Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

DA concerned about HIV/AIDS troops Parliamentary Editor CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed concern that the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF's) battle- readiness is severely compromised by soldiers with HIV/AIDS, leaving it unable to fulfil its constitutional obligations .

A statement by DA defence spokesman Rafeek Shah yesterday followed reports by Jane's Defence Weekly correspondent Helmoed-Romer Heitman that the SANDF did not have the operational capacity to perform its peacekeeping tasks. Heitman also said that, without a major airlift capability, the SANDF would be unable to evacuate the forces it had in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, should there be a real crisis.

Parliament's defence committee was recently given a briefing by Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and the chief of the SANDF, Gen Siphiwe Nyanda, on the readiness of the military. The meeting was closed to the public and the media.

Yesterday, committee chairman Kader Asmal said he was confident that the SANDF could fulfil its constitutional mandate. He said it was common knowledge the SANDF was "stretched" in some areas, but that issues such as disease and ailments in the ranks were being addressed.

Shah said: "Previously, we raised the concern that the battle-readiness of the SANDF is severely compromised by the fact that, according to the SANDF itself, around 23% of its troops are HIV-positive. "This statistic, apart from the human cost it represents, is particularly devastating in the light of the fact that HIV-positive troops are legally precluded from participating in United Nations operations. " He said that further cause for "alarm" was the news that an internal defence force probe had been launched into allegations that fraudulent medical certificates had been issued to soldiers who were HIV-positive.

"Evidence from a Chinese hospital in Kindu in the Democratic Republic of Congo reveals that a shocking number of SANDF members have tested positive for HIV. This reinforces the perception that all is not well with testing procedures at the SANDF," Shah said.

"Jane's Defence Weekly's assessment reinforces earlier DA concerns that the SANDF is ill-equipped to carry out (its) mandate because it lacks in particular the ability to airlift large numbers of troops either to or out of conflict zones, and the necessary infantry combat vehicles ..." This again raised questions about the "appropriateness of the defence procurement package".

A sergeant major in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) allegedly shot his estranged wife at a bus stop outside 1 Military Hospital at Thaba Tshwane, police said on Wednesday.

The wife, whose name has not been revealed, was in a critical condition in the intensive care unit in 1 Military Hospital, after she was shot several times in the stomach, head and body.

Her husband, whose name was also not released, then returned home and cut his wrists in a suicide attempt.

Police spokesman Inspector Anton Breedt said the man was under police guard in 1 Military Hospital.

"We are not sure what the reason for the attack was but we believed they were going through divorce proceedings," he said.

He said the sergeant major arrived at the bus stop at 9.15am and waited for his wife to arrive. When she did, he shot her, he said.

"Police are still investigating the incident," he said.

SANDF spokesman Colonel John Rolt confirmed the incident.

"The SA Police Service will be investigating and not military police," he said.

-- Thaba Tshwane was formerly named Voortrekkerhoogte. Before that it was Roberts Heights.

La division militaire d'Airbus espère vendre à l'armée de l'air sud-africaine huit appareils pour un montant de 800 millions de dollars, a annoncé mercredi un responsable du constructeur aéronautique européen.

Richard Thompson, vice-président des activités commerciales d'Airbus Military, a ajouté à des journalistes que si l'Afrique du Sud choisissait de faire l'acquisition du nouvel A400M, des sous-traitants locaux seraient chargés de fournir certains composants à la flotte.

L'Afrique du Sud a jusqu'à la fin de l'année pour prendre une décision, a précisé Thompson.

Le pays a signé en 1999 un accord avec des sociétés britanniques, françaises, allemandes, sud-africaines, italiennes et suédoises pour fournir à son armée, pour un total de 6,64 milliards de dollars, des navires militaires, des hélicoptères, des sous-marins et des avions de chasse.

Une entreprise russe participera à un appel d’offres que se propose de lancer le ministère sud-africain de la Défense à l’achat de chars de combat, a annoncé mercredi à ITAR-TASS un membre de la délégation russe arrivée à Pretoria pour participer à l’exposition internationale Africa Aerospace and Defence 2004.

Selon lui, Ouralwagonzavod participe pour la première fois à l’exposition en vue d’avoir des négociations et de préciser les exigences de l’Afrique du Sud envers ce char. Des consultations préliminaires entre l’entreprise russe et les responsables de la RSA se sont tenues au printemps dernier sur les conditions avancées par le comité de l’appel d’offres. Ouralwagonzavod présentera pour cet appel d’offres son char T-90 modernisé en conformité avec les exigences du client.

