Cape Town — SA could become vulnerable to the type of terrorist bomb attacks that rocked Kampala during the World Cup in protest against Uganda's military involvement in Somalia, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu warned yesterday.
She told Parliament SA was under increasing pressure from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to send soldiers to reinforce a peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Ms Sisulu told the defence and military veterans portfolio committee it was precisely for this security reason that the question of SA's involvement could be raised only after the soccer event was over.
The European Union has also asked SA to get involved.
The Cabinet had to decide soon whether it would send forces to protect sea lanes from pirates, and land forces to bring stability.
Deputy Defence Minister Thabang Makwetla said South African forces were combat ready but the question was whether there were sufficient numbers for another mission, which would be more peace enforcement than peacekeeping.
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SA already has a battalion in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one in Darfur and has a detachment in the Central African Republic. Furthermore, lives would probably be lost, Mr Makwetla said.
On the other hand, not sending forces to Somalia would undermine SA's political standing on the continent, to which it had a responsibility, he said. "We need to start discussions on a very urgent basis."
Ms Sisulu insisted that if South African forces went to Somalia, it would be for a limited period and only as part of a broad, shared African mission.
Kenya, Uganda and Burundi have more than 500000 soldiers in that country.
Sadc has sent a task team to the Horn of Africa to investigate how to protect Sadc waters from pirates who are moving further and further south along the east African coast. Ms Sisulu said SA was ready to deploy forces to Somali waters.
During the committee meeting, Ms Sisulu locked horns with Democratic Alliance defence spokesman David Maynier over the release of two preliminary reports from the interim defence force service commission, which found that service conditions in the defence force were appalling.
The committee has been in a tussle with the minister since November to get access to the reports, arguing that it needed them to deliberate on the Defence Amendment Bill.
The bill proposes the establishment of a permanent defence force service commission.
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Let HELP our brothers and sisters the best way(s) we can in any part of the Continental Africa. We are sick and tired of the killings and the destructions showing across our enemies television as if we "Africa and Africans" are incapable of helping our own selves. This dreadfull thinking by the racist world that Africa and Africans are unable to help their own continental problems MUST come to an end.