War mongering

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota warned MPs on Tuesday that a new world war could be closer than they cared to imagine.

Defending South Africa's need for a defence force and its continued role as a continental peacekeeper, Lekota said not enough people were paying enough attention to subtle warning signs.

"I think it's important for members of the House and all of us to reflect on the current problems that confront the whole world. And many people have not observed or taken very seriously into mind that the world was under similar conditions when the First World War started," he said.

He was speaking in reply to the debate on his department's budget vote.


The Great War which had started off as just a small conflict in the Balkans, before it went out of control, could very easily be repeated on the African continent.

"At that time the struggle for resources in those areas were nothing compared to the volume of resources that are being competed for in Africa," he said.

The Democratic Republic of Congo for example, he said, was the focus of much international interest that could lead to fights over its vast resources.

He argued that the R26-billion the government spent on defence was not a lot if it helped prevent war. And even though the country does not face any external threats, one could not wait until the last minute to by weapons because the war would be long over by the time they arrived, Lekota told MPs. Daily News