Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Nelson Mandela wants to attend President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address next week; Zuma’s predecessor, former president Thabo Mbeki has yet to confirm his attendance, while former deputy president FW de Klerk, who is in Greece, will not attend.

Two other former deputy presidents, Baleka Mbete and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, will be present on Wednesday.

National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu said yesterday that Mandela had strongly indicated his desire to attend. However, he was frail and if the 90-year-old statesman could not be present, “we will understand”.

The theme of Zuma’s address is Parliament entrenching people-centred democracy in achieving developmental goals.

There will be a mounted police escort and a military ceremonial motorcade; the SANDF will line the president’s route; and a national salute by the army’s Ceremonial Guard. There will also be an Air Force military band, a fly-past by the Air Force and a 21-gun salute.

An imbongi (praise-singer) will also be on hand to sing Zuma’s praises.

The president will walk from the gates of Parliament to the National Assembly through a guard of honour of 100 representatives of civil society org-anisations and a junior guard of honour of 250 leaders from schools in all nine provinces.

Big screens in all the provinces will broadcast the proceedings live, as will television and radio.

Des membres d'une compagnie de sécurité privée sud-africaines apportent, avec leurs chiens, leur expertise militaire aux soldats de la force de paix africaine à Mogadiscio, contre la menace d'attentats à l'explosifs des rebelles islamistes.

Généralement discrets, six experts d'une société de déminage basée en Afrique du Sud, Bancroft Global Development, démontrent à des soldats ougandais la capacité de leur brigade cynophile, au quartier général de la Mission de l'Union africaine en Somalie (Amisom).

Le labrador tourne rapidement autour de la vieille Mercedes grise, portes, capot et coffre ouverts, encadrée par d'épais blocs de bétons de protection à l'entrée du camp de l'Amisom. Il renifle, mais pas d'explosifs.

Labradors ou bergers allemands, ce sont les mêmes types de chiens que ceux utilisés en Irak ou en Afghanistan. "Les chiens ne peuvent rien rater, ils sont fiables à 100%. Aucune machine ne pourrait faire ça", explique David Schoman, Sud-Africain basé en Ouganda, habillé d'un tee-shirt kaki et d'un pantalon de treillis.

Un militaire inspecte ensuite le véhicule en passant un miroir sous la voiture. "Chaque véhicule est contrôlé deux fois", précise M. Schoman.

"Nous sensibilisons les soldats ougandais aux bombes et essayons de trouver des parades, nous les assistons dans le déminage (...) Bientôt il y aura aussi des chiens au camp des Burundais. C'est parce qu'ils n'en avaient pas que les kamikazes ont pu entrer", explique le chef de projet de Bancroft International, Rocky Van Blerk.

Le contingent burundais de l'Amisom a subi une attaque suicide à la voiture piégée en février, qui a fait 11 morts et 15 blessés.

Ancien sous-officier dans l'armée sud-africaine, mais de nationalité namibienne, M. Van Blerk, la cinquantaine flamboyante, a déjà passé comme consultant en déminage quatre ans en Irak et autant en Afghanistan.

La société Bancroft - en contrat avec l'Union africaine (UA) et financée par des bailleurs de fonds internationaux - s'occupe aussi de réparer et régler les armes du contingent ougandais et d'entraîner les soldats au maniement des fusils mitrailleurs notamment, constate un journaliste l'AFP.

Les engins explosifs sont la principale menace pour les troupes de l'Amisom dont au moins la moitié des 43 hommes tués depuis le début de la mission en mars 2007 l'ont été par des bombes artisanales placées au bord des routes ou dans des voitures.

Pour l'Amisom, cet appui est essentiel parce que "l'armée ougandaise n'a pas d'expérience dans les IED (ndlr: bombes artisanales). Donc quand on s'est trouvé confronté à cette vague de bombes au bord de la route, il fallait qu'on trouve une solution. Ce sont des experts et ils nous aident beaucoup", explique le major Barigye Bahoku, porte-parole de l'Amisom.

FORMER president Kgalema Motlanthe , in one of his last executive acts before handing over the reins to President Jacob Zuma , approved the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to do border duty in support of the police.

Historically, the safeguarding of SA's borders, except for controls at entry points, was a defence force function but it was made an exclusive police function some years ago.

The overstretched South African Police Service (SAPS) has been unable to cope with the border security function, making SA's frontiers, particularly that with Zimbabwe, notoriously porous.

Motlanthe's action, contained in a letter to Parliament, resonates with recent comments by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa that the military could be roped in to assist with the protection of SA's borders, and perhaps also with the protection of cash in transit vehicles.

The transporting of cash has long been a primary target of organised criminals, resulting in what have become known as "cash in transit heists".

Motlanthe says in his letter: "This serves to inform the National Council of Provinces that I have employed the South African National Defence Force personnel for service in co-operation with the South African Police Service in the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order within the Republic of South Africa, along the RSA/Zimbabwe international border, to perform borderline control duties.

"A total of 160 members of the SANDF will be employed for this service until March 31 2010."

A further problem is that suggestions that the military be used to augment border controls come at a time when it faces personnel challenges of its own. The SANDF has several peacekeeping commitments across the continent.

Considering the thousands of kilometres of border which SA has, both land and sea, the allocation of 160 soldiers will seem ridiculously small.

Helmoed Heitman, defence analyst and local correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly, says deploying 160 troops suggests that what is involved is a single infantry company of three platoons with a few attached specialists.

"That force is clearly far too small to exert any real control over the full length of the border between SA and Zimbabwe, even assuming that there are other troops in the Madimbo training area that lies adjacent to the eastern part of the border.

"The only really useful role for a single company along a border of this length will lie in focused ambushes of known crossing points used by criminal elements, the protection of vehicle check points on roads in the border area, or to accompany small teams of police officials as a 'force multiplier' that allows the few police assigned to border duty to be spread over more of the border," he says.

Heitman adds that the effectiveness of this small force will be further decreased by the fact that the commando system no longer exists, robbing it of the communications and quick reinforcement capabilities -- and local knowledge -- that those reserve units could provide.

There was an outcry in 2005 when the government announced that all volunteer commando units would be disbanded because of the role they played in combating insurgents fighting against apartheid. The plan was that commandos would be taken up in the SAPS reserve.

While there is no official indication yet that soldiers will be used to protect cash in transit, this move would raise the spectre of foreign visitors, particularly those coming for the Confederations Cup this year and the Soccer World Cup next year, seeing heavily armed solders performing normal police functions.

Heitman says the use of ordinary soldiers to protect cash in transit vehicles is likely to serve only to raise the risk of "serious civilian casualties resulting from fire fights between them and gangsters".

"The ordinary soldier is not trained or armed for this role, and will require quite considerable retraining to be effective," he says.

"The military is not the answer here, except possibly to provide heliborne reaction forces that can intercept a hijacked cash in transit vehicle or the robbers after they have fled the scene -- assuming that the Police Air Wing or an Air Force spotter aircraft have been deployed to track the vehicle(s) in question," he says.

Heitman says: "The SANDF is grossly underfunded and understrength for the missions with which it is tasked. It has a three- battalion foreign deployment that actually requires an 18- battalion force to maintain.

"The army has some 11 battalions, all under-strength.

