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The command of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) changed hands in Pretoria on Monday, with President Thabo Mbeki as the number one witness.

The outgoing chief of the SANDF, Siphiwe Nyanda, handed over to Lt-Gen Godfrey Ngwenya.

Mbeki, his wife Zanele and Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota were among the guests at the ceremony held at Thaba Tshwane, west of Pretoria at the SANDF Sports Club's stadium.

"We are rejuvenating the SANDF. Fine young men and women, both black and white, with no ideological baggage, continue to swell the ranks of the SANDF through the military service development programme," Nyanda said in his farewell speech.

"Today the stature of the SANDF is at an all-time high. I leave it on such a high. I leave knowing that what I set out to do I have done to the best of my ability," Nyanda said.

He said when he was appointed SANDF chief in June 1998, the SANDF faced "great challenges and adversity" which included the integration of seven different forces and a declining defence budget.

After the speech, Nyanda handed Ngwenya the symbol of office, a metre-long gilded sword.

Ngwenya will officially assume the post on June 1. Both men were greeted with ululations.

Eight special forces paratroopers landed in the stadium after the generals had left.

Towards the end of proceedings a military band, including two singers performed the Italian version of the song "Time to say Goodbye" to a visibly emotional Nyanda.

Defence department spokesman Lt-Col Louis Kirstein said 850 VIP invitations had been sent out for the event.

Five flag-carrying Oryx helicopters and four Rooivalk helicopters flew over a brigade of 1000 troops assembled in the stadium as a 17-gun salute was fired.

The brigade, which had earlier been led onto the stadium grounds by a band, consisted of members of the five main branches of the SANDF, being the army, SA Military Health Service, SA Air Force, Joint Operations Division and the navy.

After the ceremony, traffic in the area came to a standstill.

Parades of SANDF members in their formal dress uniforms, followed by military band members playing drums, trumpets and tubas marched through the streets, as traffic was diverted and in some cases blocked, to make way for their display.

Civilians lined the streets, cheering and clapping as the parade passed.

President Thabo Mbeki was one of the honoured guests at a parade at which the command of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) changed hands in Pretoria on Monday.

The outgoing chief of the SANDF, Siphiwe Nyanda, handed over to Lt-Gen Godfrey Ngwenya.

Mbeki, his wife Zanele and Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota were among the guests.

"Today, the human resource component is gradually transforming. We are rejuvenating the SANDF. Fine young men and women, both black and white, with no ideological baggage, continue to swell the ranks of the SANDF through the military service development programme," Nyanda said in his farewell speech.

"Today the stature of the SANDF is at an all-time high. I leave it on such a high. I leave knowing that what I set out to do I have done to the best of my ability," Nyanda said.

After the speech, Nyanda handed Ngwenya the symbol of office, a metre-long gilded sword.

Ngwenya will officially assume the post on June 1. Both men were greeted with ululations.

Eight special forces paratroopers landed in the stadium after the generals had left.

Defence department spokesman Lt-Col Louis Kirstein said 850 VIP invitations had been sent out for the event.

A flyover of five flag-carrying Oryx helicopters and four Rooivalk helicopters flew over a brigade of 1000 troops assembled in the stadium as a 17-gun salute was fired.

Cabinet has extended the defence force's participation in the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by another two years until March 2007, Cabinet announced yesterday.

Cabinet also approved the extension of SA troop's involvement in the UN and African Union Missions in Ethiopia and Eritrea for an additional period of 24 months until March 2007

A Cabinet statement released after its Lekgotla in Cape Town yesterday said the involvement of SA troops in the DRC was to help the mineral-rich country attain lasting peace and democracy.

The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) comprises SA, Mozambique and Lesotho.

"The involvement of SANDF Staff Officers, Specialised Elements, ordinary members and Military Police in MONUC is critical not only in assisting the process towards lasting peace and democracy in the DRC," said a Cabinet statement.

The DRC Transitional Government recently adopted a new interim Constitution in the capital Kinshasa, where warring leaders also agreed to postpone elections to a date still to be set by the election commission.

The adoption of the interim Constitution paves a way for peace and moves towards democratic elections since the former Belgium colony gained independence in 1960.

Cabinet added that SA participation in Monuc also provided an excellent opportunity for SA to "gain experience in a complex peacekeeping environment."

The bodies of two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who died in a shooting incident in Burundi last week have been brought back into the country.

The SAND confirmed this morning that the bodies arrived yesterday.

The two members died when their colleague allegedly opened fire on them, wounding four others.

The soldier then turned the gun on himself, at the Palace Base in Bujumbura.

The four injured soldiers are receiving treatment at a military hospital in Bujumbura and they are reportedly in a stable condition.

SANDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Louis Kirstein told BuaNews this morning, that there were still discussing funeral arrangements.

"We are still discussing the arrangements and as to when the memorial service will be held," he said.

The SANDF has dispatched a team to offer counselling services to the remaining members.

Meanwhile, the UN and the SANDF have launched a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The cabinet has agreed to extend by two years, until March 2007, South Africa's participation in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"The involvement of SANDF staff officers, specialised elements, ordinary members and military police in MONUC (the UN mission) is critical, not only in assisting the process towards lasting peace and democracy in the DRC," said a statement issued on Thursday after Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

"It also provides an excellent opportunity for South Africa to gain experience in a complex peacekeeping environment."

The meeting also approved the extension of SANDF participation in the UN and African Union missions in Ethiopia and Eritrea for another two years ending in March 2007.

