Hawks investigate Kommetjie submarine tragedy that claimed three lives

CAPE TOWN – On the eve of the second anniversary of the Kommetjie submarine tragedy, in which three submariners lost their lives, the Hawks confirmed they were investigating the incident.

On Wednesday 20 September 2023, Lieutenant-Commander Gillian Elizabeth Hector, Warrant Officer (Class One) Mmokwapa Lucas Mojela and Master Warrant Officer William Masela Mathipa died during a naval exercise in which a freak wave swept them off a submarine near Kommetjie.

The Chief of the SA Navy, Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese, subsequently convened an Inquiry into the incident. It recommended safety upgrades, which include stronger harnesses, more current life jackets and protective headgear for naval exercises.

This month the South African Navy handed a copy of the report of the Inquiry’s findings to the Hawks at a meeting held earlier this month at naval headquarters in Pretoria.

“The engagements were meant to assist the Hawks in their ongoing investigations into the tragic incident, in which the SA Navy lost three of its submariners following a vertical transfer (Vertrep) exercise between SAS Manthatsi and SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter in September 2023,” said SA Navy acting senior staff officer, naval public relations Commander Theo Mabina.

Responding to People’s Post’s request for an update on the Hawks’ investigation, its spokesperson Colonel Vukubi Siyabulela said: “The investigation into this matter is still in its infancy, hence we cannot give any further details.”

Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans Chris Hattingh said the handover of the Kommetjie investigation report to the Hawks was long overdue, but it was an essential first step towards justice.

“For months secrecy has smothered this tragedy, fuelling suspicion and outrage,” he pointed out. “Choosing to push ahead with a high-risk vertical transfer exercise despite clear weather warnings and a blatant disregard for critical safety protocols was more than reckless. It was a decision that cost lives. The evidence now confirms what many feared: catastrophic failures in planning, risk management and operational oversight directly led to the deaths of Lieutenant-Commander Gillian Hector and her two colleagues.”

The SA Navy said it would communicate the outcomes of the inquiry once the investigation was finalised.

“This meeting and engagement with the Hawks underscores the Navy’s commitment to transparency, cooperation and accountability,” Mabina said, “as the Chief of the SA Navy has always maintained the organisation will, within the confines of laws and regulations, communicate the outcomes of the Board whenever the need arose.”