"The result is an army -- in fact an SANDF -- that is consuming itself. Adding yet another set of missions will be fatal if not accompanied by substantial additional funding to allow recruitment of additional troops, proper training, proper maintenance, the replacement of old equipment and the acquisition of equipment needed to close existing capability gaps."

On the political front, the early removal of South African President Thabo Mbeki has significantly raised the country's political risk profile, with potentially negative implications for longer-term growth and external credit ratings. In our view, Thabo Mbeki's early resignation on September 20 2008 will significantly accelerate the transformation of South Africa's political landscape over the coming year, with rising short- and longer-term risks to political stability and policy continuity lying ahead. Although the recent acquittal of Jacob Zuma on corruption charges decreased the risk of violent protests and therefore merited an increase in our short-term political risk ratings, Mbeki's ousting has elevated the threat of snap elections and even a break-up of the African National Congress (ANC) into two parties.

Consequently, we have revised our short-term political risk ratings from 67.5 to 61.3.

It is noteworthy that, due to high borrowing costs and weaker external demand, we forecast that real GDP growth will remain subdued during the remainder of 2008 and the first two quarters of 2009. However, expected monetary easing from Q209 onwards, an improvement in external conditions and rising economic activity in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup are likely to lift economic growth again beyond the 5% mark in 2010. In our view, South Africa's frail electricity sector will remain the main risk to economic expansion over the longer term. As a proportion of GDP and total government expenditure, defence spending in South Africa is miniscule.

South Africa's defence industry has undergone significant adjustments with the lifting of the arms embargos which has led to increased competition from foreign companies. With the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) no longer a captive customer of the sector, companies have had to lay off large sections of their workforce, leading to dwindling numbers. Recent procurement packages - instituted since about the middle of the present decade - may be the first step in reversing this trend.

However, arms imports should increase substantially with the delivery of the major weapons platforms recently ordered by the government, particularly with the recent normalisation of relations between the US and South Africa. The future of the South African defence industry depends on its successful breaking into international markets. Joint ventures (JVs) will aid the country in gaining a technological lead in key areas. Currently, the biggest single long-term problem within the defence industry is the lack of research and development (R&D), funding and policy. Arms exports are proving a more vital area of sales for South African defence companies, and should remain the main driver of any growth in the industry.

Encouraging figures from key defence companies seem to suggest that the defence industry is growing and making inroads into international export markets.

A quick gloss of the industry leaders reveals a handful of significant players. Formerly the manufacturing division of Armscor, South Africa's arms procurement entity Denel was established in 1992. Inheriting much of Armscor's production and research facilities, Denel was for a time the largest defence company in South Africa, employing over 10,500 people - a figure that has dropped to under 8,000. Other companies with a major presence in the defence industry include BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa, African Defence Systems (ADS), Grintek Defence & Technologies, Reutech and civil and military aviation industry specialist Aerosud.

Un tribunal canadien a jugé le Rwandais Désiré Munyaneza coupable de génocide, crimes contre l'humanité et crimes de guerre pour son rôle dans le génocide de 1994.

C'est la première condamnation prononcée au Canada en vertu de la loi sur les crimes contre l'humanité et les crimes de guerre, entrée en vigueur en 2000.

Âgé de 42 ans, Munyaneza a été reconnu coupable par la Cour supérieure du Québec, à Montréal, des sept chefs d'inculpation retenus contre lui pour des actes commis dans la région de Butare, au Rwanda.

"Les pièces à conviction ont montré sans aucun doute que l'accusé avait participé aux persécutions contre les Tutsis. Désiré Munyaneza était à la pointe du mouvement génocidaire", écrit le juge André Denis dans son verdict.

"Désiré Munyaneza avait l'intention spécifique de détruire l'ethnie tutsie à Butare et dans les communes environnantes. A cette fin, il a tué intentionnellement des Tutsis, en a blessé grièvement d'autres, a porté atteinte grièvement à leur intégrité physique et mentale, a agressé sexuellement de nombreuses femmes tutsies et de façon générale, a traité les Tutsi de façon inhumaine et dégradante."

Munyaneza risque la perpétuité. Son avocat a indiqué qu'il ferait appel.

Au cours des deux ans qu'a duré le procès, des dizaines de témoins ont identifié Munyaneza comme l'auteur de nombreux de meurtres et de viols.

Arrivé au Canada en 1997, il avait tenté en vain d'obtenir le statut de réfugié. Ses demandes ont conduit la police a enquêter sur lui, ce qui a mené à son arrestation en 2005.

Lors du génocide rwandais, 800.000 Tutsis et Hutus modérés ont été massacrés par les factions extrémistes de la majorité hutue.

THE South African Air Force member who allegedly shot his policeman brother-in-law during a fight after the Bulls’ victory was released on warning by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Pieter Pretorius, 59, of Danville, was arrested on Saturday night for murder, after a heated argument, allegedly started by Inspector Marius van Dyk, 48, took a tragic turn.

According to the Director of Public Prosecutions’ instructions attached to court documents, Pretorius was arrested at his home, where the incident happened.

It stated that he had co-operated and his firearm was taken by the police. “The deceased was fighting with his girlfriend and assaulted his brother and sister-in-law. The accused fired a warning shot to break up the fight. The deceased attacked the accused and got shot. The deceased was the accused’s brother-in-law,” the document read.

Defence lawyer Oeloff de Meyer told the court that the family watched the Bulls victory in the Super 14 semi-final on Saturday, at the accused’s home. Afterwards there was a party and a braai. The deceased allegedly had a fight with his girlfriend and assaulted her.

De Meyer said the others tried to stop the fight, but the deceased assaulted them too. The accused fired a warning shot to stop the fight, but the deceased charged him.

In the struggle for the firearm a shot went off, De Meyer explained.

Pretorius has been in the SANDF for the past 27 years and has been married for 37 years. He promised to attend the trial if granted bail, adding that he had no previous convictions or pending cases.

The State did not oppose bail.

The court agreed that Pretorius was not a flight risk and doubted if he would skip bail and risk losing his pension of 27 years.

Pretorius was released on warning and the case was postponed to August 24 for further investigation.

However, this may be short-sighted. A strong defence force has a huge role outside of war, and the security of SA's citizens depend on it, be it in search and rescue missions or other civilian duties.

More importantly, SA cannot afford to lose the skills and technologies that the defence industry has fostered and can still promote. No clearer example of this can be found than the serious current shortage of skilled technicians.

Difficulties in attracting technicians at both SAA Technical and the Air Force are well-documented, and a strong, vibrant aerospace industry driven by Denel can reverse that. The same applies to technology. The value of Denel's research and development has value beyond the arms group.

With the numerous social challenges facing SA, it is pointless arguing for a return to the defence spend of the 1980s. Neither would we argue for another R30bn arms deal. But with a defence budget that barely covers salaries, there is scope to expand spending. Much of the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF's) equipment is dated and often hampers the work they do.

As Sadik points out, defence spending has slumped from 5% of the national budget in the 1980s to about 1,2% now, and as a result only half Denel's orders are from SA's defence industry. Denel would like to increase this closer to 70% and so is pushing for closer co-operation with the SANDF and the relevant state agencies.

Denel is too important for SA to dispose off. It is also too important to allow it to continue to operate unprofitably as it has since 2005. Management has done its bit to turn the group around.

State investment now in both defence and Denel would go beyond the financial rewards it would receive once the group returns to the black. It will be rewarded with a strong, well-functioning defence force, strong skills and sought-after intellectual capital to help build this country.

