Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Cabinet today received the first of the two-monthly reports from all the clusters on the implementation of government's Programme of Action for 2005. The meeting expressed appreciation for the work done, and agreed on various measures to improve government's work.

Based on these reports, the programme on the government web site ( www.gov.za ) will be updated, and coordinating ministers will brief the media, during the course of next week.

The meeting was briefed on, and welcomed, the outcome of Bandung Conference which marked the 50th anniversary of the gathering which set the stage for the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement and consolidation of Afro-Asian solidarity. The conference resolved on many practical actions to further strengthen South-South cooperation in improving the lives of billions of the world's poor. SA [South Africa] and Indonesia, which co-hosted the conference, have been tasked with following up on the decisions taken, and government will put in place various mechanisms to ensure that this work is done.

Cabinet noted the successful celebration of the anniversary of Freedom Day, as we enter the 12th year of democracy in our country. The enthusiasm shown throughout the country reflects South Africans' determination to deepen our freedom and advance the cause of building a better life in a SA that truly belongs to all. It was agreed that further work would be done to ensure even greater impact of these celebrations, including those of other national days.

Government has approved the extension of SANDF [South African National Defence Force] deployment in Burundi as part of its role in providing VIP security and assisting in the process towards democratic elections and lasting peace. It was agreed that the SANDF contingent will remain in that country until at least March 2006, and that the work of facilitating the peace process, including interactions during the course of next week in SA, will be intensified. The meeting also agreed to respond positively to a request from the AU for additional South African personnel in the African Mission in the Sudan. [Passage omitted]

The meeting noted and welcomed the presence in SA of a delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is to have discussions with our government on taking the process of reconciliation and reconstruction in that country forward, and on strengthening relations between SA and the DRC. In the same vein, a delegation of leaders of various military groups in the Ivory Coast is in our country to discuss matters pertaining to integration of military forces.

The South African military has imposed restrictions on officers after it was revealed that dozens are using extended leave to moonlight as security guards in Iraq, where they can earn more than a year's salary in a month.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) believes that mainly white serving officers are accumulating leave in order to make a lucrative tour of unofficial duty in Iraq's flourishing security industry.

"Many South Africans return from Baghdad with stories of earning up to $1,000 US a day,'' said a military source. "The work is dangerous but for these guys who have a lot of combat experience the rewards are high.''

The scandal emerged during a military court hearing in Pretoria when a senior SANDF officer, Lt.- Col. Gus Maartens, was fined $430 Cdn for "breaches of military discipline'' including being absent without leave.

The South African army changed its leave policy recently, suspecting that some men were freelancing as mercenaries.

It became compulsory for all soldiers to declare when they intended to travel abroad.

Lt.- Col. Louis Kirstein, an SANDF spokesman, said the army was investigating reports that many of its serving men were working off-duty in quasi-military organisations abroad.

The number of South Africans working in the private military sector in Iraq is estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000 men.

According to a UN report, South Africa is, with the US and Britain, among the top three suppliers of personnel for private military and security organisations in Iraq.

A SA National Defence Force sergeant committed suicide at his flat in Sunnyside, Pretoria on Thursday after shooting his girlfriend earlier on, police said.

Police spokesman Inspector Anton Breedt said police found the 33-year-old officer's body in his flat with a bullet wound to his head.

He said police found a 9mm firearm inside his flat.

"It is believed the man had involved in an earlier shooting today where a woman, also a SANDF member, was shot. She was taken to hospital but later died.

"According to the reports we have received, the two were involved," said Breedt.

He said forensic test would be conducted on the gun to determine whether indeed it was the one used in the woman's shooting.

Breedt the woman leaves behind her 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

The South African government on Thursday signed a contract with the European aerospace consortium Airbus to participate in the design and manufacture of A400M, the world's most modern military transport aircraft.

The A400M airlifter program is expected to help revitalize South Africa's aerospace sector and the near-bankrupt state arms manufacturer Denel, according to a government statement and media reports on Thursday.

