Hawks receive Kommetjie incident report

THE SA Navy has handed over a copy of its Board of Inquiry (BOI) investigation report regarding the Kommetjie submarine tragedy, in which three South African Navy officers were killed, to the Hawks this week.

- NICOLA DANIELS

Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector, along with Warrant Officers William Malesela Mathipa and Mokwapa Lucas Mojela, lost their lives during a storm when rough waters disrupted a vertical transfer operation. The incident saw seven crew members swept out to sea, with only four surviving.

While Romero Hector, the widower of Gillian, welcomed the handover of the report, he said he was still fighting to access it, as he wanted answers.

"I just want to give one last, hard fight for my wife. This will be the last thing I ever do for her and I want to do it right. I want to give it everything."

The SA Navy said the engagement with the Hawks was meant to assist them with their ongoing investigations into the tragic incident.

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