Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

South Africa's arms manufacturer Denel says it will know in about two months whether it has won the bid to manufacture the Rooivalk helicopters for the Turkish government.

Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul announced early this month that his country would continue talks with Denel and Agusta Aerospace of Italy for Turkey's Land Forces Command's Tactical Reconnaissance & Attack Helicopter (ATAK) Project.

Initially, five countries were short listed for the tender; including Germany, France and Russia.

Two weeks ago Denel officials visited Turkey to further discuss the tender bid to manufacture the Rooivalk.

Denel spokesperson Sam Basch said the delegation made its presentation and was now awaiting the outcome.

"It's a lengthy process, now we will have to wait and see what happens thereafter. We are keeping our fingers crossed," he said.

If Denel wins the bid, it will be expected to manufacture about 50 Rooivalk helicopters for the Turkish government to the tune of US 2 billion Dollars.

This will be one of the largest defence bids in which Denel - and the South African defence-related industry - has ever participated in.

Denel, being the country's largest arms manufacturer, is currently looking at marketing and selling the Rooivalk attack helicopter to other international military forces.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) became the first to purchase and showcase 12 of the war machines which it has now been operating for years.

According to Denel, the Rooivalk is a third generation attack helicopter designed around a fully-integrated digital management system.

The aircraft can engage multiple targets at short and long range, utilising the nose-mounted cannon and a range of underwing-mounted munitions.

The Rooivalk is an integral part of the total defence network - fully autonomous, flexible, mobile and providing fire power 24/7, while maintaining user friendly interfaces to all command and control structures.

A psychiatric report on a soldier accused of shooting dead his two young children and wounding his wife is yet to be concluded, the Hoedspruit Periodical Court in Limpopo heard on Monday.

This led the court to postpone the case of South African Defence Force (SANDF) member Philippus Jacobus Venter to September 4, said prosecutor William Makwela.

On Thursday June 22, the case was postponed in Venter's absence after a doctor at Mankweng hospital near Polokwane requested a further 30 days to observe him.

Venter faces charges of murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of a rifle and ammunition. He is alleged to have opened fire on his family members at the Hoedspruit military base in April.

At the time, Venter was being investigated on allegations of rape and murder in Burundi, supposedly committed while he was part of a peacekeeping mission there.

He is also facing charges in connection with this and is currently in police custody after a Hoedspruit magistrate denied him bail.

One of South Africa’s contributions to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) elections has been shrouded in controversy. Air charter company, Adagold Aviation, charged the Department of Defence over R20-million more than its competitors to fly ballot papers from South Africa to the DRC.

These findings have raised concerns about tender irregularities in light of Adagold’s ties to a firm which was taken to court by a competitor this year for corruption in another tender award.

Adagold Aviation director Lawrence Pietersen is also a director of Ibhubesi Trading, a firm whose contract to provide ration packs to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) came under public scrutiny this year.

In June 2006, the Pretoria High Court granted an interdict prohibiting the department from proceeding with the contract owing to tender irregularities.

The court found that Defence Secretary January Boy Masilela unfairly influenced the decision of the defence department’s procurement committee to give the tender to Ibhubesi, a company with no prior experience in food processing.

If Ibhubesi was found guilty of corruption in the tender process it could be barred from receiving further defence force tenders for a period of up to 10 years, said Hennie van Vuuren of the Institute for Security Studies.

In terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004, Van Vuuren said, Ibhubesi and its directors would be put onto a register of tender defaulters. Because of the director overlap between Ibhubesi and Adagold, the latter would also be barred from receiving defence contracts.

“It’s a big stick that hasn’t been applied, but if there is a legal process under way, [the SANDF] would need to consider that very carefully,” said Van Vuuren.

Adagold Aviation’s recent tender awards to deliver ballot papers to the DRC formed part of South Africa’s contribution to the DRC elections.

Aviation companies must be shortlisted by the SANDF to apply for tenders to provide air transportation and Adagold is one of five suppliers who are on the current list.

Adagold won a contract for R36,6-million to fly ballots to Kisangani, while its competitors tendered R18,9-million and R27,5-million respectively.

