Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Plus gros salon aéronautique d'Afrique, l'Africa Aerospace and Defence s'est déroulé cette année dans la ville du Cap, sur la base militaire d'Ysterplaat. Situé sur les versants des Montagnes Tables, le Salon a réuni cette année plus de 400 exposants venus de 25 pays. Durant ces 5 jours, dont 2 étaient ouverts au public, les principaux acteurs aéronautiques mondiaux ont partagé la vedette avec l'industrie locale, qui entend bien profiter des accords de coopération noués lors de l'achat de matériels de défense à l'Europe : Gripen à Saab, A400M à Airbus, A109 et Lynx 300 à AgustaWestland, Hawk à BAE Systems, etc.

South Africa has prioritised peacekeeping in Africa because stability and peace are the foundation for sustainable development, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said today at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2006 (AAD 2006) exposition.

"South Africa is spending so much time and effort on peacekeeping because peace and stability are the foundation for sustainable development," he told the assembled business executives and military personnel participating in the largest arms fair in Africa.

Flexibility, mobility and reach are the watchwords of South Africa's defence and broader peacekeeping strategy, the minister said.

He used his opening address to the assembled business executives and military figures to expand on South Africa's overall defence and defence-procurement strategies in the context of peacekeeping and conflict resolution operations on the continent, which are receiving high priority from the government.

This is in line with the change in South Africa's defence posture from offensive to defensive with the onset of democracy.

This entails peacekeeping operations in Africa, which have extended beyond the traditional notion of "defence", now requiring the involvement of other government departments as well, the minister said.

"It's not the South African National Defence Force that's involved in peace missions, it's the people of South Africa represented by nearly every government department," Mr Lekota said, adding that South Africa's approach was now captured in a new draft paper on Peace Missions.

"Our continent of Africa has been torn apart by the greed of outside role players to access its considerable mineral wealth and natural resources. In the wake of this devastation, there is internal conflict over shortage of resources," he added.

One case in point is the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, which, with the determined assistance of the United Nations and several other countries including South Africa, has only recently entered a period of relative peace after years of war.

Mr Lekota, providing the AAD 2006 participants some information on South Africa's possible equipment requirements, said that the South African Air Force (SAAF) found, on its numerous missions to the DRC transporting election-related material and other support, that, for example, the Boeing 747 proved more useful than the Russian-made carrier the Antonov 24 because the former had a wider mouth on its cargo hold, making it easier to load freight pallets.

In the first round of elections in the DRC recently, the SAAF transported 4 732 freight pallets loaded with 1 921 tons of election material to South Africa's northern neighbour, requiring 67 flights, to three hubs in the DRC and then the 14 centres from where material was distributed to 53 000 voting stations in the massive country, which is the size of western Europe.

This, said the defence minister, involved 14 days of flying, day and night, to the DRC, which has now begun the second phase of its elections, after an initial one failed to secure an overall winner.

This process is supported again by South Africa, which will be flying in a further 1 250 tons of election material on 58 flights.

The aircraft used for these flights are mostly South Africa's largest carrier, the ageing Hercules C130, as well as Boeing 747s and Antonovs, with the new, giant A400M military transport airbuses being purchased from EADS yet to be delivered to South Africa.

South Africa's acquisition policy - such as the recent orders of the military Airbus A400M - should be linked to technology transfer, the minister said, adding that the A400M programme has linked this to its role in the global supply chain and future growth of its aerospace industry.

Bearing in mind also the threat presented by climate change and global warming, the minister added that, technologically, "we must support all efforts to reduce the global impact of emissions and energy consumption within the aerospace industry".

South Africa's equipment requirements for peace missions range from small items to heavy military equipment, such as the Mamba armoured vehicles, are being determined by conditions on the ground, said Mr Lekota.

"Based on the existing political and threat environment, the African "defence" environment has become more complex, necessitating a broader scope of security operations. These include total war theatre and force projection at the one end of the spectrum, to search-and-rescue and environmental protection on the other end," he said.

"Clearly the frequency of operations in terms of peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and logistic-related missions are increasing and will dominate the future SANDF's operational role, resulting in requirements for different products and services," Mr Lekota added.

A new majority black-owned and controlled South African defence company, Ngwane Defence Group, was launched on Wednesday [20 September] by Transport Minister Jeff Radebe.

Launching the company at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition, being held at the Ysterplaat Air Force Base in Cape Town, Radebe said Ngwane would bring together long-standing expertise drawn from former commanders of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the SANDF, including industry experience.

