Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The South African Air Force (SAAF) has embarked on a process to become a "tactical" air force and to ensure better service delivery both in the country and Africa as a whole.

The process, according to SAAF Chief, Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiono, involved among other things, personnel training, upgrading and phasing out of old aircraft fleet.

Lt-General Gagiono said the process would enable the force to meet its obligations better during peacekeeping missions on the African continent.

Currently, the SAAF is acquiring new state-of-the-art aircraft.

The transformation process is said to take place in all areas of the force.

Briefing the media in Pretoria this morning, Lt-General Gagiono said they were now training some of their personnel on the operation of the new aircraft.

"To date, the air force has recruited 1612 young deserving South Africans in its ranks in terms of the Department of Defence's Military Skills Development System.

"We are cooperating with regional and international partners in the field of training to enhance our skills," he said.

Last week, the SAAF received first two of the new 24 Hawk Mk 120 aircraft to replace the ageing Impala fleet which has been in service for 40 years.

Last year, it took delivery of the first six of 30 Augusta A109 helicopters.

The force is also awaiting the delivery of the Gripen fighter jets, the first expected in 2008. The full complement of the Gripen fleet is expected in 2011.

The Hawk aircraft are unique in their ability to have their cockpit configured to represent any modern front-line fighter.

They are an updated version of Hawk 100 series incorporating changes to the avionics suite and associated aircraft systems originally developed by BAE Systems for the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Hawk.

The aircraft are fitted with powerful Royce-Royce/Turbomeca engines and are being assembled at Denel's aircraft factory in Kempton Park.

A complete fleet of the 24 aircraft was expected mid-2007.

The acquisition of the helicopters, aircrafts, submarines and corvettes, is part of the arms deal that Cabinet approved in 2001.

This was to ensure that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) becomes a fully fledged defence force.

Last year, the Department of Defence received four of the 30 state-of-the-art corvettes from Augusta, Italy, to replace the ageing Alouette III fleet.

It is also anticipated that by 2007, the SAAF would have acquired a complete fleet of the new helicopters.

Former Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) combatant and SA National Defence Force colonel, Alfred 'Doempie' Molegang, died at his home in Valhalla in Tshwane on Tuesday morning.

Molegang, 69, succumbed to complications of his heart, liver and lungs. He was forced to retire from the army when his illness took a toll on him in 2002.

Doempie, as he was affectionately called, fled South Africa in 1962.

He underwent advanced military training in countries such as the Soviet Union and East Germany before his deployment into South Africa.

A member of the ANC's elite guerrilla Luthuli Detachment, he was deployed together with the late MK army commissar Chris Hani to Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia.

He also fought alongside Joshua Nkomo's Zitra forces, in a war in which the apartheid government's SADF soldiers aided Rhodesian president Ian Smith's regime.

Doempie was among the first MK guerrillas to be integrated into the new South Africa's SANDF. He rose within the army until he reached the rank of colonel.

He is survived by his wife Maria, five children, and six grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are set for Saturday. A brief service will be held at 11am at his home in 61 Brouwervos Street, Valhalla, before his body is escorted to his final resting place by the military.

With many African countries looking up to South Africa to help foster peace and stability in the region, the country must always improve its human resources to advance this universal mission.

This was said by Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said last night at a ceremony to award 48 station commissioners with certificates after completing a six months' Station Management Learning Programme.

The course seeks to equip police commissioners with skills in management, problem solving and client relations.

Mr Nqakula said South Africa had become a beacon of hope to many countries as a result of uniting people from different backgrounds for common objectives.

"When there is a crisis in Cote d'Ivoire it is expected that South Africa will help. The same with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"This is the consequence of our action," he said.

Cabinet recently agreed to extend the period of deployment of 110 SANDF members in the DRC until 31 March 2007. Fourteen more members join them.

The deployment would be in support of two projects for the integration and military training of the armed forces of the DRC.

Cabinet also agreed to extend the deployment of 339 SANDF members as part of the African Union Mission in the Sudan until 31 March 2007.

South Africa's gesture is seen as a solidarity action to help these countries out of instability and transit to democracy.