L’armée sud-africaine a l’intention d’acheter les nouveaux chars pour remplacer les chars Olifant dont disposent aujourd’hui ses forces terrestres. Des négociations sont également en cours, dans le cadre de l’exposition, en vue de la modernisation et de la réparation des chars T-55 et T-62 dont sont armées les troupes angolaises.

South African National Defence Force Chief General Siphiwe Nyanda is expected to officiate at the arrival of the fourth and last patrol corvette, the SAS Mendi.

The corvette will arrive in Cape Town from Kiel, Germany, on Friday.

To commemorate the event, the SA Navy will also be holding a fleet review of all four corvettes in False Bay.

SAS Mendi sails from Kiel this week and will join three other similar ships, SAS Amatola, SAS Isandlwana and SAS Spioenkop already in Simon's Town.

Mrs Helena Retief, wife of the chief of the navy Rear Admiral John Retief had the honour of naming the new stealth corvette after the SS Mendi, a troopship that was sunk in the English Channel during World War I.

The SAS Mendi, on her way to South Africa, will be visiting Brest, France and Rota and Spain.

She will also be laying a wreath on the waters where the former SAS Mendi, the ship she was named after, sank during a collision on 21 February 1917.

The Amatola arrived in South African waters last November, the Isandhlwana in February this year and the Spioenkop in May.

The German Frigate Consortium at Hamburg and Kiel built all four ships.

The SA Navy said SAS Mendi contractors would commence fitting her combat suit and weapons systems upon arrival.

The police are ready to take over border control from the army, they said on Tuesday.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is ready to take over the first phase of border control along the country's borders, police said on Tuesday.

Speaking at Middelput, a post on the Botswana border, the police's divisional commissioner of operational response, Arno Lamoer, said the first group of police would be deployed on Monday.

They were currently still receiving training at Upington in the Northern Cape.

The first deployment of police will be between Middelput and Nakop on the Botswana and Namibian borders.

The next phase of deployment would cover the whole Namibian border.

Lamoer told journalists the police units along the border would focus especially on combating international and organised crime.

He said the deployment of police would not only control the border, but would also empower police officers as they would receive additional training.

This includes intensive training in searching techniques, the identification of places of concealment, 4x4 training, relevant legislation and other skills.

The police's new duties along these borders in Botswana and Namibia form part of the entry/exit strategy prepared by the SAPS and the SA National Defence after a cabinet lekgotla in 2002.

That lekgotla decided to hand responsibility for border control from the SANDF to the SAPS.

Lamoer said that the police would control the entire border by March 2009.

Warning of 'downward spiral' in SA's military Peace role 'under threat' if staff crisis persists Sapa THE South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will have to solve staff problems before it can begin to address funding and operational shortfalls, a strategy document says.

A new version of the defence department's Human Resources Strategy 2010 was released recently in Parliament.

It said that unless drastic changes were made to personnel administration, staff costs would continue to gobble up more than half the military's budget. The force would continue on a downward spiral, less and less able to deploy peacekeepers in support of President Thabo Mbeki's ambitions for Africa.

"The strategy itself is based on the premise that it must provide solutions to solve the main (human resources) problem areas which, if not addressed, will lead to the deterioration of the (force's human resources) composition and thereby the inability of the (force) to execute its mission," the document said. It recommended a radical change in personnel policy. "This calls for a new employment ethos for uniformed personnel which is in line with international practice, discarding the inherited 'cradle-to-grave', stagnation-riddled and unproductive employment ethos in favour of a more flexible and developmental-focused way of serving," it said. The document said this would release more funds for operational commitments while also ensuring a regular throughput of well-qualified personnel.

Having completed a period of military duty, staff would be able to "assume meaningful occupations in the civilian sector".

The approach would also bring to life the "one force model" expounded in the defence white paper and defence review, to which the SANDF has thus far paid only lip service.

The "one force model" foresaw a SANDF with a small regular force and a large reserve component, which potentially allowed for a large military - when needed - at low cost.

At present the SANDF can deploy only about 3000 or 5% of its 59000 regulars and hardly any reservists on peace support missions. About that number are already deployed and government is keen to deploy more.