To mark the occasion of Africa Day, the cabinet reiterated the government's commitment to work with Africans on the continent and the African Diaspora to improve the conditions of life of especially poor people.

"We are proud that, as never before, great strides are being made to extend democracy and good governance across the continent, to speed up economic growth and development, to resolve conflicts where these remain, and to build international solidarity in pursuit of a better Africa and a better world."

The cabinet was briefed on preparations for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage Committee meeting to be held in Durban in July.

The committee's 29th meeting was of great significance as it created an opportunity for Africa for develop a continent-wide policy approach on the conservation of its heritage, including the possibility of setting up an African world heritage fund.

"An inter-ministerial committee has been set up to oversee preparations for the meeting," the statement said.

Another pending opportunity for the continent was the World Economic Forum's southern African meeting in Cape Town next week.

"The forum presents yet another opportunity for interaction among economic and other leaders on issues affecting the region and the continent, in pursuit of higher rates of investment as well as tourism, trade and other relations between Africa and the rest of the world," the statement said.

The cabinet was informed of preparations for South Africa's participation in the Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity in Brazil next month.

"The meeting agreed that South Africa should respond positively if it is invited to host (the next forum meeting) in 2007."

Eastern Cape MEC for Safety and Liaison Thobile Mhlahlo has vowed to intensify the training of police to empower them to fight cross border crime.

Mr Mhlahlo was speaking in Maluti during a summit convened by the provincial government to tackle crime along the border with Lesotho.

South Africa's High Commissioner to Lesotho Hew Leslie, Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Sipho Mpongoma, Colonel Willem of the SANDF, the Cross Border Peace Committee, local farmers association and traditional leaders were among those who attended the summit.

Mr Mhlahlo said this year, the SAPS in the Eastern Cape would employ 2 544 entry-level constables and some would be deployed at the border areas "to intensify our operations".

He said cross border crime had become a major threat to the political ties that South Africa had with African states including Lesotho.

"Along this border are four official points of entry namely Tele Bridge, Ramatsiliso, Ongeluknek and Qhashanek," he said.

Mr Mhlahlo said murder, robbery, stock theft; drug trafficking and illegal immigration had become prevalent along the border "because people can cross at several points as there is no border fence".

He further stated that sector policing and rural safety committees had been established in all police stations, especially along the border in order to give impetus to "our broad strategy".

Furthermore, he said peace committees and district liaison committees had been formed on both sides of the border. The committees comprise members of the community, local municipalities and security forces.

He emphasised that there needed to be cooperation with peace committees of Lesotho in trying to solve border crimes.

"We need to strengthen our relationship within the Cross-Border Broader Forum to ensure that our Lesotho counterparts fully participate in the formulation of solutions.

"Ties that we are strengthening today will not only benefit the people of the Eastern Cape and Lesotho, but the entire continent because this initiative is in support of the noble objectives of the African Union and the continent's grand rescue plan - Nepad;" Mr Mhahlo said.

A display by four paratroopers kicked off the programme on Wednesday afternoon at the change of command ceremony of the Joint Operations Division (JOD) of the SA National Defence Force at Thaba Tshwane south of Pretoria.

Lieutenant General Sipho Binda took command of the JOD from Lieutenant General Godfrey Ngwenya who is chief of the SANDF designate.

Ngwenya will assume his new post on June 1, as will Binda.

The division is responsible for the deployment of SANDF personnel.

"I became parent to a toddler when I took over the division from my predecessor in January 2001," said Ngwenya.

He thanked those who had "nurtured the infant from its birth" in August 1997 and described his term in office as a unique learning curve.

Ngwenya said the division had grown quickly to effectively respond to national and international military and humanitarian operations.

Ngwenya handed command of the division to Binda, requesting he perform his duties with honour, dignity and courage and asked division members to welcome Binda.

He presented Binda with the symbol of office, a metre-long black and gold sword.

Binda started his military career in 1977, when he joined the ANC's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe.

He served as commander of the African Union Peace Force in Burundi in 2003.

A South African soldier who killed himself in Burundi aftershooting four comrades told his family of his suicide plans the day before, the Daily News website reported on Wednesday. It said Rifleman Vusumuzi Ingongo Gasa, 30, telephoned his family of Botha's Hill, KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday last week, telling them he was going to kill himself. While the family was still trying to digest his words, he shot his colleagues and killed himself the next day. Gasa's older sister, Sibongile Gasa, said on Tuesday her brother gave no reason for his suicide threat. "The only thing he said was that he was going through a sticky patch in his life. We thought he was just joking because his cousin, who is also in Burundi, did not tell us he was going through some problems," she said. "What a sweet guy he was. He was the kind of person who loved people and enjoyed interacting with people. We will really miss him." In 2000, Gasa's older brother, Sibusiso Gasa - a security guard - also shot himself, in Umlazi. Last week's shooting occurred moments before the six soldiers handed in their weapons and ammunition after completing nightshift duties. They were part of a 700-strong South African contingent on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the troubled central African country. The six soldiers were all members of 4 SA Infantry Battalion of Middelburg, Mpumalanga. According to the SA National Defence Force, Gasa killed Rifleman Bashain Sejake, 30, and wounded four other soldiers at the Palace Base in Bujumbura before shooting himself. Sibongile said Gasa, who was expected home around June, said a few weeks ago that he was admitted to a hospital in Burundi after he was stabbed in two separate incidents. Defence ministry spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi could not confirm the incidents to the Daily News. He said records would be checked today. A private who worked with the six involved in the tragedy said tension among members of the group had been brewing for some time. Gasa, he said, was involved in a dispute with several of his comrades, including Sejake, earlier this month. However, he did not confirm the alleged stabbing incident. "The tension comes from a dispute over poor discipline and the fact that some in the group had been neglecting their duties," he said. The private said other factors which added to the tension among the troops included boredom. "Although we are provided with some form of entertainment this does not help with being so far away from home." The private added: "What surprises me is that this did not happen sooner and that we have not had more of these kinds of incidents. Morale has been low for some time, but now it has really hit rock bottom."