"The program (with Airbus Military) involves the design, development, manufacture and longer-term maintenance of the airframe for the A400M military transport," the government said, adding that eight such aircraft would be delivered to the country' s air force as the program matures between 2010 and 2014.

Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota signed the final contract in Pretoria on behalf of the South African government.

Airbus said the same engineers involved in the launch of the Airbus A380, the world's biggest airliner that successfully completed its maiden flight Wednesday in France, would be joined by a South African team for the design and specifications of the A400M.

"This confirmed the confidence placed in the program by countries outside the existing group of seven European launch nations," Airbus Military said in a statement.

The South African government has been developing a strategy for the long-term development and sustainability of the country's high technology aerospace sector since 2000.

"This initiative will see South Africa joining in at ground- level, delivering sustainable opportunities for export oriented industrial activity over the next 30 to 50 years," said the government.

The deal has been opposed by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which said it "looks set to be another costly mistake," according to a report of the SAPA news agency.

Pretoria said limited capability of military transport has prevented the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) from deploying personnel, resources and material into certain African peacekeeping operations.

But the DA argued that the deal created the impression that it was conceived more to rescue the money-losing Denel than because of the operational requirements of the South African Air Force, the SAPA said.

In December last year, Pretoria committed South Africa to buying up to 14 of the four-engined aircraft at about 778 million rand (128 million US dollars) each, in exchange for investment, technological knowledge and jobs.

THE South African military has imposed restrictions on officers after it was revealed that dozens are using extended leave to moonlight as security guards in Iraq, where they can earn more than a year's salary in a month. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) believes that mainly white serving officers are accumulating leave in order to make a lucrative tour of unofficial duty in Iraq's flourishing security industry. ``Many South Africans return from Baghdad with stories of earning up to US $1,000 a day,'' said a military source. ``The work is dangerous but for these guys who have a lot of combat experience the rewards are high.'' The scandal emerged during a military court hearing in Pretoria when a senior SANDF officer, Lt Col Gus Maartens, was fined pounds 180 for ``breaches of military discipline'' including being absent without leave. The South African army changed its leave policy recently, suspecting that some men were freelancing as mercenaries.

It became compulsory for all soldiers to declare when they intended to travel abroad, even for a genuine holiday. Lt Col Louis Kirstein, an SANDF spokesman, said the army was investigating reports that many of its serving men were working off-duty in quasi-military organisations abroad. The number of South Africans working in the private military sector in Iraq is estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000 men. According to a UN report, South Africa is, with the US and Britain, among the top three suppliers of personnel for the private military and security organisations operating in Iraq.

South African National Defence Force sets target strength at 75,000 for 2010 and seeks to rejuvenate its ranks by then; target strength may have to be adjusted if SANDF is to continue its current tempo of out-of-area operations; current age-profile and HIV rate of between 18 percent and 23 percent have severe impact on ability to field battalions out-of-area

In the African culture, pouring rain is a sign of good luck and when it pours during any traditional ceremony, it means that all will go well.

However, when the rain pelted down today during Freedom Celebrations here in Absa Stadium today it almost caused chaos as the crowd that had braved bad weather clamoured for shelter.

However, this did not dampen the festive spirit that characterised the celebrations in the city as the well-behaved crowd later enjoyed a cocktail of cultural items spiced with political statements.

The atmosphere was festive as the crowd danced to a mixture of Asian, gospel and traditional African music.

The normally still KwaZulu-Natal Finance and Economic Affairs MEC Zweli Mkhize and his Arts and Culture colleague, Narend Singh, also proved to be very capable in comparers.

Freedom songs had to compete with the blaring sound of vuvuzela and Dr Mkhize had to appeal to the crowd to halt their vuvuzelas during the rendering of the National Anthem by the SANDF brass band.

However, the SANDF brass band stole the show, rendering several musical pieces, including the National Anthem to the satisfaction of those in attendance.

