Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

SA's peacekeeping burden in Africa is likely to remain the same or decrease in the foreseeable future, the head of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said yesterday.

This could result in huge financial savings for the defence force as SA's annual bill for peacekeeping missions in Africa runs into the millions.

The defence force's chief director, Gen Siphiwe Nyanda, said the proposed African Standby Force and a diminishing number of conflicts on the continent would help reduce SA's peacekeeping burden .

The African Standby Force would mean greater sharing of the peacekeeping burden among African countries.

Nyanda, speaking to journalists in Pretoria on developments in the SANDF since its creation 10 years ago, said the defence force would consider serving on peacekeeping missions on other continents if requested.

SA has about 3000 troops on peacekeeping duties, mainly divided between Burundi, where SA leads the African Union mission, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are also a few South Africans who serve in the United Nations observer mission between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The defence force has been stretched because of health problems arising from the 21% HIV/AIDS infection rate and aging soldiers, as well as the half-yearly rotation of troops on peacekeeping duty

Nyanda said the United Nations (UN) had sent a team to investigate the possibility of a takeover of the peacekeeping mandate from the South African-led African Union mission in Burundi.

This means SA would be reimbursed for most of the costs for the operation. Nyanda said if there were a UN takeover, SA troops would remain in Burundi for as long as they were needed. SA has been lobbying for a mandate change.

Nyanda referred to the Burundi mission as "ground-breaking", saying it was an "instructive lesson" in the interplay between political arrangements and peacekeeping operations.

The SA National Defence Force confirmed on Wednesday that the six soldiers involved in an accident in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were dead.

"We won't release their names until families have been told," said Colonel Kwena Mangope.

The soldiers serving in a peacekeeping mission in the DRC were killed when the armoured Casspir vehicle they were travelling in left the road and plunged into Lake Kifu near Goma on Tuesday at about 1pm.

Mangope said it appeared the driver had lost control.

"We are not sure what caused him to lose control of the vehicle," he said. He also said the SANDF were not sure if the driver was one of those killed in the accident.

Five soldiers managed to escape but it is believed those that died had been trapped under the water and drowned.

Those who managed to escape were treated for minor wounds and shock.

The SANDF said it would appoint a board of inquiry into the causes and circumstances of the accident.