The Speaker:

(a) The President of the Republic submitted the following letter dated 18 March 2004 to the Speaker of the National Assembly informing Members of the National Assembly of the employment of the South African National Defence Force:

EMPLOYMENT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA TOWARDS THE AFRICAN UNION

This serves to inform the National Assembly that I authorised the employment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel in fulfilment of the international obligations of the Republic of South Africa towards the African Union Mission in Comoros.

This employment was authorised in accordance with the provisions of Section 201(2)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No 108 of 1996), read with section 93 of the Defence Act, 2002 (Act No 42 of 2002).

A total of 17 SANDF members will be deployed to Comoros to act as military observers and in support of the South African Police Service (SAPS) training effort. The Comoros Nation will be holding Parliamentary elections over the period March to April 2004. The AU Commission has approached member states to contribute personnel to the AU Observer Mission during the said elections. The deployment will be as follows:

Seven military observers comprised of:
(a) One Colonel;
(b) Two Majors and a Lieutenant Commander;
(c) Two Navy Lieutenants;
(d) One Non-Commissioned Officer for Operations; and 11 members in support of the SAPS training effort comprised of:
(a) Two French-speaking Interpreters;
(b) Two Communication Technicians; and
(c) Seven Aircrew members.

The SANDF members will be deployed throughout the electoral period, which is expected by the African Union (AU) to be for a maximum period of four months. According to the AU practice, the
AU will provide return air tickets and daily subsistence allowance of US$ 90 to cover meals, accommodation and incidental expenses of the seven military observers. Members will also be paid the standard Republic of South Africa allowances for foreign deployment. The estimated cost for the deployment of the military obervers is as follows:

(a) Republic of South Africa allowance R191 243
(b) Reserve Force wages, subsistence and travel allowance R 49 747

Total estimated cost R240 990
The Department of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for funding the Republic of South Africa allowances and the Department of Defence will be responsible for the rest of the cost from their current budget allocation.

The cost for the 11 members deployed in support of the SAPS training effort will depend on the actual operational requirements, but is estimated as follows:

(a) Preparation and communication R 61 728
(b) Two support flights, C 130 and Casa 212 Aircraft R 960 062
(c) Allowances and accommodation R 570 647

Total Estimated Cost R1 592 437
The Department of Foreign Affairs will bear this cost.I will also communicate this report to the Members of the National Council of Provinces as well as to the Joint Standing Committee on
Defence, and wish to request that you bring the contents of this report to the notice of the National Assembly.

Regards

T M MBEKI