Sex scandal rocks SA troops
2003-06-26 08:49
Erika Gibson
Pretoria - A South African major in the Democratic Republic of Congo is in hot water because she apparently handed out sexual favours.
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hallatt, second in command of the South African contingent in Kinshasa, said at a military court at Thaba Tshwane on Wednesday that this caused such a breakdown in discipline that "one could measure it by how quickly the box of condoms in the camp emptied".
"The feeling was that if a senior officer could get away with this type of behaviour, the rest could, too," he said.
Major Ria Vivier, an information officer, is standing trial with corporal Neil Sanna, a personnel clerk and married man, on 13 charges.
The charges against them include public indecency, inappropriate behaviour, behaviour to the detriment of military discipline and assault.
It is alleged the offences were committed between September 2002 and April this year.
Vivier was responsible for risk analysis and this work could affect the morale and safety of the South Africans in the DRC.
Soldiers were stranded
Hallatt said Vivier was repeatedly reprimanded for not doing her work, which, because of its confidential nature, she did from her tent.
He said a number of South African soldiers had been cut off from the outside world for nearly two weeks at Basankusa, a base north of Kinshasa, after a rebel attack.
"They did not even have food, because no planes could land there. It would have been Major Vivier's job to pick up this type of situation and report it.
"She only heard about it when I told her."
He said Vivier had sexual relationships with Sanna and sergeant Eddie van Meyeren, an airfreight handler.
When Colonel Ashton Sibango, the South African commander, confronted her at one stage, she apparently told him her right to association was entrenched in the constitution.
Nothing to do with wife, children
She allegedly said it was her business what she did in her free time.
When she was asked where this relationship left Sanna's wife and children, she apparently said she had nothing to do with them.
Joe Msiza for the defence argued that Hallett victimised Vivier, "someone who liked giving hugs", because she rejected his advances.
Hallatt said permissive behaviour among members of the contingent increased after Vivier's situation came to light.
"The guys are taking chances because they are away from home."
'Took off her shirt after a few drinks'
Van Meyeren testified that he had sex with Vivier only once, in their communal tent.
Before this, they had been just good friends.
On the evening they had sex, she allegedly had taken off her shirt after a couple of drinks and "this showed me she wanted sex".
Msiza said Vivier would deny having sex with Van Meyeren. He said Van Meyeren was also affronted because she rejected his advances.
She was apparently already involved with Sanna at this time. Van Meyeren said he was called to Sibango's office at one stage.
Sibango asked him what he had been doing wrong, and he admitted that he had had sex with Vivier. He later learned that Sibango wanted to reprimand him for drinking too much.
- Beeld