How SA’s weapons tech was ‘stolen’ and given to Saudi arms company

[Tokolotshe]

I'm trying to understand exactly what was stolen:

The whistle-blower told SIU investigators that an official later confessed to having passed information on to Sami.

“The official who gave them (Sami) Denel’s missile products; product definition indices [sic] also gave them [the] product data index of Ingwe, Mokopa and Mkhonto missiles, together with their technical descriptions. The whistle-blower has reason to believe that similar information of other missile products, such as A-Darter, Marlin and Umbani, also listed in the TRL document, could have been obtained in the same way from other employees within the business.

“The whistle-blower later realised that the Sami team had been at corporate [offices] for some time and that some information on the technology readiness level (TRL) of Denel’s missile products was provided to Sami on the instruction of Steyn,” the letter reads.

“TRL is a type of measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technological product.

While intellectual property, these are hardly what would be required to build your own missiles. More marketing/evaluation related documents. Further, looking at the people:
Steyn - CEO
Kleynhans - group executive manager for strategy
Wessels - "bigwig"?

Hardly the people with the know-how, more management.

This is worrying:

A senior Denel executive told City Press that as many as 20 engineers, with vast amounts of experience in the design and manufacture of missiles, have left Denel for Sami since last year.

 

[Milano]

I'm trying to understand exactly what was stolen:





While intellectual property, these are hardly what would be required to build your own missiles. More marketing/evaluation related documents. Further, looking at the people:
Steyn - CEO
Kleynhans - group executive manager for strategy
Wessels - "bigwig"?

Hardly the people with the know-how, more management.

This is worrying:

The truth is somewhere out there but we probably don't know a tenth of it. Is this now a cover-up for the patents unlawfully given/sold to the Gupta's? Or is this just a bunch of people who left because they were sick of not getting paid on time at Denel. A democracy is supposed to have a certain level of transparency and accountability. Everything in SA appears to fall under state security not just Denel.

 

[Tokolotshe]

Since people are baying for blood, I was hoping for some real facts.

Tbh, at this stage my read on the situation is that the Saudi's decided to rather build their own, than steal the designs, stole the people that know how to. Unfortunately in industry this is a thing.

 

[Milano]

Since people are baying for blood, I was hoping for some real facts.

Tbh, at this stage my read on the situation is that the Saudi's decided to rather build their own, than steal the designs, stole the people that know how to. Unfortunately in industry this is a thing.

No such thing as real facts from government.

 

[Gordon_R]

Nothing specific to Denel and secrets, but arms exports can also get tangled in human rights issues. Lengthy story on Al Jazeera reported by News24:

South Africa blocks major weapons sales to Saudi and UAE in inspection dispute

Dispute centres on clause in export documents that requires foreign customers not to transfer weapons to third parties.

www.news24.com

 

[Binary_Bark]

Who cares? We have no army worth anything and most of the tech is 30 years or older.
We ain't got anything worth a shI!t

 

[quovadis]

You can bet it will happen. Just expect results in the form of no successful convictions after a 15 year investigation.

Wow, that quick?

Who cares? We have no army worth anything and most of the tech is 30 years or older.
We ain't got anything worth a shI!t

The rooivalk to this day would be an excellent base to start from especially to be operated in Saudi’s climate/environment.

 

[Mila]

It was sold to the highest bidder. Just like the rest of the country. Squirrel why are you surprised you still have not recoverd a sent from the state capture or the Zumas.

Political wil. You have 0.

 

[rambo919]

Weapons tech "dissapearing" is nothing new, one guy (Johann Erasmus) knew they were gonna steal his minigun design from under him and in response some key parts dissapeared while the prototype was under maintenance..... they were so pissed at him for sabotaging their plan that they started attacking him with bogus legal cases untill he lost his company even accusing him of being boeremag. That's how he tells the story anyway.

 

[marine1]

Phew, at least it's not the Israelis.

Didn't the Israelis give the gvt of the day tech back in the days before the ANC?

 

[surface]

That explains why the Gupta's are protected by the arabs.

Well, you know there is arab saying 'my friend is all arab's friend' - it is law, they all have to abide by it.

 

[theratman]

But what do they have for sharnado's?

Came here for a sharknado comment, than you.

 

[rambo919]

Came here for a sharknado comment, thank you.

Imagine if it actually happens "the ancestors are clearly upset about apartheid and our lack of transformation, we must accelerate to prevent more storms" or "the racist sharks are here to support their land dwelling comrades, we must continue the struggle at all costs"

 

[ponder]

Didn't the Israelis give the gvt of the day tech back in the days before the ANC?

Yip.

 

[Voicy]

 

[surface]

Didn't the Israelis give the gvt of the day tech back in the days before the ANC?

Other way round. Israelis got all their tech from here back then.

 

[rambo919]

Other way round. Israelis got all their tech from here back then.

Stuff went both ways, and it all was paid for. Though probably mostly them providing us.

 

[grok]

SA weapons industry: decolonized..