There was a deafening noise of appreciation during the fly past and air displays by different divisions of the SADF and a 21-gun salute.

The colourful military ceremony included a march past by the SANDF members and two Oryx helicopter executing a salute fight with National Flags.

After this, various other aircraft flew past as part of the celebrations.

But the real festivities started after the finishing of the formal speeches presented by President Thabo Mbeki, Premier Sbu Ndebele, Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan and eThekwini mayor, Obed Mlaba.

The gospel music queen, Rebecca Malope, Izintombi Zoma and popular diva Thandiswa Mazwai provided the music.

The colourful celebrations certainly left some good memories in the minds of those who attended.

U.S. Ambassador, Jendayi Frazer and the South African Minister of Defense, Mosiuoa Lekota, today signed a Joint Research Arrangement at 1 Military Hospital to further advance Project Phidisa, a U.S.-South Africa collaboration that is helping to develop biomedical research capacity in the South Africa Military Health Service (SAMHS).

In signing this document, Ambassador Frazer noted: "This program is an outstanding example of the close relationship that exists between the governments of South African and the United States, and the shared vision of our people. Faced, here in South Africa, with an unprecedented HIV/AIDS challenge, we are giving hope. Faced with stigma that limits the seeking of medical care, we are demonstrating that AIDS is just an illness that can be treated. And, faced with a need for more research progress to stop this disease globally, South Africa is becoming a leader as we seek effective vaccines and new therapies against this disease."

Over a five-year period that started in 2004, Project Phidisa will utilize over $50 million from U.S. Government partners and considerable support from the South African National Defense Force. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services, will provide most of the U.S. funding. The U.S. Department of Defense and The President's Emergency Plan also provide significant support for AIDS Relief.

"Phidisa" is the Sesotho word meaning, "prolong life." In its initial scope of work, Project Phidisa is undertaking research and health care programs that will help prolong the lives of HIV-infected soldiers and their families. The program is focused on improved clinical management, psychosocial support, and the development of effective family-oriented care for HIV-affected military families. Over a five-year period, Project Phidisa plans to enroll 50,000 soldiers in research of particular importance to South Africans. The project is open to all military personnel, regardless of HIV status, and their dependents. Those who are HIV positive and develop AIDS, may choose to receive ARV therapy either through a research study or without participating in research. Those who are treated outside the research study for AIDS are treated with anti-retroviral drugs provided through the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, a U.S. program that works with the South Africa Government to support AIDS prevention, treatment and care within the context of the Comprehensive Plan.

Under Phidisa a large team of clinical researchers, nurses, pharmacists, data managers and other health professionals have been recruited or assigned, and trained to provide high quality HIV care and to undertake research in urban and rural SAMHS medical institutions. The strength of Project Phidisa is that it combines the HIV and AIDS management concerns of the SAMHS with the capacity building interests of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) and with the long-term international research interests of NIH.

Phidisa's initial research will help assess the impact and viability of anti-retroviral (ARV) drug provision in the military. There are fundamental global questions regarding the management of patients with HIV infection that Phidisa will help answer - to the benefit of the South African military and civilian sectors. Among these are: when should one initiate therapy; what is the optimal initial regimen; and when is the best time to switch drugs. These questions are as relevant to the United States as they are to the Republic of South Africa and Phidisa is uniquely poised to help provide answers.

Under Phidisa, effective HIV/AIDS treatment is currently provided at four Military sites: 1 Military Hospital, 2 Military Hospital, Umtata Sick Bay, and Mtubatuba Sick Bay. Plans are underway to open Bloemfontein in late May 2005 and a sixth site soon thereafter.

For further information, contact U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Judy Moon at 084-950-0679, or Sam Mkhwanazi with the Department of Defense at 083-628-0858.

The US government has donated 50 million dollars towards a clinical research project focusing on the management and treatment of HIV within South Africa's defence force.