The document said this was partly because the defence employment model, called the flexible service system, had never been properly implemented, causing stagnation, low morale, low staff performance and serious disciplinary problems among the rank and file.

Within the regular force, more than 50% of privates and junior noncommissioned officers were between 30 and 60 years old. "Services, particularly the South African army, carry significant numbers of combat personnel whose effective deployment potential is restricted as a result of their age." Older personnel were generally reluctant to leave their properties unattended, were married and had family responsibilities and were less amenable to hard physical training.

The strategy also noted that the poor state of health in the SANDF had been a "strategic issue" since 1999.

"The deterioration of the (defence) personnel health status, primarily as a result of HIV/AIDS, constitutes the biggest single threat to the deployment potential and operational effectiveness of the SANDF, even over the long term or until such time as an HIV antidote/vaccine is found," the report said. It said as HIV prevalence was more prominent in the 25-29 age group - the age bracket that should provide the largest number of deployable personnel - the SANDF needed to compensate with a constant rapid throughput of young, fit and healthy personnel.

The new approach the document recommends draws on the experiences of several countries including the US, Britain and Germany.

In order to train better officers, it proposed adopting the US reserve officer training corps system under which the defence paid selected students to study at universities in exchange for a period of military service after graduation. Such a system would encourage volunteers to join the reserves, rejuvenate their leadership and supplement the SANDF's pool of expertise. Grants would be offered to high performing school leavers who wanted to qualify in disciplines that "will benefit the SANDF's advanced combat and technical domains". They would have to pass officer's selection and would have a specific Reserve Force service commitment.

Another suggestion was adopting a US-style "up or out" promotion system in which noncritical staff who failed to reach certain ranks by specified ages were automatically retrenched.

Except for university graduates, volunteers for military service would have to be matriculants between 18 and 22 years. The maximum age for privates in the regular and reserve forces would be 28 years, for staff sergeants and majors between 40 and 45 years while retirement age would be 55 years.

"To prevent stagnation, a 'tenure in rank' policy is in place that specifies the maximum term that can be served in each rank." Special provision was to be made for staff whose tenures were tied to functional ranks, for example professional health practitioners and pilots.

The document borrowed the German idea of preparing soldiers throughout their service for a return to civilian life.

"The framework should facilitate the redeployment of members whose tenure of service expires or who can no longer be effectively utilised." A defence redeployment agency would offer counselling, career advice, aptitude assessment and retraining. Where possible, this would include re-employment in the force or another state department.

Former soldiers would be encouraged to join the reserves, enjoying better pension benefits, a specified payment for every full year of service completed, payment for of all leave due, post-separation medical benefits, a one-off resettlement allowance and service bonuses.

Also to be introduced was an independent defence service commission or defence remuneration board, analogous to the UK's Armed Forces Pay Review Body, which makes periodic recommendations about service conditions.

The South African Council of Military Veterans' Organisation and the Pretoria Memorial Services Council are to host a memorial service to commemorate soldiers who died on duty since the First World War.

The memorial service will be held at the Fort Klapperkop in Pretoria on Sunday.

The service will also include remembering all those who were left disabled as a result of their services.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will take part in the service by providing ceremonial sentries and also offering logistical support.

The ceremony is expected to be attended by government dignitaries including the Executive Mayor of Tshwane Father S'mangaliso Mkhatshwa, senior SANDF officials, representatives from foreign countries as well as leaders of the various veterans' organisations.

Family members of the lost heroes will be afforded an opportunity to pay homage to their loved ones by laying wreaths.

The SA National Defence Force will have to solve its staff problems before it can begin to address its funding and operational shortfalls, a Department of Defence (DOD) strategy document says.

A new version of the DOD's Human Resources Strategy 2010 (HR2010) was recently released in Parliament.

Unless drastic changes were made to personnel administration, staff costs would continue to gobble up over half the military's annual budget. The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) would continue on a downward spiral, less and less able to deploy peacekeepers in support of President Thabo Mbeki's ambitions for Africa, according to the document.

"The strategy itself is based on the premise that it must provide solutions to solve the main HR (human resources) problem areas which, if not addressed, will lead to the deterioration of the DOD's HR composition and thereby the inability of the DOD to execute its mission," the document's anonymous writers said in an introductory paragraph.

