Minister tackles sex abuse by SA troops abroad

Defence & Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is waging war against South African National Defence Force members linked to cases of sexual harassment and abuse while on international duty. According to a Cape Argus report, Mapisa-Nqakula told high-ranking army officials in Pretoria that she intended to establish an investigation into the abuses committed locally and overseas. ‘(We have been dealing with) the dreaded three-letter word – SEA (sexual abuse and exploitation). Over the years we have concentrated on this matter … I must reiterate my disappointment at the rate of SEA still prevalent in the external deployment areas. Even as some action is being taken, we remain rated by the UN as among the highest rate of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) conducting Sea in mission areas,’ she said. ‘We are also ranked among the highest TCCs faced with paternity claims for making babies in UN deployments.’ She said fathering children on foreign soil had become a serious factor in the assessment of the country’s performance by the UN and that this placed SA at a serious disadvantage in discussions to withdraw troops from the DRC. ‘I have received numerous reports of SEA and sexual harassment within our units. I’ve been mulling over these and have now decided to institute an investigation, short of a commission, by external role-players into this.’ She said the modalities of the investigation, as well as the terms of reference and time frames, would be promulgated once finalised.