Southern Africa: 2013 - Eventful Year for Southern Africa

The curtain comes down on yet another eventful year for southern Africa in which the region scored some major successes in terms of its regional integration agenda and consolidation of elusive political stability.

It was a year in which the Southern African Development Community (SADC) embarked on the process of recalibrating its integration targets as part of efforts to realign the region's development agenda with emerging global dynamics.

This included the review of its 15-year development blueprint - the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) - to ensure that the targets are realistic and more manageable.

An independent review process of the RISDP was completed during the year, with the final draft report of the consultants tabled at the 33rd Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held in Lilongwe, Malawi in August.

The review process is ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2014.

According to the independent mid-term review done by Trade and Development Studies (Trades) Centre of Zimbabwe, there is need for a revision of most SADC targets and protocols to align them with the new challenges and emerging issues affecting regional integration.

SADC Member States have signed 27 protocols and a number of declarations, charters and memoranda of understanding on various matters, ranging from trade, mining and finance and investment to illicit drugs, forestry and shared watercourses.

Most of the 27 protocols have been ratified and entered into force. It was noted that this process does not have a roadmap to enable a systematic approach to implementation of protocols at both regional and national levels.

Most of the protocols do not have obligations but principles, making it difficult to enforce the instruments. In cases where obligations are clear, they are not measurable, unrealistic and unattainable and do not have time frames.

Another area of the regional integration agenda that requires attention is the implementation mechanisms and coordination, notably the non-functional SADC National Committees and the absence of a platform for policy engagement between the SADC Secretariat and non-state actors such as regional think tanks, the private sector and non-governmental organisations.

The findings of the RISDP mid-term review were presented during a validation workshop held in Johannesburg, South Africa in July where a roadmap was agreed for the process of completing the review process.

The roadmap is expected to lead to the final submission of a revised blueprint to the 34th SADC Summit scheduled for Zimbabwe in August 2014.

A multi-stakeholder task force, including representatives of the SADC Secretariat, Member States and non-state actors, was formed to implement recommendations of the independent review team.

Malawian President Joyce Banda assumed the rotating SADC chair from President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique during the Summit in Lilongwe.

She set poverty alleviation as the top priority of her tenure, promising to champion policies and programmes to improve the agricultural and rural sectors.

Promising to bring SADC "closer to the people," Banda said she would target ending "the contemporary, deliberate and savage violence of poverty and underdevelopment" during the coming year.

"To win this war …we must promote inclusive politics. In this, we cannot afford to leave the youth behind. We cannot afford to leave women behind. We cannot afford to leave the poor to look after the poor," Banda said in her acceptance speech.

She promised to push for innovative agricultural policies and programmes such as effective extension services and affordable inputs which have the capacity to promote rural development and boost food security.

The theme for her tenure is "Agricultural Development and Agro-Industries: Key to Economic Growth and Poverty Eradication."

Another major milestone achieved during the year was the completion of the leadership transition at the SADC Secretariat in Botswana, with a new team now in place to steer the regional integration agenda.

The new SADC Secretariat leadership is headed by Executive Secretary, Dr Stergomena L. Tax from the United Republic of Tanzania who will be deputized by Dr Thembinkosi Mhlongo of South Africa and Emilie Ayaza Mushobekwa of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Dr Tax was appointed and sworn-in as executive secretary during Summit in Malawi, replacing Dr Tomaz Augusto Salomão of Mozambique who had served his maximum two four-year terms.

Prior to her appointment as SADC executive secretary, she was permanent secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of East African Cooperation since 2008.

She has vast experience in trade negotiations; private sector development; policy analysis, formulation, implementation and reviews; and programme design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Dr Mhlongo was appointed new deputy executive secretary responsible for regional integration during an Extra Ordinary Meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers held in late October in Lilongwe.

He replaced Angolan engineer João Caholo whose term ended in October after serving the SADC Secretariat for the maximum eight years set for those in top leadership positions.

Another major event during the year was the SADC Regional Infrastructure Investment Conference held in Mozambique in June.

Southern Africa presented its multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development plan to potential funders.

At least 106 cross-border infrastructure projects covering the priority sectors of energy, transport, tourism, water, information communication technology and meteorology were presented to the investment summit.

These projects are contained in the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan - a 15-year blueprint that will guide the implementation of cross-border infrastructure projects between 2013 and 2027.

With regard to the political situation in the region, southern Africa witnessed positive developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

These included the signing of a peace agreement by the DRC government and rebels who have waged an insurgency in the east of the country since 2012.