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Deflecting criticism of government's new multi-million randaircraft acquisition as "myopic", Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekotasaid the planes were vital for peacekeeping operations. "This criticism fails to take account of the fact that one of the main constraints on Africa resolving conflict and benefiting from its own natural resources is the absence of a developed infrastructure," Lekota told the National Council of Provinces during debate on his budget vote on Tuesday. He said this "myopic approach" was blind to the fact that moving across Africa was still "highly problematic" and "exorbitantly expensive". Lekota said it was easier to connect via Europe than directly from one African country to another. He said a strategic airlift capacity, epitomised by the Airbus Military A400M programme, was indispensable in the absence of a functioning infrastructure. The current lack of adequate capacity was manifest in dealing with disaster management and peacekeeping across the continent. Also, the obligations of post-conflict reconstruction and development would require the transport of heavy construction equipment such as cranes. "This aircraft is essentially a transport aircraft," he said. Lekota said the adjustment of the country's major training to focus on peacekeeping did not detract from the "core force" concept. He said South Africa was not "creating a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of peacekeepers" but rather training a body of professional body of men and women, schooled in the arts of defence, who used their skills in peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. Lekota said there were many challenges to successful peacekeeping, ranging from the lack of cooking and ablution facilities, absence of fixed and moveable accommodation, to long lines of logistical support. He said one of the difficulties encountered related to working with the armed forces of other countries. "Another area that needs to be looked at is the provision of legal services and legal support on the ground. Wherever the SANDF is deployed, legal expertise needs to be provided." Lekota said the key to successful peacekeeping was to provide multi-disciplinary training for the officer corps. Training gave soldiers military skills but should also include conflict resolution, negotiation and humanitarian actions. "Peacekeepers must understand what it is they are doing, so that the people, with whom they come into contact, are treated with respect and dignity. This is an area in which considerable resources will have to be deployed."

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is engaged in a process of bringing back bodies of its members who died in a shooting incident in Burundi last week.

The incident took place at the Palace Base in Bujumbura.

It is alleged that one of the South African soldiers who was part of the country's peacekeeping mission in that country, opened fire on his colleagues killing two and wounding four others. The soldier then turned the gun on himself.

The SANDF says it is not yet known what triggered the incident but it has launched an investigation, jointly with the United Nations (UN).

Speaking to BuaNews this morning, SANDF's Lieutenant - Colonel Louis Kirstein said they were in a process of making arrangements of bringing the bodies back into the country for burial.

"We do not know as to when this is going to happen but hopefully this will not take long

"We do not want to interfere with the ongoing investigations, the investigating team will guide us as to when this will happen," he said.

The four injured soldiers were admitted to a hospital in Bujumbura..

Last week Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota expressed shock at the incident and extended his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.

SANDF Chief General Siphiwe Nyanda and the Secretary for the Defence January Masilela also wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, the SANDF has dispatched a team to offer counselling services to the remaining members.

The Freedom Front Plus is seeking an urgent meeting with defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota to discuss the looming closure of 55commando units and five headquarters. FF+ defence spokesman Pieter Groenewald said on Monday the closures would leave national key points and many communities unguarded as the police were not yet ready to pick up the mantle the territorial reservists were laying down. Groenewald said the units and headquarters would be closed by the end of March next year if Lekota approved this. But for all practical purposes these commando units have already been closed as their budgets have already been frozen and have not been loaded onto the Financial Management computer system -- they can therefore not deploy operationally. "The 55 commando units which had been identified for closure between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 not only holds a threat for rural safeguarding but also for urban safeguarding," Groenewald said. "Commando units such as the Durban South Commando protect five national key points and the Broederstroom Commando protects Pelindaba as a national key point. "The majority of farm attacks, armed robberies and home robberies take place in the Pretoria East area followed by the Broederstroom area. The commandos for these areas will now be closing. "The police at ground level acknowledge that they are not ready to take over the role of the commandos and a vacuum in safeguarding is therefore created," Groenewald added. "In the Northwest Province eight commando units have to close. These commando units form the basis of rural safeguarding in the North West Province. "Their closure knocks the bottom out of especially rural safeguarding in the whole of the province. The Klerksdorp Commando two months ago still played a crucial role during the earthquake that struck the area. "In Potchefstroom the police have not budgeted to take over the role of the commandos. "The worst is that the police in Potchefstroom will be losing eight vehicles of which four are squad cars as a result of their personnel numbers. "The police is frankly not capable to take over the role of the commandos and the closures are extremely irresponsible. The big problem is that the Defence Force does its planning but there are no criteria to determine whether the police is ready," Groenewald said. Lekota's spokesman, Sam Mkhwanazi, was not immediately available for comment and the SANDF's chief directorate of corporate communications asked to see Groenewald's statement before replying. Beeld newspaper said the following units and headquarters would be closing: Eastern Cape - Amatola Commando - De Mist Commando - Graaff Reinet Commando - Kirkwood Commando - Recife Commando - Butterworth Commando - Stormberg Commando Free State - Brandfort Commando - Bultfontein Commando - Frankfort Commando - Lindley Commando - Phillipolis Commando - Sandrivier Commando - Sasol Commando - Welkom Commando - Wepener Commando Gauteng: - Group 16 - Alberton Commando - Brakpan Commando - Brits Commando - Broederstroom Commando - Germiston Commando - Johannesburg West Commando - Oospark Commando - Pretoria East Commando - Rietfontein Commando - Roodepoort Commando - Sandton Commando - Vereeniging Commando KwaZulu-Natal - Durban North Commando - Durban South Commando Limpopo - Soutpansberg Military Area - Letaba Commando - Phalaborwa Commando - Potgietersrus Commando - Soutpansberg Commando - Thabazimbi Commando - Warmbad Commando - Waterberg Commando Mpumalanga - Group 33 - Lebombovlakte Commando - Witbank Commando Northern Cape - Group 23 - Barkley West Commando - Prieska Commando North West - Group 30 - Coligny Commando - Delareyville Commando - Goosen Commando - Kalahari Commando - Klerksdorp Commando - Potchefstroom Commando - Rustenburg Commando - Zeerust Commando Western Cape - Blaauwberg Commando - Clanwilliam Commando - Paarl Commando - Stellenbosch Commando - Garden Route Commando - Karoo

