Political sparring about the arms acquisition programme continues

President Thabo Mbeki must not place the concerns of arms deal contractors before the interests of South Africans and the country's Parliament, the official opposition Democratic Alliance said on Monday. DA public accounts spokeswoman Raenette Taljaard said in a statement it was in the public interest to have an open and transparent investigation into all allegations of corruption surrounding the country's controversial R43-billion arms acquisition programme. "While everyone desires that the investigation be conducted expeditiously, any whiff of a cover-up or political pressure will be far more damaging than any 'open-ended' investigation." She was reacting to concerns expressed by President Thabo Mbeki against an "open-ended" arms deal investigation. Mbeki said during a live televised interview on Sunday that there were only allegations, and no prima facie evidence, of any wrongdoing in the deal, the SA Press Association reported. He also warned that the "open-ended" investigation into the allegations was creating a negative message among the deal's major international contractors. Taljaard said Parliament's processes must not be short-circuited to suit the main contractors in the deal. The Afrikaans daily, Beeld reported that tension over the probe was still high in the once non-partisan Standing Committee on Public Accounts, where a strongly worded letter from Deputy President Jacob Zuma was discussed on Wednesday.

Cut.. And thrust..

In reply African National Congress (ANC) MP Pallo Jordan on Wednesday said South Africa needs the arms as violence is sometimes required to make peace. He asked the programme's critics what would have happened, if three years ago the SANDF did not have the capacity to intervene in Lesotho, a small mountain kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa. South Africa intervened there in September 1998 after an alleged coup attempt by disgruntled Lesotho Defence Force members. Meanwhile, Pan Africanist Congress MP, Patricia de Lille still insists that parts of the acquisition process were corrupt. She is accusing the government of a cover up and is taking President Thabo Mbeki to court for his decision to exclude anti-corruption Judge Willem Heath's Special Investigating Unit from a multi- agency probe into the purchases.

 With acknowledgement to Leon Engelbrecht and Defence Systems Daily.