What is to be done with these military relics? asks The Herald photojournalist IVOR MARKMAN

THE mystery of the old and obsolete Second World War artillery pieces and armoured vehicles lying in a storage yard near Port Elizabeth’s airport has been resolved. When former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota and SAPS Brig-Gen Harmse briefed the defence portfolio committee in February 2005, they revealed that the old commando system, under which the army helped the police in rural areas, was to be phased out and the bases shut down by 2009. Harmse described the process at the time as ‘functional purification’.

One of the problems created by this decision was what to do with all the obsolete military equipment on display at these bases as informal monuments to the history of the SA National Defence Force. The equipment consists mainly of field artillery, anti-aircraft guns and a few armoured vehicles.

Some of the vehicles and weapons from Eastern Cape bases were taken to the General Support Base, Port Elizabeth, for storage until such time as the future of the equipment could be decided.

Historians, ex-servicemen and others will be able to help preserve the items if Col Piet Hall (retired) and Prof Pat Irwin, of Rhodes University, have their way.

“These guns are important historic artefacts. They represent an important part of South Africa’s historical background and heritage in many respects, and it just seems a great pity to take artefacts like this and scrap them, where in fact future generations will enjoy them enormously,” Irwin said. “There’s an important educational role for people for what happened in the past.

“The condition of the guns there varies enormously. Some of them are barely retrievable, but if one cannibalised them, you could probably build up a complete (example) of the two main types there,” he said.

Hall said some ex-service organisations had expressed a keen interest in restoring and displaying the old equipment.

He said many members had the expertise necessary to turn the items into beautiful static display pieces. He emphasised that key parts, such as firing pins, had already been removed from the weapons and they would not be able to fire.

“Besides,” he said, “where will you get the ammunition? They haven’t made any for years now and it’s no longer available.”

Hall emphasised that the equipment needed to be looked after. “Unless we do something pretty soon it’s going to be too late.”

According to SANDF spokesman Brig-Gen KD Mangope, the artillery pieces were withdrawn to Port Elizabeth for safekeeping as part of normal closing down processes.

“The items were withdrawn to ensure their care, pending a disposal investigation. There was a concern that these items would be subject to vandalism and theft if left unattended.

“The (Department of Defence) does not dispose of any item without going through a comprehensive investigation in accordance with DoD and Treasury regulations,” he said.

Mangope said disposal by means of a donation was an acceptable option to interested parties.

“All applicable legislation, including the National Heritage Resources Act, must be taken into account when reaching a finding.

“Donation of obsolete equipment to museums has taken place in the past, subject to due process,” he said.

The SANDF yesterday released the name of the corporal who shot dead his wife and then killed himself in Centurion on Sunday. “It is alleged that Corporal Solomzi Nombewu shot and killed Warrant Officer Class 2 Ntombikayise Nombewu, and thereafter opened fire on the Military Police at 101 Air Supply Unit, Centurion, before allegedly shooting himself,” a statement read. – Sapa

A Cape Town tour guide who was checked into the Milnerton Medi-Clinic is not in danger of having contracted swine flu, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said yesterday. Deputy director Dr Lucille Blumberg said there had initially been some incorrect information about where and with whom the tour guide had been in contact. – Sapa

A 42-year-old Mozambican man was arrested in Thabong near Welkom for alleged possession of a suspected stolen car, Free State police said yesterday. The man was due to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court today. – Sapa

A child was killed and eight other people were injured in a Riebeeckstad collision on Monday, Free State paramedics said. ER24 spokesman Tristan Wadeley said the accident occurred at the corner of Lois and Blenheim roads around 5pm. – Sapa

A man was shot dead by police and a 15-year-old boy was arrested after a robbery in Alrode in Katlehong on Monday, Ekurhuleni metro police said. Inspector Jimmy Maboko said officers saw two men struggling with a woman on the Old Heidelberg Road about 3.25pm. One of the men fled and shot at a officer, who returned fire. The suspected thief was later found dead of gunshot wounds. The 15-year-old was due to appear in the Alberton Magistrate’s Court on an armed robbery charge. – Sapa

Two people were arrested for damaging police vehicles in Chatsworth on Monday. Police spokesman Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said the two were due to appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court. Meanwhile, nine people have appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court for allegedly burning down a councillor’s house on Sunday. All nine were released on a warning and the case was postponed to June 10. – Sapa

A leading Nigerian private airline, Arik Air, said yesterday it would begin daily flights from Lagos to Johannesburg next month. Flights will start on June 1. – Sapa-AFP

A recommendation has been made to charge five suspended Durban teachers with misconduct after they were accused of sexually abusing pupils, a report revealed yesterday. The KwaZulu-Natal Education Department suspended the five male Makhumbuza High School teachers on full pay pending an investigation. – Sapa

The ritual slaughter of animals on a beach at Port St Johns has been blamed for two fatal shark attacks there this year. The Natal Sharks Board team of experts made the finding in a report released yesterday. – Sapa

Three men were arrested for allegedly raping children in three separate incidents in Themba outside Pretoria at the weekend, police said yesterday. Two victims were nine years of age and one was 14. The three men were expected to appear in the Themba Magistrate’s Court today. – Sapa

1. Skills: Find a way to stop the flight of highly skilled, experienced pilots, flight engineers, sub-mariners and technical staff

2. Equipment: Replace ageing equipment, such as the C130 heavy transport aircraft and clamp down on the number of weapons disappearing.

3. Ill-discipline: Deal with wayward troops. Since 2002, more than 2 000 SANDF members have faced charges for crimes – including murder, rape and robbery – allegedly committed while on peace-keeping missions on the continent.

4. HIV/Aids: Deal with the impact of the disease on the SANDF. NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA: HOME AFFAIRS Minister

1. Draw the line: Restore the integrity of the National Population Register database and devise a humane policy to deal with border controls, refugees and economic migrants

2. Who Am I?: Provide citizens with easier and more efficient ways of accessing birth and death certificates and ID documents

3. Stop the rot: Root out endemic corruption in Home Affairs offices and make systems more secure

4. National pride: Restore the international reputation of SA passports and travel documents. NOSIVIWE MAPISA NQAKULA: CORRECTIONAL SERVICES Minister

1. Safety first: Sort out the problems created when Sondolo IT withdrew their security staff without training Correctional Services staff.

2. Overcrowding: Work with police, courts and legislators to reduce overcrowding and speed up the construction of the new mega-prisons.

3. Beef up staff: Find people to fill the many vacant posts – especially doctors and nurses.

4. Contracts: Explain why Bosasa, under investigation by the Special Investigation Unit, was re-awarded the prisons’ catering contract.

1. Flying start: Find a CEO for SAA. Take a long, hard look at the national carrier and decide whether it shouldn’t be privatised instead of requiring regular cash injections of billions of taxpayers’ rands.

2. Build up: Help Eskom find ways of financing its massive building programme.

3. New structures: Sort out Denel’s restructuring.

1. Jobs, jobs, jobs: Devise ways of helping sectors under pressure from the economic slow-down, including clothing and textiles, the auto industry and food production.