DRC slid into political turmoil early last year when anti-government rebels calling themselves the March 23 movement invaded and captured the city of Goma, causing displacement of people and loss of lives and property.

The year 2013 witnessed the successful conclusion of SADC-mediated political negotiations in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabweans voted for a new Constitution in a referendum held in March, a landmark development that shaped the destiny of the country.

The adoption of the new Constitution paved the way for the holding of harmonized elections in Zimbabwe, later held in July, and were endorsed as peaceful and credible by a 573-member SADC observer mission.

Following years of SADC mediation, Madagascar held the first round of presidential elections in October that did not produce an outright winner and resulted in a run-off on 20 December.

Former Health Minister Jean-Louis Robinson and ex-Finance Minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina led first round presidential polls with 21 and 16 percent of the vote, respectively, but failed to win sufficient votes for an outright majority.

The Madagascar Constitution requires that a presidential candidate must amass 50 percent-plus-one of total votes cast in a national election to be declared as president.

Robinson and Rajaonarimampianina faced each other in the run-off that will be held along with parliamentary elections.

The winner will replace Andry Rajoelina, a former disc jockey who ousted former president, Marc Ravalomanana in a military-backed coup in 2009.

The year 2013 also witnessed the coming into force of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development following ratification by the requisite two-thirds majority of the Member States.

The objectives of the Protocol are to provide for the empowerment of women, eliminate discrimination, and achieve gender equality and equity through gender-responsive legislation, policies, programmes and projects.

The targets include, among others, the achievement of 50 percent representation by women and men in politics and decision-making by 2015, in line with the decision of the African Union.

With the busy year now behind it, SADC can now look to yet another potentially dramatic year 2014, the last year of stock taking on social and economic gains before the UN-initiated Millennium Development Goals deadline in 2015.

Libya: Abu Iyadh Captured in Libya - Security Source

Tunis — Abu Iyadh whose real name is Seifallah Ben Hussein Mokni, leader of Ansar al-Sharia group listed as a "terrorist organisation" was captured, on Monday morning in Libya, authorised security source said.

US special forces captured Abu Iyadh and other several persons accompanying him, with the assistance of Libyan forces and Libyan citizens, the same source said. Abu Iyadh was captured in the town of Misrata, Libya.

Interim PM Ali Larayedh confirmed last August 27 the organisation's involvement in terrorist acts and in political assassination in Tunisia, listing it as a "terrorist organisation".

CAR unrest kills six Chad peacekeepers in Bangui

French soldiers in the Gobongo area of Bangui

At least six peacekeepers from Chad have been killed in clashes in the Central African Republic, the African Union (AU) force there says.

It said they were attacked by a Christian militia known as anti-balaka in the capital Bangui on Wednesday.

At least a dozen civilians have also died since Wednesday, hospital officials say.

AU and French troops are battling to end a Christian-Muslim conflict that has engulfed CAR.

The AU has nearly 4,000 troops in CAR. France, the former colonial power, has also deployed 1,600 soldiers to help restore order.

Militias from the Christian and Muslim groups have been involved in attacks and counter-attacks since Michel Djotodia installed himself as the country's first Muslim ruler in March, ousting then-President Francois Bozize, who came from the majority Christian population.

Many Christians accuse the Chadian government of being allied to the Seleka rebel group which propelled Mr Djotodia to power, while Muslims allege that French forces are siding with Christian militia.

Tension high

The circumstances surrounding the death of the Chadians remain unclear.

AU spokesman Eloi Yao said: "Yesterday [Wednesday] the city was in total chaos and this chaos lasted until the end of the night. Today we are trying to understand what happened."

Heavy gunfire in Bangui had caused panic among civilians, who fled to the airport, which is protected by peacekeepers.

As fighting subsided, French troops went out on patrol.

French military spokesman Col Gilles Jaron said tension remained high in Bangui.

Two days of violence earlier this month left about 1,000 people dead, according to Amnesty International.

Somalia: Puntland's Punted Polls

Ethiopia: Migrants Return Empty-Handed From Saudi Arabia

Addis Ababa — When Mohamed Yusuf left his home town in Ethiopia for Saudi Arabia a year ago at the age of 17, he thought life would change for the better. Instead, a difficult and unprofitable stay in Saudi Arabia ended when he was among the nearly 137,000 undocumented Ethiopian migrants deported by the Saudi authorities to date.

"At first, I thought I was going to change my life and those of my father and mother, who paid for the whole trip out of their meagre income," said Yusuf, whose father is a farmer in northern Ethiopia. However, the gruelling journey to Saudi Arabia and his stay there had been harrowing experiences, he told IRIN.

