Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Two army officers are facing a charge of conspiring to murder a colleague who was investigating their role in the theft of R2 million worth of SA National Defence Force ammunition, police said.

Captain Musa Khaba said that Major Willem Bronkhorst and Captain Andre Goosen appeared in the Empangeni Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, in connection with a plot to kill Major July Menekwane, who was investigating the theft.

They were remanded in custody until their next appearance on June 3.

National police spokeswoman Director Sally de Beer said allegations that the ammunition may have been given to the rightwing Boeremag organisation could not be confirmed, but investigations were continuing. The ammunition was reported missing after an auditors' report was completed at the end of last year, she said.

Khaba said two other senior officers were arrested and appeared in the Kwamsane Magistrate's Court on Wednesday on charges of defeating the ends of justice after they allegedly approached Menekwane and tried to persuade him to withdraw the conspiracy to murder charge.

Lieutenant Colonel Louis van Eeden, the commanding officer at 121 Battalion base in Mtubatuba, northern KwaZulu-Natal, and Major Johannes Labuschagne, a legal adviser at the base, were remanded in custody and would reappear on June 6, Khaba said.

An army spokesman, Major Niko Allie, said the arrest of the four officers was a police matter and the SANDF would take whatever action was appropriate depending on the outcome of the civilian case.

South Africa dispatched a 44-member team comprising doctors, paramedics and specialised search and rescue personnel to Algeria on Saturday, where a massive earthquake has killed more than 1,700 people, Foreign Affairs Department said.

Department spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said a contingent of relief departed from the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria under the command of SANDF's Col Willis Nkosi.

The violent earthquake that hit northern Algeria on Wednesday has killed 1,723 people and injured 7,605, according to the latest toll provided Saturday by the Algerian interior ministry.

Mamoepa said the team consisted of among others, sniffer dogs, medical supplies, medical personnel and equipment to detect bodies trapped under buildings.

Mamoepa said the relief effort was coordinated by Foreign Affairs Department in conjunction with the South African National Defence Force, South African Police Services and the Health Department.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma allowed emergency relief to be sent to Algeria on Friday, after an earthquake rocked Algiers, Bouneldes and surrounding areas.

President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday expressed South Africa's heartfelt condolences to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The delegation also included representatives of NGOs, Global Relief and Rescue Africa and several volunteer engineers from across the country.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has today - Friday, 23rd May 2003 - given the green light for emergency relief to be sent to Algeria, after the devastating earthquake that rocked Algiers, Bouneldes and surrounding areas on Wednesday, 21st May 2003.

This follows a message sent to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria by President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday, 22nd May 2003 expressing South Africa's heartfelt condolences in the wake of the deaths of over 500 people, injury to over 4,600 others and destruction to infrastructure.

The relief effort is coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with the South African National Defence Force, South African Police Services and the Department of Health.

The relief effort consists of among others, sniffer dogs, medical supplies, medical personnel and equipment to detect bodies trapped under buildings. The first contingent of relief will depart for Algeria on Saturday, 24 May 2003 from the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria under the command of SANDF's Col Willis Nkosi.

The delegation will also include representatives of NGO's - Global Relief and Rescue Africa - and several volunteer engineers from across the country.

The minister of foreign affairs, Dr Dlamini Zuma, wishes to express, on behalf of the government, her gratitude to members of civil society who came forth to offer their services in the wake of this disaster, as an indication of the close bonds of friendship and solidarity that exists between the peoples of Algeria and South Africa.

Government's arms procurement agency, Armscor, yesterday became an ISO 9001 certified organisation after being presented with a registration certificate by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).

Receiving the certificate, Armscor chief executive officer SiphoThomo said the ISO certification was yet another step the company had taken to ensure that products and services of the highest quality were provided to its clients.

'This is indeed a proud day for Armscor because we have always believed that quality is the backbone of effective management and client satisfaction. This certification demonstrates our commitment to quality,' Mr Thomo said.

He said the certification would ensure that the company's key processes were understood, documented, implemented, improved and followed by everyone within the organisation.

'This is probably not surprising as throughout the world the defence and aeronautical institutions lead the drive for quality and reliability,' said the CEO.

Mr Thomo said the company was playing a crucial role on the South African Quality and Excellence scene, through leadership in the SA Excellence Foundation (SAEM), the SA Society for Quality (SASQ) and the SA Auditors, training and certification association (SAATCA).

'Our belief that it was our responsibility to make our knowledge and experience available to the rest of South Africa, led Armscor to play a leading role in the establishment of the Chair of Quality at Stellenbosch University and the Pretoria Technikon.

'Many of our staff regularly lecture on quality at various institutions,' he added.

Armscor, the Armaments Corporation of South Africa, was established to meet South Africa's needs for armaments and related products and services.

