Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has launched an investigation into the shooting of a senior officer in the country's peacekeeping contingent in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the official news service, BuaNews, reported.

An unknown gunman shot and killed Colonel Siyalala Apheus Mothapo late on Monday outside the Adikivu base in Bukavu, northeastern DRC.

Colonel Kwena Mangope of the SANDF said the circumstances surrounding the death of the officer were still unclear, but an investigation was underway. The UN is also investigating his death.

"The officer was about to finish his six-months term in the DRC," BuaNews reported Colonel Mangope as saying.

South Africa has been supplying defence force personnel to the DRC for over a year, as part of the UN peacekeeping mission monitoring the country's peace agreement.

More than 700 military personnel drawn from the SANDF and its medical corps are currently deployed in the DRC.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has extended condolences to the family of a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) member who died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday.

Colonel Siyalala Apheus Mothapo of 118 Batallion in Ellisras and was detached to 7 SA Infantry Battalion based in Phalaborwa, Limpopo province was deployed in the DRC as part of a United Nations (UN) mission to bring peace in the DRC.

Colonel Kwena Mangope of the SANDF said the circumstances surrounding the death of the officer was still unclear but an investigation was underway. The UN is also investigating his death.

The SANDF said it will conduct a Board of Inquiry into Colonel Mothapo's death once the UN investigation is concluded.

"The officer was about to finish his six months term in the DRC," said Colonel Mangope. Unknown people shot and killed him on Monday evening near the Adikivu Base.

Preparations to bring his body back to South Africa for burial were underway, said the defence force.

South Africa has been supplying defence force personnel to the DRC as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in the region for over a year now.

So far, there are more than 700 military personnel drawn from the SANDF and its medical corps deployed in the DRC.

The South African National Defence Force [SANDF] confirmed on Tuesday [30 March] that a South African soldier who was part of the peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been shot dead.

Col Kwena Mangope said the soldier was shot on Monday [29 March] night.

He said the SANDF was still in the process of gathering information regarding the incident.

"Information is coming in in dribs and drabs," he said.

"As soon as we have everything we will release a statement."

According to Associated Press, the soldier was shot dead in the north eastern region of Congo.

He was apparently struck by a bullet fired from outside a United Nations base near Kavumu Airport in the South Kivu region.

Twenty-seven UN staff have died during peacekeeping missions in the Congo since November 1999. Most of them were killed in vehicle accidents or died of illness.

A former Azanian People's Liberation Army (Apla) commander and lieutenant-colonel in the South African National Defence Force, Bruce Masangu, who died last Wednesday (March 17), had contracted Aids, his family told Sapa.

He will be buried on Saturday in Chiawelo, Soweto.

Masangu's cousin, Vuyi Mbalo, said Masangu had himself written the liturgy that will be on his funeral brochure, telling how he had contracted the HIV virus in 1993 through a girlfriend who died of Aids in 2000.

"I look healthy, provided I take care of myself. My comrades have been very supportive and I thank everybody who gave me encouragement and strength," it read.

It added that he had been taking Videx, Zenith and other supplements that cost R1500 a month.

The brochure carried a picture of Masangu meeting former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, representing the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania while in exile from apartheid.

Masangu's funeral brochure also told of his having represented the organisation at the Organisation of African Unity.

Apla's former head of military intelligence, General Raymond Fihla, confirmed Masangu's involvement in the organisation.

His funeral will take place at 2pm on Saturday at his parents' home at 3714 Chiawelo, Soweto, where he lived his last years, having retired from the SANDF when he became ill, Mbalo said.

Masangu leaves his wife, Leanah, a one-time Apla soldier and now a sergeant in the SANDF, and four teenaged daughters. The couple lost a son to disease while in exile in Tanzania, said Mbalo.

Government had until Tuesday next week to produce permits and end-user certificates related to the abortive attempt to supply arms to Haiti in February, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Wednesday.

If the documents were not forthcoming, the DA, acting on the belief - and available evidence - that the attempt to export 150 R1 assault rifles, ammunition and equipment to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's police was unlawful, would report the matter to the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

"If a copy of the permit and end user certificate is not furnished to us by 11am on Tuesday, we will have no alternative but to approach the office of the national director of public prosecutions to investigate this matter," Leon said.