"This rich experience, drawn from individuals who saw active service in the conflict of the 1980s and played leadership roles in the reconstruction of defence after 1991, provides Ngwane Defence Group with unique depth because, as we know, the design and development of military systems must draw on practical operational experience," Radebe said.

The group's main focus areas are in the fields of mine-and ballistic protected vehicles, small-and medium calibre infantry weapons, soft-skinned all-terrain vehicles and innovative supply chain solutions for defence, security and humanitarian aid clients.

Some of their products are on display at Ysterplaat, and include the latest generation 4x4 Armoured Personnel Carrier and the amphibious Armoured Personnel Carrier with flat-bottom mine protection technology.

L’exposition internationale d’ armements Africa Aerospace and Defense, s’est ouverte mercredi au Cap (Afrique du Sud). La Russie est représentée par la compagnie nationale d’ exportation d’armements Rosoboronexport. La plus grande exposition africaine de matériels de combat pour toutes les armées se déroule à la base militaire d’Eisterplaat, près du Mont Table.

Elle a accueilli plus de 400 exposants de 25 pays, 22.000 hommes d’ affaires ont annoncé leur intention de visiter l’exposition.

Le ministre sud-africain de la Défense Mosiuoa Lekota a souligné que la principale mission des forces armées d’Afrique du Sud consiste maintenant à mener les opérations de maintien de la paix sur le continent noir. La paix et la stabilité, c’est la base pour un développement économique durable de l’Afrique, a-t-il déclaré. Les nouvelles options choisies par l’armée sud-africaine sont la flexibilité, la mobilité et la capacité de pénétrer dans n’importe quel coin du continent.

La Russie participe à l’exposition pour la quatrième fois. L’avion de chasse multifonction Su-30 MK sera « le clou » du stand russe. Au total les entreprises russes présenteront 250 armements et de matériels de guerre.

Military integration essential to Congo peace Last month's shoot-out in Kinshasa between former rival forces stresses the urgency for merging factions International Affairs Editor IF ONE factor is central to the Democratic Republic of Congo avoiding a descent back into civil war, it is progress on the integration of previously warring factions into the new army. The shoot-out last month between President Joseph Kabila's presidential guard and Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) forces loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba that had not integrated, highlighted the urgency of the process.

Kabila's presidential guard is believed to number between 10000 and 15000, while Bemba's forces are believed to be 6000.

It is hoped that once a new government is in place after the October 29 runoff election, pressure can be brought to bear by other African countries and donors to integrate these forces. Last Friday, the 14th Brigade, more than 4000 in strength, and which is to be integrated with elements of militia factions and the old army, was on parade at its training camp at Rumangabo. The military camp, which a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) team helped to rehabilitate, is a 20-minute ride by helicopter from the North Kivu provincial capital, Goma, and lies close to the Rwandan border. The militias from which the troops are drawn have seen years of conflict. It is in an area that the United Nations force in the Congo, Monuc, places on a threat level of three out of five, indicating that it still feels armed conflict could explode, as some militias are still outside the integration process.

Not all went well during the parade. One private's trousers fell down, but he kept on marching while an officer tried to pull them up. In the end, he had to give up. On the sidelines of the parade, a drunken soldier was taken away by military police. The wooden stocks and hand-grips of many of the troops' AK-47s, which have seen years of use in this humid area, were rotting away. On one, an old cartridge had been welded in place of the bolt to cock the weapon. But the enthusiasm for the occasion and the pride among the troops and their families was tangible. The brass band from the local church played on and the crowd cheered at various times. A South African army colonel, who had visited Rumangabo some months ago, was impressed. They have come a very long way. You can see they are pulling together now. They are very strict on discipline, he said. The parade could give a basis for optimism about the integration of the Congolese army. There is a definite incentive to being in a regular army. For many of the ordinary soldiers, flip-flops, shorts, and T-shirts have been replaced by boots and uniforms. They and their family members, and other members of the community, have access to improved medical care.

