Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Text of statement by South African Ministry of Defence published on South African news agency SAPA web site

The deputy minister of defence, Ms Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, will leave for the United States of America tomorrow afternoon, 9 July 2003, to visit military veterans' support and educational programmes in Washington, New York and Baltimore as well as the National Veterans Training Institute in Colorado.

The aim of this study tour of military veterans' service organizations and flagship projects is to learn from organizations with extensive experience on military veterans issues in the US context, so as to draw best practices from these experiences and to assess their appropriateness in the South African context. In addition, the tour would serve to set up networks for capacity building and information-sharing relationship towards the development of military veterans associations in South Africa.

The deputy minister will lead an entourage of 12 participants from the SANDF, Technikon SA, Centre for Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) and members from South African military veterans associations.

Last year, the United States Department of Labour agreed to sponsor a pilot project for 40 MK [ANC's military wing] and APLA [Azanian People's Liberation Army] veterans. The CSVR and Technikon South Africa initiated "Tswelopele pilot project" which attempts to facilitate ex-combatants' reintegration into civilian society through the provision of psycho-social support and re-skilling. The pilot project has extensively engaged with the plight of ex-combatants who may have haboured feelings of anger, betrayal and sometimes abandonment when faced with a challenging socio-economic situation on their return.

Deputy Minister Madlala-Routledge is expected to return to South Africa on 17 July 2003.