Four SANDF soldiers wounded in a shooting in Burundi were stable on Monday, spokesman Lieut-Col Louis Kirstein said. Arrangements were also being made to repatriate the remains of a soldier killed in the incident as well as the body of the man blamed for the shooting, who committed suicide afterwards. Kirstein said the United Nations and the South African military were still probing the cause of the tragedy. The murdered soldier was identified as Rifleman Bashain Sejake, 30. Rfn Ingongo Gasa, 30, allegedly killed himself after the shooting. "Rfn Bashain Sejake, who died on the scene of the shooting incident, is survived by his wife," Kirstein said. Sejake was from Lawley in Gauteng. "Rfn Ingongo Gasa, who apparently killed himself after the shooting incident, is survived by his sister," Kirstein said. Gasa was from Botha's Hill, KwaZulu-Natal. Gasa allegedly opened fire on his comrades at the Palace Base in Bujumbura before shooting himself on Friday. All the soldiers involved were members of 4 SA Infantry Battalion, based at Middelburg in Mpumalanga. An SA Army source at the weekend said observed discipline within the unit was not "where it should be." Institute for Security Studies military analyst Henri Boshoff said shootings of this type were an "international tendency" and could be linked to emotional problems experienced by soldiers while on long deployments. Other triggers included family problems and excessive drinking. South African troops serving with UN peacekeeping missions serve an uninterrupted six months tour of duty.

A South African peacekeeping soldier shot dead a comrade and wounded four others before killing himself in Burundi on Friday, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said. "Two SANDF soldiers died and four other SANDF soldiers were wounded during a shooting in Burundi earlier this morning when a member of the SANDF allegedly opened fire on his comrades at the Palace Base in Bujumbura, before apparently turning the weapon on himself," a statement said. "The reason for the shooting incident is unclear at this stage and the United Nations and the SANDF are investigating the incident." The four injured soldiers were admitted to the UN's Pakistani hospital in Bujumbura. Their conditions are not known, said SANDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Louis Kirstein. "The Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota, expressed shock at the incident and extended his sincerest sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of the killed and wounded soldiers," the statement said. The sentiments were echoed by SANDF chief General Siphiwe Nyanda and Secretary for Defence January Masilela. The names of the dead and injured will be made public once their next-of-kin have been informed. -- Sapa ADVERTISING LINKS Paying too much insurance? Get your free online quote now to see how much money you can save Download digital Mail & Guardian Receive an exact digital replica of the newspaper online and save -- it's cheaper online! Online dating Sign up for a free profile on M&G Online's DatingBuzz and find your perfect match! Advertise your business here.

Major General Vejay Ramlakan was appointed as the army's newSurgeon General, the South African National Defence Force announced on Saturday. Ramlakan takes over from Lieutenant General Rinus Jansen, SANDF spokesman Major General Mohato Mofokeng said in a statement. "He started his military career in 1977 when he joined Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC. He was incarcerated on Robben Island from 1987 to 1991," Mofokeng said. He joined the SANDF in 1994 and was awarded the Edgar Brookes award for outstanding contribution to human freedom and endeavour in 2002.

The newly appointed Chief of the South African Navy says part of his vision is to ensure a professional navy, set with new standards in line with technological advancement.

Vice Admiral Refilo Mudimo said he would also ensure that people in the navy were empowered with knowledge and expertise.

Addressing media in Tshwane this morning, he said in order to enhance security on the African continent; the navy ought to be set in line with technological advancements.

"It must become involved in operations within the region to root out illegal activities at sea including weapon and drug trafficking, piracy, smuggling and illegal poaching of resources," said Admiral Mudimu, who succeeded Johan Frans Retief in March.

"The SA Navy cannot do this in isolation and it is therefore imperative that we engage other navies on the African continent more vigorously to tackle these important issues together.

"To ensure that competence and capability of the human resource component is achieved, strong emphasis is placed on dedicated mentoring and education, training and development that will focus specifically on mission requirements in Africa," he added.

Hinting on the acquisition of corvettes, the Vice Admiral said much had happened and that there was tremendous progress.

