Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has put a female navy captain in charge of the integration of forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Captain Sonica van Rooyen, 42, will head the South African Detachment Assisting with Integration and Training -- also known as Teutonic 1.

The operation aims to integrate the DRC's regular army and rebel military forces -- using the experience South Africa gleaned from the integration of its own SANDF ten years ago.

Eighty-three times larger than neighbour Burundi and 24 times bigger than Liberia, the civil war has left the DRC with no infrastructure.

Naval officers were not normally associated with work in a country like the DRC, said Van Rooyen.

"I am very excited, but very nervous. For a naval officer this is an absolute first," she said.

It was an opportunity to show the rest of the SANDF that the navy could also contribute to the mission in the DRC.

During her year-long deployment, Van Rooyen will have to overcome historical mistrust between the regular Congolese army and rebel groups that have spent the last 45 years fighting.

"I am going to tackle that problem by being as open as possible. It will be extremely important to be visible and supportive. All will know what we are doing and why we are doing it," she said.

She and her husband Frank -- also a naval captain -- had agreed that the opportunity was a career and life-enhancing experience, said Van Rooyen.

While she would miss him, her mere presence in the military made it her duty to serve her country and go where she was sent.

She was, nonetheless, proud to have been chosen and recognised what her deployment could mean for the image of women in general.

"It was not my intention to prove a point for women, but yes, if I do make a success of it, then it will be a positive thing not only for the women in the SANDF but also for women from the DRC," she said.

Women often had a different way of thinking and doing things, and in a place like the DRC this was possibly a good thing, she said.

Stationed in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, Van Rooyen said she was more than ready to begin her command.

"While I have never been to the DRC before, I have travelled Africa and am comfortable with Africa. It does not scare me it calls me."