Mr Nqakula also added that the appointment of National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi as President of Interpol also symbolised the world's confidence in South Africa.

"As the President [of Interpol], by all means and intent he is the police commissioner of the world," said Mr Nqakula, reiterating that this could also be attributed to South Africa's good actions.

Mr Selebi is the first African to be elected as President of the International policing body.

The minister told the recipients of the certificates that the country had invested in them to fulfil its mission of ensuring peace and stability in the world.

"We need men and women who will love their job so that they themselves are loved. But we need to build and marshal these human resources.

"We need to produce the material that we require to fulfil this obligation [of ensuring peace and stability in the world]," he said, urging them to understand the value of their certificates.

Mr Nqakula also added that the police officers would be assessed to see if they were implementing what they learnered.

"Anyone who is not prepared to do policing is a sore to our rise," he said.

"The course has enhanced my planning and operational skills especially in organising events," said a police officer from Port Elizabeth, Tony Nomdoe.

All 1 128 station commissioners will be required to complete the training module to improve their operational and managerial skills.

The module covers various areas ranging from communication, mentorship training to management, leadership and operational planning.

The case against a SA National Defence Force employee and her five adult children, accused of stealing at least R1.1 million, was postponed in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.

Zelda Wolmarans is alleged to have "diverted" at least R1.1 million during her 10 years of employment as a clerk at the SANDF salaries department.

The 44-year-old woman from Clubview, Centurion, is accused of moving the funds to her own bank account and to those of her two children and three step-children.

The case was postponed to July 28 for further investigation.

Wolmarans, a civilian, was arrested in April.

She is out on R20,000 bail while her children are out on R5000 bail each.

Wolmarans' bail conditions restrict her from visiting any SANDF base, and she is to report to her local police station once a week and has relinquished her passport to police.

A restraint order was issued on the woman and her children and some of their assets were seized, said the National Prosecuting Authority.

The assets included properties in Pretoria, six vehicles, a 125cc Honda motorbike, an insurance policy, pension benefits and numerous bank accounts.

The woman was employed from 1993 at the SA Defence Force, which later became the SANDF, as a senior administration clerk responsible for capturing information of army reservists being called up for courses and training sessions on the SANDF salary system.

Investigators found that Wolmarans allegedly created the impression that part-time army reservists were called up to attend courses or training sessions, knowing that this was untrue.

On completing their fictitious attendance, the woman allegedly used her own banking details as well as the details of her children.

Removing South Africans employed at private security companies contracted to do work in international hotspots could prove "disastrous", members of Parliament heard on Tuesday.

"Many international efforts will be at risk... (Some) will have to close their operations if they can't rely on South Africans," said Doug Brooks, president of the International Peace Operations Association.

Brooks was briefing Parliament's defence portfolio committee on the second day of submissions on South Africa's draft anti-mercenary bill.

Also speaking on behalf of the Private Security Company Association of Iraq, Brooks said South Africa currently set the ethical standards for peace-keeping operations, providing more personnel (2000) than for example, America.

"South Africans are more robust, able to live under more austere conditions, have increased flexibility and can adapt to changing conditions," Brooks told Sapa of the reasons why South Africans were so highly regarded.

He said the proposed legislation would undermine peace-keeping operations, from Darfur in Sudan to Haiti and Iraq, because the "costs of peace" would increase significantly.

Brooks said private security companies were vital to the reconstruction of countries such as Iraq, and generally catered for three general categories -- logistics and support, private security companies hired "to protect the noun" and reform and development companies which supported long-term change.

An estimated 800 South Africans were presently employed at private security companies in Iraq, with more involved in logistics and de-mining operations.

The department of foreign affairs said that a total of 23 South Africans had been killed in Iraq while providing security-related services.

Brooks said the peace and stability industry was critical to international operations, and supported efforts to enhance transparency and accountability.

He said there was a concern in industry that the anti-mercenary bill was counter-productive and ran contrary to democratic ideals.

Quoting from the United Nation's special rapporteur on mercenaries, Dr Shaista Shameem, Brooks said that companies not engaged in violations of human rights and impeding the right of people's to self-determination were "not a problem".