The company also won a tender to transport ballot papers to several other locations in the DRC for R19,3-million when its competitors charged R15,9-million and R16,2-million.

The difference between Adagold’s tender and its lowest priced competitors in these two instances amounts to R21,1-million. Adagold has also won tenders for other contracts at higher prices than its competitors in the past.

It won contracts to transport cargo to other African countries for a third more than its competitors, at a price of R1,2-million for one tender, and several hundred thousand rands more than its competitors for another contract, amounting to at least R900 000, or a third more than its competitors on different routes.

“Nice to know that it still takes a Rhodie to get the job done!” Adagold Aviation’s executive director Mark Warren Clark reportedly posted on an Old Rhodesian Air Force Sods mailing list about his company’s recent work for the SANDF. Adagold did not respond to questions about the meaning of this statement.

When asked about the price discrepancies, Adagold referred the Mail & Guardian to the SANDF, saying that it is “better placed to provide insight on their procurement policies”.

The SANDF gave the M&G a different explanation for each of the price differentials identified. For a tender to Burundi and Sudan, the SANDF explained that the successful bidder met the required specifications, which included not only price, but seating and load capacity.

The department said that Adagold was the only company to submit an execution plan for another flight to those countries, which is why it won the tender.

Regarding the tender differential for the DRC flights, the SANDF said that the one company with a lower tender price “was found to have subcontracted an unapproved supplier”.

The supplier in question, which asked to remain anonymous owing to its interest in future SANDF contracts, said that this argument “does not hold water”. It claimed that it had flown for the SANDF in the past and had been approved for that purpose.

The company also sent the M&G the document for the tender, which the defence force said required an execution plan. The tender document does not call for an execution plan, but details the flight schedule that tender applicants would have to follow.

The fraud case involving more than R1 million against a senior administration clerk of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was postponed in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday for further investigation.

Zelda Wolmarans, 44, of Clubview was arrested in April this year on charges of defrauding her employer of R1,1 million.

Her two children, Chrizelle and Pieter Jacobus Stephanus van Vuuren, and her three stepchildren, Dirk Jacobus, Maria Fransina and Christina Johanna, all Wolmarans, were also arrested and granted bail of R5 000 each. The trials were then separated.

Shortly after the arrests the Asset Forfeiture Unit seized fixed properties in Pretoria, six motor vehicles, a 125cc Honda motorbike, a Sanlam policy, Department of Defence Pension benefits and numerous bank accounts belonging to the accused.

The National Directorate of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) earlier said in a statement that Wolmarans was appointed by the SANDF in August 1993.

Her duties included capturing information of army reserve force members who were called up for courses or training sessions.

Investigators were working on a similar matter when they realised that Wolmarans was using false information and pretended that part-time reserve force members were called up for courses and training, claiming for their alleged fictitious attendances from the Department of Defence's salary system.

By doing this, the Department of Defence unknowingly made payments into the bank accounts of Wolmarans, her children and stepchildren.

The second of the country's four new patrol corvettes, the SAS Isandlwana, was officially handed over today.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota received the corvette on behalf of the South African Navy.

Health Deputy Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge who named the ship in Kiel, Germany, in 2002 was also in attendance.

The occasion was also graced by the presence of the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini accompanied by the IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

The ship is part of government's multi-billion rand strategic arms procurement package approved by Cabinet in 2001.

The corvette was built by the ThyssenKrupp Marine System yards in Hamburg (Blohm + Voss) and Kiel (Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft) and was fitted with a combat suit in South Africa after her delivery in 2004.

It is expected to feature at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2006 Expo in Cape Town from 20-24 September.

At today's ceremony, Minister Lekota said the defence of the people of South Africa remained the rationale for strengthening, recapitalisation and rejuvenation of the SANDF.

"The young men and women deployed in various parts of the continent are increasingly celebrated as harbingers of stability and development to troubled communities.

"We owe it to them and to those who preceded us that they are highly trained and efficiently equipped to be able to carry out the tasks we entrust to them," he said.

