Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

SA's peacekeeping role STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT SA peacekeeping troops are policing three of Africa's hotspots. So the news that the over-stretched SA National Defence Force (SANDF) would be required to send only four officers to Liberia as part of a UN contingent must have come as a relief.

When SA first said it would send troops to Liberia, deputy foreign affairs minister Aziz Pahad conceded that the SANDF had already deployed more soldiers abroad than it could afford.

Earlier, defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota said SA would not deploy troops in Liberia because it was stretched to the limit by its peacekeeping role in conflicts in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

SA also has a small staff of officers at the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

But after President Thabo Mbeki's role in persuading Liberian leader Charles Taylor to step down, pressure increased on SA to continue its peace efforts.

SA's commitment to maintain peace and security on the continent comes largely from the white paper on peace missions adopted by parliament in 1999. It is also an extension of SA foreign policy, tied to its obligations to the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. But four years down the line, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) believes it is time to update the document. ISS defence analyst Henri Boschoff says that though SA's role is seen as pivotal to African conflict resolution, "SA has reached its limit and we have to get the message across that this is as much as we can manage".

But that message might be a little more difficult to communicate, especially since Mbeki has long advocated the establishment of an African peacekeeping force, instead of depending on former colonial powers such as Britain, in the case of Sierra Leone, and France in C'te d'Ivoire.

But the costs can be crippling, financially and in terms of manpower. SA has two battalions of 1500 soldiers in Burundi, at the cost of about US$126m/year, Boschoff says. Since the mission is carried out under the auspices of the AU, SA foots the bill.

Returning from a visit to Burundi last Friday, SANDF chief Gen Siphiwe Nyanda said troops will stay on in that country despite funding shortfalls.

It was originally estimated that at least 3000 troops were needed in Burundi, with the remaining numbers made up by Mozambique and Ethiopia. Citing a lack of funds, neither has come through.

The European Union recently granted a170m to the Burundi government, of which only a33m is earmarked for the peacekeeping mission, Boschoff says.

SA has about 1400 soldiers in the DRC, plus 120 technical and support staff. This deployment is under the UN mission, Monuc, which will pay the bill.

The troops in both areas have to be rotated every six months, using what is known as a one-in-three-system. This means that for every battalion deployed, there should be at least two back home - one in training and the other ready to move at short notice.

Add to this at least three battalions deployed on SA's northern border and a further two in reserve, and the extent of the SANDF's commitment is clearer.

It was estimated last year that at least 20% of the troops were not combat fit.

"All this considered, we are doing very well," says Boschoff.

SA soldiers and their commanders are trusted and highly regarded in the DRC and Burundi. Their training and equipment are considered by the UN to be of Nato standard. But SA would have hit its first real crisis had it been asked to send more than just the four senior staff officers to Liberia, says Boschoff. It now appears that the UN force in Liberia may be drawn largely from Namibia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ireland, who have offered to send troops. An ISS report says SA's peace missions on the continent have undoubtedly enhanced the country's image internationally, which SA needs to capitalise on. It says the current white paper needs to be revised to make the process more transparent and acceptable to the relevant players. The ISS says the white paper needs refinement, especially in the areas of early warning, regional mandates, clear liaison channels and a domestic mandate and budget.