British Government demands Mercenaries from South Africa
Dr. Alexander von Paleske | 17.09.2006 08:41 | Anti-militarism | World
On 29th August 2006 the South African Parliament has approved a new anti-mercenary law.
The bill called “Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Prohibition and Regulation of Certain Activities” compels South Africans to get authorization to enlist in foreign armies or mercenary companies.
The bill seeks to close loophole in the existing anti-mercenary law from 1998.
The British High Commissioner to South Africa, Paul Boateng, did his level best to stop the bill or at least to get it watered down.
What has the British Government to do with a South African anti-mercenary law?
The answer is simple. The British Government wants a continuous flow of mercenaries from South Africa not only into it’s own army, where already 800 South Africans are enlisted, but more so in all areas of conflict, where these mercenaries are most welcome to do outsourced duties of the British army, like in Iraq.
Meanwhile more than 20.000 mercenaries have been hired by so called Private Military Companies, like Aegis, MPRI, Erinys, Blackwater and others for mercenary- jobs in Iraq. They outnumber the British Army contingent there.
Amongst those mercenaries , the South Africans are the biggest single nation contingent the numbers somewhere between 5000 and 10.000.
Proven in Terror-Combat.
Many of the South African mercenaries are former members of apartheid South African terror- murder- and destruction gangs like Reconnaissance Commandos (Recce), 44 Parachute Brigade, the 32 Buffalo Battalion, Koevoet or the Death Squad Civil Cooperation Bureau (CCB).
Some of these units used to eliminate captured freedom fighters with the help of poison, delivered by South Africa’s Dr. Mengele by the name of Dr. Wouter Basson, and the bodies were thrown out of a plane over the Atlantic Ocean. The Geneva Convention was an unheard foreign entity.
They came for murderous excursions into neighboring countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and even Tanzania.
The Iraqi Government has no jurisdiction over members of foreign armies as well as mercenaries. And unlike members of foreign armies, who fall under military law, no martial law is applicable for mercenaries
.They virtually operate in a legal vacuum, an ideal environment
to operate in, when the killing of innocent civilian rather a day-to-day event..
The South African government, strongly opposed to the occupation of Iraq, tries now to put an end to this unwelcome export...
However, the British Government wants to continue with it’s efforts, to get changes done to the bill even after it’s approval, that shows, how much Tony Blair appreciates the mercenary service in the interest of Queen and Country.
They are unlikely to succeed.
Dr. Alexander von Paleske
Head, Department of Oncology
Princess Marina Hospital
Gaborone/Botswana
Ex-Barrister-at-Law, High Court Frankfurt (M), Germany
The bill called “Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Prohibition and Regulation of Certain Activities” compels South Africans to get authorization to enlist in foreign armies or mercenary companies.
The bill seeks to close loophole in the existing anti-mercenary law from 1998.
The British High Commissioner to South Africa, Paul Boateng, did his level best to stop the bill or at least to get it watered down.
What has the British Government to do with a South African anti-mercenary law?
The answer is simple. The British Government wants a continuous flow of mercenaries from South Africa not only into it’s own army, where already 800 South Africans are enlisted, but more so in all areas of conflict, where these mercenaries are most welcome to do outsourced duties of the British army, like in Iraq.
Meanwhile more than 20.000 mercenaries have been hired by so called Private Military Companies, like Aegis, MPRI, Erinys, Blackwater and others for mercenary- jobs in Iraq. They outnumber the British Army contingent there.
Amongst those mercenaries , the South Africans are the biggest single nation contingent the numbers somewhere between 5000 and 10.000.
Proven in Terror-Combat.
Many of the South African mercenaries are former members of apartheid South African terror- murder- and destruction gangs like Reconnaissance Commandos (Recce), 44 Parachute Brigade, the 32 Buffalo Battalion, Koevoet or the Death Squad Civil Cooperation Bureau (CCB).
Some of these units used to eliminate captured freedom fighters with the help of poison, delivered by South Africa’s Dr. Mengele by the name of Dr. Wouter Basson, and the bodies were thrown out of a plane over the Atlantic Ocean. The Geneva Convention was an unheard foreign entity.
They came for murderous excursions into neighboring countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and even Tanzania.
The Iraqi Government has no jurisdiction over members of foreign armies as well as mercenaries. And unlike members of foreign armies, who fall under military law, no martial law is applicable for mercenaries
.They virtually operate in a legal vacuum, an ideal environment
to operate in, when the killing of innocent civilian rather a day-to-day event..
The South African government, strongly opposed to the occupation of Iraq, tries now to put an end to this unwelcome export...
However, the British Government wants to continue with it’s efforts, to get changes done to the bill even after it’s approval, that shows, how much Tony Blair appreciates the mercenary service in the interest of Queen and Country.
They are unlikely to succeed.
Dr. Alexander von Paleske
Head, Department of Oncology
Princess Marina Hospital
Gaborone/Botswana
Ex-Barrister-at-Law, High Court Frankfurt (M), Germany
Dr. Alexander von Paleske
e-mail:
avpaleske@botsnet.bw