South Africa

PRETORIA - The army may be brought in to help the police fight crime, says Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa. The army could escort cash-in-transit vans and patrol the country's borders. Trained soldiers that are part of the reserve force would serve this purpose. Improving crime intelligence is key, says Mthethwa, adding that a Bill on forensics has been put before Parliament. Speaking of a renewed emphasis on crime intelligence, the Minister saysthat "this is the beginning of the value chain of the criminal justice system". Mthethwa also says that police need to be more aggressive in defending themselves.

PRETORIA - The Dalai Lama is welcome to visit South Africa as the country "does not discriminate against anyone", says International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane. She adds, however, that nobody may abuse the country's pro-human rights stance for their own agenda. South Africa's foreign policy is "underpinned by human rights, but that does not mean it can be misinterpreted in the interests of certain quarters". The Dalai Lama was refused a visa to attend a peace conference, linked to the 2010 soccer World Cup, in South Africa, in March, triggering an outcry that saw the event postponed indefinitely. Pretoria initially said it did not want his presence to overshadow the aim of the conference, but later conceded it had also acted to protect its economic ties with Beijing. Speaking on the future of the department, Nkoane-Mashabane says that the main thrust of foreign policy will remain unchanged, including South Africa's controversial handling of the political situation in Zimbabwe. She adds that South Africa will continue to make the 15-nation Southern African Development Community region and Africa the primary focus of its foreign policy. The name change of her department from Foreign Affairs to International Relations and Cooperation is a bid by government to ensure a holistic approach to foreign relations, reflecting a developmental agenda.

PRETORIA - A South African court throws out a bid by the powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) to block the listing of mobile phone company Vodacom. Cosatu says it is "disappointed and angry" at the decision, which allows British mobile phone giant Vodafone to increase to 65% its stake in Vodacom. Cosatu and the South African Communist Party, allies of the ruling African National Congress, have urged consumers to boycott Vodacom. Halting the deal on the eve of its listing would have dealt a huge blow to South Africa's credentials as an investor-friendly emerging market and intensified fears of resurgent union and left wing influence under President Jacob Zuma. The ruling has thrown the autonomy of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) into question, and the opposition Democratic Alliance has attacked Icasa's volte-face and its demand for public hearings as a "direct assault on any attempt to encourage foreign investment in South Africa".

JOHANNESBURG - Small political parties must be celebrated because they promote a democratic environment, says Azanian People's Organisation (Azapo) president Mosibudi Mangena. Everyone should be represented, he says, in an address on whether small political parties have outlived their usefulness. The results of the recent elections have resulted in calls from some quarters for small parties to disband, merge or disappear. Comparing South
Africa to its northern neighbour, Mangena says that Zimbabweans long ridiculed anything that was not for Zanu-PF. It was this type of behaviour and the allowance of Zanu-PF's long-term monopoly rule of Zimbabwe that led to the problems of that country, he says.

KUALA LUMPUR - Proposals to arm sailors on commercial shipping vessels to battle pirates could lead to an "arms race" on the high seas. Some shipping companies want their crews to have arms or use mercenaries to deal with Somali pirates, who have mounted 81 attacks between January 1 and April 20, according to data from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). But Nicolaos Charalambous, deputy director of the IMO, a United Nations body, says that arming sailors is not the answer.