At the parade in Rumangabo were South African Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and his Congolese counterpart, Alphonse Onosumba. SA has played a large role in the process of integration, helping first with the identification of soldiers and recently with the rehabilitation of buildings at Rumangabo, another base in the east at Nyaleke, near the Ugandan border, and a military hospital at Goma. Giving soldiers in the Congolese army identification badges has helped save the country paying ghost soldiers from both the militias and the army itself. Kabila's forces originally claimed a strength of about 58000, but after the identification process, only 28000 were identified. A SANDF team implemented a project financed by a 5m grant from the Netherlands to rehabilitate buildings that had been used until 1960 to house troops from Belgium, the former colonial power. New ceilings, roofs, a power supply system, including a system for purified water, were installed. A sick bay was constructed with the help of local labour.

Supplies were bought from SA, locally, and from Rwanda and Uganda. The money was also used to buy ambulances and bakkies for transport. With the election on October 29, a degree of uncertainty has arisen over the integration process. The original plan had been for 18 integrated brigades. So far, 14 have been formed with a total of 45000 troops. But many former combatants remain outside the process and the seven assembly centres must still process large numbers.

The Congo's deputy minister of defence in charge of integration, Mena Bernard, says integration is going well, but too slowly, because of logistical problems due to the size of the country and financial problems. However, much will depend on whether the entire presidential guard and the remnants of Bemba's MLC remain outside the process. Kabila and Bemba held talks last week and elements from both factions, as well as the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) and the Mayi Mayi militia, are now members of a battalion that will make up the new republican guard.

The new government will also have to decide whether to have a smaller, well-equipped and mobile army or a large and static army. The process of downsizing or even restricting the size at a certain level could be politically challenging to the integration process. SA's ambassador to the Congo, Sisa Ngombane, believes the integration process will take more than 10 years. He says there is a degree of optimism to be found from the fact that the army did not split apart after last month's shoot-out. The renegade Gen Laurent Nkunda who was formerly a member of the RCD, later joined and then left the Congolese army and who briefly captured Bukavu remains at large, but is not viewed by Monuc as an immediate threat to the process. To ensure a degree of stability and that the army does not break apart should centrifugal pressures become strong, the signs are that Monuc, which includes about 1500 troops, may have to stay in the Congo well after the second round of the presidential poll at the end of next month. It also raises the question of a long-term South African commitment to support for post-conflict efforts to ensure peace deals in the Great Lakes region do not collapse, an issue highlighted by the rising political tensions in Burundi since the arrest last month of the country's former president, Domitien Ndayizeye. Lekota's trip to watch the parade was in part to underscore the South African commitment to continue support for Congo. Its borders with nine countries, and its eastern area, which is a domino in the wider conflict in the Great Lakes region, has made the country the linchpin in diplomatic and military support in the region. Lekota says he will soon make a proposal to the cabinet on what further support to give. We will do our utmost to sustain support so there is no reversal and ensure there is more capacity out of the rest of Africa for support, he said last week. With a more than 75% turnout in the recent election in Congo, there is likely to be strong continuing support from Europe. But other pressures are emerging on peacekeeping resources from donors. These pressures are particularly possible because of the need to send peacekeepers, if approved by the UN security council, to the Darfur region of the Sudan.

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has collected more than R600 000 in a symbolic gesture of goodwill for troops deployed in peacekeeping missions on the continent.

SANDF Chief General Godfrey Ngwenya on Wednesday received the donation from a few South African companies and other organisations.

The gesture would go a long way in encouraging the troops as they continue efforts to ensure peace and stability on the continent.

Several religious groups also made a donation of more than R200 000 worth of religious booklets.

Senior defence force officials will soon visit the troops to hand over the donations.

South Africa's peacekeeping operations in Africa remain a priority for government, with a focus on development, reconstruction and humanity, among others.

Among its other interventions on the continent, South Africa has helped facilitate a peace deal between the government of Burundi and the rebel group Palipehutu-FNL.

This process resulted in the signing of the Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement between the government of Burundi and Palipehutu-FNL in Tanzania last week.

The deal is expected to halt all hostilities there, armed or otherwise, including malicious public statements from both sides.

Most importantly, it is expected to unveil a programme for the repatriation of the Palipehutu-FNL leadership in the Great Lakes region and in the Diaspora, including their protection while in transit and static protection in Burundi as well as to disarm Palipehutu-FNL combatants and their transportation to United Nations (UN) supervised cantonment areas.

The SANDF has also deployed thousands of troops to help find peace and stability in other countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan.

For the July elections in the DRC, South Africa deployed over 1 500 troops.

The country is also helping the DRC hold the second round of elections after presidential candidates failed to clinch an outright majority.

This saw President Mbeki leave for that country on Monday to hold discussions with the country's leadership on how to deal with the situation that emerged after the presidential and parliamentary elections.