The money is to be channelled into Project Phidisa over the next five years. The project is a Joint Research Arrangement between the SANDF, the South African health department and the US departments of health and defence.

Speaking at the ceremony at 1 Military Hospital, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said the project would also have an impact on the continent.

"The successful cooperation of Project Phidisa will not only be to the benefit of the Southern African region, but also to the African continent as well as to the broader international community," said Minister Lekota.

Project Phidisa focuses on the management and treatment of HIV infections among soldiers and their dependants. However, participation is voluntary.

The project was officially launched in 2003, and to date 2 641 patients have enrolled in the project, and of those, 730 are receiving antiretrovirals at Military Hospital in Cape Town, Umtata and Mtubatuba.

It aims to establish a clinical research infrastructure within the defence force in order to conduct studies on HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.

It also aims to establish important biomedical and public health research capacity that can be used to address issues of critical importance.

"The combination of resources, expertise, as well as the goodwill of like-minded people is the only solution to the HIV and AIDS pandemic which seriously affects the livelihood of all people and not only defence force members," said Minister Lekota.

US Ambassador Jendayi Frazer expressed satisfaction with work done so far by the project.

"I also am gratified that, as its first focus for research, Project Phidisa is evaluating the impact of comprehensive HIV and AIDS treatment using antiretroviral drugs.

"Through this research and the treatment services provided in Project Phidisa, many lives will be extended and military families will be spared the most severe effects of HIV and AIDS," Ms Frazer said.

A military court fined a senior defence force officer R2000 on Monday for having moonlighted in Iraq for four months during his long leave, News24 reported on Tuesday.

It said Lieutenant Colonel Gus Maartens, of 43 SA Brigade, was found guilty on two charges.

Accusations against Maartens included fraud, absence without leave and that he neglected to inform defence information, formerly military information, of his intention to work overseas.

The fraud charge and one of earning a second salary without permission while in the service of the SANDF had to be withdrawn as the two main witnesses could not attend court.

Maartens was accused of, after applying for long leave and the leave being granted, going to work in Iraq.

At that time he had more than 300 days accumulated leave and his application for a voluntary severance package had been recommended.

He had to take leave when the granting of severance packages was postponed.

At a later stage he applied to have his long leave extended and it was initially approved.

By the time the application was turned down, he could not return from Iraq in time. He was absent without leave for 20 days.

The leave policy of the SANDF was changed last year after it became known that soldiers used their long leave to work in Iraq. It became compulsory for soldiers to declare when they were going overseas, even for holiday purposes, the news service said.

Colonel Frances Botha, senior military judge, said Maartens, as a senior officer, had to set an example to others.

The court also had to send a message to other soldiers not to commit similar offences.

The judge found there were mitigating circumstances as Maartens had committed no other offences in his 32 years of military service and that he had been given a merit assessment of higher than 75 percent in the past eight years.

A former political commissioner of the armed branch of the ANC has just been appointed to the head of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). From the 1st June, General Godfrey Ngwenya will replace General Siphiwe Nyanda, who has retired early. Ngwenya has been the head of joint operations of the SANDF since January 2000. Like Nyanda, he was formerly a commander in Angola of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC, with the war name of Timothy Mokoena. Wounded in combat in Angola during an exchange with Unita in the middle of the 1980s, Ngwenya was then co-opted to the national executive committee of the ANC and then succeeded Steve Tshwete as political commissioner of the MK until 1992. He then became chief of personnel of the MK (1992-94).

Misfiring Denel seeks success in fast-changing defence landscape JUST over two years ago, Victor Moche, outgoing chief of state-owned defence group Denel, was sitting pretty. He had a challenging job at Telkom as head of regulatory affairs and public policy, which he was good at, and which he enjoyed.

Moche had helped steer the then phone monopoly through some difficult times, dealing with issues ranging from the introduction of competition in the phone market to concerns about the group's pricing policies. His position at Telkom required keeping regular contact with government and other parastatal officials, so he travelled extensively, often interacting with erstwhile comrades in the struggle. Moche is a soft-spoken man, but has a militant background as a veteran of Umkhonto weSizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress.

