Husband of dead submarine officer exposes lies and negligence in the SA Navy

In September 2023 a South African Navy submarine surfaced off Kommetjie for what was meant to be a routine exercise. Within hours three sailors were dead, among them Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector. The official line from the South African Navy at the time was that the tragic accident was caused by bad weather.

Following the incident the Navy’s Chief Monde Lobese indicated to the families involved full disclosure within months. That did not happen. For two years, Hector’s husband and his legal team wrote letters, filed information requests under South Africa’s Promotion of Access to Information Act, and even launched a public awareness campaign including an 800-kilometre cycle to pressure the authorities.

Eventually after months of pressure including a culpable homicide inquiry the Navy finally release a redacted version of the 1 500-page report. An unredacted copy went to the Hawks and the family received a censored one. What does the report show? It shows a South Africa Navy that lied to cover up their own incompetence and negligence. Here is a summary of the report according to Senior Navy Officer Romero Hector:

• The submarine had not been cleared for operations. It was authorised only for post-maintenance trials. Nonetheless its captain conducted a “vertical lift” exercise in open seas.
• Weather warnings had been issued for swells of up to ten metres. Navy protocols classify anything over four metres as “heavy seas,” in which training exercises are suspended. The captain proceeded regardless. As waves battered the vessel crew members struggled to open the hatch. Witnesses later testified that Lieutenant Commander Hector questioned the order to continue. She said, “are we really going ahead with this?”
• When the submarine took on water several life jackets failed to inflate. The report found that safety equipment had not been serviced in years. The malfunctioning gear likely turned a dangerous situation into a fatal one.

The case is ongoing. The focus of the culpable homicide investigation, the widower says, is the submarine’s captain who omitted to act when he was supposed to. He argues that the tragedy reflects systemic rot, a culture of negligence, decayed maintenance, and a chain of command more focused on image than accountability.

He intends to pursue a civil claim against the Navy and the Department of Defence for negligence, but insists that financial compensation is not the point. “Nothing will change,” he says, “unless someone is held criminally accountable.” I disagree with him. Not even accountability will change the SA Navy. The rot is baked into the Navy.

The South African Navy has been under scrutiny for years. Inquiries have highlighted mismanagement and procurement excess such as luxury vehicles for senior officers alongside crumbling infrastructure. Hector’s widower describes his wife using his personal vehicle to fetch food for the submarine because no service vehicles were available.

Two years on, the Navy has not offered a public apology. The families of the three sailors have yet to receive full disclosure. But the fight continues.

“I can’t unknow what I know,” says Hector’s widower. “Not doing anything was not an option. It was killing me from the inside. This is the last thing I can do for my wife and I must do it properly.”

What is the solution?

The report underscores what many have long talked about in secret: the South African Navy is no longer fit for purpose. Years of mismanagement, negligence, and decaying institutional culture have eroded its credibility beyond repair. Reform at this point is impossible.

The problem extends far beyond a single branch of the military. A culture of incompetence has become embedded across the public sector, impervious to electoral change. Merely voting in a different party will not reverse the decline. The Democratic Alliance will not fix this problem. The political system itself is sinking, and the machinery of the state is too corroded to steer away from disaster.

The only pragmatic response is not to cling to a failing structure but to build firebreaks against it through decentralisation, self-determination, and local autonomy robust enough to resist the decay. To remain tied to South Africa, a political system that consumes and destroys everything it touches is to be pulled down with it. We must partition now and do it for the sake of our children and grandchildren. What about building a private navy run by competent people? Sounds like a great initiative. Perhaps the US Navy would like to move into Simon’s Town.