DA: Russian spy satellite project was never cancelled

Oscar Thomas
26 October 2014

DA Minister of Defence and Military Veterans David Myanier said  the R1 billion plus top-secret Russian spy satellite development project, that was thought to have been cancelled following a bungled procurement process by Defence Intelligence has not been cancelled and is under construction as of recent.

David Maynier said Project Flute” was thought by many to have been cancelled following a bungled procurement process by Defence Intelligence.

Maynier said However, at a Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans meeting on 22 October 2014 at Parliament, Dr Sam Gulube, the Secretary for Defence, confirmed that a reference in the Special Defence Account Annual Financial Statements for the Year ended 2014 to a contract that had been cancelled and then reinstated, referred to a contract for a military satellite.

“The contract, which Dr Sam Gulube confirmed referred to a contract for a military satellite, was cited in the Special Defence Account Annual Financial Statements for the Year ended 2014 for fruitless and wasteful expenditure, totaling R212 749 000 Maynier added.