2. Policy: Dot the i’s and cross the t’s on the National Industrial Policy Framework in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry

3. Small is beautiful: Focus on micro-economic policy tweaks and changes to open up the formal economy to more of the country’s citizens

4. A new agenda: give content to the idea of a developmental state that intervenes in a targeted, strategic way to transform the economy.MAITE NKOANE-MASHABANE: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CO-OPERATION Minister

1. Goodbye: Get an exit strategy for Robert Mugabe to ensure the next government after the transition does not reverse the relative political stability.

2. Review: Convince the cabinet to review its stance on our relations with countries that irk China.

3. Benefit: Use South Africa’s economic and political power to influence democratisation of the continent.

4. Tell all: Ensure efficient communications to South Africans on the country’s key decisions.

The SA Defence Force (SANDF) on Monday confirmed a shooting at the 101 Air Supply Unit in Centurion, in which a corporal shot himself after earlier killing his wife.

SANDF spokesman Colonel Petrus Motlhabane said the Lance Corporal was on guard duty at 101 Air Supply Unit on Sunday.

"He left his post and allegedly shot his wife at approximately 7.45pm," said Motlhabane.

"He later returned to the unit, and allegedly opened fire on the Military Police. A short while later he allegedly fatally shot himself."

Earlier police reports said the member was a colonel, in charge of the guard room at a military base in Centurion. However, the SANDF confirmed he was a corporal.

Captain Colette Weilbach of the Pretoria police said the 31-year-old SANDF member went to his home in Swol Street in Valhalla on Sunday night, and shot his wife three times through a window, using an army issued R5 assault rifle.

"He then went back to the base and hid in some bushes," said Weilbach.

"The military police went to look for him and he took a number of shots at them before the SAPS (SA Police Service) and a police helicopter arrived," said Weilbach.

"After a while they heard another shot and they found that he had killed himself."

Weilbach did not want to release their names, as their family had not been contacted yet.

"She (the wife) also worked for the military, but I don't know where and which rank she had," said Weilbach.

Motlhabane could not confirm the wife was in the military.

One of the couple's three children was at home at the time of the shooting.

SAPS and the Military Police Agency were investigating cases of murder and suicide.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa wants to withdraw men and women in blue from border patrols so they can focus on fighting crime in business and residential areas.

He believes the responsibility for border patrols should be returned to the SANDF, and that the army should provide escorts for cash-in-transit vans.

The government is also planning to recruit thousands of unemployed youths to help fight crime in their communities.

Mthethwa said the government might have to reverse the decision that led to responsibility for border patrols being switched to the police.

He said rampant crime could be dealt with only if more police were deployed in problem areas.

“The old cabinet said we have set a law that police should be at the border, and March was meant to be the last day for the army to withdraw. We are going to engage our colleagues on that … the challenge at home is the crime in business and residential areas.

“I would argue … why would you want to have borders manned by the police? And if you look at international trends, the job of securing the country is done by the army.”

Mthethwa would also like soldiers to escort cash-in-transit vans to deter crime syndicates.

“If you look at other countries, the issue of transporting money is a joint operation between security forces.”

A large percentage of trained soldiers were part of the reserve force and could be used for escorts.

Mthethwa said 10 000 more officers would be recruited each year.

“To crack (down) on murder and corruption, it means visibility ... if visible policing is working to deter crime, how do you balance (that) with the fact that the borders are manned by the police?

“You may want to release the police … to concentrate where it matters most. That’s (an) issue that needs to be looked into.”

The department’s change in name from safety and security to police symbolised the resolve to rid society of crime, Mthethwa said.

“We had our approach in the past which was rather not soft, but not very hard in a way.

“This (name) change symbolises our resolve to approach criminals as though we are at war with them … to rid our society of them.”

Speaking to a weekend newspaper, Mthethwa’s deputy, former ANC Youth League president Fikile Mbalula, said youths would receive basic training in self-defence and guarding and would be incorporated into Community Policing Forums. Their role would be to patrol streets and report any crime to police.

THE three men who were on board the Agusta A109 helicopter that crashed into Woodstock Dam in Bergville on Tuesday have been identified.

They are Captain Wayne Bongani Mdluli, 34, Flight Sergeant Mone Izak Zuidmeer, 32, and Lieutenant Simon Lehlohonolo Baloyi, 27.

Mdluli’s body has been recovered and divers are still searching for the other two men, who were all from the 17 Squadron.

Baloyi was apparently piloting the helicopter when it crashed. Spokesman for the Ministry of Defence Sam Mkhwanazi said Mdluli, who was based at the Air Force Base Swartkop in Pretoria, joined the South African Air Force in 2000 and had received his pilot wings in 2003. “He was the commander of the Agusta A109. He is survived by his sister,” he said.

The search for the two other missing members still continues.

Meanwhile, the Premier of the Province, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has expressed his condolences to the families of the three members of the SANDF. “The news of the passing away of these three members of the SANDF left us, as the government of KwaZulu-Natal, with a profound feeling of sorrow. We join their families, colleagues and friends who mourn their untimely death.

“They were a perfect example of patriotic South Africans and they will be sincerely missed.

Le nouveau président sud-africain, Jacob Zuma, a choisi l'Angola comme premier pays où il se rendra en visite officielle, a annoncé vendredi sa ministre des Affaires étrangères à Luanda.

La ministre, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, se trouvait vendredi dans la capitale angolaise où elle a remis au président Jose Eduardo dos Santos une missive du chef d'Etat sud-africain exprimant son souhait de se rendre dans ce pays.

S'adressant aux journalistes à la sortie de son entretien avec M. dos Santos, la ministre a indiqué que "la première visite d'Etat du président Zuma hors d'Afrique du sud se fera en Angola avant Noël".

L'Afrique du sud, a-t-elle ajouté, souhaite renforcer ses liens économiques, techniques, scientifiques et culturels avec ce pays d'Afrique australe, membre comme elle de la Communauté de développement des pays d'Afrique australe (SADC).

Durant l'apartheid, l'armée sud-africaine combattait le gouvernement pro-communiste du Mouvement Populaire de Libération d'Angola (MPLA), qui lui-même soutenait le Congrès National Africain (ANC) dans sa lutte contre le gouvernement blanc sud-africain. Il est au pouvoir depuis la fin de l'apartheid en 1994.

M. Dos Santos a assisté à la prestation de serment de Zuma, quatrième chef d'Etat de l'Afrique du sud multiraciale, dans la capitale sud-africaine début mai.

L'an dernier, l'ancien président Thabo Mbeki s'était rendu à Luanda pour discuter de la situation au Zimbabwe avec son homologue angolais.

The South African Police Service is battling to attract whites, Indians and coloureds to join the force.

Recruitment figures of the race groups have dwindled in the past nine years.

Present figures show that 99,9percent of those entering the basic training institutions for the police are blacks.

National police director Selby Bokaba said they started a new campaign after noticing the decline in entry numbers for whites, Indians and coloureds.

He said the campaign was taken to high schools, malls and churches.

Bokaba said they had been advertising posts in newspapers predominantly read by the three race groups.

He said the challenge faced by the SAPS was that they were “fighting for the same piece of cake with the SANDF and Metro Police”.

The campaign was launched in Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal when police showcased their structure, including the national criminal record centre, diving unit, communication and liaison unit, air wing, national task force, and explosives unit.

Local police spokesperson Shooz Magudulela said the manner in which the police presented their activities encouraged the local youth to enlist in policing.

Liberation struggle veterans have called on new minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, to help thousands of ex-combatants who they say are dying broke.