But presidential spokesman Bheki Khumalo dismissed Leon's threat as politicking.

"If Leon wants to electioneer it is his democratic right to do so. Government has done nothing wrong. It has followed the law to the letter. If he wants to take the president to the NDPP then so be it," Khumalo said.

Leon said the National Conventional Arms Control Act, steered through Parliament by Education Minister Kader Asmal last year, bound the state as much as any private entity.

Before the state could send arms to Haiti, it had to obtain a permit from Asmal's national conventional arms control committee (NCACC) and obtain and end-user certificate from the ultimate recipient, in this case Aristide.

As it was, by the time an SA Air Force Boeing 707 reached Jamaica, en route to Haiti, to deliver the arms, Aristide had already fled into exile. The aircraft and arms then returned home.

Leon, at a press conference in Sandton said it appeared at face value that Asmal had broken his own law.

He said although Asmal had responded to questions about the NCACC's role in the matter, he had not answered them.

Legal opinion obtained by the party was that Asmal's clearing the export after receiving an urgent request from the Caribbean Community, a regional bloc similar to the Southern African Development Community.

Leon wanted to know when the NCACC sat to hear the application, who was on the panel, where the end user certificate was, which state department applied for the export permit and where the supporting minutes and paperwork was.

"It appears to us that no permit or end user's certificate was issued for the transfer of arms to Haiti. This amounts to a violation of the National Conventional Arms Control Act, as... it is an offence to trade in conventional arms without the required permit and end user certificate," Leon said.

The DA leader also said he had written another letter to President Thabo Mbeki regarding the use of air force aircraft to transport the shipment. He had received no answer to his previous query regarding its dispatch.

Leon said Mbeki was usually prompt in his responses, often taking less than 48 hours to reply. His silence, particularly after Khumalo's promise of an answer, was "strange."

The DA leader said he had taken legal advice and was told that the flight to Haiti amounted to the employment of the Defence Force as contemplated in the Constitution and the new Defence Act, and that government, by not reporting this deployment to Parliament within the stipulated 14 days, was in breach of the law.

Asked whether Mbeki had to inform Parliament even about minor deployments of the SA National Defence Force, such as dispatching aircraft, Leon, quoting legal opinion, said: "It is clear that section 201 (of the Constitution) covers the use of a few members of the Defence Force, as well as large scale operations. Section 1 of the Defence Act defines the term 'Defence Force' to include 'any portion' of the force."

For that reason it appeared Mbeki had no power to authorise the employment of the SANDF to export arms to Haiti.

The DA said it would, in light of any answers received, see if the government had also breached the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, usually employed to prosecute mercenaries.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Acquisitions Management and Operations Branch (AMOB) has a sole source requirement for the continuing support of a clinical research infrastructure in South Africa. NIAID intends to award a five year contract beginning on or about June 23, 2004 to The Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF) on a sole source basis in accordance with FAR Part 6.302-1. The HJF is the only responsible source for this requirement. They have been a critical contributor in establishing the research infrastructure for project 'PHIDISA' in South Africa. Currently, two clinical research protocols have been implemented in two sites in South Africa (one urban and one rural). Plans are underway for the addition of two rural and two urban sites to bring the total number of sites to six. It is necessary to retain the services of the same contractor for the successful continuance of this project. The HJF has established a solid relationship with the US Embassy in South Africa which has provided and will continue to provide PHIDISA with a great number of services. The HJF has established a solid relationship with the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), which serves as the South African collaborator for the project. They have experience in dealing with the SANDF policies and impediments regarding acquisitions, contracting, hiring, job requirements and expectations. They have developed strong working relationships and a mutual sense of trust with high-ranking SANDF military members. The HJF has experience in dealing with South African laws and regulations which help or hinder clinical trials such as PHIDISA. They have also been successful in moving the project forward while functioning within the politically charged climate in South Africa, including dealing with the political sensitivities surrounding SANDF practices, HIV and AIDS and the South African government. The HJF has established an effective business presence in South Africa including banking, offices, legal and commercial bona fides/assurances of good faith. They have built a strong collaborative relationship with the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) as well as US-based PHIDISA collaborators. They have established many and varied contacts/relationships with South African vendors/service providers. The HJF has established more than 100 contracts to provide transportation, equipment and supplies to initialize and sustain the PHIDISA program and have established information systems/communications design and infrastructure tailored to the South African telecommunications environment and to the PHIDISA mission. It has taken over nine months of diligent, persistent effort by the HJF, the SANDF, the US DoD, and the NIH to lift this project to the level which it currently operates. The time and resources that would be required for another firm to develop these types of relationships and skills would be prohibitive to the efficient continuation of this program. It would be detrimental to the project and, most importantly, potentially harmful to the lives of the patients enrolled in the ongoing PHIDISA studies to entertain other offerors at this critical stage of the project. For these reasons NIAID believes that no offeror can fulfill the existing needs for the support of the clinical research infrastructure in South Africa. Please refer any questions in writing to Terrie Nestor at tnestor@niaid.nih.gov on or before May 6, 2004 at 2:00pm EDT. See Numbered Note 22.

