoring and implementation of the code is in the hands of a still to be named Sector Charter Council. The process to select suitable people and approach them to serve is a task handed to Mapisa-Nqakula. According to the Defence and Military Veterans Ministry it is also “underway”.

Following Mudimu’s resignation soon after last year’s Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition at AFB Waterkloof, Armscor board meetings have been chaired by deputy chair, former South African ambassador to France and UNESCO, Thuthukile Skweyiya.