Mercenary allegations deal blow to S. Africa image

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The mess for South Africa comes in the midst of a boom in the business of private security details. Lucrative contracts in the post-Sept. 11, security-conscious world have employed thousands of former military and police officers who were needed to impose order under the apartheid regime, which ended in 1994.

In Iraq alone, security analysts estimate that 1,500 South Africans are either on armed security details, overseeing demining operations, or planning security logistics for businesses. The jobs pay former soldiers as much as $10,000 a month.

McIntyre said the South African government bore some responsibility for having such a large pool of unemployed former soldiers, including those from 32 Battalion, which fought covertly in Namibia and Angola in the 1970s and 1980s and was disbanded 11 years ago. More than 20 of those imprisoned in Zimbabwe are former 32 Battalion members.

Piet Nortje, a former sergeant for the 32 Battalion who wrote a book about the unit, said in an interview that the government did retrain many of the fighters for jobs outside the military. But many of the 32 Battalion soldiers are from Angola, he noted; they speak only Portuguese and have elementary school educations.

"All those people know is military work," said Nortje. "And now there is big, big money to go work in security operations around the world."
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