Perhaps it was for this reason that government called on Moche to serve at Denel in May 2003. It apparently took all the persuasive powers of former public enterprises minister Jeff Radebe to get him to take the position. Even then, it was President Thabo Mbeki who clinched the deal, giving the final seal of approval to Moche, who he had known well while in exile.

Moche's reluctance to shift to Denel may also have reflected the turmoil at the armaments group at the time. The group's long-awaited partial privatisation had just been called off after government failed to reach agreement with preferred bidder BAE Systems. In addition, a political storm had erupted over the appointment of a new CEO amid objections about the process raised by then deputy CEO Max Sisulu. Sisulu had been the crown prince at Denel since November 1998, when he was redeployed from his position as ANC chief whip in the National Assembly. He was not happy at being passed over.

And further, Denel was financially unstable. It had moved into the red in 2001-02 with a loss on activities of R359m after briefly becoming profitable in the previous financial year. Times had changed for Denel since it was first set up in 1992. Internationally, it had to cope with a global economic downturn and shrinking defence expenditure. On the local front, Denel had been largely passed over by government in its arms-procurement deal. International products from Italy, Germany and others were favoured, sending a poor signal to Denel's potential global customers.

Nevertheless, Moche attacked the challenges at Denel with vigour, launching a cost-cutting exercise and adopting a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption. All the group's contracts were reviewed, new business was sought in global markets and the sale of noncore businesses began. Inroads were made into the notoriously tightly held international market, but the decline of the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF's) budget hit hard. In 2003-04, revenue remained largely static and the net loss widened to R377,5m from R72,6m.

Given the state of the market and government's insistence that Denel remain a strategic state asset rather than taking on a global partner, it is difficult to see what Moche and the board could have done differently. Nevertheless, a new leader, Shaun Liebenberg, has been called in to try and rescue Denel. But is this possible? Further, should Denel continue to exist at all? The answer to both questions depends on what the shareholder - government - expects of Denel and to what extent it is prepared to support the group. The argument for retaining Denel is based on the need for states to have their own arms-research and development facility. With SA playing a greater peacekeeping role in Africa, Denel has a role to play in providing equipment to the SANDF.

But to do so, Denel needs a big capital injection, and steady orders from the SANDF. Even then, there is a strong chance Denel will not be profitable any time soon if it remains in its current form. The only real chance it has of moving back into the black is to become a lean and mean organisation, run along private-enterprise lines and capable of reacting swiftly to new demands and market changes. Its prospects would be significantly enhanced if it partnered with one of the big global conglomerates that have formed in the US and Europe.

It's a huge task for Liebenberg, but he seems to have the experience to deal with it. As head of technology group Grintek, he has dealt extensively with the global defence industry, and knows what is required. This will be invaluable, although he may have to work hard to convince some in government of the need to cut through the bureaucracy and transform Denel into a more nimble enterprise. The real question now is whether government will give him more space to succeed than Moche was afforded.

The SA National Defence Force is to establish a Warrant Officers' Academy to provide higher education to selected sergeant majors, the Department of Defence said on Wednesday.

The academy will open with 35 students on an inaugural course on August 1.

A study found a need to better train warrant officers employed at higher operational and strategic headquarters.

After a year-long course, graduates will be awarded an SA Qualifications Authority-accredited National Certificate in Multinational Safety and Security Management.

"The qualification is pitched at NQF level 5," a defence spokesman said.

The programme has three modules:

-- general military studies including military history, strategic guidance and the laws of war;

-- communications, with a focus on government communications processes; and

-- management and leadership, with an emphasis on project and human resource management and labour relations.

The Joint Warrant Officers' Programme, as the course is to be known, will take place in three residential and three distance-learning blocks.

