Head of airforce Gym removed from post

The following is a (very) rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:

The Commanding Officer of the Airforce Gym at Valhalla, Pretoria, has been removed from his post and allegations of bad conduct against him are being conducted.

A Defence Force spokesman said yesterday that Col. Jonathan Ngwenya had not been in his post sonce 15 February. The military police are investigating the allegations against him.

Beeld has learnt that some of the allegations being investigated relate to an airforce member who smoked dagga in the office. Some of the units facilities were also used by family and friends without any payment being made and without the neccessary permission.

Tempers also rose when instructions were given that all the photos of previous Commanding Officers, who were all white Colonels, must be removed from the office. It is the custom of Defence Force units to display the photos of previous Commanding Officers as part of the units history.

Female students also complained to Beeld that they have, after contention, been compelled to undergo abortions if they want to complete their course at the unit. Female voluntary servicemen, who undergo two years training, are not allowed to be pregnant once they've started their training. They ate not allowed to continue their trianing if they become pregnant during training.

At least one woman underwent an abortion just two weeks before she was due to be kicked off her course. Another woman had a baby. It is not clear why she was allowed to stay in the airforce.

Various permanent force woman soldiers from the unit had also lodged grievance procedures overunhappiness with Ngwenya, while allegations of being away without leave and abuse of alcohol by certain members are also being investigated by the military police.

The students at the Gymnansium live on the base after woman previously lived in seperate quarters at AFB Waterkloof. The Gymnasium is the airforce unit at which basic training and certain other courses are conducted.

According to the spokeman, the investigation against Ngwenya has not progressed to the stage that charges can be made. He has also not appeared in court.

An instructor at the Gymnasium was demoted in a Military Court five years ago after being found guilty of improper conduct with a female student. Last year a Sergeant Major from the Gymnasium was found not guilty in the Pretoria Regional Court on 11 charges, including rape, but the Magistrate described him as a 'man without moral values' who had relationships with various woman students.