Govts agree on sanctions monitoring

The South African and Angolan governments are to establish a joint commission to monitor sanctions against the rebel movement UNITA “as a matter of urgency”, the Soth African defence ministry told IRIN on Monday. Sam Mkhwanazi, spokesman for Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said the two parties had agreed that the creation of a mechanism to monitor UN sanctions against UNITA was a priority. No time-frames were given for the creation of the commission.

Lekota returned to South Africa on Saturday after an official visit to Angola and Namibia. On his return at the Waterkloof air base just outside Pretoria, he told reporters his trip was aimed at consolidating the country’s military ties with Angola and Namibia. According to news reports, he said the joint commission would hopefully stem the flow of arms to UNITA. Several reports have emerged in recent years of UNITA receiving arms from private South African sources, but news dispatches quoted Lekota as saying: “We have no evidence at present of such activities, but we must make sure that we are able ... to nip them in the bud.”

Lekota also said he and his Angolan counterparts had agreed to put into effect a defence commission signed earlier this year and that the first session of the commission would be held in South Africa in August or September. Angola and Namibia had also agreed to work with South Africa to speed up the finalisation of an SADC defence pact, Lekota was quoted saying.