During the long trek through Ethiopia's northeastern Afar Desert to Djibouti on the Red Sea, he endured hunger and thirst and had to bury some of his friends, who perished along the way. On reaching Djibouti, he paid smugglers 5,000 Ethiopian Birr (US$261) to take him from Obock, on Djibouti's northern coast, across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. From there he made his way to Saudi Arabia.

The majority of male migrants from Ethiopia follow similar routes when crossing into Saudi and mostly depart from Obock, although many also leave from Somaliland. Female migrants usually enter as domestic workers under Saudi Arabia's 'kafala' (sponsorship) system.

Human rights groups say the system creates conditions for abuse, including rules requiring workers to obtain permission from their employer to change jobs. Those who do so without permission are considered undocumented and were among those rounded up during the government's crackdown on foreign workers, which started in early November 2013.

Initially, Yusuf found work as a shepherd in a rural area of Saudi Arabia but decided to leave after two months because his employers refused to pay him the 800 Saudi Arabian riyals ($213) they owed him. "One day I decided to quit my job and fled to the city [of Jeddah]. And that was when I got captured by the police and put into prison for five months before coming here like this with many Ethiopians," he told IRIN.

There was no opportunity to earn back the cost of getting there, let alone fulfil his dream of a better life. "I'm confused and do not have any idea what I'm going to do next," he told IRIN. "One thing is for sure, I will never go back to that country after seeing and hearing what is happening to Ethiopians there."

Number of returnees still rising

According to Human Rights Watch and testimony from returnees, during the crackdown, Ethiopian migrant workers were subjected to beatings by Saudi police and citizens that resulted in at least three deaths.

Another returnee, Kidane Gebre, told IRIN: "After hearing this, my mother will be terrified and waiting for me anxiously. Many people from my home town were victims of this violence."

Many of those rounded up were held in makeshift detention centres without adequate food or shelter while they awaited repatriation.

The Ethiopian government initially estimated that some 30,000 undocumented citizens were being detained and would need to be repatriated, but as of 16 December the number of returnees had reached 136,946. Of these, 84,721 were men, 45,157 women and 7,068 children.

Up until last week, over 7,000 were arriving every day, but according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number has now slowed to about 1,000 a day. A further 35,000 migrants are still expected, according to IOM.

Six transit centres have been set up in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to receive the returnees and, with the support of government, IOM has been providing temporary accommodation, meals, medical services and a $50 transportation allowance to help the migrants complete their journey home. The organization launched an appeal on 6 December for $13.1 million to continue addressing their needs, but to date had only raised $1.9 million.

"As the number of returnees increases, the financial gap has further widened," notes a press briefing from IOM released on 17 December.

IOM's Chief of Mission in Ethiopia, Josiah Ogina said the migrants included vulnerable people, such as the victims of human trafficking, unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, and disabled persons. "Many of those detained and returned to Ethiopia arrived in need of medical support," Ogina told international donors in Addis Ababa.

'A blessing in disguise'

Ethiopian government officials say they are viewing the situation as an opportunity to educate the public about the risks of irregular migration. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dina Mufti, said most of returnees had told interviewers they would not have left the country if they had known more about the treatment of migrant workers in Saudi, and what they would have to endure to get there.

"We know that there are people who went there by selling their houses and [those of] their families as well. Despite a lot of sad stories, we consider this as a blessing in disguise, as it could be a lesson for those who want to go there illegally and without proper preparation," said Mufti. "These migrants have stories to tell on how they moved out, which could help the government to track down traffickers and improve the situation in the future."

The number of returning migrants who will need more than just immediate assistance is high, but apart from organizing repatriation flights, the Ethiopian government has no plans to help them in the longer term. Mufti said the government's current focus is on "bringing them to their country and providing them with necessary services such as transportation to their home town".

Like other young people, the returnees could benefit from the government's five-year Growth and Transformation Plan, which aims to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.

"We are creating a lot of job opportunities through Small and Medium Enterprises," he said. "If we can do more on this, we can definitely absorb those who want to go out [of the country] and help change their lives and [those of] their families as well."

Egypt: Mursi to Stand Trial for Syping and Terrorism

Egypt's prosecutor general referred deposed President Mohamed Mursi and top Muslim Brotherhood leaders to trial on Wednesday on charges of "terrorism and espionage."

The defendants in this case include the Brotherhood's Chief Guide Mohamed Badie, top leaders of the group Khairat al-Shater, Mahmoud Ezzat, Essam al-Erian and others.