While the uMkhonto WeSizwe Military Veterans Association yesterday expressed gratitude towards President Jacob Zuma for appointing Sisulu in the post, they raised a number of issues concerning military veterans that they said needed to be resolved.

Sisulu has, meanwhile, promised to consult all former struggle combatants, including the Azanian People’s Liberation Army, the former armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress and former members of Azapo’s Azanian National Liberation Army.

Among other things, military veterans want pension and financial benefits for ex-combatants integrated into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on their return from exile in 1994 that are equal to those awarded to former members of the apartheid South African Defence Force.

Kebbey Maphatsoe, chairman of the ANC’s MK Military Veterans’ Association, told journalists at Luthuli House in Johannesburg yesterday that it was “unfair” that military veterans retiring from the SANDF were being paid out pensions as if they had joined the army only in 1994.

“Our members are dying poor. How can government expect a 60-year-old man to retire with R100 000, when the SADF is paid out from the day they joined the army, in the 1960s?

“White SANDF members walk away with millions, while military veterans die poor.

“We are not fighting for ourselves but for our dependants and their future,” said Maphatsoe. Almost 20 000 ex-combatants still in the SANDF want a number of issues addressed, including improved pay packages, promotions to senior ranks and training.

Maphatsoe said Parliament had approved special pensions for non-statutory forces members, but this did not address all the issues.

Sisulu said the government would do everything “within its means” to ensure that ex-combatants were looked after.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service search team retrieved the remains on Wednesday.

According to the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, the crash, involving the Agusta A109 helicopter, was en route to Dragon's Peak Park, flying past the upper Tugela River when it plunged into the Woodstock Dam and sank.

Department spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi, told BuaNews the name of the SAAF member will be announced as soon as he is identified.

"A similar procedure will be followed regarding the release of the names of the members whose remains are yet to be retrieved," he said, adding that the search for the other bodies was continuing.

The cause of the accident is still unknown, Mr Mkhwanazi said, adding that the department has since convened a Board of Enquiry to investigate the cause of the accident.

The Agusta A109 helicopter is one the helicopters acquired as part of the department's Strategic Arms Procurement Package approved by Cabinet in 2001.

In 2007, the department received seven of the 30 ordered Agusta A109 Light Utility Helicopters.

Among other things, the package also included the Gripen, Hawk and the SA Navy's shipborne Super Lynx helicopters, as well as the Rooivalk and Oryx.

POLICE divers and the SANDF are still searching for a military helicopter with three men on board that crashed into a dam near Bergville in the upper Tugela area.

It has been reported by police that at the time of the crash yesterday, the Agusta A109 helicopter was carrying three crew members from the 17 Squadron who were on military training.

“A board of inquiry has been appointed to investigate the cause of the accident,” the Defence Ministry said and extended its condolences to the families of the men.

Crashed

Captain Charmaine Stru-wig said the helicopter had been on its way to Dragon’s Peak at 11am when it crashed into the Woodstock Dam and sank.

Struwig said they had received reports from people claiming that there had been smoke coming from the helicopter’s tail rotor before it crashed.

She said a man from one of the two helicopters that had been following the Agusta A109 had jumped into the dam to help the men.

“He, however, had to be rescued because of the freezing water conditions and was taken to the Bergville Hospital for further treatment,” she said.

“Police divers and SANDF divers have been called in to assist in the recovery of the wreckage and the crew who are at this stage suspected to have drowned,” she said.

Struwig said the names of the dead men would be released once their next of kin had been informed.

“The exact cause of the crash is still not known,” she added.

The accident, which occurred during a training flight, left three members of the South African Air Force (SAAF) dead.

According to the department, the crash, involving the Agusta A109 helicopter, was en route to Dragon's Peak Park, flying past the upper Tugela River when it plunged into the Woodstock Dam and sank.

Although the SANDF divers and helicopter search teams searched tirelessly for the bodies of the occupants - who were suspected to have drowned - none were found.

"The cause of the accident is still unknown," the department said in a statement.

The Agusta A109 helicopter is one the helicopters acquired as part of the department's Strategic Arms Procurement Package approved by Cabinet in 2001.

In 2007, the department received seven of the 30 ordered Agusta A109 Light Utility Helicopters.

Among other things, the package also included the Gripen, Hawk and the SA Navy's shipborne Super Lynx helicopters, as well as the Rooivalk and Oryx.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Chief of the SANDF, General Godfrey Ngwenya have extended their deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased.

The names of the deceased will be released once their next of kin have been informed.

The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association has threatened to render the Western Cape ungovernable if its premier Helen Zille continues "insulting" newly-elected President Jacob Zuma.

"Should Helen Zille not refrain from this anti-African and racist behaviour, we are not going to hesitate, but craft and launch a political programme aimed at rendering the Western Cape ungovernable," MKMVA chairman Kebby Maphatsoe said in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Maphatsoe said this was not intended to send the wrong message to the world, but veterans could not sit back while Zille cast disdain on Zuma's cultural preferences.

"Her latest attack on the personal integrity of our president deserves a response by all South Africans," he said, reacting to Zille's comment that Zuma put his wives at risk of Aids as he had unprotected sex with an HIV positive woman.

Describing Zille as a "racist longing for the apartheid past," he said the constitution recognised the right of all South Africans to exercise their cultural beliefs without unfair prejudice from any provincial powers.

"Just recently, she appointed half her sex boys into the Western Cape provincial cabinet to keep them close enough to satisfy her well-evolved wild whore libido," said Maphatsoe.

The MKMVAs deputy secretary Ramatuku Maphutha said the association would mobilise soldiers in the Western Cape to go to Zille's office sometime next week if she did not retract her statement.

"They are always ready [the soldiers]. It's either she [Zille] vacates the office, or co-operates. We are prepared to sleep there if need be until we get an impressive response," said Ramatuku.

The veterans congratulated all elected public representatives in the provincial legislatures and parliament, particularly Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and her deputy Thabang Makwetla.

"We are particularly confident of the Minister Sisulu. We know that she is the only minister that had started implementing the Polokwane resolution on the Military veterans even before the fourth general elections," said Maphatsoe.

He said the veterans would not hesitate to take up issues which still remained unanswered by the government.

These included the poor salaries some members of the South African National Defence Force.

"Some SANDF members earn less than R5000 a month, even after 15 years of service while ex-combatants still live in poverty and die as paupers."

Maphatsoe said there was also evidence of unfair discrimination within the force and the ill-treatment of members.

"It is our hope that the new ministry shall be more responsive to these issues and many more, primarily as such issues affect former liberation army members," he said.

Three Air Force members were killed when their Agusta A109 helicopter crashed into a dam in the upper Tugela area on Tuesday, the defence ministry said.

The accident happened during a training flight to Dragons Peak Park in KwaZulu-Natal in the morning.

The names of the dead would be released once their next of kin had been informed.

"A board of enquiry has been convened to investigate the cause of the accident," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Ministry, Chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Godfrey Ngwenya, extend their deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased."

Police captain Charmaine Struwig said the helicopter was on its way to Dragon's Peak at 11am when it plunged into Woodstock Dam and sank.

"Police divers and SA National Defence Force divers have been called in to assist in the recovery of the wreckage and the bodies of the occupants who are at this stage suspected to have drowned," she said.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

The SANDF members, who are looking their best today, will ensure prestige and tradition are brought to the grand ceremony today.

