Cape Town - Just days after the findings into the SAS Manthatisi tragedy were made public, the Chief of the Navy said that the widower of Lieutenant Commander Gillian Hector had ignored signals and invitations to attend its engagement with him and other family members.
In a detailed report shared with the media last week, Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese said equipment such as safety gear, the safety line and life jackets could not withstand the force of nature that claimed the lives of three naval officers in Kommetjie in September last year.
Lobese gave a blow-by-blow account of how Hector, Warrant Officer William Masela Mathipa, and Warrant Officer Mmokwapa Lucas Mojela were killed during the storm when high waves impacted a vertical transfer exercise involving the SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter and the SA Navy’s submarine SAS Manthatisi.
The submarine was en route to Cape Town when seven crew were swept overboard, of whom four survived.
The SA Navy appointed a board of inquiry into the incident shortly thereafter.
Hector had made headlines as being the first African woman to navigate a submarine.
In the findings, it was revealed that Hector had been knocked unconscious but was revived.
It also came to light that two others had been unclipped from their safety line but that the trio and their colleagues were hit by fierce and powerful waves.
Lobese met with the family of the three naval officers, which included Hector’s mother, Bernadette Marlouw, during an engagement last week.
Marlouw’s family said they were satisfied with the outcome as it had given them closure and that Hector had completed her work on earth.
On Monday, they also said they were aware of the statement regarding her widower, but would not comment further.
Hector’s widower, Romero Hector, who also works in the Navy, claimed in his response to the findings when contacted by Cape Argus’s sister paper the Weekend Argus, that he had not been informed about the engagement nor the details of the report.
He said he had sought legal advice and that he made numerous attempts to contact the chief and get closure.
Hector told the Cape Argus on Monday that he would not comment on the statement about his response to the media, as he was seeking legal advice and was adamant he did not lie.
“We will respond factually with court documents,” he said.
“There was a briefing, I was not there, we did not lie.”
Lobese hit back, claiming Hector had received their full support, including being transferred from the Western Cape to Gqeberha, and was being given counselling via medical professionals to deal with his grief.
He said: “In fact, formal communication (in the form of a signal) was issued to the unit where Commander Hector works on Friday, August 30, 2024, authorising him to make his way to Simon’s Town to be briefed by the Chief of the Navy on Wednesday, September 4.
“The member was also called and informed that this signal authority was available, and that he should make travel arrangements. A signal such as this is the formal communication used in the SA Navy, and authorises a member to book a flight and accommodation at the destination. Commander Hector elected not to make use of this opportunity.”
The SA Navy’s Ruwayda Grootboom added that Hector was not forthcoming about prior meetings with him.
“The Chief of the Navy met him personally several times since the incident. During one meeting in December 2023, in Simon’s Town, Commander Hector appealed to the chief that he could not continue to work in Simon’s Town as the painful memories of his wife were too raw,” she said.
“When the possible placements negotiated by the Chief of the Navy were unacceptable to the member, the chief authorised Commander Hector to be detached to Naval Station Port Elizabeth in Gqeberha, and work remotely from there.”
Lobese further added Hector had overstepped by speaking to the media but did not confirm if he would be facing disciplinary action.