Regular force students are expected to complete the course in a year, while reservists will do one residential phase, with its associated distance-learning component, per year.

The academy is being established in facilities renovated for the purpose at Military Base Wonderboom, just north of Pretoria.

In a departure from the SANDF norm, the academy will be commanded by a warrant officer-in-charge, not a commissioned officer.

The founding commandant is Air Force WO1 Lefu Daniel Tshabalala, 48.

Tshabalala was born at Viljoenskroon in the Free State and matriculated in Mafikeng, now in the North West.

He joined the personnel services corps of the former Bophuthatswana Defence Force in 1977 and had, by 1992, risen to regimental sergeant major of its air wing.

Tshabalala, described as an "introvert and a realist" in his official biography, was integrated into the SANDF in 1995 and in 2000 joined the directing staff of the SA Air Force College as an instructor.

Shortly afterwards he became sergeant major to the Inspector General of the SAAF.

The academy is expected to cost the department R4,540,164 in the 2005/6 financial year.

It is expected that five foreign students will be accommodated on future courses.

Mbeki allows chief of SANDF to quit early CAPE TOWN - The head of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), S'phiwe Nyanda, is to leave his post at the end of next month after President Thabo Mbeki granted his request to have his contract terminated early.

Neither his reason for leaving nor his future was divulged. Nyanda, the man largely responsible for steering the SANDF through the troubled waters of unification and transformation in the first few years of democracy, was its head for eight years.

Posts of this nature are normally held for five years.

Nyanda is to be replaced by the current SANDF chief of joint operations, Godfrey Ngwenya, who also oversees SA's special forces. Ngwenya is second-in-command of the defence force and acts as commander when the chief is not present. He has gained operational experience as chief of joint operations since 2001, due to SA's involvement in peacekeeping operations in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before moving to joint operations, Ngwenya headed the North West Command in Potchefstroom.

A former Umkhonto weSizwe operative, Ngwenya is quietly spoken and tends to listen rather than talk in meetings. He is well-liked by senior officers, and many have said for some time his capabilities have been underestimated.

Jakkie Cilliers, Institute for Security Studies executive director, said Ngwenya was "a very capable successor and well-schooled by his time in joint operations".

Chief government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe said at a media conference yesterday Mbeki had told the cabinet that Nyanda had made the request, and he had acceded. He also told the cabinet that he had approved Ngwenya's appointment as successor to Nyanda.

SA's correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly, Helmoed Heitman, said Nyanda, in his first years in the SANDF, had impressed traditionalists by taking his staff courses and passing them well. Then, after Georg Meiring left the SANDF, he had taken over as chief of SA's military under difficult circumstances.

The appointment of Meiring, SA's first democratic president Nelson Mandela's choice, was instructive in calming conservatives' fears. His term ended when he reported to the then defence minister Joe Modise there was a plot by some in the ANC to overthrow the state.

Lieutenant General Godfrey Ngwenya is to be promoted as the third chief of the SA National Defence Force from June 1, Cabinet announced on Wednesday.

Ngwenya succeeds General Siphiwe Nyanda, who is taking early retirement.

"The President informed Cabinet that he had granted a request from the Chief of the SANDF, General Siphiwe Nyanda to take early retirement at the end of May 2005," a Cabinet statement said.

"In this regard, the President, after consultation with the Minister of Defence has appointed Lt. Gen GN Ngwenya as Chief of the SANDF with effect from 1st June 2005. Government expresses its profound appreciation to General Nyanda for his sterling service to the people of our country; and wishes him well in his new endeavours," the statement added.

Ngwenya was promoted lieutenant general and appointed Chief of Joint Operations (CJ Ops) with effect from January 1, 2000.

He had previously been deputy to the late Lt Gen Deon Ferreira, his predecessor as CJ Ops.

Ngwenya, like Nyanda had previously served in the ANC's military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

He was MK regional chief of staff in Angola under the cover name Timothy Mokoena, in the early 1980s, becoming regional commander in 1984.