The DRC has witnessed sporadic violence following the announcement of preliminary results after the July elections, where none of the presidential candidates captured an outright majority.

Nevertheless, South Africa is optimistic that conditions are conducive for the second round of the elections on 29 October.

A 23-year-old Bloemfontein soldier died during a training exercise on Wednesday, a spokesman for the SA National Defence Force said.

Colonel George Ingram said Trooper Victor Saba Meyi died during a training exercise at the General De Wet training area in the city.

Meyi was stationed at 1 SA Tank Regiment in Bloemfontein.

"A board of inquiry has been convened and will run concurrently with an investigation by police," Ingram said.

The SANDF refused to give further details about Meyi's death.

South African companies have donated R635,000 to buy gifts for the 5000 troops who will be deployed in the country and further afield over the festive season.

It was though the goodwill gifts that the soldiers would know there was appreciation for work they had done and continued to do, said SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Chief General Godfrey Ngwenya.

"Burundi today is a free country thanks to your sons and daughters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). There is light at the end of the tunnel also thanks to them," he said.

The gifts would be handed to South African soldiers in Burundi and the DRC in December during a morale-boosting trip by SANDF high brass and sponsors.

The group also hoped to visit South African soldiers in the African Union's peacekeeping force in Darfur, Sudan -- unless the peacekeepers were kicked out before then.

Gifts would also be distributed to troops in Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia an Eritrea, Gabon.

The gift this year would include a camping chair, a cooler bag and religious books, and would be largest since the project was started with the distribution of food parcels in 2001 by SANDF Sergeant-Major Jakes Jacobs.

He had wanted to start something similar to the "Dankie-sê-tannie-pakkies" he received from the women of South Africa during his time in Angola with the South African Defence Force.

South Africa has about 2700 troops deployed outside the country's borders as part of United Nations and AU peacekeeping operations.

Top brass in the military met on Tuesday to discuss reports that apartheid-era chemical weapons expert Wouter Basson was getting a monthly salary despite being suspended since 1999.

"Management and the legal department are in a meeting. They are discussing the Wouter Basson issue," SA National Defence Force spokesman Major Vivian Petrus said at noon.

"There will be more information on this issue by this afternoon (Tuesday)."

The meeting came a day after a media report that Basson was receiving a monthly salary of about R50,000 without doing any work as a heart surgeon.

He is the former head of the defence force's chemical and biological war programme.

While Basson's court case, in which he faced about 67 charges of apartheid-era crimes, was finalised more than 22 months ago, the SANDF reportedly had not taken any decision about his suspension or his career.

His salary amounted to about R1.1 million over the 22-month period.

If this salary was calculated over the full term of his suspension since 1999, it amounted to R4.35 million.

He was still officially in the position of chief surgeon at 1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwane without military patients benefiting from it.

Doctors and specialists in the SA Military Health Service said it was unacceptable that "nobody" was actually the chief cardiologist while Basson was being paid.

The situation also prevented somebody else from being appointed in the position.

Basson has also been working as cardiologist at three hospitals in Cape Town for some time.

He was previously a brigadier-general and founder member of 7 Medical Battalion.

In 1999, before his trial, the defence force suspended him because of the embarrassment the charges had created.

The allegations varied from theft to the murder of several Swapo and Renamo soldiers.

His suspension was ordered by General Siphiwe Nyanda, former chief of the defence force, pending the court ruling.

Basson at that stage obtained permission to run a private practice.

He was acquitted by the Pretoria High Court last year.

The National Prosecuting Authority said in October last year he would not be tried for his alleged role in crimes outside South Africa.

Petrus said the SANDF would comment on the matter after Tuesday afternoon's meeting.

First show for SA vehicle LAND Systems SA will be displaying its new Mark 5 RG-31 armoured vehicle at the exhibition, the first time the vehicle will be on display at an international show. Land Systems' international business development director Tony Savides says: We have already exported a number of RG-31s to Canada, the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and we will have a vehicle on show of a very similar type to that used by the UAE armed forces. Benoni-based Land Systems SA, which was acquired by BAE Systems in 2004, has two divisions armoured vehicle manufacturer Land Systems OMC and Land Systems Gear Ratio, both of which will be exhibiting. Land Systems Gear Ratio is a specialist manufacturer of transmission systems, drive lines and drive line components for the local and overseas markets. Land Systems OMC SA's primary producer of military vehicles has already achieved an annual R1bn turnover target compared with R200m in 1999.