A South African National Defence Force task team equipped with four Oryx helicopters and a C130 Hercules would depart for cyclone-hit Madagascar on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The department said the team would also include air traffic controllers, logistics and medical officers as well as Foreign Affairs officials to assist with the coordination of the effort.

"The South African government has authorised the dispatch on Tuesday of a relief mission to Madagascar to lend a hand to the government and the people of Madagascar to deliver humanitarian aid to the victims of the recent cyclone," the statement said.

"This follows a request from Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana to President Thabo Mbeki," it added.

The helicopters and cargo plane would be used in a joint operation with Unicef, the UN's children's fund and the World Food Programme to deliver food and medicine to areas where infrastructure had been destroyed by the two cyclones that struck the Indian Ocean island in recent weeks.

The cyclones destroyed an estimated 120,000 structures and left 240,000 people homeless. Dozens were killed and scores injured.

Mbeki on Monday told an election rally Ravalomanana had asked a number of other countries for help and all had referred him to South Africa.

Mbeki added that such calls could not go unanswered.

The Beeld newspaper reported that the deployment would be paid for in part by Madagascar and in part from the national contingency fund.

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) has established a sub-committee to discuss pre-recruitment testing for HIV and AIDS within the country's defence force.

The resolution was taken at yesterday's meeting in Pretoria, chaired by Deputy President Jacob Zuma.

According to Deputy President Zuma, the sub-committee was also mandated to look into related issues.

"The Council established a sub-committee to discuss the issue further and report back to SANAC," he said.

The move to institute the sub-committee follows a concern raised last year that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) discriminated against members living with HIV and AIDS by terminating their service.

However, Cabinet has said there is no government policy to exclude individuals from the force merely because they were HIV positive.

It said the mandate of the SANDF and the rigour of military training would require the assessment of recruits on the basis of various criteria.

These included height, weight, the state of vision and hearing, and whether one had been infected with ailments such as hepatitis and HIV.

SANAC also deliberated on the challenges of balancing human rights issues with military demands on individuals, Mr Zuma explained.

The members of the group comprise representatives from labour, people living with HIV and AIDS, departments of health and defence, the sports sector, and the legal and human rights sector.

Furthermore, SANAC called on all sectors to engage more with government on its Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment Plan and work out ways of providing practical support regarding implementation.

Approved by Cabinet last November, the plan is to provide antiretrovirals to people infected with AIDS in the country and whose CD4 cell count hovered around 200.

"The Council acknowledged the challenges facing the country regarding the implementation," said Deputy President Zuma.

The National Department of Health has thus pledged to provide support to provinces to ensure equitable access to antiretrovirals in the public health sector across the country.

Nonetheless, the Western Cape government has already started rolling out the drugs in its public health institutions.

Gauteng outlined its implementation programme this week, with plans to start providing antiretrovirals to people living with AIDS in the province from next month.

North West is outlining its programme today whereas the Free State is gearing itself for rollout in May.

In terms of the national treatment plan, government hopes to establish at least one service point in every health district across the country, and within five years one service point in every local municipality.

