DA wants clarity on the spy satellite


Loyiso Langeni
19 January 2014

The Democratic Alliance has called on Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to come clean about the seemingly failed development of a Kondor-E radar imaging investigation satellite, at the cost of more than R1 billion, by Defence Intelligence.

DA Shadow Minister of Defence & Military Veterans David Maynier said the contract to develop the Kondor-E satellite was frozen for a period, sometime before 2008, by the Department of Defence, causing NPO Mashinostroyenia to threaten legal action, and delaying the launch of the SumbandilaSat, produced by South Africa.

“We need to know how it is that Defence Intelligence entered into a contract, to finance a Russian company, to develop a radar imaging reconnaissance satellite, at the cost of more than R1 billion, over which they would have no control, and which has probably never been launched.” Maynier added.

He concluded by saying that he will request Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to make a statement about the apparently bungled R1 billion development of a Kondor-E radar imaging reconnaissance satellite by the Defence Intelligence in Parliament

 

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