South African Navy to buy 6 ships worth R2bn

The acquisition of six additional state-of-the-art naval vessels valued at nearly R2-billion and the planned purchase of strategic sealift and sustainment vessel will see the South African navy on track to becoming the continent's most formidable and powerful naval force.

This was revealed during the address on the state of the navy's combat readiness by navy chief, Vice-Admiral Refiloe Mudimu, in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Announcing bold plans to improve the navy's fighting and peacekeeping capabilities, senior naval officers revealed that while the navy had fallen victim to a "major" brain drain and the global economic pinch, it had not lost its ability to achieve its objectives.

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