A service point includes a network of facilities providing various elements of the comprehensive care.

Three communities lost their final legal battle on Thursday for the restitution of a portion of the Lohatlha army battle school in the Northern Cape as their ancestral land.

In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by the Khosis, Gatlhose and Maremane against a Land Claims Court (LCC) order in this regard.

Appeal Judge Louis Harms found it was in the public interest to retain the battle school, and that it could not be moved.

"Undeniably, the umbilical cord that joins any particular community and its ancestral land is strong and it has a highly emotional element that has to be respected. That does not, however, mean that all other public interest considerations should be ignored," the judgment reads.

"Land is finite and there are millions out there who also wish to have their share. All claims and aspirations cannot be satisfied. A balance must be struck and the limited resources of the country must be considered."

The Lohatlha battle school covers some 1580 square km - of which about 62,000ha was the subject of a restitution claim by the three communities.

The minister of defence and the Northern Cape premier have obtained an LCC order that no part of the battle school area would be restored to any of the communities.

The land claimed was formerly known as the Maremane and Gatlhose native reserves. Some 9000ha of the area was the subject of the Khosis claim.

Under apartheid laws, the reserves were identified as "black spots" - with some 12,000 people removed in 1976 and 1977 and relocated to the former Bophuthatswana.

The Khosis, classified as coloureds at the time, were allowed to stay after the land was obtained by the defence force in January 1978.

Their living area became encircled by the battle school, with the movements of the community and its livestock severely restricted, resulting in conflict between the Khosis and the defence force.

In 1990, a majority of the Khosis community agreed to be relocated to nearby Jenn Haven, a 14,000ha tract of land. The area was allocated to the Khosis in exchange for the land claimed, and the majority of the community moved during 1992.

A portion of the Khosis community known as the Free group, after their leader Joseph Free, opted to remain on the battle school grounds.

The group, which has consistently refused to relocate, now numbers 127 individuals.

The Gatlhose and Maremane communities and some of the Khosis have accepted monetary compensation equal to the value of the reserve land, in addition to being allowed to stay on the land allocated to them after their forced relocation.

The Gatlhose and Maremane joined the Khosis appeal but did not actively pursue it.

The judges criticised the Free group's intransigence. A number of community members, including children, have been killed in explosions in the battle school area.

Educational facilities for 27 pupils were inadequate, there was a lack of drinking water and sanitation, and living conditions posed serious health risks.

"The Free group should have left Lohatlha before those persons died and before social conditions deteriorated to an extent where children have to suffer because of the ideals of their parents," Harms said.

He was also critical of the effects of delays in finalising the land claim on the Gatlhose and Maremane.

They lived on land insufficient for their needs, and were unable to use money set aside for the purchase of additional land because of the lengthy court challenge.

Harms said the battle school was a national asset and essential for the SANDF's training. It was indispensable in meeting the Constitutional requirement of a disciplined military force.

There was no alternative land in the country for the erection of a similar school, he said.

The area was heavily contaminated with unexploded munitions and was not fit for human or animal habitation. A 1996 estimate of the clearing costs amounted to UK7.9 million or about R95 million - many times the value of the land.

The Khosis area alone could be made safe at a cost of between R300 and R350 per hectare. The land itself was valued at R400 per hectare.

Harms said the Khosis' presence on the grounds hampered military training. New weapons could not be tested fully and the community's access road traversed the battle area.

Taking into account these facts, the court was not convinced that the LCC had erred, he said.

A man who was shot dead in front of former South African president Nelson Mandela's home in Cape Town after he tried to open fire on police was a former soldier with apparent mental problems, reports said Wednesday.

Mandela, who was not at his house at the time of the incident, meanwhile, was "completely shocked," his spokeswoman Zelda la Grange said.

"An incident of this nature is always disturbing as it involves the possibility of loss of life," she said. "The safety of Mr Mandela, his family and staff is paramount to us all."

A joint statement by the ministers of defence, safety and security and intelligence ministers said the dead man was a former member of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) who had been discharged earlier this year.