Ngwenya was wounded in combat against Angolan rebel movement Unita the next year and relinquished his post in 1987, when he was co-opted onto the ANC national executive committee.

He then succeeded the late Steve Tshwete as MK commissar, a post he kept until 1992.

From 1992 to 1994, Ngwenya was MK's chief of personnel, according to an ANC submission made to the Truth and Reconciliation commission.

* General Georg Meiring was the first chief of the SANDF, serving in that post from April 1994 to May 1998.

Allegations about the competence of a trainee pilot who died in an aircraft crash at the weekend were part of the inquiry into the matter, the SA Air Force said on Monday.

SAAF spokesman Captain Ronald Maseko was reacting to the Beeld newspaper asking who would accept responsibility for the pupil pilot's death on Saturday during a solo navigation training flight.

The paper said Oupa Jean-Claude Ramaiti, 24, of Pretoria was undergoing his flying course for a second time, having earlier failed a solo control flight and an instrument flight test.

Ramaiti was then offered a second chance, although it was understood that his instructors thought his performance was still not satisfactory.

"The irony is that Oupa was a nice guy whom everyone got along with well. He just did not have the necessary feel for flying," a colleague said on Sunday.

"Now he is dead because someone thought he was one of those who had to help the air force's transformation statistics look good.

"One cannot play with people's lives for the sake of being politically correct. Everyone at the flying school new it was only a matter of time before a fatal accident was going to prove the point," Beeld quoted the colleague as saying.

Ramaiti was one of four trainee pilots from the air force's Central Flying School at Langebaanweg sent to Bloemfontein last week for navigation training. His aircraft crashed near Lichtenburg in the North West province.

They were expected to receive their wings in June. They only had to complete their formation-flight training.

Aviation experts cautioned as long ago as last year that quality and flight safety should not be jeopardised for the sake of representivity and transformation.

Another repeat-failure trainee tried in 2003 to land without lowering his aircraft's wheels. The Astra was badly damaged, but the student was not injured.

After the incident Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota implied that racist instructors could be the real problem.

Asked on Monday after the outcome of the board of inquiry into that accident, Maseko said it was not yet finalised.

Asked why the procedure was taking so long, Maseko said their outcomes had the potential to be career-ending, meaning they had to be thorough.

The chief of the air force, Lt General Carlo Gagiano, recently said four or five instructors from the Zimbabwean air force would soon be helping train South African pilots.

It was being asked in aviation circles whether they would be qualified to do so, as none had ever flown the Astra, which is only used by South Africa, and none were qualified as instructors on the aircraft -- a prerequisite for teaching.

Lekota and the chief of the SANDF, General Siphiwe Nyanda, and the air force extended their condolences to Ramaiti's family and friends at the weekend.

A trainee air force pilot died when his aircraft crashed near Lichtenburg in North West on Saturday afternoon, the SA National Defence Force said.

SANDF spokesman Captain Ronald Maseko said the trainee pilot was flying solo in a Pilatus Astra DC7 when he crashed about 12.30pm.

A board of inquiry had been appointed and dispatched to determine the cause of the accident.

The pilot's name was being withheld until his next of kin had been informed.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and the chief of the SANDF, General Siphiwe Nyanda, and the SA Air Force extended their condolences to the family and friends of the dead man.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota says South Africa's military requires a greater slice of the national budget if it is to fulfil government's African and domestic objectives.

"Our force design needs to be of an appropriate size and composition. We are painfully aware of the demands on the national budget. But if we are to carry our task assigned to us by the government, we have to fashion a suitable force design," Lekota said addressing parliament during his Defence Budget Vote.

During the debate attended by Southern African Development Community (SADC) defence ministers, Lekota said the core design of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) also needed to be adjusted. Lekota said the SANDF had been decreasing its involvement in internal security, and become more involved in international peacekeeping. But its withdrawal from certain areas such as the South African/Lesotho border region has been heavily criticized by the farmers subjected to continued stock losses through theft. It is now the role of the South African Police Service [SAPS] to carry out those functions, he said.

