Latest news with #SASManthatisi
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
SAS Manthatisi tragedy: Widower of deceased SA Navy commander wants answers
CAPE TOWN - The widower of a SA Navy commander who died after going overboard from a submarine in stormy seas off the coast of Kommetjie wants answers. Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector and two other officers, master warrant officer William Mathipa and Warrant Officer Mokwapa Mojela, died during the incident on 20 September 2023. Hector's widower, Commander Romero Hector, who is also an SA Navy officer, says he's ready to approach the courts to establish the truth about what transpired on that day. The SA Navy's chief, Monde Lobese, presented the findings of a board of inquiry into the tragic incident a year after the officers perished at sea. The report stated the SAS Manthatisi crew followed their code of conduct and were simply at the right place at the wrong time. Hector says he approached his superiors for full disclosure of the report after suspecting negligence and foul play, but was met with red tape. "After I put pressure, with me and my lawyer asking for this, they wrote me a letter saying that the board has reconvened due to new evidence that came forward." Hector says the findings of the second inquiry were classified late last year. DA CALLS FOR DECLASSIFICATION OF SA NAVY REPORT The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Department of Defence to declassify a SA Navy report related to the SAS Manthatisi submarine tragedy that resulted in the death of three officers. Hector was the first female to qualify in her position and was on the verge of becoming the first female commanding officer in the SA Navy. The DA's parliamentary spokesperson on defence and military veterans, Chris Hattingh, says evidence shows serious failures in planning and operational oversight contributed to the SAS Manthatisi submarine tragedy. Despite clear weather warnings on 20 September 2023, says Hattingh, the exercise proceeded, ignoring critical safety board of inquiry reconvened after new evidence came to light, but its findings were classified late last year. "This wall of secrecy by defence intelligence and the Department of Defence is a disgrace. Our armed forces deserve transparency, accountability and above all justice." The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (widely known as the Hawks) has confirmed an investigation into the incident is underway. The SA Navy has indicated it will respond later on Wednesday.
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Board of inquiry wraps up investigation into SAS Manthatisi tragedy
Ntuthuzelo Nene 9 July 2025 | 12:32 From left to right, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, Commander Charles Phokane and the late Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector. Picture: Supplied/SA Navy CAPE TOWN - A board of inquiry probing the deadly 2023 incident involving a South African Navy submarine off the Cape coast has wrapped up its investigation. Three sailors were killed and a senior officer critically injured when they were washed off the deck of the submarine SAS Manthatisi. READ: SAS Manthatisi tragedy: Widower of deceased SA Navy commander wants answers At the time, the defence department said the crew conducting a vertical transfer (VERTREP) exercise with a South African Air Force Lynx helicopter off Kommetjie was swept off the deck by high waves. The submarine was on its way to Simons Town in Cape Town to take part in a mini navy festival. An inquiry was launched to determine the cause of the tragic incident. SA Navy spokesperson, Theo Mabina, said the report had now been handed over to the Hawks for further investigation. "This meeting and engagement with the Hawks underscores the Navy's commitment to transparency, cooperation and accountability, as the chief of the SA Navy has always maintained that the organisation will, within the confines of the laws and regulations, communicate the outcomes of the board whenever the need arises."
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- General
- Eyewitness News
SA Navy to cooperate with Hawks as it investigates SAS Manthatisi tragedy
CAPE TOWN - The South African Navy says it will cooperate with the Hawks as it investigates the cause of a 2023 tragedy involving a navy submarine off the Cape coast. Three sailors died and a senior officer was seriously injured when they were washed off the deck of the submarine, SAS Manthatisi. READ: Board of inquiry wraps up investigation into SAS Manthatisi tragedy It's understood that the crew was conducting a vertical transfer (vertrep) exercise with a South African Air Force Lynx helicopter off Kommetjie at the time of the incident. The South African Navy subsequently convened a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the deadly incident. That investigation has now been concluded. SA Navy spokesperson, Theo Mabina, said that they met with the Hawks on Tuesday to hand over the board of inquiry's report. "The engagements were meant to assist the Hawks with their ongoing investigations into the tragic incident wherein the SA Navy lost three of its submariners following a vertical transfer exercise between SAS Manthatisi and SA Air Force maritime Lynx helicopter in September 2023." At the time of the incident, the submarine was on its way to Simons Town in Cape Town to take part in a mini navy festival.