The charges include collaborating with foreign organisations with the aim of committing terrorist acts inside Egypt, disclosing national defence information and funding military training for the Brotherhood's international organisation.

Mursi, who hails from the Islamist group, was ousted by the military on July 3 following mass protests against his rule.

The deposed president is currently detained at Alexandria's Borg al-Arab prison. He is also being tried over the Ittihadiya Palace violent confrontations for incitment of murder and violence.

Africa: UN Utilizing Financial Inclusion Programs to Fight Rural Poverty

Addis Ababa — Several United Nations agencies are investing heavily in so-called financial inclusion programs, designed to bring financial services to the poor and make them less aid-dependent. Although the efforts made so far have been sizable, observers are beginning to wonder if the programs can succeed on their own

The idea behind financial inclusion is making financial services such as credit, savings and insurance available to everyone - including poor people in Africa's rural areas who live on just two dollars a day. It is believed that if these services reached the rural poor, their lives could improve tremendously.

Ertharin Cousin of the World Food Program said that financial inclusion should not be seen as another aid program.

"The goal is to create an opportunity where we begin a program that ultimately becomes a full agricultural value chain improvement that outlives WFP's participation," explained Cousin.

With a population of more than 84 million people, and more than 80 percent of them living in rural areas, Ethiopia was chosen for a three-day work visit on financial inclusion by the three U.N. food agencies: the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Seeds and fertilizer are provided to participating farmers by the FAO. Local cooperatives then purchase the harvest with funds that are indirectly provided by the IFAD. Meanwhile, the WFP gives schools budget help so they can buy locally made products for their school meal programs.

Organizers hope to make the programs self-sufficient, and there is a willingness among the farmers and the cooperatives to make it work. Alemetu Yohannes, the chairman of a women's cooperative that received loans to purchase haricot beans, stressed the importance of self-reliance.

Alemetu said that local people want to create their own jobs and provide for themselves. She said they will stop taking the donations once they are no longer in need of help.

However, it is not yet clear if the rural poor can truly be self-reliant, because these projects have so far been run only on a very small scale.

Another part of the program focuses on financial literacy - educating those living on a few dollars a day of the potential gains from using not using all their money for daily expenses, but to save or invest a percentage of it as well.

Queen Maxima, the U.N.'s Special Advocate for Financial Inclusion, said that financial literacy is important to help people start saving to provide funds for future investments.

"Eventually, you should unleash domestic savings because of the domestic resources that should be put back in to productive loans so that people can actually make the investment, grow the production, increase employment," said Maxima.

Ethiopia's financial infrastructure is still very minimal; only eight percent of the population has a bank deposit account. While mobile banking has contributed to economic progress for the rural poor in other African countries, Ethiopia has only recently allowed a pilot project with mobile banking.

Nigeria: Anambra Controversy Exposes Troubles Facing Nigeria's Electoral Commission

With the 2015 presidential elections looming, Nigeria's electoral body will have to learn from its recent mistakes, and quickly.

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has continued to come under attack over its troubled handling of governorship elections in the south-eastern state of Anambra last month.

The 16 November vote, won by Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was seen as a critical test for INEC with the 2015 presidential polls fast approaching.

But unfortunately, the vote was fraught with irregularities, such as the delayed receipt of electoral materials at various polling stations, as well as accusations of outright fraud and collusion amongst INEC agents.

This led the All Progressives Congress (APC) to call for the election results to be annulled and the poll re-run.

INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega rejected this request, but acknowledged that the conduct of the elections had been flawed and emphasised his commitment to finding out what happened.

"We are not leaving any stone unturned at unravelling what actually transpired," he said, adding, "We cannot afford to lose hope. We will do better in the future."

The APC has now taken the issue to court, but the importance of INEC's conduct exceeds far beyond just Anambra State.

With many Nigerians already preparing for the 2015 elections, and the presidential race looking like it could be tighter than any in Nigeria's history, the electoral commission's reputation for independence and competence could be more significant than ever.

The Anambra debacle

Before the first votes were even cast in Anambra's election last month, observers were watching keenly as INEC attempted to demonstrate that it had continued to evolve and improve since its founding in 1998.

Back then, and in the commission's early years, its reputation was one of corruption and an inability to provide a suitable electoral environment.

Mali unrest: Kidal attack kills two UN peacekeepers

Two United Nations peacekeepers have been killed in a car bomb blast in the north-east Malian town of Kidal.

The blast hit a bank guarded by the peacekeepers and set fire to a UN armoured vehicle, eyewitnesses said.

