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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| South African air force officer reprimanded over pink slippers | South African air force officer reprimanded over pink slippers |
| (30 days later) | |
| It is not an image of top guns defending African skies that is likely to deter would-be foreign invaders. | It is not an image of top guns defending African skies that is likely to deter would-be foreign invaders. |
| An officer in the South African air force went out shopping in her military uniform and some footwear that provoked not awe but laughter – a pair of lurid pink slippers. | An officer in the South African air force went out shopping in her military uniform and some footwear that provoked not awe but laughter – a pair of lurid pink slippers. |
| Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Ndayi has been officially reprimanded for the fashion crime, it emerged this week, a response dismissed as too lenient by politicians who said she should be fired. | Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Ndayi has been officially reprimanded for the fashion crime, it emerged this week, a response dismissed as too lenient by politicians who said she should be fired. |
| The incident happened in April when Ndayi visited the Brooklyn shopping mall in Pretoria. The picture, taken by a colleague, shows her in the air force's blue-and-white garrison cap and uniform while pushing a plastic trolley among the aisles. On her feet, pink slippers are clearly visible. Onlookers appear startled by the spectacle. | The incident happened in April when Ndayi visited the Brooklyn shopping mall in Pretoria. The picture, taken by a colleague, shows her in the air force's blue-and-white garrison cap and uniform while pushing a plastic trolley among the aisles. On her feet, pink slippers are clearly visible. Onlookers appear startled by the spectacle. |
| The photo was sent to the air force for comment and rapidly spread on the internet, causing widespread consternation in military circles. | The photo was sent to the air force for comment and rapidly spread on the internet, causing widespread consternation in military circles. |
| Already in a hole, Ndayi reportedly kept digging when she arrived early for an appearance before the air force's Chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, then left and failed to return. | Already in a hole, Ndayi reportedly kept digging when she arrived early for an appearance before the air force's Chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, then left and failed to return. |
| The episode was raised in parliament when David Maynier, the shadow minister of defence, waved a pair of pink slippers to taunt the then defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu – who happened to be dressed in pink. | The episode was raised in parliament when David Maynier, the shadow minister of defence, waved a pair of pink slippers to taunt the then defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu – who happened to be dressed in pink. |
| Sisulu's successor, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, told Maynier in a written answer this week that Ndayi had now been reprimanded. | Sisulu's successor, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, told Maynier in a written answer this week that Ndayi had now been reprimanded. |
| But the shadow minister does not believe this goes far enough. "There should be no place for a military officer who goes shopping on the high street in pink slippers," he said on Friday. "I don't think the punishment fits the crime. She should be fired." | But the shadow minister does not believe this goes far enough. "There should be no place for a military officer who goes shopping on the high street in pink slippers," he said on Friday. "I don't think the punishment fits the crime. She should be fired." |
| Maynier, an MP for the opposition Democratic Alliance, continued: "It is embarrassing. There are many loyal soldiers in our defence force trying to do a good job in difficult circumstances, but this case symbolises the decline in discipline. All the evidence points to a defence force in deep trouble." | Maynier, an MP for the opposition Democratic Alliance, continued: "It is embarrassing. There are many loyal soldiers in our defence force trying to do a good job in difficult circumstances, but this case symbolises the decline in discipline. All the evidence points to a defence force in deep trouble." |
| Siphiwe Dlamini, spokesman for the defence department, said: "It's a reprimand to not do it again. The rules say you can't wear uniform with other pieces of clothing." | Siphiwe Dlamini, spokesman for the defence department, said: "It's a reprimand to not do it again. The rules say you can't wear uniform with other pieces of clothing." |
| The slipper saga is not the air force's only disciplinary mishap recently. Mapisa-Nqakula said a pilot had been "grounded and subsequently suspended from flying" after he "borrowed" a military aircraft to visit a friend in Botswana. | The slipper saga is not the air force's only disciplinary mishap recently. Mapisa-Nqakula said a pilot had been "grounded and subsequently suspended from flying" after he "borrowed" a military aircraft to visit a friend in Botswana. |
| Lieutenant NSK Bulwana a flew a Cessna 172 across the border, without submitting a flight plan or permission to enter Botswana's airspace, to visit a friend who worked at the airport in Gaborone. | Lieutenant NSK Bulwana a flew a Cessna 172 across the border, without submitting a flight plan or permission to enter Botswana's airspace, to visit a friend who worked at the airport in Gaborone. |
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