SAS Manthatisi tragedy: Widower welcomes handing over inquiry report to Hawks
Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector and her colleagues, Master Warrant Officer William Mathipa and Warrant Officer Mokwapa Mojela, died after being swept off the submarine off the Cape coast.
FILE: The SA Navy hosted a combined memorial service for Lieutenant-Commander Gillian Hector, Master Warrant Officer William Mathipa and Warrant Officer Mokwapa Mojela at the Wynberg Military Indoor Sport Complex on 27 September 2023. The three submariners lost their lives while doing a vertical transfer on the SAS Manthatisi submarine. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/EWN
CAPE TOWN - South African Navy Commander Romero Hector, whose wife died in the 2023 tragedy involving a Navy submarine, has welcomed the handing over of the board of inquiry report to the Hawks.
Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector and her colleagues, Master Warrant Officer William Mathipa and Warrant Officer Mokwapa Mojela, died after being swept off the submarine off the Cape coast.
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They were involved in a training drill in stormy sea conditions off Kommetjie in September 2023.
A board of inquiry looking into the cause of the tragic incident has wrapped up its work and the report handed over to the Hawks for further investigations.
However, Hector, who has been looking for answers on what exactly caused his wife's death, said he has still not seen the report.
He has told Eyewitness News that he has been seeking answers from his superiors for over a year now after suspecting negligence, but he's been met with red tape.
Hector said his lawyers wrote to the office of the Navy again to try and obtain a copy to proceed with his civil matter.
He hopes a copy of the board of Inquiry probe will be made available to him as soon as possible.