President-elect Jacob Zuma is expected to be accompanied by his three wives, children and close relatives as well as caretaker President Kgalema Motlanthe to the formal proceedings, which are due to start at 11am.

An impressive list of the SANDF's most senior officials are waiting to welcome and usher the man who will become their next Commander in Chief.

Chief of the SANDF, General Godfrey Ngwenya, Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Themba Matanzima, Chief of the Army, Lieutenant General Solly Shoke, Chief of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Refiloe Mudimu and Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Vijay Ramlakan are all expected to be at the entrance of the amphitheatre to welcome the President-elect and his guests.

A Guard of Honour will be formed by the National Ceremonial Guard.

Following the official ceremony, presided over by Chief Justice Pius Langa, the SANDF will conduct a traditional formal procedure to signal that South Africa has a new President.

A 21 Gun Salute by the 88mm Gun Troop from the Artillery Mobilisation Regiment from Potchefstroom will take place.

There will also be a spectacular Salute Flight by four helicopters of the SA Air Force and a mass fly past by aircraft of the SA Air Force. The Silver Falcons will also perform an air display.

Following the air display, there will be a final National Salute and the National Anthem will be played by the National Ceremonial Guard Band.

New Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Peterson was previously the Northern Cape MEC for agriculture. Joemat-Peterson serves on the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC). Her deputy is opposition party, FF Plus leader Pieter Mulder.

New Minister of Arts and Agriculture Lulu Xingwana, who is Joemat-Peterson's predecessor, is apparently also an avid art collector, who also loves pottery and beadwork.

Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile, who was overlooked to resume his position as Gauteng premier, was previously the province's finance and economic affairs MEC.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, previously was Gauteng's MEC for education and is also the current president of the ANC Women's League and a member of the party's NEC.

Her deputy Enver Surty, served in the same post under former president Thabo Mbeki's tenure before moving into the justice post when Kgalema Motlanthe replaced Mbeki as president in September 2008.

New Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda is a former SA Defence Force head. He took over command of the SANDF in 1998 at the age of 48.

His deputy Dina Pule, was the MEC for culture, sport and recreation in the Mpumulanga province and before that the MEC for safety and security in the same province.

In a newly-formed post, Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, is Sicelo Shiceka, who was the minister of provincial and local government in the previous term and is also a member of the ANC's NEC.

His deputy Yunus Carrim was chairman of the National Assembly's justice and constitutional development portfolio committee.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was formerly home affairs minister and a former ANC Women's League president. She is the new Minister of Correctional Services, which was previously led by Ngconde Balfour, who is absent in the new Cabinet.

Her deputy Hlengiwe Mkhize, was previously an ambassador to the Netherlands.

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu, was previously housing minister and before that intelligence minister until 2004.

The ministry was previously headed by Congress of the People president Mosiuou Lekota.

Sisulu's deputy Thabang Makwetla, is a former Mpumulanga premier and a member of the ANC NEC.

The new ministry of economic planning is headed by Ebrahim Patel, who is a former general secretary of the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) and has extensive labour experience.

His deputy Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, is a former Speaker in the National Assembly. She was a Member of Parliament from 1994.

Dipuo Peters, who is the new Minister of Energy, is a former Northern Cape premier.

New Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan, was Commissioner of the SA Revenue Service. He has a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Durban-Westville.

He joined SARS in 1999 and was hailed for increasing tax revenues.

He replaces popular Trevor Manuel in the position.

His deputy Nhlanhla Nene, most famous in the public eye for falling off a chair during a live SABC interview, remains in the Deputy Finance position after his appointment by Motlanthe in 2008. He is a former chairman of Parliament's finance committee.

The new Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, has a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Natal. He is a former acting premier in the Limpopo province and was previously also an education MEC in the same province. His deputy Molefi Sefularo. was health MEC in the North West province and appointed Deputy Health Minister by Motlanthe last year.

Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande, is the General Secretary of the SA Communist Party and serves on the ANC's NEC and NWC.

Besides his extensive trade union background, he has also been a lecturer and published widely about education matters.

Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma previously served as foreign affairs minister and before that as health minister. Her deputy Malusi Gigaba, continues his service in a post he started in 2004.

Former Gauteng premier and presidential hopeful Tokyo Sexwale, has made a dramatic return to politics as Minister of Human Settlements, formerly known as housing. Sexwale left politics in 1998 to pursue business interests.

His deputy Zou Kota, is a former chair of the portfolio committee of housing.

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the new Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, is a former Limpopo local government and housing MEC.

She has also served as an ambassador to India.

She is flanked by two deputies: Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, a businessman, and Sue van der Merwe, who continues in a post she has held since 2004.

New Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe, is the ANC's head of policy and was the previous transport minister.

He has also served as minister of public enterprises and under Nelson Mandela as minister of public works.

His deputy Andries Nel, served as acting chief whip for the ANC since 2007 and was deputy chief whip before that.

Membathisi Mdladlana continues in his post as Minister of Labour.

A new ministry dedicated to mining is headed by Susan Shabangu, who is a previous safety and security deputy minister since 2004 and a Member of Parliament since 1994.

Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa, was appointed Minister of Safety and Security in 2008 and has been a Member of Parliament since 2002. He is a member of the ANC NWC.

Fikile Mbalula, his deputy, is a previous ANC Youth League president and headed up the ANC's 2009 election campaign.

Barbara Hogan has been moved from her health posting to becoming the new Minister of Public Enterprises. She has been an MP since 1994 and was the first woman in SA to be found guilty of treason in 1982.

Her deputy Enoch Godongwana, was a member of the Eastern Cape provincial legislature and is a member of the ANC's NEC.

Minister for the Public Service and Administration Richard Baloyi, took up the post in 2008 replacing Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi. His deputy Roy Padayachie is a former deputy minister of communication.

Minister of Public Works Geoff Doidge retains his post. His deputy Hendrietta Bogapane-Zulu, is visually impaired and was chairwoman of the Parliamentary Joint Monitoring Committee from 1999 to 2004.

The newly-formed ministry of rural development is headed by Gugile Nkwinti, who was previously MEC of agriculture in the Eastern Cape.

Joe Phaahla -- director general of the government's 2010 unit -- serves as her deputy.

Naledi Pandor, former education minister has been redeployed to head up the ministry of science and technology.

Derek Hanekom continues in his post as deputy in this ministry. Under Nelson Mandela he was minister of agriculture and land reform.

Edna Molewa, the new Minister of Social Development, replaces Zola Skweyiya who retired from Parliament this month.

She was premier of the North West province since April 2004.

Her deputy Bathabile Dlamini, is a member of the ANC's NWC.

Makhenkesi Stofile continues in his post as Sports and Recreation Minister, as does his deputy Gert Oosthuizen.

Intelligence Minister Siyabonga Cwele continues in his post under the newly named state security ministry.

Former finance minister Trevor Manuel will be Minister in the Presidency heading up the National Planning Commission, which Zuma described as "very powerful".

The second Minister in the Presidency is Collins Chabane, who heads up Performance Monitoring Evaluation and Administration in the Presidency.

He is a former Limpopo public works MEC.

New Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk was the former Environmental Affairs and Tourism minister, a ministry, President Jacob Zuma has now split.

His deputy Thozile Xasa, is a former local government and housing MEC in the Eastern Cape.