The SAS Amatola was fully fitted out and has completed the first sea acceptance trials and was busy with second trials. SAS Isandlwana as well as SAS Mendi were expected to commence with the second trial in October.

Last week, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) launched the country's second of three Type 209 submarines, the S102 in Emden, Northern Germany.

Another submarine, S101 was launched in Kiel, Germany a year ago.

The submarines form part of government's R43 billion arms procurement deal.

Launching the submarine, Defence Deputy Minister Mluleki George said all the submarines would be making their delivery voyages under own power with SA Navy personnel on board escorted by one of SA Navy's surface vessels.

Currently, about twenty officers are receiving submarine combat and engineering training in India and are expected to graduate in February 2006.

The S102 submarine is expected in South Africa early in 2007 and the S103 a year later.

South Africa has, for the first time, deployed a company of reservists outside the country to replace members of the regular force on a peacekeeping mission in the DRCongo.

Analysts say the move could help support the overstretched South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which has more than 2,000 troops deployed in the DRCongo and Burundi. The reservists would "bolster the SANDF," said Sam Mkhwanazi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence.

As well as strengthening the SANDF, the reservists would also pump younger blood into the army, said Henry Boschoff, a military analyst with the Pretoria-based think-tank, the Institute for Security Studies, adding that "besides HIV/AIDS, a majority of the soldiers in the army are over age - they are not physically or medically fit".

The defence ministry has launched several initiatives based on international army recruitment practices to beef up the SANDF and the reserve force.

"Most defence forces have soldiers on contracts varying from three to 15 years," explained Brig-Gen Brian Burmeister, who heads the reserve force.

"We have 9,000 members in the reserve force, who receive military training and other skills which will assist them in getting placement after they leave the army," Burmeister explained. The 155 reservists deployed to the DRCongo received additional training in peacekeeping and will serve in the mission for six months. [Passage omitted]

The system was launched last year and is to recruit 3,000 people a year for two years.

19 percent short of the target but eight percent more than two yearsago, navy chief Vice Admiral Refiloe Mudimu said on Tuesday. The eight percent Asian complement still exceeded the target by six percent, while the 25 percent figure of coloured members had to be brought down by 10 percent, he told reporters in Pretoria. Twenty-six percent of uniformed personnel were white -- three percent more than the eventual goal. Mudimu said care was being taken to meet targets without compromising combat readiness. "Provision has been made for concerted mentoring and focused and directed fast-tracking, particularly within the combat and technical fields where the African component remains significantly under-represented." Some short-term targets included the appointment of two female officers in command of ships -- one a mine countermeasure vessel and the other a strike craft, he said. The female component of uniformed navy personnel was currently at 16 percent -- three percent higher than in 2003. Female attendance of the Gordons Bay Naval College's military officers training course had increased significantly this year, Mudimu said. Achievements in the recent past included the appointment of the first female Flag Officer and the qualification of the first black female diver. "These achievements will hopefully spur other women within the organisation on to greater heights." Mudimu pointed out that the SA Navy's share of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) budget had increased by "only" R200 million from the 2003/04 financial year. It got R1.27 billion or 9.9 percent of the SANDF's R12.8 billion budget for 2005/06. Fifty-six percent of the navy's budget would be spent on personnel costs -- a reduction of 7.5 percent from 2003/04, Mudimu said. The navy had made good progress despite budget limitations, he added.

The new chief of the SANDF once fought Unita and had to put down an ANC revolt

'I can only promise that I will do my utmost, my best, to serve the country'

WE MEET in Lieutenant-General Godfrey Nhlanhla Ngwenya's office out in Valhalla on the outskirts of Pretoria - big, but true to military form, somewhat sparse.

The office has a massive desk - over which his 1.87m frame towers even when he sits. Attached is a large, rectangular, dark wooden boardroom table. Some military paraphernalia adorn the wall, but there is nothing of a personal nature around his office, nothing that says he has a wife and four children.

So, the eye is drawn back to the man behind the desk, the man who seems big in heart and girth.

Ngwenya says he has been humbled by his appointment. "It's a serious responsibility. I can only promise that I will do my utmost, my best, to serve the country."

Ngwenya says his appointment as chief of the SA National Defence Force came as a complete surprise. But it shouldn't have: as Chief of Joint Operations since January 2001, he has been centrally involved with the country's successful peacekeeping operations in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others. Nonetheless, he is, in his own words, "under no illusions".

Ngwenya has been a military man for a long time. He and six friends left their homes in Soweto in 1976 to join the ANC's military wing, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK). He was 26 years old.

It was, he says, one of the most difficult decisions he has had to make.

His mother was a teacher, his father a labourer. He was the eldest of seven children and felt responsible for his siblings.

But he also felt he had no choice.

"I was a clerk at the Baragwanath Hospital at the time of the uprisings. All those who were injured ... we saw them. I could not stomach what I saw. We thought we must do something. So we left the country," he says of himself and his friends.

On the day they left, Ngwenya and his friends went to work as they usually did, but never returned home. He left a note for his mother, saying only that he was gone. He thought she would understand, but he never saw her again to know for sure.

Using false names - Ngwenya's was Timothy Mokoena - the group made it to Botswana, and then travelled to Tanzania via Zambia.

In Botswana, Ngwenya and his friends were given new names and identity documents with which to enter Tanzania.

"Snuki Zikalala [now managing director of SABC news and current affairs], who was based in Botswana then, gave us long Swahili names. We did not know the language and couldn't even pronounce the names.