They recommended a radical change in the DOD's personnel policy.

"This calls for a new employment ethos for uniformed personnel which is in line with international practice, discarding the inherited 'cradle-to-grave' stagnation-riddled and unproductive employment ethos in favour of a more flexible and developmental-focused way of serving..."

The writers said this would release more funds for operational commitments while also ensuring a regular throughput of well-qualified personnel.

Having completed a period of military duty, they would then be able to "assume meaningful occupations in the civilian sector".

The approach would also bring to life the "one-force model" expounded in the Defence White Paper and Defence Review, to which the DOD had thus far only paid lip service.

The "one-force model" foresaw a SANDF with a small regular force and a large reserve component, which potentially allowed for a large military -- when needed -- at low cost.

At present the SANDF can only deploy about 3000 of its 59,000 regulars (five percent), and hardly any reservists on peace support missions.

About that number are already deployed and the government is keen to deploy more.

The document explained this was in part because the DOD's employment model, called the flexible service system, had never been properly implemented, causing stagnation, low morale, low staff performance and serious disciplinary problems among the rank and file.

Within the regular force, over 50 percent of privates and junior non-commissioned officers were between 30 and 60 years old.

"Services, particularly the SA Army, carry significant numbers of combat personnel whose effective deployment potential is restricted as a result of their age."

Older personnel are generally reluctant to leave their properties unattended, are married and have family responsibilities and are less amenable to hard physical training.

HR2010 also noted that the poor state of health in the SANDF has been a "strategic issue" since 1999.

"The deterioration of the DOD's personnel health status, primarily as a result of HIV/Aids, constitutes the biggest single threat to the deployment potential and operational effectiveness of the SANDF, even over the long term or until such time as an HIV antidote/vaccine is found."

The report added that as HIV prevalence was more prominent in the 25 to 29 age group -- the age bracket that should provide the largest number of deployable personnel -- the SANDF needed to compensate by a constant rapid throughput of young, fit and healthy personnel.

The new approach the document recommends draws on the experiences of several other countries, including the USA, Britain and Germany.

In order to train better officers, it recommended the adoption of the US Reserve Officer Training Corps system. Under this system the DOD pays selected students to study at universities in exchange for a period of military service after graduation.

Such a system would encourage volunteers to join the reserves, rejuvenate the reserves' leadership and supplement the SANDF's pool of expertise.

Grants would be offered to high performing school leavers who want to be qualified in disciplines that "will benefit the SANDF's advanced combat and technical domains." They would have to pass officer's selection and will have a specific Reserve Force service commitment.

Another suggestion is adopting a US-style "up or out" promotion system where non-critical staff who fail to reach certain ranks by specified ages are automatically retrenched.

Except for university graduates, volunteers for military service would have to be matriculants between 18 and 22.

The maximum age for a private in the regular and reserve forces would be 28, for staff sergeants and majors between 40 and 45, and for retirement, 55.

"To prevent stagnation, a 'tenure in rank' policy is in place that specifies the maximum term that can be served in each rank."

Special provision is to be made for staff whose tenures are tied to functional ranks, for example professional health practitioners and pilots.

The document borrows the German idea of preparing soldiers throughout their period of service for their return to civilian life.

"The framework should facilitate the redeployment of members whose tenure of service expires or who can no longer be effectively utilised."

A DOD Redeployment Agency would offer a counselling, career advice, aptitude assessment and retraining. Where possible this would include re-employment in the DOD or another government department.

Former soldiers would also be encouraged to join the reserves and would also enjoy better pension benefits, a specified payment for every full year of service completed, payment of all leave due, post-separation medical benefits, a one-off resettlement allowance and service bonuses.

Also to be introduced is an independent "DOD Service Commission" or "Defence Remuneration Board", analogous to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body in the United Kingdom, which is mandated to make periodic recommendations to Parliament about service conditions.

"This is necessary in order to attract and retain scarce expertise, especially in view of the staffing requirements that the main equipment being acquired through the Strategic Defence Package will pose..." the document says.

While the writers do warn that HR2010 is not an implementation plan, the document makes it clear its success is critical for the success of the DOD and the SANDF as a whole.

"Most of the ways to achieve the stated goals will require significant effort and the will to execute. The success of this strategy is dependent on the support of all commanders and managers at all levels, as well as the support of stakeholders in civil society," it concludes.