South Africa’s campaign against landmines is not only based on diplomatic gains, reports Stefaans Brmmer
ONCE the Buffel armoured troop carrier was a hated symbol of apartheid oppression. This week a Buffel, freshly repainted white to hide its ugly military brown, took pride of place at the World Trade Centre, where delegates from 50 African countries met to discuss a global ban on anti-personnel landmines.
The troop carrier was part of an exhibition of South African landmine-clearing technology, which ran alongside the South African-hosted Organisation of African Unity (OAU) conference.
Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, prince of peace-broking efforts in Zaire, delivered an impassioned keynote plea to government and NGO delegates to ensure Africa follows South Africa’s example and spurs the world towards a complete ban on anti-personnel landmines.
“Africa can become the first continent to take a collective decision against this evil device,” said Mbeki.
The cause could not be better: anti- personnel landmines have a limited military utility, and kill and maim indiscriminately – usually civilians – for years after the end of hostilities. Africa is the most heavily mined continent on earth, with Angola alone still host to 10-million to 20-million undetected mines. Worldwide, an estimated 24 000 people lose life or limb annually due to landmine explosions.
South Africa in February became the first African country to announce a complete ban on the production, use of and trade in anti-personnel landmines. It was followed soon after by Mozambique and more recently by a somewhat ambiguous Zimbabwe.
The diplomatic dividend must count as one of the main reasons for South Africa’s turnabout, but anti-landmine campaigners point to other reasons.
Alex Vines, a researcher with the United States-based Human Rights Watch who this week announced the results of an exhaustive study on landmines in Southern Africa, says the policy change has much to do with the commercial dividend.
South Africa “has recognised you cannot become a market leader in mine clearance without banning landmines”, he said. The Buffel and the mine-clearing expo alongside the OAU conference seem to add substance to this.
At the forefront of de-mining technology internationally is Mechem, a subsidiary of South Africa’s state-owned arms conglomerate Denel. It has concluded lucrative mine-clearing contracts in Mozambique and Angola, bringing in up to $5-million a year. The company wants to increase its share of global de-mining contracts – perhaps worth about $100- million a year and growing – to $20-million or more.
But Mechem has been the target of many anti-landmine campaigners. NGOs have accused it of “double-dipping”, saying it is immoral for an arms company to profit from de-mining – and possibly routing the profits into new arms development.
Mechem’s Vernon Joynt this week acknowledged his company still produced and sold arms including rifle grenades and rockets, but said: “If they stopped us from de-mining, we would make all our profits selling weapons, which would be even more immoral.”
He said Mechem’s arms and de-mining functions have been separated, and the de- mining function could be hived off completely if pressure continued.