Minister Lekota added that today's commissioning of Isandlwana was therefore about ensuring South Africa's continued state-of-readiness with regard to "anything anytime".

"The South African Navy is ready to engage with, cooperate or compete against the best in the world."

All four corvettes have been or are being fitted out in Simonstown with weapons and electronic systems.

Their unique stealth characteristics, derived from an innovative shape, are said to make it extremely difficult to locate them using radar.

Their infra-red emission signatures - normally a give-away for ships of this size - have been drastically reduced through an exhaust system which emits the engines' hot fumes at water level rather than through a funnel above deck.

The combat systems have been fully integrated and comprehensively tested onboard, transforming the SAS Isandlwana into one of the most advanced warships in the world today.

Minister Lekota added that the newly acquired ship would be deployed on peace-keeping missions on the continent should there be a need.

"Our role with regard to our broad participation in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) multilateral peace and security initiatives on and around the continent of Africa will be significantly improved by our rapidly advancing capability on high seas, inland rivers and lakes of several countries on the continent."

The first corvette to be delivered (in 2003) was the SAS Amatola and the installation of a combat suit on the ship was completed last year.

The two remaining corvettes are at an advanced stage of completion as far as the installation of combat suits is concerned.

The ships are named after the battles fought in South Africa to commemorate the bravery of those who made a supreme contribution for their country.

South African peacekeepers in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRCongo] have been found guilty of more than 1,000 cases of misconduct.

More than half of the military violations - committed between 2002 and this year - involved absence without leave, disobeying lawful commands and drunkenness.

South Africa National Defence Force [SANDF] members in Burundi committed 605 offences, while their counterparts in the DRC were bust for 438 infringements. A further 230 serious criminal cases, including assault, indecent assault, theft, rape and murder, were tried in the military courts in Burundi, the DRC and South Africa. Of these, at least 146 involved soldiers in Burundi, and 77 from DRCongo.

The shocking figures were released during a workshop organized by the SANDF's operational law directorate in Tshwane this week. Brig-Gen Abey Nelomonde, who was seconded by Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota to oversee the disarmament and demobilization process among the Congolese belligerent forces in DRCongo, is at the moment the highest-ranking officer facing a charge, of "ill-treating a subordinate".

The charge against him stems from an incident last year when he allegedly ejected a woman from a hotel room around midnight. Nelomonde did not wish to comment. A senior officer said the statistics indicated that military discipline in the peace missions "has gone to the dogs".

"It brings shame and dishonour to the efforts of the military in making a contribution in war-torn countries. There is a direct link between alcohol abuse and the crimes committed," he said.

The officer said the conviction rate could have been higher if preferential treatment had not been given to offenders because of their race and rank.

According to the statistics, several criminal cases involving high-ranking officers, who include a general, four colonels and six lieutenant-colonels, are also pending. At least 140 soldiers brought the SANDF into disrepute after they were found guilty of assaulting colleagues and locals in the mission areas, while another 94 pleaded guilty to drunkenness.

Another officer in the SANDF said the huge number of offences committed by South African soldiers was an embarrassment to the country's peace-keeping initiatives on the African continent. "Such a high rate of offences is unacceptable and unforgivable. It's very disturbing."

He said a rigorous screening process should be conducted when selecting soldiers for deployment outside the country, but added that this was not happening.

Thandi Tobias, chairman of Parliament's Defence portfolio committee, said she would be able to comment only after she has had a chance to see the figures.

Defence Ministry spokesman Sam Mkwanazi said he was also not in a position to comment because he had not seen the statistics. "It would be very irresponsible to respond to something you haven't seen," he said.

A South African soldier has died due to an illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) announced on Tuesday.

Private Zingisile Carlos Tsemane, 35, died soon after suddenly becoming ill on Monday, said Brigadier-General Kwena Mangope, but he did not specify the illness.

Although based at 14 South African Infantry battalion in Mthatha, Tsemane was part of the South African task force deployed to support the United Nations mission in the DRC.

He is survived by his wife Nosiviwe.

Mangope said Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, chief of the SANDF General Godfrey Ngwenya and the Secretary for Defence January Masilela had extended their sympathy and condolences to Tsemane's family.