"So when we got to Tanzania, and they were asking for so-and-so, we did not respond. Luckily, some members of the ANC arrived to meet us and sorted things out," he says, bellowing with laughter. "At least Timothy I could remember."

Then he turns serious again, as he directs his mind to the past.

Angola had just gained its independence from Portugal and its first president, Augustinho Neto, had invited the ANC to set up training camps in the country. Ngwenya was part of a group which left for Angola shortly after the invitation from Neto.

"It was difficult. We went to Angola while the remnants of the war continued. We only wanted to get training camps in order to get ready and come back to South Africa. I was one of those who really wanted to come back and to fight here, so I received my training, in the Soviet Union and in the then East Germany."

But Ngwenya was not to return home for a long time. After training he returned to Angola, where government forces were engaged in a civil war with Jonas Savimbi's South African-backed Unita.

Ngwenya was ordered to stay in Angola and train MK soldiers to infiltrate South Africa. Rising through the ranks quickly, Ngwenya became a camp commander, regional chief of staff and, finally, commander of MK in Angola in 1983.

It was never the ANC's intention to get involved in the Angolan civil war, Ngwenya says, but he and his men were drawn into the battle when Unita began attacking ANC bases in 1978 and when the Angolan government asked for help.

As regional commander, Ngwenya was given the go-ahead by the ANC to help the Angolan government forces.

He bears the scars of a bullet he took in the leg during a Unita ambush in 1988.

He was at the centre of controversy during his tenure as regional commander when his troops mutinied in 1984. The mutiny was prompted, to a great extent, by the troops' unhappiness with MK's involvement in the Angolan war.

It still seems to irk Ngwenya that the mutiny at Camp 13 took place on his watch. Elements of the MK and ANC leadership were subsequently accused of brutality while breaking the uprising.

Ngwenya says he has no regrets about the way he handled it.

"When there is a mutiny, there can be only one solution to it - and that is to suppress it militarily. As commander, what do you do when there is a camp under mutiny? What do you do? I had to install the authority of the camp. And that is what we did."

After the 1988 Unita attack, while recovering in a Moscow hospital, ANC president Oliver Tambo appointed Ngwenya to the MK High Command and to the ANC national executive committee.

He returned to South Africa in 1990 and officially joined the new SANDF in 1994, after being part of the ANC team which helped prepare for an integrated South African army.

Refusing to comment on specific challenges until he formally takes office next month, when General Siphiwe Nyanda leaves, Ngwenya says he knows he will have to focus on ensuring the force is combat-ready and trained to conduct peacekeeping operations.

The growing demand for South Africa to contribute to peacekeeping operations in Africa also poses challenges, he says. "We have to make our forces combat-ready, by getting some younger people into the defence force, for example, so they may be deployed at any time."

But Ngwenya faces an altogether different spectre. He is one of 27 senior ANC members not granted amnesty by the former Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The commission said that because he and the others applied for amnesty as leaders who took responsibility for their troops' actions, this fell outside the commission's brief.

But Ngwenya is unafraid. "I didn't find any reason to apply for amnesty at first. I felt I had done nothing to warrant me applying. I was not one of the people who entered South Africa to take part in operations here. But eventually I did apply, saying that as a commander, I take full responsibility for anything that might have been done by my soldiers under my command."

Ngwenya says he is not sure whether the matter has been resolved, and whether he has been cleared.

At any rate, he seems to have won the respect of those he works with, including members of the former SADF.

They say he is a disciplinarian, a "stickler for punctuality and the like".

An old friend of Ngwenya's - who went to school with him at Orlando High School in Soweto and left the country with him - says the same thing. "Even among ourselves, when we left as friends, we knew that if anything was wrong, he would be the first to reprimand us and we knew we had to stop what we were doing," says Commissioner Bransby Luke of the police's Protection and Security division.

Not much then, it seems, has changed about the SANDF chief-designate over the years.

South Africa has, for the first time, deployed a company of reservists outside the country to replace members of the regular force on a peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Analysts say the move could help support the overstretched South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which has more than 2,000 troops deployed in the DRC and Burundi.

The reservists would "bolster the SANDF," said Sam Mkhwanazi, a spokesman for the ministry of defence.

As well as strengthening the SANDF, the reservists would also pump younger blood into the army, said Henry Boschoff, a military analyst with the Pretoria-based think-tank, the Institute for Security Studies, adding that "besides HIV/AIDS, a majority of the soldiers in the army are over age - they are not physically or medically fit."

The defence ministry has launched several initiatives based on international army recruitment practices to beef up the SANDF and the reserve force.

"Most defence forces have soldiers on contracts varying from three to 15 years," explained Brigadier-General Brian Burmeister, who heads the reserve force.

When the democratic dispensation took over in 1994, conscription was replaced by the voluntary service system, "which did not bring in the required numbers," said Burmeister. "Most of the older members of the reserve force hung up their uniforms."

The defence department annual report for 2003/04 commented that "The state of the Reserve Force as a whole is still a matter of concern, as the Conventional Reserve, despite the interventions ... is still not a combat-ready and deployable force".

About 18-months ago the SANDF launched an aggressive marketing plan to sell a five-year reserve force contract to the youth. Most of those who signed up were unemployed.

"We have 9,000 members in the reserve force, who receive military training and other skills which will assist them in getting placement after they leave the army," Burmeister explained.

The 155 reservists deployed to the DRC received additional training in peacekeeping and will serve in the mission for six months.

