3 500 from SA working in Iraq

2004-05-01 07:25

Erika Gibson and Antoinette Slabbert

Pretoria - It is estimated there are at least 3 500 South Africans working in Iraq, despite the high level of political violence there.

Another group of at least 30 South Africans left the country for Iraq on Friday.

This comes after the news on Thursday of the death in Fallujah of a sixth South African.

He was shot dead a day after another South African, a civil contractor, was killed in Basra.

According to sources who are involved in the placement of South Africans, who do work ranging from contracting through to security guards, the volatile situation has done little to deter them. Instead, the enormous salaries act as a big drawcard.

No longer is it just security personnel that work there - now there are also plenty of electricians, as there is a huge need to restore the country's electricity supply.

There are also people in the building industry and medical staff.

Government wants to stop the exodus

The security men earn anything between R5 000 and R250 000 a month - depending on what they guard, said one source.

Meanwhile, foreign affairs deputy minister Aziz Pahad said on Friday the South African government wanted to halt the exodus of manpower to Iraq. They wanted to see what laws they could draw on.

Pahad said, however, the government sympathised with the families of those who had been killed in Iraq.

"The families are apparently just as shocked as they don't always know exactly where their husbands and sons are."

Pahad said the government would look into how existing laws could be used to prevent South Africans from going into such conflict zones. However, this was not that simple.

"We cannot work outside the framework of the constitution and the constitution allows individuals a lot of freedom."

According to those involved in the placement of South Africans in Iraq, the government had a hand to play in the irregular exodus.

One placement official said: "According to the foreign military aid act under the national convention of weapons control committee we have the right to apply for licences, but all our applications are turned down.

'The cowboys simply do what they want'

"We are trying to work with the government, but our hands are tied.

"At the same time, the guys that do apply are victimised while the cowboys simply do what they want to."

"If people can't stand together to regulate the industry, then the government can't exercise any control," said the placement official.

Pahad said that, at present, the government had no say over those leaving to work in the construction or business sectors.

He felt the means to make quick money should not count for more than one's personal safety.

The identities of the South Africans who died on Thursday and Friday have not yet been released.

According to foreign affairs, the family of the civil contractor has asked that his name be withheld.

- Beeld