He said the UN itself made use of the private sector to provide security of UN operations, as well as logistics and support in areas such as refugee camps.

Brooks said it seemed as if the worlds' poorest countries were trying to deal with the most difficult peace-keeping operations imaginable, and a key point was that the "West is abrogating its responsibility to support these operations".

Asked by committee members about violations and the monitoring thereof, Brooks said the association had a code of conduct and tried to be proactive, but conceded this was limited.

"We don't have a secret ninja team that can go and whack violators."

Brooks said the worst the trade association could do was debar errant private companies, adding: "We can't shoot them, that's the job of states."

He said a complaint emanating from companies working in Iraq was that there was insufficient oversight of their work, which could impact on future contracts.

Brooks said in discussions with South Africans on the ground in troubled areas, the concerns raised in relation to the bill was that it would be interpreted too broadly and "will make criminals of them".

Brooks supported a system which allowed serving members of the South African National Defence Force to apply for leave, serve overseas in a private company, and return to the SANDF.

However, committee chair, Thandi Tobias, questioned this, saying that this was not okay and needed to be controlled.

South Africa's commuter rail system may call in the military to bolster security after a gangs of men hurled passengers to their deaths from speeding trains, officials said on Tuesday.

Metrorail spokeswoman Thandi Mlangeni said an appeal to the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) was under consideration after two more Johannesburg passengers died on Tuesday after being thrown from moving trains, bringing the total number of deaths to 18.

"It is a national crisis," Mlangeni said. "The necessary protocol would have to be activated for us to get the defense force, but these are the options we are talking about."

The latest bloodshed on South Africa's violent commuter trains began last month when witnesses said a gang of men rampaged through a commuter train near Johannesburg, tossing six men to their deaths from moving cars.

The attacks have since been repeated on a number of occasions, in the Johannesburg area, where trains carry tens of thousands of commuters every day.

Some officials have linked the attacks to a strike by a security guards' union which has spurred protests, but union officials have denied their members are involved.

Gauteng provincial police spokeswoman Mary Martins-Engelbrech backed Metrorail's call for military help, saying overstretched police were unable to keep a lid on the escalating bloodshed.

Mlangeni said as an interim measure Metrorail was considering stopping service on certain lines and was advising those commuters who could to avoid taking its trains.

"What concerns us that we cannot safeguard their safety 100 percent," she said.

At its meeting today, cabinet was briefed on preparations for the June national election in the DRCongo. The meeting approved a request from the government of the DRCongo for South Africa to assist in the electoral process, including provision of resources to the DRCongo's Independent Electoral Commission. An inter-ministerial committee comprising ministers of foreign affairs, defence, provincial and local government, public service and administration, safety and security and national intelligence has been set up to coordinate the assistance.

The meeting noted the termination of the SANDF [South African National Defence Force] deployment in Burundi as part of the AU Protection Force. The time frames for the withdrawal will be handled in accordance with the AU Protection's Force's operational decisions. As requested by the leadership of Burundi and the east African region, South Africa will continue to assist in facilitating participation by all concerned parties in the peace process.

The meeting also approved the submission for parliament's ratification, of the AU convention on the prevention and combating of terrorism and the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions.

Cabinet noted preparations for the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS and it welcomed the progress that has been made in our country in implementing a comprehensive programme to combat the pandemic. While much more needs to be done in this regard, the advances in promoting awareness and behaviour change including use of condoms, expansion of accredited health facilities providing AIDS-related services, recruitment and training of health professionals, provision of nutritional supplements as well as home and community-based care all these are cause for hope.

Government will be scaling up communication and social mobilization on this issue and the budget for the campaign over a two-year period has been increased from 160m rand to 200m rand. Further, with 134,473 people initiated on ARV treatment by the end of March and an estimated additional 80,000 initiated in the private and NGO sector, South Africa today has the largest ART programme in the world.

Cabinet welcomed the fact that the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) had at its recent meeting agreed on intensified joint action in a variety of areas. SANAC also agreed on how all South African delegates to UNGASS would cooperate in ensuring that the objectives of the fight against HIV and AIDS within South Africa and internationally are advanced.

