1.2 Air conditioning and cooling units are old and should be replaced in order to control the temperature in buildings, notably where sensitive equipment, such as computers, is being held. Furthermore, given the climate of Hoedspruit, high-quality air conditioning facilities are essential and the lack thereof often results in uncomfortable working conditions. The Committee experienced such discomfort first hand during an inspection of the Operation Room at 19 Squadron. While the beaurocratic nature of procurement procedures and requirements of the Public Finance Management Act (No. 1 of 1999), contribute to unreasonable delays in replacing air conditioning units, budget constraints have forced base management to reprioritise all needs of the base. As a result more money is spent on repairing ageing equipment, than the cost of replacing these.