Meanwhile in Sudan on Monday, South African soldiers deployed under the African Union (AU) escaped injury and death when they ran into an ambush near Abdel Shakor.

No civilians were hurt either, said Mangope.

He said the AU would be investigating the incident.

La délégation angolaise qui a participé à la première conférence d'inspecteurs généraux des Forces armées des pays membres de la SADC, à Pretoria, en Afrique du Sud, a été reçue vendredi par le chef d'État-major des Forces de Défense nationale de ce pays, le général Godlfrey Ngwenya.

Au cours de la rencontre, le général Godlfrey Ngwenya a exprimé ses remerciements aux autorités angolaises de l'aide accordée au Congrès National Africain (ANC), dans la lutte armée contre, alors le régime ségrégationniste de l'Afrique du Sud.

Over 20 African nations will gather near Pretoria, South Africa for the first U.S. European Command sponsored event that will encourage interoperability and information sharing among African militaries. Africa Endeavor, a technical workshop scheduled for 14-20 July at Military Base Wonderboom, will assess, identify, test and document command, control, communications and information systems (C3IS) interoperability among African fielded military strategic and tactical communications information equipment systems.

Several African nations have been invited to participate in the South Africa hosted workshop, including: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Losotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia. Additionally, two Partnership for Peace nations - Austria and Sweden - will be participating as well as the NATO nation of Norway.

"Africa Endeavor is a key element of USEUCOM's theater security cooperation strategy, specifically in regional security," says U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Thomas Verbeck, of the USEUCOM Command, Control, Communications Systems and Warfighting Integration Directorate. "AE will help USEUCOM achieve its goals [in the] war on terrorism, regional security and transformation."

The overall objective of Africa Endeavor is to achieve a level of communications interoperability and compatibility that will allow partner nations to successfully conduct future multinational operations, ranging from humanitarian, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and information-sharing exercises on the African continent. AE-06 will strengthen the continent of Africa's ability to address transnational threats and bolster USEUCOM's Regional Security Cooperation.

"AE is the bedrock for testing and documenting African C3IS interoperability for the African continent," said LtCol Kevin Warthon, AE Exercise Director. "The outcome of this important workshop will be the development of common, standard military communications practices across the African continent."

Over the past four years, several African nations have participated in and observed a similar USEUCOM-sponsored exercise, Combined Endeavor. Through this experience, these African nations have gained a greater operational understanding of documented, proven communications standards which direct coalition networking.

The South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) has been transforming Military Base Wonderboom into a site to house more than 100 African military communicators and their respective equipment. Over the five day workshop, more than 200 SANDF personnel ranging from transportation and logistics to food service, housing, security and medical personnel will accommodate and support the workshop.

"The African partners are taking ownership of their program, a significant achievement in and of itself because without a communications infrastructure we have nothing to build upon," says CAPT David Simpson, Deputy Commander, USEUCOM Command, Control, Communications Systems and Warfighting Integration Directorate.

Other organizations have been invited to participate in this historical workshop. They include: the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, the Southern African Development Community and African Union Representatives. U. S. Central Command will also participate.

A key participant of the workshop is the Joint Interoperability Command (JITC) from Ft. Huachua, AZ. JITC will document and provide oversight of communications testing.

The desired end result of Africa Endeavor is to build a cadre of multinational communicators. To achieve this goal, the workshop objectives include operational tests, documentation and development of solutions for C3 interoperability and information systems.

"Just as important is the human, technical and procedural experience and knowledge of participant nations' C4 planners," said Warthon. "Together the nations will foster strategic partners on three continents, develop a proving ground for coalition leadership and possibly enable the participating nations to skip generations of technology development by observing and networking with other participating nations."

USEUCOM is one of nine unified combatant commands, and has an area of responsibility that covers 92 countries including parts of Europe and Africa. Its mission is to maintain ready forces to conduct the full range of operations unilaterally or in concert with coalition partners; enhance transatlantic security through support of NATO; promote regional stability; counter terrorism; and advance U.S. interests in the area of responsibility.