The meeting agreed that South Africa should become an official member of the Commonwealth Foundation. The foundation was established in 1965 as a charitable trust promoting professional cooperation among Commonwealth countries, including support for NGOs, professional associations and cultural activities.

Cabinet noted preparations for the South Africa-UK Bilateral Forum during the course of next week. Delegations to the forum will be led by the president and the UK prime minister and issues for consideration include the strengthening of partnership for faster and shared growth in South Africa, support for the African agenda including implementation of the G8 Gleneagles Commitments and cooperation between South Africa and the UK in specific projects to promote peace and development in Africa.

The meeting was briefed on preparations for the launch on 29 May of Youth Month (June) which will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 16 June uprising. The period will be used not only to honour those who took part in the struggle for quality education and democracy, but also to review the implementation of youth development programmes since 1994. Various activities have been planned, focusing on youth participation in the implementation of AsgiSA.

Soldiers cannot be stripped of their constitutional rights just because they are part of a structured military force, the Supreme Court of Appeal heard on Monday.

The court was hearing argument in three appeal cases between the military trade union Sandu (SA National Defence Union), and the SA National Defence Force about the labour rights of soldiers.

Council for Sandu, Gilbert Marcus, submitted that the difference between the defence force and the rest of the civil service should not be over emphasised.

"There are many aspects that are similar to other government departments. In the defence force some do combat duties, but not all and we accept the fact that it is a critical important duty."

Earlier, council for the defence force argued that soldiers live and work in a culture of their own, different from the normal private sector employer and employee relationship.

"The South African National Defence Force is an all-voluntary force and if (one is) accepted, all are subject to the provisions of the (military) regulations," Pieter Pauw said. "They submit to the regime of the South African National Defence Force."

The appeal cases are about three applications brought before the Pretoria High Court by Sandu. The SANDF, as the respondent, was successful in one case, but not the other two.

Pauw submitted that soldiers were in essence workers who had a right to join a union, but it had to be accepted that they functioned in a different culture.

"Collective bargaining is very difficult in the defence force," he told the court.

He submitted that unions could have some power, depending on the matters in dispute.

"You cannot have consensus on all aspects, as you cannot bargain collectively on matters like training programmes and staffing policy. You (the defence force) cannot be obliged to reach consensus."

Pauw submitted that if there was a duty on the defence force to bargain, this would have a huge negative effect on the proper running and discipline of the military.'

He submitted that although the Constitution recognised the rights of workers, "the Constitution does not impose a duty to bargain".

Any country moved onto dangerous ground when it allowed its soldiers to take part in public protest.

"You cannot have an organised defence force where members protest."

Marius Oosthuizen, also for the defence force, submitted that within a military force relationships were based on sub ordinance.

"When it commands, it commands soldiers -- at every level."

Arguing the lawfulness of the defence force's refusal to go back to the Military Bargaining Council (MBC) in one of the matters before the court, Oosthuizen said it was justifiable in the context of threatening labour action.

"People who are trained have access to military weapons," he said.

He submitted the Minister of Defence was correct in "walking away" from the MBC as the Constitution also demanded a structured, manageable and disciplined military force.

Marcus, for Sandu, was expected to continue with the union's case on Tuesday.

The court has set aside three days for the appeals.

Soldiers live and work in a culture of their own, different from the normal private sector employer and employee relationship, the Supreme Court of Appeal heard on Monday.

The court was hearing argument in three appeal cases between the military trade union Sandu (SA National Defence Union), and the SA National Defence Force about the labour rights of soldiers.

"The South African Defence Force is an all-voluntary force and if (one is) accepted, all are subject to the provisions of the (military) regulations," said Pieter Pauw, counsel for the defence force.

"They submit to the regime of the South African National Defence Force."

The appeal cases are about three applications brought before the Pretoria High Court by Sandu. The SANDF, as the respondent, was successful in one case, but not the other two.

Pauw submitted that soldiers were in essence workers who have a right to join a union, but it must be accepted that they function in a different culture.

"Collective bargaining is very difficult in the defence force," he told the court.

He submitted that unions could have some power subject, depending on the matters in dispute.

