Unfenced army base outside Makhanda claims another life

The 6 SA Infantry Battalion base is located on the outskirts of Makhanda, within walking distance of many residential areas. Photos: Lucas Nowicki

• A man believed to be a scrap metal collector from Makhanda was killed in late September when unexploded ordnance detonated while he was trespassing at the 6 SA Infantry Battalion’s training area.
• Large sections of the base’s perimeter fence are missing and at least six civilians, including children, have been killed or injured by military devices from the base since 1998.
• The defence ministry has stated that a project to build a perimeter fence could not be implemented due to a lack of funds.

A scrap metal collector from Makhanda was killed in late September when unexploded ordnance detonated while he was trespassing at the 6 SA Infantry Battalion’s training area. His death is the latest in a series of tragedies with more than six civilians killed or injured by unexploded mortars and grenades from the base since 1998.

Three people were killed in 2005 when a mortar linked to the base detonated in Bowker Street.

Large sections of the base’s perimeter fence are missing or in tatters. The defence ministry says a project to build a perimeter fence has been registered with the logistics department but cannot be executed due to lack of funding.

Located on the outskirts of Makhanda, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) uses the base’s 7,000-hectares for live-fire training exercises. Yet the area is easily accessible to the public as large sections of a dilapidated perimeter fence have been removed over the years. A 2023 parliamentary committee report recommended the use of fencing less susceptible to theft.

The danger is particularly high for residents of Nkanini, a relatively new informal settlement, whose proximity to the base makes it convenient for people to search for scrap metal and collect firewood.

When GroundUp visited the perimeter beyond Burnt Kraal, a popular hiking area, we found the fence in tatters. There were no clear warning signs.

When the military contacted the police to investigate the body of the man killed in late September, a bomb disposal team had to clear the area, according to Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli.

“The body was found with parts of mortar … It was alleged that there was also a bag with explosive shells that was seized and cartridges found from the deceased’s person’s pants pockets,” said Nkohli.

Siyabulela Ntamo was badly injured by a grenade in 1998 and lost the use of one eye. He believes the grenade was found and then discarded by poachers who often hunted buck on the military base.

Casualties

In 1998, 12-year-old Siyabulela Ntamo, playing outside Nombulelo Secondary School with two friends, Xolani and Yolanda, found an unexploded grenade in a bush. Not realising the danger, they threw it against the pavement and it exploded, killing Xolani and Yolanda. Ntamo was badly injured.

“I spent six months in Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), and two more in Settlers Hospital in Grahamstown (Makhanda),” Ntamo told GroundUp. “Even after that, I had to visit the clinic every week. I had a hole in my leg.”

Ntamo, who works as a car guard, still has deep scars from the blast and lost the use of one eye. He suspects the grenade was left behind by local poachers who frequented the base.

On 27 June 2005, Justin Martin (52), Johannes Kortrooi (58), and five-year-old Leonardo Lottering were killed when a 60mm mortar detonated in Bowker Street, Ghost Town. The device had been picked up in the unfenced training ground.

Arnold Plaatjies, who lost an eye in the blast in front of his home, successfully sued the defence minister and was awarded R1.3-million in compensation in 2018.

In 2021, a scrap metal collector from Nkanini, Xolani Magaba, 33, seriously injured both his legs after a hand grenade he had picked up from the base detonated at his home. He told News24 that he found a bag filled with grenades while trespassing on the base’s grounds looking for scrap metal. He took the bag of grenades home with him, hoping to sell them to a local dealer for cash.

Remnants of the 6 SA Infantry Battalion base’s dilapidated perimeter fence close to the Burnt Kraal.

Stalled project

Despite the injuries and deaths linked to the base, efforts to repair or replace the perimeter fence have stalled.

In a 2021 response to a parliamentary question on why the military has not re-fenced the military base, then Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula replied that a “project was registered and sent out for tender via the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI)”. But “the process was placed on hold by DPWI due to insufficient funding”.

She also said the fence was “absent” because it had been stolen.

The DPWI said it had noted GroundUp’s query and would get back to us ASAP. This was a week ago.

In another reply to a 2023 question from IFP MP Inkosi Cebekhulu on the status of the fence, Mapisa-Nqakula stated: “The Chief of Logistics registered and approved the project to build a perimeter fence around the training area because it falls under his responsibility.” But again, it was “unable to be executed due to lack of funding”.

In a report after an oversight visit to the base in 2023, the defence portfolio committee noted that “a large part of the perimeter fence at the 6 SA training area has been stolen and the remainder is dilapidated”. It described this as a major challenge to the base’s operations and “the Department of Defence should consider types of fencing less susceptible to theft”.

SANDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Junior Grade Prince Tshabalala said that regarding the construction of a perimeter fence, “implementation has been delayed due to funding challenges”, and the army is “continuing to pursue the resources required to complete the fencing project at Makhanda”.

“The cost of constructing the fence is significant, and the project will proceed once resources are allocated.”

“Despite these constraints, the army continues to prioritise safety and security measures at the base. Patrols by military guards remain in place to prevent trespassing and to safeguard the perimeter.”

“While the absence of a completed fence presents challenges, the Army maintains a visible security presence to mitigate risks,” he said.

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