ISS Today: 01 September

Lesotho, the tiny Southern African mountain kingdom, punches above its weight. This is not reflected in a bossy attitude, rather it has done what is seldom 'expected' of relatively weak African states - it has tackled corruption in the multi-billion rand Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme head on, prosecuting both corrupt officials and bribe paying corporations.

The Heritage

... APSTA is the African chapter of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centers (IAPTC). Its Secretariat is currently at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa.

ISS Today: 31 August

Whatever criticisms anyone may have of South Africa�s policies on HIV/ AIDS, whether valid or not, the current climate of heightened discord does not serve the interests of the common struggle against the epidemic.

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

Regional Projects will this week be helping the Pan-African Parliament with preparations for a workshop coming up in Tanzania next month and be part of a South Africa civil society team that will brief a parliamentary delegation from Canada on the workings of South Africa’s parliamentary democracy.

The Arms Management Programme published a report on the theft of precious metals from South African mines and will liaise with the Chamber of Mines regarding the official launch of the report. Last week colleagues were in Uganda undertaking field research on weapons trafficking.

The African Security Analysis Programme hosted seminars on “The Treat of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in South Africa” and on “Iran and the International Community: The Diplomatic Challenge” which featured Amb Greg Schulte, US representative to the IAEA in Vienna. The programme also hosted Commissioners Shukri Ismail and Mohamoud Mohamed of the Somaliland National Electoral Commission. This week colleagues will attend the IQPC Conference on Combating and Preventing Terrorism in Africa from 29 to 31 August, while others will participate in SAHSP seminar on South Africa's role in SADC on 1 September 2006.

The Crime and Justice Programme presented at the Wits Business School on 30 August during the official opening of the CJCP course. The programme will also be presenting at CJCP's pilot training course on crime prevention on the budgeting challenges in the social cluster. The programme is also finalising the ICC symposium report, working at SAPS ORS collecting data for ACCU project and compiling a database of crowd incidents for the past 6 years, and will be meeting with ICD to discuss a seminar on the Soccer World Cup in 2010.

The Defence Sector Programme will this week meet with the SA Army Vision 2020 team to plan the joint November conference, and is busy researching and writing a paper on "The Private Security Sector in Africa". The programme will also during the week attend a Moot Court in Addis Ababa.

The Southern African Human Security Programme will this week attend a Workshop on Migration hosted by the Department of Home Affairs and continues preparing the programme for the civil society and governance workshop. On Friday it will host a seminar on the role of South Africa in SADC.

The Training for Peace Programme continues with arrangements for the APSTA AGM and the AU ASF Workshop and with the training of 50 personnel as national component of the SADCBRIG police component. Last week the programme facilitated a module on Mainstreaming Gender in Peacekeeping Operations at the Civilian Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Course (CPPC) organised by ACCORD. The programme will also participate in the UN (DPKO) Workshop on Conduct and Discipline.

The Cape Town Office attended the ESAAMLG meeting of national task forces held at the Harare Conference Centre, and held a successful methodology workshop for the joint ISS/TI-Zimbabwe project on Corruption and HIV/Aids on Friday 18 August. This week the programme is planning field research to the Eastern Cape and Pretoria for the social development case study.

The Addis Ababa Office attended a meeting in Kampala with the registrar of the courts of judicature together with the Ugandan member of the ICPAT steering committee. The registrar of the high court has agreed to act as contact person for ICPAT as far as the judiciary is concerned.

The Nairobi Office is busy with preparations for the RECSA Researchers’ Workshop. Last week colleagues attended a workshop organised by USAID on factors causing instability in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya based on the research conducted by USAID in the Mandera triangle - border areas between Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.

VOA News

... Reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe interviewed researcher Chris Maroleng of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria on the chances of unity.

IOL

... Charles Goredema, a senior researcher at the Institute of Security Studies, says property in Cape Town and Gauteng is highly attractive to criminal syndicates.

iafrica.com

... Institute for Security Studies executive director Jakkie Cilliers told the conference that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's 'comprehensive strategy against terrorism' involved dissuading people from resorting to terrorism, denying terrorists access to funds and materials, deterring states from sponsoring terrorism, developing state capacity to defeat terrorism, and defending human rights.

seattlepi.com

... All South Africans wanting to work in security and military sectors abroad will now have to register with an arms control committee. Len le Roux, an analyst with the Institute for Security Studies, said this would likely lead to long bureaucratic delays and dissuade foreign companies from hiring South Africans.

ISS Today: 30 August

South Africa is poised to toughen already stringent laws against citizens serving as mercenaries in foreign wars and conflicts, but critics say the new legislation cuts too deeply and will hamper legitimate humanitarian operations. The Prohibition of Mercenary Activity Bill will ban South Africans not serving in the domestic armed forces from participating in foreign wars in any capacity, whether they serve as soldiers or work for private companies as pilots or security personnel. If ratified, the bill drafted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party could affect the thousands of South Africans working in security across Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq.

seattlpi.com

... 'This is an extraordinarily violent society and nobody understands it,' said Peter Gastrow, a crime analyst at the Institute for Security Studies in Cape Town.

ISS Today, 29 August

A 24-hour deadline by Chad’s government for two major foreign oil companies to leave the country has expired. President Idriss Deby ordered US firm Chevron Texaco and Malaysia’s Petronas, together responsible for 60% of Chad’s production, to quit the country. Three government ministers have been sacked and may be prosecuted over the alleged non-payment of taxes by the oil companies, a charge the firms deny.

ISS Today: 28 August

On 21 August 2006 the fifth victim linked to the robbery of over US$11 million stolen from a cargo plane in a sensational heist that took place at the Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) on 25 March 2006 died in a hail of bullets at his home, at the hands of gunmen armed with assault rifles and pistols. It is unknown as to what is the motivation for the killing of police inspector Khomani Robert Mashele, but one thing is clear, that this was an assassination. The murder is an apparent effort to cover the tracks of the real criminals who do not want their role in the heist or the subsequent theft of the recovered money from the police safe to be known.