Another initiative - the military skills development system - offers a two-year contract to young recruits. At the end of the contract, which also provides skills and training, selected recruits have the option of joining the regular force, while the rest become part of the conventional reserve force.

The system was launched last year and is to recruit 3,000 people a year for two years.

Nearly 300 World War Two veterans took a salute from SANDF chief of corporate services Lt General Themba Matanzima on Sunday at a ceremony at the Rand Regiments' Memorial in Johannesburg. The veterans, wearing their medals with jacket and tie, and the odd kilt, tam o'shanter and beret, marched proudly by, to remember the end of that conflict -- at least in Europe -- exactly 60 years before. Some needed a cane and at least one of the many men -- and few women --needed a walking aid. Even teenagers who took part in the conflict have now reached their seventies and most of the former combatants on parade were a bit older than that. The veterans, most of whom had served in Italy under the command of US General Mark Clark, were just some of the South Africans who joined the rest of the globe in remembering the day "Hitler's war" ended. The march was led by the pipes and drums of the Transvaal Scottish, SA Irish and SA Military Health Service. Commemorations also took place in Cape Town, Durban and at the SA Air Force memorial in Pretoria. "It is now sixty years since the triumph of the allied powers over the horrors of Nazism and it is a testimony to the sacrifices made by the soldiers of the time that we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today," the Democratic Alliance's defence spokesman, Rafeek Shah, said in a statement to mark the occasion. "The ultimate tribute that can be paid to those fallen soldiers and to the millions of innocent civilians who lost their lives in this most brutal of conflicts is that the world takes this moment to reflect on the horror of what was and redoubles its efforts to bring an end to conflict." Tuesday, May 8, 1945, was "Victory in Europe" (VE) Day, and it marked the formal end of the war against Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. With it came the end of six years of misery, suffering, courage and endurance across the world. Individuals reacted in very different ways to the end of the nightmare: some celebrated by partying; others spent the day in quiet reflection; and there were those too busy carrying out tasks to do either. Ultimately nothing would be quite the same again, the BBC says of the event on its website. The end of the World War One on 11 November 1918 had come as a shock to many soldiers and civilians because the collapse of the German army had been so sudden. By contrast, it was clear -- since at least the beginning of 1945 -- that the end of the World War Two was in sight following a series of capitulations. The German forces in Italy surrendered on May 2. On the following day a high-ranking German delegation, including a senior admiral and a senior general, appeared at the headquarters of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, located near Lubeck. Typically, Montgomery barked, "Who are these men? What do they want?" They had come to surrender the German forces in Northern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The final document of unconditional surrender was signed at General Dwight Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims on 7 May. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI wanted Monday 7 May to be VE Day, but in the event, bowing to American wishes, victory was celebrated on 8 May. The Soviet Union waited an extra day before beginning their formal celebrations. The bulk of South Africa's forces had been involved in Italy, and 6 SA Armoured Division took time that day to parade past then-Defence minister FC Sturrock on the straight at the grand prix track at Monza. With him on the podium was divisional commander Major General Evered Poole and General Clark, general officer commanding the Allied 15th Army Group. In South Africa, the German surrender was marked with small celebrations in most major centres. One of the larger was in Johannesburg, where 20,000 blacks joined a "People's Day of Victory" celebration march in Johannesburg organised by the Council of non-European Trade Unions, the ANC and the Communist Party. By contrast, London, New York and many other US and British Commonwealth cities came to a complete standstill as literally millions of soldiers and civilians celebrated the event -- often raucously. In the Pacific, the war against Japan had several more months to go. Altogether 334,224 South Africans volunteered for full-time service. "Of this total, 132,194 whites, and most of the 123,131 blacks who had volunteered, served in the ground forces, while 44,569 whites served in the SAAF and 9455 in the SA Naval Forces," the Oxford Companion to the Second World War records. "A total of 21,265 white women served in various branches of the women's Auxiliary Defence Corps and 3710 in the Military Nursing Service. Casualties amounted to nearly 9000 dead, over 8000 wounded and 14,000 taken prisoner. A few black servicemen also marched by. They were shoddily treated during and after the war. They were denied the right to bear arms during the conflict and afterwards also discriminated against. The Readers Digest Illustrated History of SA records the government (of Field Marshal Jan Smuts, then in San Francisco to help launch the United Nations) published cash and clothing allowances for discharged servicemen: while whites received UK5 in cash and a UK25 clothing allowance, coloured men received UK3 and UK15 respectively, and Africans only UK2 and a khaki suit worth UK2. Many of the men had served as front-line stretcher bearers or had performed other dangerous or vital labour. The Rand Regiment's Memorial, wedged between the city's zoo and the SA National Museum of Military History, was originally built to remember British soldiers who died in the 1899-1902 Anglo Boer War. As a result, the apartheid government banned military parades at the memorial, a 20-metre tall stone four-arched building with a large bronze angel of peace positioned on top. In 1999 it was decided that the memorial needed to consider all those who died in the war. The site was re-dedicated on 10 October of that year to "the memory of the men, women and children of all races and all nations who lost their lives in the Anglo Boer War, 1899-1902". There are now calls to move the cenotaph from the city centre to Saxonwold for the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorative event.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is sending reservist troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today, to serve as peacekeepers there.

Defence spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi told BuaNews that the reservists were replacing soldiers from 5 and 12 SA Infantry who were returning home after completing their six month term in the DRC.

"We are confident that they will represent us well in that country," he said.

The 156-army reservists to be deployed were drawn from nine reserve regiments.

