That an Oryx medium transport helicopter tasked “For the President” had to be re-tasked for firefighting duty before Christmas is a further example of how thinly stretched the SA Air Force (SAAF) is.
“The air force did what it could with serviceable assets,” Brigadier General Donovan Chetty, newly appointed Director Corporate Staff Services (CSS) for Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo’s service, told defenceWeb today (Wednesday, 27 December).
The re-tasking decision was made at the Air Force Command Post in Pretoria when the Simon’s Town fire reached a dangerous stage last week. With a lone Oryx serviceable at Air Force Base (AFB) Ysterplaat-based 22 Squadron – and due for service – the necessity of having an operational rotorcraft available for firefighting saw the Oryx assigned for President Cyril Ramaphosa re-tasked.
