Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

EIGHT South Africans are missing in Iraq and at least 17 have been killed there since 2003.

Despite the danger and looming legislation that will outlaw South Africans working in “countries in conflict”, thousands of former policemen and soldiers are still working in the war-torn country.

Morne Pieterse became the latest South African casualty when he was killed in Basra on October 30. The South African diplomatic mission in Kuwait confirmed his death. Pieterse was working for Hart Security Company as a convoy leader. Pieterse’s team was escorting an engineer to Basra when an explosive detonated, killing him.

Apart from the 17 confirmed deaths, the Department of Foreign Affairs said there were also eight South Africans missing – presumed dead – in Iraq.

Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, Nomfanelo Kota, confirmed at the weekend the department was in contact with the missing men’s families.

“The families know they are missing and the circumstances of their disappearance. We are dealing on a confidential, one-on-one basis with the families. We cannot release the names of the missing men. The families are free to speak to the media, if they want to, but we are handling the situation confidentially,” said Kota.

Kota said they did not know how many South Africans were working in Iraq. “We know they are working for various private companies. The companies are mostly based in the US and the UK,” said Kota.

According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count website, the South Africans who had been killed worked for companies including Dyncorp International, Olive Security, Erinys International and the South African-based Omega Risk Solution. Omega has since pulled out of Iraq.

Four of the men were killed by suicide bombers while the others were killed in other types of attacks and roadside bombs.

Since the start of the war, at least 371 private contractors have been killed in Iraq. More than 2 865 US and UK soldiers have been killed in the same period.

According to men working in Iraq, there are about 8 000 South Africans serving as security contractors or consultants in Iraq.

The new law is also likely to make it illegal to work in Iraq but, despite this, security companies are still actively recruiting security staff in South Africa, targeting members of the military and police specialised units.

The Prohibition of Mercenary Activity and Regulation of Certain Activities in Countries of Armed Conflict Bill is expected to be signed into law before the end of the year by President Thabo Mbeki. It is intended to close the loopholes used by former policemen and former soldiers wanting to do security work in war-torn countries.

Once the bill has been passed the out-of-bounds countries must be identified and listed in the Government Gazette. For a country to be classified as regulated for the purposes of the new Mercenary Activity Act the government’s national conventional arms control committee must inform the cabinet that a conflict exists or is imminent in that country.

While money is the main drawcard, many of the men working in Iraq have said they joined up as they saw no future in the South African Defence Force or police services.

Said one of the men currently working in Iraq: “It is sad, but we have no option. I was in the SANDF and my career’s officer told me that there was no future as a white officer in the army. So I took the package. I could not get a job for eight months. Now I have a sound job in Iraq, but the government once again wants to put a stop to my survival. What about our constitutional right to life and work?”

Other South Africans are also actively looking for opportunities in Iraq by posting their details on private military websites. Meanwhile, the families of the missing men continue the wait for news of their loved-one’s fate.