They are the Johannesburg Regiment, Regiment Northern Transvaal, Regiment East Rand, Transvaal Scottish, SA Irish, Natal Carbineers, Wits Rifles, Cape Town Highlanders and Rand Light Infantry.

According to the Defence Ministry, there are currently plans to increase the size of the reserves, from 9 500 to 35 000.

Defence Deputy Minister Mluleki George yesterday inspected the troops at the SA National Defence Force mobilisation centre at De Brug outside Bloemfontein.

Speaking at the center, Mr Mluleki said the demand for South African peacekeepers in Africa was increasing.

"People are demanding that South Africa must get involved like in the Ivory Coast where they want the French out and South Africa in," he said

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has launched the country's second of three Type 209 submarines, the S102 in Emden, Northern Germany.

Another submarine, S101 was launched in Kiel, Germany, a year ago.

The S102, is still under construction but the project is expected to be completed by 2006/7.

The submarine forms part of government's R43 billion arms procurement deal.

Deputy Defence Minister George Mluleki said the naming and launching of any vessel was a significant occasion, as it would only happen once in the lifetime of the vessel although it could commission and re-commission a number of times during its lifespan.

"There is still much to be done before she is handed over to the South African Navy and commissioned under South African command and the South African flag prior to her sailing under her own power," said Deputy Minister Mluleki.

But he said the S101 was on track to commission later this year.

Meanwhile, the keel of the third boat, S103 has been laid and she is due to be launched in 2006.

Mr Mluleki added that all the submarines would be making their delivery voyages under own power with SA Navy personnel on board escorted by one of SA Navy's surface vessels.

"The exercise will give our navy an opportunity to test the submarine on a long deployment and it will further give us the opportunity to test our ability to support the submarine during such a voyage," he said.

A group of submariners is undergoing training in Germany and another 20 submarine combat and engineering officers are being trained in India.

They are being taught how to operate the submarines and are also learning more about the technical aspects, which include electrical and mechanical maintenance.

Mr Mluleki said by the time S103 was ready, she would have a complete South African trained crew on board when she sailed home.

In 2003, South Africa received state-of-the-art German made warship, the SAS Amatola corvette.

The SA Navy was the unwitting catalyst that triggered South Africa's defence oversight revolution when it went to Parliament in 1995 to ask for new frigates.

Maj Gen Len le Roux (Retd) of the Pretoria-based Institute for Strategic Studies told a conference on defence budgeting in Addis Ababa over the Ethiopian Orthodox Easter that South Africa did not arrive at its current defence governance model by accident or by miracle.

Instead, the Navy's request triggered a response by the Department of Defence, then still largely distrusted and in the hands of the "old guard" from the apartheid military, despite the start of integration, to explain its future vision to the largely ANC-controlled Parliament.

It was made clear to the military that until they could explain how the ships - or other equipment - would fit in with the department's democratisation and transformation, Parliament would decline such requests.

The result was the 1996 Defence White Paper, 1998 Defence Review - which involved substantial civil society input - and the 2002 Defence Act.

Other reforms that distinguish the civil oversight of South Africa's armed forces from that of nearly all others on the continent is its subordination to the constitution and other national legislation.

"The Treasury is empowered to coordinate the national budget-preparation process, to manage the implementation of the national budget and to play a financial oversight role in all spheres of government," he said, adding South Africa was a worthy model for others to emulate.

"This legal empowerment has been well exercised by the minister of finance and the Treasury and has led to financial management and budgetary processes that conform to international best practice."

Financial policy and economic reform in South Africa have led to the introduction and implementation of medium-term planning and budgeting in the form of a three-year medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), he said.

The MTEF, he said, has brought greater transparency, certainty and stability to the budgetary process and has strengthened the links between policy priorities and the government's medium-term spending plans.

If he had one concern, ten years later, it was that the defence department had become less inclined to engage civil society on military issues.

An ongoing review of the Defence Review, for example, was currently taking place behind closed doors.

He was also concerned that there was now a misalignment between the stated policy and the practice.

It was hoped the "review of the review" would sort out the mismatch.

Responding to questions on the role of Parliamentarians, he said civil-military relations were not a one-way street.

MPs should primarily concern themselves with supervising the state, including the military, but this does not mean they should not lobby for defence when the armed services are underfunded, miss-equipped or abused.

"Civil military relations are not one-way control down; it is an active partnership between government, parliament and the military.

Le Roux had a number of recommendations for the country. These included:

- The South African defence department, in conjunction with the Portfolio Committee on Defence, revisit the assumptions on which the force design described in the Defence Review is based.

"The main assumptions that need to be reconsidered are the internal role of the SANDF, the future role of the SANDF in peace missions and the sustainable level of the military budget. This will assist in aligning military planning and the MTEF," Le Roux said. This could include refocusing the defence force's composition into a mobile "expeditionary force" for peacekeeping and intervention operations.

- Expenditure on the rent and maintenance of state property used by the military, but currently appearing in the budget of the Department of Public Works, should appear in the military budget. "This would ensure the full visibility of military expenditure and the full costing of all military activities."

- The process for reimbursing the DOD for non-military expenditure, such as support for the SA Police Service in maintaining internal law and order, should be streamlined in order to ensure that these expenses are clearly identifiable.

- The DOD should continue to develop its relationship with civil society through direct interaction and develop its Internet site in order to further enhance transparency and increase public understanding of the role of the military. The military was one of the first state departments to set up a website, but underfunding and a lack of dedicated staff have caused it to fall behind nearly other state agencies.