"I can assure this house that the SANDF will not withdraw from any area until there is a proper plan and capacity to enable the SAPS to take over that work," Lekota said but noted it was not natural for armed forces to be involved in routine police security work in a normal democratic society.

He said more efforts and funds needed to be spent on training the SANDF for their new role in Africa.

"We are not creating an SANDF of peacekeepers. But we are training a professional body of men and women, schooled in the arts of defence, who can use their skills in peacekeeping roles and post conflict reconstruction and development," he said. [Passage omitted]

Lekota said many challenges had been exposed by the deployments, ranging from stretched logistical support to a lack of legal back up.

"Wherever the SANDF are deployed, legal expertise needs to be provided," he said.

South African troops have been accused of various crimes involving sexual misconduct and murder at a number of deployments around the continent.

He said that differences in background, culture and language had highlighted the need for peacekeeping training in the various theatres.

But the current pressures on the SANDF could be relieved in the near future, Lekota said when he announced that the SADC Brigade (consisting of troops sponsored by SADC countries) would be ready for duty by 30 June this year.

South Africa's deputy defence minister George Muluteli was this week on an inspection tour of peacekeeping troops in the UN force in Burundi.

The visit came a week after reports in the SA and international media that South African peacekeepers in Burundi were becoming increasingly unpopular with the local population because of drunkenness and the abuse of prostitutes.

The UN said it would step up efforts to root out sexual abuses, especially of minor girls in Burundi. An investigation into various incidents of abuse was begun in Burundi recently.

Carolyn McAskie, the UN's special representative in Burundi, reinstated a curfew to ban UN vehicles from the streets after 11pm. "It limits potential misbehaviour, but still does not curb soldiers who move around on foot," McAskie said.

Of the 5,400 UN soldiers currently deployed in Burundi, South Africa has about 800 troops, the third-largest contingent after Pakistan and Kenya.

In the DRC a South African battalion commander is under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct. Altogether four SANDF officers there are under investigation, either by the UN or the SANDF, for drunkenness and fighting in Congolese nightclubs, promoting prostitution and sexual assault.

This follows a damning earlier report on the sexual misconduct of the UN peacekeepers there.

The allegations against the SA troops come after official admissions that morale in the force in SA is low (SouthScan v20/03). Foreign workers in Burundi say that the troops there are seen as having introduced a violent culture from SA's townships.

L'armée sud africaine s'équipera en télémédecine si le prototype mis au point par le Medical Research Council et l'institut de défense Armscor est approuvé. Officiellement lancé à l'hôpital militaire Wynberg au Cap, le prototype qui a coûté 327.000 EUR, est un laboratoire installé à l'intérieur d'un conteneur où trois techniciens médicaux peuvent travailler simultanément. Une antenne sur le toit du conteneur assure une communication satellitaire bidirectionnelle, y compris par visioconférence. Le conteneur dispose d'un générateur d'électricité, d'eau froide et chaude, d'air conditionné, d'un réceptacle d'eaux usées et d'une batterie de secours. Les équipements médicaux, contrôlés par ordinateur, permettent des analyses histopathologiques, dermatologiques, chimiques, hématologiques et microbiologiques. Les échantillons sont dotés de codes barres pour faciliter leur suivi.

Le prototype dispose d'une centrifugeuse, de deux microscopes optiques (10X à 100X), d'un réfrigérateur et d'un congélateur. Optionnellement, un microscope et un analyseur automatisés télécommandables peuvent être embarqués.

L'ensemble pèse 4,7 tonnes et peut être transporté par avion, le laboratoire nécessitant 45 minutes pour devenir opérationnel après son débarquement. Il serait destiné aux forces sud africaines ainsi qu'aux populations rurales isolées dans ce pays à forte variabilité de la densité de peuplement.