February 04 2004 at 01:59AM

'Hired guns from SA are flooding Iraq'



	By Beauregard Tromp

More than 1 500 South Africans are believed to be in Iraq under contract to various private military companies - and the number will grow as the "hired guns" increasingly fill the void left by departing Anglo-American forces.

According to a United Nations report, South Africa is already among the top three suppliers of personnel for private military companies, along with the United Kingdom and the United States.

"There are definitely more than 1 500 South Africans doing duty there (Iraq). More South Africans will be killed because as the Americans are pulling out, South Africans are filling the void," said a respected security analyst.

Last week, former Koevoet member Francois Strydom died when a van laden with heavy explosives exploded at the hotel in which he and other South Africans were staying. Former Vlakplaas policeman Deon Gouws was also injured in the blast and is reportedly in a serious but stable condition.

'It seems as though foreign companies are using South Africans'

The two were contracted to Erinys International, a sub-contractor of SAS International. But local subsidiary Erinys Africa has distanced itself from the work in Iraq.

The Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, passed in July 1998, prohibits South African citizens from direct participation as combatants in armed conflict for private gain.

Such engagement includes recruitment, training, or financing and applies to South Africans acting outside the country as well.

All security companies working outside the country are required by law to register with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), headed by Minister of Education Kader Asmal.

So far two companies, Meteoric Tactical Solutions and Grand Lake Trading 46 have submitted applications to operate in Iraq.

Meteoric Tactical Solutions is providing protection and is also training new Iraqi police and security units. Erinys, a joint South African-British company, has received a multimillion dollar contract to protect Iraq's oil industry.

Neither company has yet received formal approval from the NCACC, while Erinys failed to apply at all.

"It seems as though foreign companies are using South Africans. If this is a loophole we need to try and close it," said Democratic Alliance MP Raenette Taljaard.

Our source says most companies were acting in breach of the act. He added that some companies were only involved in commercial security work, like protecting buildings and private individuals.

A popular loophole is for companies to register themselves as demining companies, a move which exempts many from the law as their efforts are seen as humanitarian.

"They go in under the auspices of demining but they do everything but demining," he said.

This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Times on February 04, 2004

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