"The man has been identified as an ex-SANDF member whose state of mind the SANDF had been concerned about," it said.

The ministers said the SANDF had been searching for the deceased in connection with the theft of military weapons - one of which had been recovered at the scene of the shooting.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when three men stopped outside Mandela's house in Cape Town's Bishopscourt area, where another anti-apartheid hero and Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu lives.

They asked to see Mandela or Tutu or the man who succeeded Tutu as archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane, claiming they had some "material" about the upcoming general elections on April 14, which will be South Africa's third multi-racial polls.

"The police requested them to give an idea of what the problem was. The deceased then proceeded to the boot of their car, ostensibly to fetch the material he wanted to show the former president," the ministers' statement said.

"Instead he drew a heavy calibre weapon taking up a threatening position against the police that led to a confrontation and him being fatally wounded."

The ministers said they were "satisfied that the police acted correctly and with the necessary firmness the situation demanded."

They added:"We would like to assure the public that this was an isolated incident that has no bearing on the elections nor will it threaten stability of the forthcoming elections."

National police spokesman senior superintendent Selby Bokaba said the other two men sped away in the car and were apprehended for questioning.

The incident sparked immediate concern from a slew of political parties.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, in power since the formal end of apartheid in 1994, condemned the attack on its veteran leader who became the country's first black president.

ANC provincial secretary of the Western Cape region Mcebisi Skwatsha condemned "the brazen attack on the home of our elder statesman - a man who has sacrificed so much for our country and its people."

Opposition leader Tony Leon from the Democratic Alliance party expressed shock.

"Violence and intimidation are completely unacceptable in our democracy. Nelson Mandela is a living treasure of South Africa and he deserves the highest security measures available," he said.

New National Party secretary general Daryl Swanepoel said: "This incident comes at a time when we are supposed to be celebrating the first decade of political freedom of which Mr Mandela is a central part."

He asked the South African police to immediately find out the motive, saying: "All South Africans will want to know what is behind this incident."

The man shot dead by police at former president Nelson Mandela's Cape Town home was a former SA National Defence Force member, Cabinet ministers said on Wednesday.

He was relieved of his duty earlier this year, the cluster of security ministers said in a statement.

"The man has been identified as an ex-SANDF member whose state of mind the SANDF had been concerned about."

The ministers said the SANDF had been searching for the deceased in connection with the theft of military weapons - one of which had been recovered at the scene of the shooting.

Cabinet's security cluster comprises the ministers of Defence (Mosiuoa Lekota), of Safety and Security (Charles Nqakula) and of Intelligence (Lindiwe Sisulu).

In their statement they said three men in a red Uno stopped outside President Mandela's home around 4pm on Tuesday.

They asked to see the former Archbishop Desmond Tutu or his successor Njongonkulu Archbishop Ndungane.

"The men indicated that they had some material about the forthcoming elections. Upon being denied access the men refused to leave the scene," the statement said.

The police on duty called for assistance and were reinforced by three members from the Rondebosch police station.

According to the statement, the police explained to the men it would not be possible for them to see either President Mandela or the two Archbishops.

"The police requested them to give an idea of what the problem was. The deceased then proceeded to the boot of their car, ostensibly to fetch the material he wanted to show the former president," said the statement.

"Instead he drew a heavy calibre weapon taking up a threatening position against the police that lead to a confrontation and him being fatally wounded."

His name would be withheld until his next of kin had been notified. The other two men were arrested and were still in custody.

Police were continuing their investigation, assisted by the intelligence agencies. It was hoped the case would be concluded soon.

"The Ministers are satisfied that the police acted correctly and with the necessary firmness the situation demanded."

They added:"We would like to assure the public that this was an isolated incident that has no bearing on the elections nor will it threaten stability of the forthcoming elections."

The Democratic Alliance has called on Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota to say what he is doing to sort out a delay in salary increases for military personnel.

In a statement on Tuesday, DA defence spokesman Roy Jankielsohn said he had spoken with the South African National Defence Union (SANDU) about the delay.

"SANDU and the minister... are heading for a renewed labour dispute regarding salaries," he warned.

SA National Defence Force personnel's salary increases should be a matter of priority to the department of defence.

