Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The second of the country's four new patrol corvettes, the SAS Isandlwana, was officially handed over today.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota received the corvette on behalf of the South African Navy.

Health Deputy Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge who named the ship in Kiel, Germany, in 2002 was also in attendance.

The occasion was also graced by the presence of the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini accompanied by the IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

The ship is part of government's multi-billion rand strategic arms procurement package approved by Cabinet in 2001.

The corvette was built by the ThyssenKrupp Marine System yards in Hamburg (Blohm + Voss) and Kiel (Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft) and was fitted with a combat suit in South Africa after her delivery in 2004.

It is expected to feature at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2006 Expo in Cape Town from 20-24 September.

At today's ceremony, Minister Lekota said the defence of the people of South Africa remained the rationale for strengthening, recapitalisation and rejuvenation of the SANDF.

"The young men and women deployed in various parts of the continent are increasingly celebrated as harbingers of stability and development to troubled communities.

"We owe it to them and to those who preceded us that they are highly trained and efficiently equipped to be able to carry out the tasks we entrust to them," he said.

Minister Lekota added that today's commissioning of Isandlwana was therefore about ensuring South Africa's continued state-of-readiness with regard to "anything anytime".

"The South African Navy is ready to engage with, cooperate or compete against the best in the world."

All four corvettes have been or are being fitted out in Simonstown with weapons and electronic systems.

Their unique stealth characteristics, derived from an innovative shape, are said to make it extremely difficult to locate them using radar.

Their infra-red emission signatures - normally a give-away for ships of this size - have been drastically reduced through an exhaust system which emits the engines' hot fumes at water level rather than through a funnel above deck.

The combat systems have been fully integrated and comprehensively tested onboard, transforming the SAS Isandlwana into one of the most advanced warships in the world today.

Minister Lekota added that the newly acquired ship would be deployed on peace-keeping missions on the continent should there be a need.

"Our role with regard to our broad participation in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) multilateral peace and security initiatives on and around the continent of Africa will be significantly improved by our rapidly advancing capability on high seas, inland rivers and lakes of several countries on the continent."

The first corvette to be delivered (in 2003) was the SAS Amatola and the installation of a combat suit on the ship was completed last year.

The two remaining corvettes are at an advanced stage of completion as far as the installation of combat suits is concerned.

The ships are named after the battles fought in South Africa to commemorate the bravery of those who made a supreme contribution for their country.