This has been boosted by a vigorous export programme. The RG-31 mine- protected armoured personnel carrier has been the company's major export success over the past two years, with the concept derived to some extent from the Mamba armoured vehicle, which is also manufactured by Land Systems OMC and still in service with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), says Savides.

He points out that Land Systems OMC has successfully negotiated a list of new contracts, including a US army order for 148 RG-31 armoured personnel carriers the largest single deal to date. Canada has already ordered 75 RG-31s and the UAE has ordered 76. We don't sell anything that does not conform strictly to the NCACC (National Conventional Arms Control Committee) regulations. All South African companies operating within this industry sector are responsible and adhere to the NCACC requirements for arms exports. We are always looking to improve the vehicle, Savides says, especially in instances where we receive operational feedback. The company once received a letter from two American soldiers serving in Afghanistan who survived a landmine blast in an RG-31 thanking them for saving their lives. In an e-mail discussion, it transpired that the two were unable to engage their seat belts while wearing their bulky operational kit. As a result, the company has lengthened seatbelts in all of the vehicles. He says: It is important to note that notwithstanding the successes that the company has enjoyed internationally, the South African customer remains our number one client. Land Systems OMC supports more than 95% of the South African Army's armoured vehicle capability. The contracting party is Armscor.

The company is also responsible for the maintenance and support of SANDF equipment. The South African Police Services is its other major local client.

Savides says that a wide-ranging transformation initiative within Land Systems OMC's dealer network has seen a dramatic increase in the number of black dealers, who now constitute by far the majority of the company's dealership network.

The SA National Defence Force was unable to comment immediately on Monday on a media report that Dr Wouter Basson, the apartheid-era chemical weapons expert, was still earning about R50,000 a month despite being suspended from his defence force job.

Major Vivian Petrus said the SANDF could not comment on the matter immediately as the report would have to be reviewed and the appropriate person would then comment.

News24 reported on Monday that Basson, the former head of the defence force's chemical and biological war programme, was still earning a salary of about R50,000 per month gross without doing any work as a heart surgeon.

The report also stated that while Basson's court case, in which he faced about 67 charges of apartheid-era crimes, was finalised more than 22 months ago, the defence force still had not taken any decision about his suspension or his career.

His salary amounted to about R1.1 million over the 22 month period.

If this salary was calculated over the full term of his suspension since 1999, it amounted to R4.35 million.

He was still officially in the position of chief surgeon at 1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwane without military patients benefiting from it.

Doctors and specialists in the SA Military Health Service were of the opinion that it was unacceptable that "nobody" was actually the chief cardiologist and that somebody like Basson was being paid without the defence force benefiting. The situation also prevented somebody else from being appointed in the position.

Basson has also been working as cardiologist at three hospitals in Cape Town for some time.

He was previously a brigadier-general and founder member of 7 Medical Battalion, but was appointed as a civilian doctor with the same income plus benefits and allowances after 1994.

In 1999, before his trial, the defence force suspended him because of the embarrassment the charges had created.

The allegations varied from theft to the murder of several Swapo and Renamo soldiers. His suspension was ordered by General Siphiwe Nyanda, former chief of the defence force, pending the court ruling.

Basson at that stage obtained permission to run a private practice.

He was acquitted by the Pretoria High Court in 2005. In October of that year the National Prosecuting Authority indicated that he would not be tried for conspiring to commit crimes outside South Africa.

Despite several requests for comment during the past two months, the defence ministry has failed to react, News24 reported.

According to Basson there was no bad blood between him and the defence force and that he was not in dispute with it about his suspension.

"They have spent millions on my legal fees. They have a big problem (about his future) which they have to solve and I realise that it takes time."

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) are deeply disturbed by reports of an instruction given by Health Department Director-General Thami Mseleku to stop provincial health officials commenting on HIV and AIDS. We believe that the instruction is an unreasonable limitation on the officials' right to freedom of expression and thus unconstitutional.

The AIDS pandemic in South Africa has reached such critical proportions that it demands extensive public discussion and debate. However, rather than engaging with the general public and its detractors in an open process of learning and consensus-building, the Health Department has seen fit to attempt to stifle this process by gagging its own employees from speaking to the media; a move that we interpret as censorship.

If allowed to go unchallenged, this decision will set an extremely negative precedent for freedom of expression in our public service, because it will create a climate of self-censorship at all levels of government. It will mean that employees will have to refrain from any form of commentary on or reasonable criticism of their government out of fear of being dismissed.

