THICK END OF THE WEDGE
PETER BRUCE: Of all the state's lame ducks, Denel is worth rescuing
Defence manufacturer is a repository of genuine SA engineering excellence and innovation that we would not be able to replace
I wish there was a way to make Denel staff feel better. So dire are the finances at SA's state-owned weapons and defence systems manufacturer that it cannot afford to pay its employees their full salaries. This is the direct result of state capture and the Gupta family's meddling in the company. Denel cannot market its equipment properly and it is falling behind on critical projects. Yet if there is any of the state's crippled companies the state itself should hold on to and find a way to rescue, it is Denel. SAA can go. Eskom can be split and its generating units sold off while the state holds the transmission system. But Denel is more than either of those. It is a repository of genuine SA engineering excellence and innovation that we would simply not be able to replace if it is lost now. The weapons are one thing; missiles, artillery pieces and the ammunition to go with them. We make that here in SA. We make — Denel makes — one of the great artillery pieces in the world, the mobil...
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