"Delays have, however, become an area of ongoing dispute between the Department of Defence and SANDU.

"Military trade unions have had to take the department to court on a number of occasions over the past few years in order to solve disputes regarding various labour related issues.

"This has caused unnecessary costs for both the department and SANDF members."

Jankielsohn said it was time for Lekota to show his commitment to the welfare of his troops by being transparent and co-operating with the unions.

South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance says President Thabo Mbeki may have violated the Constitution by sending a defence force aircraft to the Caribbean, without informing Parliament.

The Democratic Alliance charged here on Monday that Mbeki approved the employment of a South African Air Force (SAAF) Boeing-707 to carry arms and equipment for the use of the Haitian Police Force in support of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The aircraft was reportedly carrying a shipment of 150 R-1 rifles, 5,000 bullets, 200 smoke grenades and 200 bullet-proof vests, but never reached Haiti because of the departure of Aristide for Bangui, Central African Republic.

"Specifically, President Mbeki appears to have violated Section 201 of the Constitution, which requires him to inform Parliament or the appropriate parliamentary oversight committee of any employment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)," DA leader Tony Leon said in a statement.

"The Democratic Alliance has established, through contact between DA Chief Whip Douglas Gibson and the office of the Secretary of Parliament, that President Mbeki failed to inform the relevant parliamentary oversight committee (in this case, the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, or alternatively the Portfolio Committee on Defence) of the employment of the SAAF aircraft within seven days of that employment, as required by the Constitution."

Leon said he has written to President Mbeki and asked him to explain about the employment of the SAAF aircraft.

"Specifically, I have asked him to explain whether he sought legal opinion before authorising the deployment of the SAAF aircraft to Haiti; and, if so, to explain how he would justify his apparent failure to inform Parliament in terms of Section 201 of the Constitution," he explained.

The DA is also not convinced that government obtained an export permit as is required by the National Conventional Arms Control Act to export these arms and equipment.

L'armée sud-africaine, qui est l'une des armées les plus professionnelles d'Afrique, s'acquitte bien de sa tâche en matière de maintien de la paix dans des pays tels que le Burundi, mais son acquisition peu judicieuse de certains systèmes d'armes (elle aurait probablement pu acquérir plus d'aéronefs et moins de sous-marins) et le taux élevé de séropositivité chez ses soldats vont avoir des répercussions graves sur ses moyens d'action.

The men arrested aboard a captured plane in Zimbabwe are all former members of the apartheid-era South African Defence Force from the former 32 Battalion based in Namibia, a diplomatic source said on Wednesday.

The source told Sapa that the plane had indeed been transporting mercenaries to Equatorial Guinea, and it stopped over in Zimbabwe to pick up the weapons from a military depot.

The Beeld newspaper alleges the weapons were manufactured by Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), which it alleges was paid US180,000 for the weapons.

"So I suppose you could say there were no weapons on the plane before it got to Zimbabwe," the source said.

Sixty-four men, including 20 South Africans, 18 Namibians, 23 Angolans, two DRC citizens and a Zimbabwean travelling on a South African passport have been arrested and are in prison in Zimbabwe.

The Boeing 727-100 was detained by Harare on Sunday after airport authorities became suspicious of the pilot's reported claim that the plane was only carrying three crew and four cargo handlers.

Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma said on her arrival back from India that her department was in no rush to assist the South Africans in Zimbabwe, or another group which is under house arrest in Equatorial Guinea.

"They are not exactly innocent travellers finding themselves in a difficult situation," she said.

However foreign affairs officials would find out what extradition treaties, if any, were in place.

She said the department was still trying to establish what was going on but that "indeed there was a link between the plane and Equatorial Guinea."

She confirmed there were at least seven South Africans who had been arrested in Equatorial Guinea and that one had "spilt the beans".

"I know one man has addressed the diplomatic corps and explained what funny things they were doing up there," she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said government was concerned that South Africans were involved in mercenary activities.

"We don't like the idea that South Africa has become a cesspool of mercenaries," she said.

Equatorial Guinea's Information Minister Agustin Nse Nfumu said on Tuesday his government had detained 15 suspected mercenaries, and declared they were an "advance party" for the group of 64 on board the impounded aircraft.

