Justin Pearce
As an international campaign to ban landmines was=20 launched in South Africa this week, campaigners=20 expressed concern that the state-owned arms=20 manufacturers should profit both from the manufacture=20 and the removal of mines.
It was disclosed this week that Mechem, a division of=20 South African arms giant Denel, is almost certain to=20 assume responsibility for the removal of landmines from=20
Denel’s group executive manager Paul Holzhausen said=20 Mechem had been told it was favoured to receive a=20 contract to clear landmines in Angola as part of an=20 initiative by the United Nations Central Mine Action=20
In 1994, Mechem fulfilled a UN contract to demine=20 Mozambican roads, in addition to at least four other=20 contracts on behalf of electrical and road-building=20 companies in Mozambique since 1991.
“There is a strong feeling that arms groups should not=20 be receiving demining funds,” said David Bruce of=20 Ceasefire, one of the organisations spearheading the=20 South African campaign. “We say South Africa should be=20 providing demining technology as aid to its neighbours=20 — the presence of mines in those countries is part of=20 the legacy of apartheid.”
His views were echoed by Alex Vines of International=20 Human Rights Watch. “Arms manufacturers can use=20 clearance expertise to improve the design of their=20 mines, and this is unethical,” Vines said.
South African-manufactured mines have been found in=20 Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Vines said that if one accepted that Mechem’s superior=20 expertise made it the best candidate for demining, then=20 safeguards were necessary to make sure that the=20 experience of demining was not used in the development=20 of more sophisticated mine technology. He also said it=20 would be “encouraging” if Mechem was seen to divorce=20 itself from Denel. Mechem itself is Denel’s specialised=20 engineering division, and does not itself manufacture=20
Several of Denel’s other divisions, however, are=20 involved in the manufacture of landmines or landmine=20 components — “only in very small quantities,”=20 according to Holzhausen, and only for supply to the=20 South African National Defence Force.