The Trade and Industry Ministry will now be headed by its former deputy minister Rob Davies. He has two deputies -- Thandi Tobias who was the chairwoman of the public works portfolio committee and Maria Ntuli who is an MP.

The transport ministry will be headed by former Kwazulu-Natal premier Sbusiso Joel Ndebele.

His deputy Jeremy Cronin, is deputy secretary general of the SA Communist Party and a poet.

Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica, was the previous minister of minerals and energy. Her deputy Rejoice Mabhudafhasi, was the deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism.

A Ministry for Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities has been created and will be headed by Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya.

She is a former president of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu).

THE Jacob Zuma era will be ushered in tomorrow with a lavish R75-million presidential inauguration in Pretoria.

About 5000 guests will converge on the Union Buildings for the hour-long ceremony, which will include an air force fly-past and a guard of honour followed by performances by top local acts.

Twenty-nine countries will be represented by heads of state, seven by their deputy presidents and 56 by their foreign ministers.

There will be three first ladies at Zuma’s side when he is inaugurated. He has invited Nompumelelo, Sizakele and Thobeka Mabhija to share the day with him, it was reported yesterday.

Other family will include his children, his brothers and sisters and his three aunts.

Also on Zuma’s personal guest list are former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda, former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano, Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Nigerian vice-president Atiku Abubaker and the Rev Jesse Jackson.

Zuma’s spokesman, Lakela Kaunda, said his other guests were leaders of former liberation movements in Africa and of fraternal parties in India, China and other countries with parties that were close to the ANC.

Foreign affairs department director general Ayanda Ntsaluba told a media briefing in Pretoria yesterday that guests would be provided with umbrellas should it rain, and blankets if it was cold

The hour-long ceremony would start at 11am, after which the president would deliver a speech.

Ntsaluba said there would be a fly-past and a guard of honour because the president was the commander-in- chief of the SANDF.

“The president will acknowledge the national salute by the SA National Defence Force comprising a flight by four SAAF (SA Air Force) helicopters and Astra aircraft and a 21-round gun salute,” he added.

Among the controversial guests is Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

However, the foreign affairs department said there would be no special security arrangements for him as had been put in place to protect other heads of state.

Ntsaluba said they had discussed the possibility of inviting “other parties” in Harare’s unity government and “this is being attended to as we speak”.

War crimes accused President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan would not be attending. “The unity government in Khartoum will, however, be represented.”

There was some speculation about al-Bashir’s attendance due to the International Criminal Court’s warrant for his arrest. As South Africa is a signatory to the court’s founding Rome Statute, it would be obliged to arrest him if he visited the country.

A row has also broken out over Swazi King Mswati III’s attendance, with the SA Communist Party saying he was not welcome because he “knows no democracy”.

“The SACP wishes to express its strong displeasure at the presence of King Mswati at a ceremony that in many ways is also a celebration of democracy that he has denied his people,” said SACP spokesman Malesela Maleka in a statement.

Six local music icons have been chosen by the arts and culture department to perform at the inauguration.

They are Afrikaans rocker Karen Zoid, top-selling indie band The Parlotones, crunkers Jozi, rapper PRO, pop group Gang of Instrumentals, the jika majika Chomee and, representing house music, Oskido.

Ishmael, a member of boy band Jozi, is the only artist to have performed at all four post-apartheid inaugurations. He performed with Prophets of the City in 1994, with his kwaito crew Skeem in 1999, and solo in 2004.

“Wow, I might be someone after all,” he quipped. “Hey, I’m still relevant today and that’s a good feeling.”

Meanwhile, a prominent Durban businessman appeared in a Pretoria court yesterday for allegedly trying to bribe his way to a seat close to Zuma tomorrow.

Horse-racing magnate and security company owner Chockalingum “Roy” Moodley allegedly bribed an official at the Union Buildings.

Police said the National Intelligence Agency was summoned after the payment.

Moodley, who recently hosted a lavish birthday party for Zuma and an election victory bash for the ANC in Umhlanga, was granted R2000 bail in the Hatfield magistrate’s court.

SA Airways would celebrate Jacob Zuma's official inauguration as president by performing a flyover above the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the airline said on Friday.

"At 12.02pm on the inauguration day, three SAA aircraft will be visible over the official residence of the presidency," it said in a statement.

The aircraft that would be performing the flyover were an Airbus A340-300 and two A340-600s.

They would then return to OR Tambo International Airport.

Each aircraft would be operated by several of SAA's most accomplished and senior pilots. They are head of flight operations and chief pilot captain Johnny Woods; chief training captain Scully Levin; senior first officer Richard Smit Flight; operations quality manager captain Stewart Lithgow; A340 senior training captain Les Wahl; fleet captain A340 William Rooken-Smith; flight operations business manager captain Flippie Vermeulen and A340 senior training captain and senior first officer Neil Trollip.

While two pilots were required to operate the aircraft, an additional pilot would accompany each aircraft as a safety measure.

A Civil Aviation Authority inspector would also be onboard.

All of the operating pilots had flight display ratings and extensive experience in heavy jetliner formation flying, the airline said.

A dry-run of the display would be done on Friday using two Harvard aircraft and SAA's A340 flight simulator.

The performing aircraft would also be airborne early on Saturday morning for the operating pilots to carry out a practice run before the official display.

"SAA is internationally renowned for its world-class formation flying as well as memorable flyovers performed at a number of high profile events within the country."

These included the inauguration of former president Thabo Mbeki in 1995 and 2004 as well the flyover exercise during the opening of the 1995 Rugby World Cup over Ellis Park Stadium.

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) would also be participating in the event as instructed by its current commander-in-chief President Kgalema Motlanthe.

At the start of proceedings, the chief of the SANDF General Godfrey Ngwenya, the chief of joint operations, Lieutenant General Themba Matanzima, the chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant General Solly Shoke, the chief of the SA Air Force, Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, the chief of the SA Navy, Vice Admiral Refiloe Mudimu and the Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Vijay Ramlakan, would lead Motlanthe to the podium.

In a statement, the SANDF said following the swearing in ceremony of Zuma a national salute would be sounded.

This would comprise a guard of honour by the national ceremonial guard, a 21-gun salute by the 88mm gun troop from the artillery mobilisation regiment from Potchefstroom, a salute flight by four helicopters of the SA Air Force, a massed fly past by aircraft of the SA Air Force and an air display by the Silver Falcons

Following the air display there would be a final national salute and the national anthem would be played by the guard band.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) offers viable career options to individuals across the social stratum. It turns ordinary civilians into highly disciplined, motivated and statured soldiers.

Lieutenant-Colonel M J Whitson shares some valuable advice for potential recruits.

Most recruits enter the training programme with the belief that the army is a walk in the park, but it is physically tough and mentally challenging. Yet do not be put off, as “the training programme is designed to naturally build recruits into skilled soldiers in achievable stages,” says Whitson.

The advantages of joining the army are endless. “Recruits develop a strong sense of patriotism, learn to function effectively in a team, and will leave the training programme disciplined and motivated,” says Whitson. These skills are not just limited to military use, but can be applied in all aspects of life.

Does the skills development end once the training program is completed?

“No, the army is a skills-driven organisation and recruits are constantly encouraged to improve,” says Whitson. Opportunities exist within the army to study further and specialise in particular areas. “Recruits do not have to be put off due to finance, as the army will cover all the training and study costs,” Whitson adds.

So what advice would you give poten-tial recruits?