"You cannot have consensus on all aspects, as you cannot bargain collectively on matters like training programs and staffing policy. You (the defence force) cannot be obliged to reach consensus."

Pauw submitted that if there was a duty on the defence force to bargain, this would have a huge negative effect on the proper running and discipline of the military.

He submitted that although the Constitution recognises the rights of workers, "the Constitution does not impose a duty to bargain."

He said that any country moved onto dangerous ground when it allowed its soldiers to take part in public protest.

"You cannot have an organised defence force where members protest."

The Bloemfontein court has set aside three days for the appeals.

The military trade union, the South African National Defence Union, and the national defence Force will be back in court on Monday when the Supreme Court of Appeal sits on three appeal matters related to collective bargaining.

The Bloemfontein court has set aside three days to hear the appeals, all related to the labour rights of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). 

The appeal cases are about three applications brought before the Pretoria High Court by the South African National Defence Union (SANDU). The SANDF, as respondents, was successful in one that had been was decided in its favour but not the other two.

While the appeals have not been consolidated, they are scheduled to be heard together.

The first appeal matter, brought by the SANDU, relates to an application in the High Court during 2001, which consisted of two applications heard together.

The two issues were whether the SANDF was under a duty to bargain collectively with SANDU as a trade union representing its members on all matters of mutual interest and whether the SANDF or the Minister of Defence was entitled to suspend participation in the Military Bargaining Council.

Both issues were decided in the favour of SANDF.

The second appeal, brought by the SANDF, is also in regard to two applications brought before the High Court in 2002. The issue in this matter was principally whether there was a duty to bargain on the side of the SANDF.

In addition, various regulations in Chapter 20 of the General Regulations for the SANDF and the Reserve under the (now repealed) Defence Act 1957 were challenged on constitutional grounds.

The High Court held in favour of SANDU on all the issues.

The third matter, an appeal by the SANDF, is in regard an urgent high court application brought during June 2003 by SANDU. The union sought interim relief pending the determination by arbitration of certain disputes.

The core issue in this matter in the High Court was the duty to bargain.

In the third matter, the High Court disagreed with its findings and conclusions in the case brought in 2001. It held that SANDU had established a clear right to collective bargaining, which was not the finding in the 2001.

This week, five appeal judges will have to decide on the meaning of the words "the right to engage in collective bargaining" as in section 23 of the Constitution.

In particular, this will be whether it means that a trade union such as SANDU has a right to bargain collectively with the SANDF and that the SANDF has a correlative duty to bargain with it.  The issue straddles all three appeals.

This was the issue on which the three high court judges had disagreed.

On Sunday, acting national secretary of SANDU, Pikkie Greeff said the outcome of the appeals was of utmost importance for the union.

"It’s a make or break case for the soldier's union."

Greeff emphasized that the issue was a matter of "people’s labour rights" and had nothing to do with undermining discipline in the defence force.

An SA National Defence Force employee accused of stealing at least R1.1 million was granted R20,000 bail in her fraud case at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday.

Zelda Wolmarans is accused of having "diverted" at least R1.1 million during her 10 years of employment as a clerk at the SANDF salaries department.

She is accused of having moved the funds to her own bank account and to those of her five adult children.

Wolmarans, a civilian, was arrested in April.

Her two biological children and three step-children are also facing charges at the court. They are out on R5000 bail each.

Wolmarans is to appear again on May 25 and is restricted from visiting any SANDF base, must visit her local police station once a week and relinquish her passport to police, the court ruled.

A restraint order was issued on the woman and her children and some of their assets were seized, said the National Prosecuting Authority.

The assets included properties in Pretoria, six vehicles, a 125cc Honda motorbike, an insurance policy, pension benefits and numerous bank accounts.

The woman was employed from 1993 at the SA Defence Force, which later became the SANDF, as a senior administration clerk responsible for capturing information of army reservists being called up for courses and training sessions on the SANDF salary system.

During another investigation it was discovered that the woman allegedly created the impression that part-time army reservists were called up to attend courses or training sessions, knowing that this was untrue.

On completing their fictitious attendance, the woman allegedly used her own banking details as well as the details of her children.