This is surely not what a democracy is about. As workers and citizens of this country, these civil servants have an inalienable right to engage in political speech about matters of public interest, and should be able to do so freely. This is especially so in the current climate of fear, ignorance, confusion and deliberate misinformation about HIV/AIDS in South Africa. We are concerned that 12 years after our hard fought democracy was achieved, we are now moving backwards to the era of censorship where freedom of expression in the workplace was denied.

The Department's order "not to give any interview to any media related to the Aids issue or the Lewis visit" is in clear violation of the Constitution, which accords everyone the right to freedom expression, including the right to impart ideas, even those which may be critical of government. This right naturally extends to the workplace. Moreover, the media and the public alike have a right of access to information held by the state.

Our courts have consistently upheld the right of workers to engage in political speech, most famously in the 1999 Constitutional Court case of SANDF Union vs Minister of Defence. In the recent case of Costa Gazidis vs The Minister of Public Service and Administration, Dr Gazidis was dismissed from the Department of Health for a media interview in which he criticized the Minister of Health by stating that he was soliciting support in order to have the Minister charged with manslaughter because she refused to provide AZT to pregnant women. The Pretoria High Court found that Dr Gazidis' criticism of government's policy in the media, including his utterance about the Minister of Health, did not amount or constitute prejudice to the administration of the Department. Dr Gazidis was therefore reinstated. The FXI has condemned similarly unlawful attempts by the Western Cape Health Department to gag doctors from speaking to the media.

The FXI and ODAC call on the Health Department to desist from further attempts to gag its workers. We encourage the Department instead to embrace the multitude of divergent views on health policy in South Africa and pay particular attention to the views of its own workers at the coalface of the fight against HIV/AIDS. By listening and engaging, instead of threatening and gagging, the Department can only improve its own policies as well as its image locally and internationally.

Burundi is on the verge of realising peace that has eluded the Great Lakes country since October 1993.

The Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement is expected to be signed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 7 September.

South Africa's Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula, who is the facilitator of the Regional Initiative for Peace in Burundi has expressed confidence in this regard.

Mr Nqakula arrived in Dar es Salaam on Monday to facilitate the signing of the peace deal between the government of Burundi and the rebel group Palipehutu-FNL.

He addressed a meeting of technical experts, including members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the South African Intelligence Services, the South African Embassy personnel and representatives from the Tanzanian and Ugandan governments.

"Minister Nqakula expressed confidence that both the government and the Palipehutu-FNL were committed to the peace process," said South Africa's department of foreign affairs.

The comprehensive ceasefire agreement seeks to strengthen the Agreement of Principles Towards Lasting Peace, Security and Stability, signed by the two parties on 18 June.

In that agreement the parties made a number of commitments including to address the ethnic question, which has broadly been identified as one of the main contentious issues that sparked the conflict.

They also agreed to provisional immunity for members of the Palipehutu-FNL and its transformation into a political party; the repatriation of refugees and return of displaced and regrouped persons as well as the overhaul of the defence and security forces.

To this end, the Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement is expected to halt all hostilities, armed or otherwise including malicious public statements from both sides.

It is also expected to unveil a programme for the repatriation of the Palipehutu-FNL leadership in the Great Lakes region and in the Diaspora, including their protection while in transit and static protection in Burundi as well as to disarm Palipehutu-FNL combatants and their transportation to United Nations (UN) supervised cantonment areas.

The event for the signing of the historic agreement will be attended by the co-sponsors of the Burundi peace initiative, including President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania.

Also expected to attend is United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Anan as well as Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Alpha Konare.

A psychiatric evaluation has revealed that a soldier accused of shooting dead his two children and wounding his wife is fit to stand trial, the SABC reported on Monday.

This emerged in the Hoedspruit Periodical Court in Limpopo where SA National Defence Force (SANDF) member Philippus Jacobus Venter was appearing. The evaluation was done by the Mankweng hospital near Polokwane.

He faces two counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of illegally possessing a rifle and ammunition. Venter is alleged to have opened fire on his family at the Hoedspruit military base in April.

At the time he was being investigated on allegations of rape and murder in Burundi, allegedly committed while he was part of a peacekeeping mission there. He is also facing charges in connection with this.

Venter was denied bail during his earlier appearance and is still in custody.

His case has been postponed to October 5.