“It is very important, as South Africans, to serve our country in any capacity. The army is one viable option that provides skills which can be used in civilian life,” Whitson says.

“The army is a very inclusive organisation; we are looking for recruits with the abilities to lead, persevere and have a strong sense of adventure.

“Joining the army is like joining a family; you will leave with a strong sense of belonging, purpose, pride and dignity.”

NOLITHA Mthembu is a very proud graduate of the SANDF’s Military Skills Development System (MSDS) training programme. She began her army career in 2006, aged 18.

Mthembu says her mother was “very scared” when she told her she wanted to join the army. She thought it was not the right thing for her |daughter.

Mthembu recalls with a smile, “I realised my decision would raise some objections. “My mother was scared, because I was her only daughter.”

But Mthembu was built of sterner stuff.

“I told myself I would be a soldier,” she says. “And a soldier I became.”

Raised in a humble homestead in Umzimkulu in the Eastern Cape, Mthembu heard about the military’s recruiting campaign on the radio.

“I had just completed my matric and was confused about what career path I should follow. The opportunity to join the army was so tempting I couldn’t refuse.”

I asked her if the training was anything like it is in the movies – soldiers crawling under barbed wire as a commander barks orders at them.

She gives me a cheeky grin.

“If you tell yourself you are going to do the training, no matter what, it is not tough. You need to conquer those fears right from the start.”

She believes the training teaches skills that apply not only to a military life.

“Leadership skills, personal motivation, handling difficult situations can all be adapted to civilian life,” she says.

Mthembu explains she has not yet been deployed beyond South Africa’s borders. However in 2007, she was part of an army patrol that monitored the Swaziland border, preventing illegal crossings and smuggling, and finding stolen cars.

“We had many successes, but I have never been in active combat.”

I had imagined that being a female non-commissioned officer in a male-dominated institution such as the army, discrimination would raise its ugly head.

“Not at all,” says Mthembu.

“In the army, there is no segregation, racism or sexism. The army is one of the few institutions that give you confidence, respect and dignity. Women constantly tell me they look up to me as a role model.”

The future looks bright for the lance corporal, who says she plans to work her way up the ranks and qualify as a |sergeant.

“Outside the military, I want to become a successful businesswoman. I plan to study |||||project management at Unisa.”

Once an individual has completed training, he or she qualifies as a reservist, Mthembu says.

“That means you have the option to pursue a part-time civilian job or study.”

Her advice to potential recruits is that the army equips you for life.

“The skills, discipline and dignity you get from the army will guarantee you success for the future.”

Thinking about joining the SANDF? Here’s what they want:

l You need to be a South African citizen between the ages of 18 and 22.

l A National Senior Certificate (Grade 12).

l Be willing to relocate.

l Do not possess a criminal record.

l Preferably be single.

l Are medically fit and prepared for basic military training over a period of 22 weeks.

l Candidates must compile a short CV: sporting, academic and community work achievements will be given preference.

THOUSANDS of South African soldiers deployed on international peacekeeping missions in Africa are standing trial for a range of serious criminal and military offences including murder, rape, assault and refusal to obey lawful commands.

This was revealed in a report released by the University of Pretoria’s think-tank, the Institute of Strategic Studies.

The report, “South African Army Priorities and Roles in the Early 21st Century”, revealed that a total of 2 159 military trials and cases of disciplinary misdemeanours had taken place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Sudan in the past six years.

There are now 2 739 South African troops deployed in the countries on UN and African Union peacekeeping and peace-enforcement missions.

It reported that Burundi was the worst when it came to ill-disciplined South African peacekeepers, with 929 military trials and 392 cases of disciplinary misdemeanours being recorded. The 929 military trials included 160 assault and four culpable homicide cases, two murder trials and one rape trial. Officers were next worst-behaved in the DRC.

The report was compiled by retired Brigadier-General George Kruys. He said external deployments were part of the problem, as there were “long periods of boredom with temptations of cheap sex and liquor”.

Defence analyst Helmoed Heitman said: “Discipline is bad because it not being taken seriously.”

Hundreds of South African soldiers deployed on international peacekeeping missions in Africa are standing trial for a range of serious criminal and military offences including murder, rape, assault and refusal to obey lawful commands.

This was revealed in a report by the University of Pretoria’s thinktank – the Institute of Strategic Studies.

The report: South African Army Priorities and Roles in the Early 21st Century revealed that a total of 2 159 military trials and cases of disciplinary misdemeanours had taken place in the DRC, Burundi and Sudan over the last six years.

There are currently 2 739 South African troops deployed in the countries on UN and African Union peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions.

Burundi is the worst country when it comes to ill-disciplined South African peacekeepers with 929 military trials and 392 cases of disciplinary misdemeanours being recorded between 2002 and 2008.

The 929 military trials included 160 assault cases, four culpable homicide cases, two murder trials and one rape trial.

The DRC was the second worst country for ill-disciplined South African troops with 264 cases of misdemeanours and 546 military trials being recorded during the same period.

Of the cases and trials, 81 related to assault, 90 to the refusal to obey lawful commands, while five were for indecent assault cases and three culpable homicide cases.

The report, compiled by research associate, retired Brigadier-General George Kruys comes after senior army officers, including the chief of the army, Lieutenant-General Solly Shoke, recently admitted that ill-discipline was a serious problem within the defence force.

Kruys said while the army had an excellent plan to address ill-discipline, the plan had to be followed if it was to be stamped out.

“The biggest threat facing the defence force is not an external threat, but the defence force itself,” he said.

He said while the strategic focus of the Department of Defence was to achieve an affordable, sustainable force design and structure by 2025 to defend and protect South Africa and its people, and to support the government’s strategy and its diplomatic initiatives in Africa, it could not be achieved if there was ill-discipline. “This is because undisciplined troops are not able to provide an effective defence with troops who are under fire more than likely to cease to be effective,” he said.

Kruys said external deployments were without a doubt part of the disciplinary problem. “It is reported that between 2002 and 2008 SANDF members on external deployments were found guilty of 495 cases of absence without leave, 473 cases of refusal to comply with lawful commands, 245 cases of assault, 189 cases of rebelliousness, 155 cases of drunkenness and 103 cases of guilt of conduct to the detriment of military discipline.

“This cannot and should not be allowed to happen,” he said, adding while there were good commanders within the SA military, there were far too many cases where senior officers were found guilty of misconduct and setting bad examples.

He said the army had to start diligence training to improve its discipline and combat efficiency.

“The long periods of boredom and largely idle deployment with temptations of cheap sex, and an abundant supply of liquor is no place for an army with disciplinary problems,” he said.

Kruys said to overcome its problems the SANDF needed the support of its top structure, the Department of Defence and government, “who have proven to be a problem with many politicians having little knowledge of military affairs and being generally disinterested”.

Defence analyst Helmoed Heitman said while the army had recognised the problem of ill-discipline within its ranks, discipline was still bad. “Discipline is bad because it is not being taken seriously with officers simply not interested in addressing the problems.

“It is at a stage now where senior officers have to get involved to counter the ill-discipline among the ranks,” he said.

Heitman said what made it so difficult was the number of senior officers who were being charged for serious offences such as assault and drunkenness.

“How does the army expect to be disciplined when you have cases like this?” he asked.

He said to address the problems the defence force had to get the basics right and hold everyone who contravened the military code accountable for their actions.