Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

South Africa's democracy and government's approach in the conduct of foreign affairs has increased the demand for military representation abroad, says Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota.

Addressing the 2007 Defence Foreign Relations course Tuesday, the minister said the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is encouraging its members to become Attache (representatives) in foreign countries.

Those appointed as Attaches, are expected to dispense their duties with honesty and integrity.

As an Attache, the minister said, one must be knowledgeable of a wide spectrum of topics as an attache would be exposed to many spheres, cultures and customs.

The minister also advised those in the defence force appointed as Attaches, and wished to withdraw to do so, that people with necessary ingredients in their job can be placed.

The minister said responsibilities allocated to an Attache are vast and require integrity, honesty, commitment, passion and good organisational and administrative skills.

"As Attache, you must be able to function wholly and totally independent," he said.

He warned that being an attache in a foreign country does not mean that one is on holiday.

With regard to military diplomacy, Minister Lekota said the Department of Defence (DoD) lays an increasing role in the international arena and is a vital component in assisting the Department of Foreign Affairs in achieving government's foreign relation objectives.

He added that the successful implementation of the DoD strategy is based on the ability to allocate quality and appropriate resources, to the military diplomacy function.

"Military diplomacy is a valuable asset to the South African government," the minister said, adding that it is to dispel hostilities, build and maintain trust and contributes to the development of democratic defence forces.

"One must strive to establish and maintain sound and professional working relations with other members of the South African Embassy," he said.

More than 1000 SANDF military personnel have been deployed in peacekeeping missions in other parts of Africa.

South Africa currently has peacekeeping troops deployed in a number of other African states in need of increased security, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan.

The country is also participating in a significant way in post conflict resolutions, in concert with the AU, in countries including the DRC and Ivory Coast.

In the DRC alone last year, the SANDF and South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission undertook the major logistical task of supporting the central African nation's first democratic elections in over four decades.

South African organisations printed the ballots, distributed them across the vast, resource rich nation and assisted with ICT support for the monitoring and counting process there.