[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

11 July 2008

Defence Minister, Honourable Mosiuoa Lekota will on Sunday, 13 July 2008 led a South African delegation to Tunisia to attend the Tunisia/RSA Joint Military Commission (JMC) meeting.

The Commission was established following the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Defence co-operation between the two countries in 2005. The meeting, scheduled from the 14 to 16 is aimed at strengthening the bilateral relations on defence matters between the two countries.
This is the second sitting of the Commission after the inaugural meeting that was held in Cape Town in September 2006. The Commission will review progress on work agreed upon and recommit on the work that still needs to be done as outlined in the co-operation.

The Cooperation includes the exchange of military information, knowledge and experience in the field of medical services, training and re-skilling of military personnel on peace support operations. South Africa views cooperation on defence matters between African countries critical, as it will ensure interoperability within the context of the African Standby Force.

Furthermore, this is informed by the region's aspiration to operate on the basis of collective security against mutual threats. One of the key achievements in the training of military personnel is the adaptation of the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) doctrine to desert operations. This training took place in December 2007 and May 2008 in Tunisia.

The training prepares the SANDF's 15 Infantry Battalion to better manoeuvre in deserted areas during deployments.

Enquiries:
Themba Gadebe
Cell: 083 628 0862

Sam Mkhwanazi
Cell: 083 628 0858

Issued by: Department of Defence
11 July 2008