The company has roots going back to 1948 and dates from 1977, when the South African Armaments Board and the Armaments Development Corporation were amalgamated.

Five years later, the company began to market South African products abroad, having proved that many were unique and provided superior solutions for a wide range of needs.

Its services include acquisition management, foreign trade facilitation, technology and product development, research, product test and evaluation, assistance with the arrangement and management of industrial participation programmes and the sale of surplus equipment on behalf of the SANDF and other government departments.

It also conducts third-party quality assurance and renders this service to its client base should it be required.

Government has assured farming communities that there will be no vacuum in the transition from the commando system to sector policing.

'There would be no vacuum at any point in the transition...there is no 'phasing out' of security for rural communities,' Cabinet said in a statement, following its meeting in Cape Town, yesterday.

The meeting reiterated government's decision about new measures to enhance rural security, including a six-year transition from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) commando system to the South African Police Service (SAPS) sector policing system, which includes SAPS reservists.

The SAPS and SANDF are planning jointly to deal with matters relating to deployments, infrastructure and finances regarding the transition and the new system, the Cabinet said.

An audit of existing Commando Units would be completed by the end of the year. The public will be informed of all developments so they can make a contribution to this process.

In his State of the Nation address early this year, President Thabo Mbeki announced the creation of a new system 'whose composition and ethos accord with the requirements of all rural communities.'

He reiterated government's commitment towards the security of the rural community during his recent Imbizo visit to the North West province.

President Mbeki said during his Imbizo in the North West that government was seriously concerned about safety and progress of both emerging and established farmers.

-"Government has wished away its liberation fighters." This is the essence of the article, "The forgotten soldiers" (April 4), based on important research by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation that focused on the plight of military veterans of the liberation struggle and those of the former South African Defence Force (SADF).

The area is one in need of debate, but an impression should not be created that the government does not care and is not attempting to address the plight of military veterans of the struggle against apartheid. For us it is a matter of concern and a priority. Since 1986, it's been recognised as an imperative.

Then already, discussions were held with the relevant state and provincial departments and the recognised military veterans' organisations including Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veteran's Association, the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army Military Veterans' Association and the Council of Military Veterans' Organisations. Out of these discussions, the Military Veterans Act was passed.

In terms of the Act the minister of defence has appointed military veterans to serve on the Advisory Board on Military Veterans' Affairs, whose sole function is to attend to the interests of military veterans and to advise the minister of defence.

South Africa is the first country with such a law in place.

This advisory board is able to represent all military veterans and is currently articulating their views and needs to both the minister of defence and the state president, who is patron-in-chief of all military veterans in the country. Therefore, recent media reports stating that military veterans have been totally neglected or betrayed do not give a balanced picture or deal with the challenges that liberation has trailed in its wake.

When the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was formed in April 1994 and the liberation armed formations were abolished, for various reasons, thousands of these ex-combatants were not integrated into the new national

defence force.

There were some who failed to meet the set criteria, some chose to seek alternative employment, while others took the offered package and when the money ran out were faced with economic hardships, as well as a sense of isolation.

Following the attainment of democracy in 1994, the need for a large military force fell away and as a result, a number of force members from the SADF and those from the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei states also had to be laid off.

However, the pay-off was not enough to ensure that these people were able to make a sustainable living.

Both Umkhonto weSizwe and the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army were unconventional forces and did not keep detailed personnel records. Now many combatants cannot be traced.

This makes it difficult to plan properly and to ensure that the needs of everyone are addressed.

The defence ministry is setting up a database of all former combatants to address this problem.

It will be an exhaustive database, with full socio-economic details. The details will be included in the register of military veterans and each member will be issued with an ID card to enable him/her to access the benefits that all other military veterans are getting.

The Advisory Board on Military Veterans Affairs also addresses other issues that affect ex-combatants. Several amendments to the Special Pensions Act of 1996 are due to be passed soon by Parliament to achieve parity and fairness in the provision of state military pensions.

The amendments will facilitate recognition of service and improved access to military pensions for those who qualify and who served in the non-statutory forces.

The Act also makes provision for the payment of special pensions to the eligible dependants of military veterans.

There are various projects in place that are aimed at helping ex-combatants to reintegrate harmoniously into civil society and also to provide them with the necessary skills to find or create employment.

Plans are under way to broaden the mandate of the SANDF Service Corps to serve even those who are outside of the Department of Defence, including ex-combatants of the liberation movement.

The Department of Defence in partnership with the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in Braamfontein has set up a project to re-skill military veterans called the Tswelopele Pilot Project, which is based at Technikon South Africa.

The defence department has teamed up with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in Operation Vuselela to eradicate alien vegetation from SANDF land.

The project, in operation in five provinces, enables a number of military veterans to earn a basic income to cater for their essential needs.

