Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

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.