He said the leader of the group, a white South African called "Mick", had confessed to a plot to kill the president.

But Charles Burrow, a senior executive at Logo logistics - the planes owner - maintains its all a "dreadful misunderstanding".

Burrow insists the alleged mercenaries were security guards en route to various mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the alleged weapons were bits of mining equipment.

The men arrested aboard a captured plane in Zimbabwe are all former South African National Defence (SANDF) soldiers from Unit 32, based in Namibia, a diplomatic source said on Wednesday [10 March].

The source told Sapa that the plane had indeed been transporting mercenaries to Equatorial Guinea, and it stopped over in Zimbabwe to pick up the weapons from a military depot.

Beeld alleges the weapons were manufactured by Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), which it alleges was paid US180,000 for the weapons.

"So I suppose you could say there were no weapons on the plane before it got to Zimbabwe," the source said.

Sixty-four men, including 20 South Africans, 18 Namibians, 23 Angolans, two DRC citizens and a Zimbabwean travelling on a South African passport have been arrested and are in prison in Zimbabwe.

The Boeing 727-100 was detained by Harare on Sunday after airport authorities became suspicious of the pilot's reported claim that the plane was only carrying three crew and four cargo handlers.

Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on her arrival back from India that her department was in no rush to assist the South Africans in Zimbabwe, or another group which is under house arrest in Equatorial Guinea.

"They are not exactly innocent travellers finding themselves in a difficult situation," she said.

However foreign affairs officials would find out what extradition treaties, if any, were in place.

She said the department was still trying to establish what was going on but that "indeed there was a link between the plane and Equatorial Guinea." She confirmed there were at least seven South Africans who had been arrested in Equatorial Guinea and that one had "spilt the beans".

"I know one man has addressed the diplomatic corps and explained what funny things they were doing up there," she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said government was concerned that South Africans were involved in mercenary activities. "We don't like the idea that South Africa has become a cesspool of mercenaries," she said.

Equatorial Guinea's Information Minister Agustin Nse Nfumu said on Tuesday his government had detained 15 suspected mercenaries, and declared they were an "advance party" for the group of 64 on board the impounded aircraft.

He said the leader of the group, a white South African called "Mick", had confessed to a plot to kill the president.

But Charles Burrow, a senior executive at Logo logistics - the planes owner - maintains its all a "dreadful misunderstanding". Burrow insists the alleged mercenaries were security guards en route to various mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the alleged weapons were bits of mining equipment.

Democratic Alliance federal council chairman James Selfe has written to Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, asking him to confirm or deny that the SA National Defence Force currently has aircraft in Haiti.

The DA had received information from "two independent sources" that a South African Air Force Boeing 707, or an aircraft chartered to the defence force, was currently in Haiti, Selfe said in a statement.

"I have consequently written to Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota asking him to either confirm or deny that the SANDF currently has an aircraft in Haiti."

Lekota's spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi told Sapa on Thursday "as a matter of courtesy, the minister will respond to Mr Selfe's letter". There was no further comment.

In his statement, Selfe said the situation in Haiti had deteriorated rapidly since the official state visit by President Thabo Mbeki in early January, and political instability had escalated further since Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed on Sunday.

"South Africa's involvement in Haiti has been widely condemned and interpreted as tacit support for President Aristide's authoritarian regime," he said.

The government should take South Africans into its confidence, and say whether the SANDF sent an aircraft to Haiti, and if so, what its mission was.

It should also reveal its role with respect to Haiti and Aristide, what this had cost South Africa so far, and what it was expected to cost in the future.

"It is essential that government does not risk further damage to its international and domestic credibility on this issue, and provide an urgent and comprehensive response," Selfe said.

Public servant who intend standing as candidates for the national or provincial governments during the country's third democratic elections on April 14 have been advised to resign their positions to comply with the Public Service Act.

Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi has informed all executing authorities and heads of national and provincial departments in the public service to comply with the Act.

The minister said in a statement that the measure was underpinned by the country Constitution that stipulates that state employees should not contest for parliamentary elections unless they resigned their positions.

