Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

AT least 600 former IFP self-protection unit members undergoing military training at Mlaba Camp in Zululand say they will merge with other groups of former South African National Defence Force members, pushing the number of ex-combatants demanding to be integrated into the defence force to 11 000.

Leaders of the South African unintegrated forces, representing black ex-SANDF members who left the force because of dissatisfaction with the integration process, former KwaZulu homeland policemen and former members of the IFP self-protection units will gather in Ulundi this weekend to finalise a merger.

The president of the unintegrated forces, Maj Kereng “K E” Motate, said they were a military formation, not a political one.

“We do not want to be politicised. Initially, we were made up of black members of SANDF, but we have since reached an agreement with the former Zulu Police and self-protection units to form one body,” he said.

Those based in Mlaba Camp, situated near the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve, 40km from Ulundi, said they had been undergoing training for months and would hold a passing-out parade in Ulundi.

The Mercury, which visited the camp but was not allowed in, found groups of young people in blue overalls doing physical training. People who appeared to be instructors were wearing camouflage uniforms and manned an entrance.

At the entrance to the secluded camp a sign welcomes you to “South Africa unintegrated forces – amabutho (soldiers)” and the South African flag flies inside.

Agreement

Wise Mdakane, who is in charge of the camp, said the media was not allowed in.

An agreement is set to be signed to form one big force. Mdakane said this would push the numbers to 11 000.

The acting deputy, Zenzele Sishi, said the group was still fighting for integration into the army.

“We have made several representations to Terror Lekota (defence minister) and to people in his office, including President Thabo Mbeki. They tell us the process of integration is now closed. But we are saying integration should be reviewed because it was imbalanced and left out a lot of IFP people,” said Sishi.

He conceded that those at the camp were undergoing training but declined to elaborate. It was not clear who owned the camp, but the camp was initially used by IFP self-protection units.

The camp has a sinister history, as it was here that six 10-ton truckloads of Vlakplaas weapons were delivered to former IFP strongman Philip Powell in the mid-90s, during the training of paramilitary forces linked to the IFP.

Police spokesman Vincent Mdunge said there were two such camps in the province.

“There are processes that are being followed. Both camps have been visited by police and people were served with notices to stop their activities,” he said.

“There are legal processes being followed by police. We are still awaiting outcomes of these processes.”

Initial investigations had revealed that people in the camps had been promised by someone that they would be integrated into the army.

“But when the SANDF was contacted, they said they had no knowledge of this. We, however, are keeping an eye on them.”