ISS Today: 9 June

The ISS Corruption & Governance Programme released a much anticipated report on corruption and financial crimes in Apartheid era South Africa. The Report, prepared on behalf of civil society, has been welcomed by the SA cabinet and some leaders in the business community. It highlights an aspect of South Africa’s past that has never been fully explored under the countries twelve-year old democratic dispensation – either through a process of a truth commission nor importantly through investigations and prosecutions. Stressing the need to explore these options the report also calls for the country to learn from an inherited culture of impunity and recognise the inter-generational nature of corruption. It also contributes to the African debate on plunder and the need to return wealth stolen from Africa’s people.

ISS Today: 8 June

"Le Phare, in its report that 'the International Community has opted for the holding of political talks by all DRC major stakeholders' infers that 'political talks are now a must,' and expresses hope that during its upcoming visit to DRC, the UN Security Council will issue 'a message to appease DRC political atmosphere.'

ISS Today: 7 June

Aids is spreading faster than ever, outstripping efforts to contain it, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said. "Last year saw more new infections and Aids-related deaths than ever before," Mr Annan told a conference in New York. Only 12% of people with Aids in underdeveloped countries are getting anti-retroviral drugs, he added. In 2001, the UN set a target date of 2015 to halt the spread of the disease but Mr Annan said better leadership and funding was needed to reach that goal.

Mail & Guardian

By Hennie van Vuuren

Waking in a cold sweat. Could this be a measure of the impact of the Apartheid Grand Corruption Report released this week?

Mail & Guardian

By Antony Altbeker

Appearing before Parliament last month, Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi suggested that the time had come to close down the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), a watchdog agency set up in the first blush of democracy, when notions like civilian oversight of the police were in fashion.

Mail & Guardian

... However, crime statistics are not always as reliable as they seem to be. Antony Altbeker -- crime expert, researcher linked to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria and author of The Dirty Work of Democracy: A Year on the Streets with the SAPS -- says three things have to happen before a crime makes it into the books: "First and most obviously, it has to be noticed. Second, the crime has to be reported, and finally the crime has to be recorded -- and accurately recorded, for that matter."

This summary features highlights of ISS programme and staff activities during the week.

Staff from the Addis Ababa Office were in Nairobi to meet with EAPCCO for collaboration issues.

The Africa Security Analysis Programme hosted and briefed a delegation from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Staff had discussions regarding DRC with a delegation from the Belgium Embassy and gave a briefing on the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe to the Good Governance Group.

Staff from the Arms Management Programme were in Cape Town to attend a Ministerial Briefing on the Amendments to the Firearms Control Act and to meet with Parliamentarians in preparation for future public hearings on this issue. This week they are in Nairobi to attend the Eastern Africa Cattle Rustling meeting from 5-6 June.

The Cape Town office launched the Apartheid Grand Corruption Report at a National Anti-Corruption Forum meeting on in Johannesburg on Monday 29 May and at the ISS Pretoria/Tshwane office on Tuesday the 30th, and a final one to be held in Cape Town on 07 June. A roundtable meeting was held in Maputo with experts engaged in implementing anti-money laundering regulations in Mozambique and the office is now finalizing the ISS/UNDP/TI Comparative Guide on Anti-Corruption Conventions for African MP’s.

The Defence Sector Programme held meetings with members from the SA Army and CSANDF to discuss support to the Army for a Conference in November on the "Army Vision 2020". The programme is also busy with arrangements for the ISS/CPRD Security Sector Reform workshop in Addis Ababa (12-14 July) and the Brookings Conference in Cape Town (19-20 July).

The Nairobi Office is busy with preparations for the final preparation of EAPCCO / ISS Cattle rustling protocol which is scheduled to start on 5 June.

Staff from Regional Projects met with the Spanish ambassador, attended an ISS trustees meeting, held meetings with KAF and continue to facilitate their support work to the Pan-African Parliament. The Executive Director will this week leave for Europe to meet with various officials from the Dutch foreign ministry at the Hague and to attend a workshop on counter-terrorism standards and best practices at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and at the end of this week attend the launch of the IGAD counter-terrorism programme in Addis Ababa. The programme is also scheduled to host a delegation from the Nigerian international Institute for strategic studies this week.

The South African Human Security Programme is busy finalising the arrangements for the foreign policy workshop, as well as the mainstreaming gender into peace and security workshop. They are also preparing a paper for the Strengthening of Civil Society titled “Ensuring Compliance with African and International Standards on Human Rights and Good Governance”, Banjul, Gambia 26-28 June.

The Training for Peace Programme will this week host the Chief of Operations, PPC on 6 June. The visit is in respect of Canadian support to the SAPS. Consultations on SAPS’ standby capacity-building training will continue and preparations for the SARPCCO UNPOC Trainers’ Course (Namibia, 12-24 June) are being finalised.

ISS Today: 6 June

Barely three weeks after the African Union endorsed a Common Position on HIV and AIDS, African delegates in New York are reneging on the strong commitment they made to providing access to services for HIV prevention, care and treatment to all those who need them in Africa.

IOL

... Its author, Institute for Security Studies researcher Hennie van Vuuren, sketches a bleak picture of the recent past: 'When the apartheid state was at its most repressive, it was also at its most corrupt' - a state 'criminalised by an elite that was not only bent on retaining exclusive political power, but also wished to profit handsomely while doing so'.

ISS Today: 05 June

The International criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has issued 'Red Notices' for the arrest of the five Lord�s Resistance Army (LRA) commanders named in ICC arrest warrants: Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Raska Lukwiya and Dominic Ongwen. These individuals are wanted for trial at the ICC for multiple counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, abduction, sexual crimes, rape and child conscription. These are the first wanted persons for whom notices have been issued by Interpol, on behalf of the International Criminal Court.

IOL

.. Boyane Tshehla, the head of the Crime and Justice Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, said there was "too much reliance on the private security industry - [it] should be a complementary measure to the police".