"The conditions in the Public Service Regulations regulating the rights and conduct of persons, employed in terms of the Public Service Act, require that an employee must resign from the Public Service beforehand if she or he intends to stand as a candidate for election to the National Assembly or any provincial legislature," said the minister Fraser-Moleketi.

The set requirements dictates that an employee has to resign not later than the date on which the employee is issued a certificate by the Independent Electoral Commission stating he or she is a candidate for elections to the National Assembly or a provincial legislature.

With regards to nomination to the National Council of Provinces, an employee who is nominated by a political party as permanent delegate to that Council, is to resign not later than the date of such nomination.

The provisions of the Act and Regulations also applies to persons employed, in terms of their own respective employment legislation such as the SA Police Service (SAPS), the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), SA Secret Service (SASS) and the Department of Correctional Services and teachers in provincial education departments.

"Employees of SAPS, NIA and SASS are specifically disallowed by their respective employment legislation from becoming candidates in elections and such employees will also have to resign before becoming a candidate," said Fraser-Moleketi.

However, the minister said the requirements to resign don't limit the rights of employees in the public service to be members of political parties and to attend meetings of any political party.

Employees are however not permitted to preside or speak at such meetings and may not draw up or publish any document or deliver a public speech to promote or prejudice the interests of any political party.

South Africans offering security services in Iraq could be prosecuted in terms of the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act (RFMAA), officials said on Monday.

The Ministry of Defence said a statement at the weekend prohibiting South Africans from offering security or military services to any faction in Iraq without the permission of Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota merely clarified an existing situation.

Spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi said the act, adopted by Parliament in 1998, has been in operation for some years already.

South African courts traditionally did not allow ignorance of the law as an excuse.

Mkhwanazi could not immediately say whether any South Africans had official permission to provide military or security services in Iraq.

It was also not known how many South African citizens or residents were providing services in that country.

Media reports have speculated that "hundreds" of former soldiers and policeman have applied for lucrative jobs there, mostly as bodyguards or security personnel.

Most of the contracts were of three month's duration, with the option to extend them, and salaries of between R35,000 and R100,000 a month was being offered.

Lekota's office at the weekend said the National Conventional Arms Control Committee had decided that Iraq was a "theatre of armed conflict" under the RFMAA.

Pitted against each other were a US-led international coalition, including the Iraqi Provisional Authority, and "armed forces or groupings opposed to the Iraqi Provisional Authority as well as the presence of the coalition forces in Iraq.

"In terms of the Act the rendering of military assistance to a party to an armed conflict includes providing advice, training, personnel, financial, logistical, intelligence or operational support, personnel recruitment, medical or para-medical services or procurement of equipment."

Military assistance also included "the provision of security services for the protection of individuals involved in an armed conflict or their property or any other action that resulted in furthering the military interests of a party to an armed conflict".

South Africans in, or headed for, Iraq to work as security or body guards could therefore face imprisonment or fines or both on their return.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Makhosini Nkosi said South Africa had for the past 10 years tried to be part of the solution to conflict situations.

People offering services of the type regulated by the FMAA without permission tended to be part of problem and undermined the country's efforts to seek peaceful resolutions.

The NPA was keen to take action against those who undermined South Africa's role in the international community as mercenaries.

He said the NPA had a close working relationship with police's crimes against the state unit that investigated mercenary cases and also controlled the Scorpions.

Asked if South Africans in Iraq would be prosecuted, he said if "any law enforcement agency refers the cases we will prosecute."

In a separate development, the Department of Defence through an internal bulletin last week also warned staff against taking leave to take up such contracts.

The warning to serving soldiers, sailors and airmen came after reports that many were contemplating taking unpaid or accumulated leave from the SANDF to take up short-term work in Iraq.

In January, an ex-security policeman from Pretoria died and five other South Africans were wounded in a suicide bombing in Iraq. They worked for a company that provided security services to mainly American civilians in Iraq.

In February decorated former South African Air Force helicopter pilot Carl Alberts pleaded guilty to participating in mercenary activities in the Ivory Coast and was sentenced to two years in jail or a R20,000 fine.