The SA Air Force (SAAF) is failing to meet its search and rescue obligations, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has admitted.
The admission by the SANDF follows a Business Day exposé revealing that SA could be in breach of international treaties due to the defence force’s lack of capacity to fulfil UN-mandated search and rescue responsibilities.
“The SAAF fixed-wing maritime capability is not meeting its obligation towards search and rescue,” the SANDF said in response to a question.
It added that none of the dedicated fixed-wing maritime aircraft — a role fulfilled by the ageing Douglas C47-TP Dakotas acquired in 1943 — was operational, and the fleet was slated for retirement.
“All C47-TP aircraft, dedicated to maritime operations as well as light air transport, are non-operational,” the SANDF said.
The C47-TP Dakota is a World War 2-era Douglas C-47 transport aircraft that the SAAF later upgraded with modern turboprop engines.
The SANDF added that the C-130BZ (Hercules) was undergoing scheduled maintenance but noted that, “when available”, the aircraft was used “to conduct search and rescue operations as one of its secondary roles”.
Aviation expert Linden Birns told Business Day earlier that the Hercules, which has been in service for 63 years, were limited in range and endurance and “can only support a mission closer to the African mainland or a suitable island base”.
Search and rescue is the co-ordinated effort to locate missing aircraft or vessels and to save the lives of survivors.
According to legislation, SANDF — including the SAAF and the navy — is tasked with providing suitable aircraft and ships to assist with search and rescue. They are supported by the Department of Transport, which is responsible for policy development, regulation and oversight.
SA has encountered a number of disasters in recent history, like the 1987 Helderberg disaster, the sinking of the MTS Oceanos in 1991, the 1997 midair collision between the US Air Force and a German observation aircraft, and, more recently, the washing up of the Malaysian aircraft debris within our search and rescue region — even though the aircraft disappeared in Australia’s area of responsibility.
Business Day reported that the likelihood of incidents requiring search and rescue is also increasing. Shipping traffic has grown around SA amid instability in the Red Sea, and cruise liners are growing larger. Flights across and to the polar region are also increasing.
The region SA is responsible for includes the country’s entire land mass, its 1.5-million square kilometre coastline, its Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, and vast portions of the South Atlantic, Southern and Indian Oceans — more than 12 times the country’s land area, from the sea surface to the ocean floor.
The region is intersected by 30 major air routes and sees roughly 6,000 vessels pass through each year.
Suitable aircraft are essential as first responders, since an effective search and rescue operation requires rapid-deployment capability to reach the scene quickly, take command, assess the situation, and co-ordinate the dispatch of appropriate ships and aircraft. This includes long-range assets capable of delivering emergency supplies — such as life rafts, food, and water — by airdrop to vessels in distress.
According to the SANDF, the SAAF “has undertaken efforts to establish an acquisition project to replace both the fixed-wing maritime and light transport aircraft fleets”.
“The proposed project, however, is unfunded which is hampering the project approval and registration efforts.”
Faced with a dire financial predicament, the defence force’s budget was once again reduced in the 2025/2026 national budget.
According to the SANDF, though all helicopters can be used for search and rescue missions, the Director Helicopter System (DHS) now uses the Oryx helicopter for this purpose, particularly for offshore missions.
“DHS has eight of the 39 fleet of Oryx in circulation for these operations,” it said.
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