Through the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, the SANDF's Service Corps aims to help demilitarised youths between the ages of 18 and 35, especially those who were in

community self-protection organisations just before the 1994 election.

These young veterans are offered courses that provide them with the necessary skills to find or create self-employment, at a centre near Johannesburg.

The centre provides training in construction and various aspects of agriculture, including flower care.

By the end of the course, graduates can bid for tenders at various government departments to restore clinics, schools and hospitals.

At this centre they are also provided with psychologists and other counsellors to help them cope with their emotional burdens.

While the government is doing all it can to address the plight of military veterans, it is important to remember many combatants from the non-statutory forces were

voluntary soldiers for freedom.

A project is under construction near Pretoria, named Freedom Park, to honour and show appreciation for all those who fought for the liberation of South Africa.

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge is the deputy minister of defence

A Lesotho man suspected of dealing in dagga in a Free State village was shot dead by members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) on Wednesday after he attacked the soldiers with an axe, police said on Thursday.

Captain Motorafi Ntepe said an eight-man SANDF patrol was acting on information that a man was selling dagga from his house in Makhalaneng near Bethlehem.

The patrol approached the house around 8pm and were met by the occupant who came out of his home wielding an axe.

Ntepe said he allegedly attacked the soldiers with the axe wounding one of them in the upper arm.

Warning shots were fired but the attacker persisted and he was shot twice in the chest.

The 51-year-old man could not be named because his next-of-kin in Buthabuthe, Lesotho, had not yet been informed of his death, Ntepe said.

The wounded soldier was taken to the Manabo hospital in the QwaQwa region.

A mealie bag, about a quarter full with dagga, was found in the house.

Ntepe said that, in accordance with official procedure, a murder docket was opened and investigations into the incident were continuing.

On Monday, in a similar incident, a man was shot, wounded and arrested by a two-man SANDF patrol in Ladybrand.

A gang of five alleged dagga dealers fired on the patrol. One of them was injured when a soldier returned fire.

"The men were fleeing after being confronted by a member of the SANDF patrol, and ran into the other member of the patrol when the incident occurred," Netpe said.

Ntepe said the other four suspects managed to escape. However, 16 bags of dagga worth an estimated R320,000 were seized.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has appointed its first black military judge.

Judge Victor Sibeko (50) joined the SANDF in September 2001 from a private legal practice.

He assumed his new duties as a senior Military Judge at the Thaba Tshwane Military Court yesterday.

A military Judge is a senior attorney appointed by the Judge Advocate General to serve in a military court.

The military judge is someone with extensive experience who may, as part of his duties, supervise a staff of junior attorneys including trial counsels.

Part of Judge Sibeko's duties would be to preside in cases involving defence force members accused of breaching the laws of the force.

Before joining the SANDF, he ran a private legal practice called the Legal and Business Consultancy.

He holds a B juris from the University of Zululand, BA Law and LLB from the University of Lesotho.

Judge Sibeko previously worked as an advocate at the Lesotho High Court. He also worked for Mobil Oil as Retail Manager and the Gauteng department of housing where he served in its appeal panel.

The new military judge was upbeat about his appointment: 'I have always wanted to be at the top, and I will continue to work hard and offer assistance were my help is needed,' he said.

The New National Party (NNP) has called for the creation of a national constabulary to replace the controversial commando system scheduled to be phased out within six years.

President Thabo Mbeki shocked some farm communities and organised agriculture in February when he said the commando system would be scrapped. Cabinet ministers have since sought to allay fears that rural safety would be compromised, saying the commandos would be scrapped finally only once an alternative had been developed.

It was said the commandos were being scrapped for the role they played under apartheid.

They were used as the first line of defence against incursions by liberation movement armies.

Yesterday NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that as a result of the Mbeki announcement, the NNP met with Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula and Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota to raise the serious concerns expressed about the scrapping of the commandos.

Van Schalkwyk said the NNP undertook at the meeting to make constructive proposals.

Unveiling proposals for an SA constabulary, he said they were "immediately implementable" and "cost effective".

The idea was for a 120000strong "mobile and lightly-armed patrol force, comprising both full-time and part-time elements and incorporating not only elements of the commandos but also personnel from other sources". The plan was for 20000 full-time and 100000 part-time members.

The major departure in the NNP proposals was to make the constabulary responsible directly to the defence minister rather than the chief of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) as was the case with the commandos.

This was intended to address legitimate concern about longterm military deployment in support of a civilian government.

"Typically, a constabulary focuses in peacetime on protecting and supporting communities in various ways like general crime prevention patrols, roadblocks, antidrug operations, crowd and riot control, border control, traffic and first-phase disaster relief.

"In times of war or grave emergency, part or all of the force would be directly integrated into the SANDF to assist with internal security, key-point protection, road and rail control, border control and securing the rear battle area," Van Schalkwyk said.