Parliament, Friday, 16 May 2025 – The Joint Standing Committee on Defence has unanimously resolved to defer a meeting scheduled to discuss the Repair and Maintenance (Ramp project) of 1 Military Hospital as well as get a progress update on the investigations by the Special Investigating Unit and the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation into the same project. The Ministers of Defence and Military Veterans and the Minister of Police and their deputies were expected to appear before the committee, but both of them submitted apologies due to various reasons, and only one Deputy Minister of Defence was present.
“The committee felt it necessary that the Executive authority be present in the meeting to ensure transparency and accountability, especially in light of the amount of money already spent on this project, which remains unfinished,” said Mr Phiroane Phala, the Co-Chairperson of the committee.
The decision to defer the meeting was made in recognition of the strategic importance of 1 Military hospital to the welfare of military personnel and the need to first establish workable solutions towards finishing the project, as well as holding those responsible for the current state accountable.
“The RAMP project has been identified by the committee as an important focus area of oversight, as the project has implications on the morale of the soldiers of the South African National Defence Force and also has implications on good governance and project management of infrastructure projects. It is in the context of good governance and the need to have functional state-of-the-art health facilities for our soldiers that this matter required the interaction with the executive authority of both the Defence and Police,” said Mr Malusi Gigaba, the Co-Chairperson of the committee.
The committee has committed to holding this meeting at the earliest available time.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CO-CHAIRPERSONS OF THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE, MR MALUSI GIGABA AND MR PHIROANE PHALA
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