Three other people have been wounded. More casualties are feared as the bank building collapsed. The dead are believed to be Senegalese.

There was no immediate claim for the attack which happened early on Saturday morning.

French troops defeated Islamist rebels in northern Mali almost a year ago, but insurgent attacks have continued.

Kidal is a stronghold of separatist Tuareg rebels, who said they were ending a ceasefire two weeks ago.

Nelson Mandela buried at Qunu ancestral home

There were emotional scenes as the funeral took place

Nelson Mandela's body has been laid to rest in a family plot, after political and religious leaders paid tribute to South Africa's first black president at a state funeral service.

His widow, Graca Machel, and President Jacob Zuma were present for the private, traditional Xhosa ceremony at Mr Mandela's ancestral home in Qunu.

Mr Zuma had earlier told the larger funeral service that South Africans had to take his legacy forward.

Mr Mandela died on 5 December aged 95.

A close friend, Ahmed Kathrada, told mourners at the service he had lost an "elder brother" who was with him for many years in prison on Robben island.

Mr Mandela's casket was carried by the military, accompanied by family and friends, from a specially-erected marquee up a hill to the graveside.

As his coffin was lowered into the grave, South Africa's air force helicopters and jets staged a fly-past and cannons fired a 21-gun salute.

The BBC's Pumza Fihlani said it was a fitting send-off for a man widely seen as the "father of the nation".

'A great tree has fallen'

The final day of South Africa's 10-day commemoration for its late leader began with his coffin taken on a gun carriage from Mr Mandela's house to the giant marquee.

Members of the family had attended an overnight vigil, where a traditional praise singer is believed to have chanted details of his long journey and life.

Some 4,500 people - including foreign dignitaries - attended the state funeral

President Zuma sat between Mr Mandela's widow Graca Machel and his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

Inside the marquee, Nelson Mandela's portrait stood behind 95 candles, representing one for each year of his life.

His casket, draped in the South African flag, was placed beneath a lectern where speakers paid their tributes. Some guests sang and danced to celebrate Mr Mandela's life as the service began.

After the national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel'I Africa (God Bless Africa) was sung, the service heard from a family spokesman, Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, who thanked the army medical team that had treated Mr Mandela before he died.. "A great tree has fallen, he is now going home to rest with his forefathers. We thank them for lending us such an icon."

Mr Kathrada's voice filled with emotion as he spoke of the difficulty of recent months and of how he had held his friend's hand the last time he saw him in hospital. "Farewell my dear brother, my mentor, my leader," he said.

Two grandchildren then addressed the congregation. Ndaba who read an obituary, and Nandi, who spoke fondly of her grandfather as a disciplinarian. "We shall miss you... your stern voice when you are not pleased with our behaviour. We shall miss your laughter."

Listening to the tributes were Graca Machel, his widow, and his second wife, Winnie-Madikizela Mandela, who sat either side of President Jacob Zuma.

Both women were praised for their love and tolerance, in an address by Malawi's President Joyce Banda.

Grandson Ndaba Mandela reads an obituary

African National Congress members, veterans of the fight against apartheid and foreign dignitaries - including several African presidents, the Prince of Wales - are among the guests.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu - a long-time friend of Nelson Mandela - is there, having earlier said he had cancelled his flight as he had not received an invitation. US talk show host Oprah Winfrey is also present.

While the service took place, a 21-gun salute sounded far away in Pretoria.

S Africa investigates 'fake signer' security checks

Thamsanqa Jantjie: "I see angels come into the stadium"

South Africa's deputy disability minister says the government is investigating how a man who faked sign language at the Mandela memorial was given security clearance.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood alongside world leaders at the event, has denied being a fraud, and said he panicked when he began hallucinating.

He said he had schizophrenia, which had in the past made him act violently.

The agency that employed him, SA Interpreters, has reportedly vanished.

The African National Congress (ANC) said it had used Mr Jantjie as an interpreter several times before, and "had not been aware of any of complaints regarding the quality of services, qualifications or reported illnesses" of the interpreter.

But it said Tuesday's memorial at a stadium in Johannesburg was organised by the state, not the ANC, so the ruling party could not comment on security arrangements.

The South African Translators' Institute said earlier there had been complaints over Mr Jantjie's work before, but that the ANC had taken no action.

The ANC said it would "follow up the reported correspondence that has supposedly been sent to us in this regard and where necessary act on it".

'No embarrassment'

Mr Mandela died last week at the age of 95, and will be buried on Sunday.

His body is currently lying in state in Pretoria, with thousands queuing to pay their respects.

During the memorial, Mr Jantjie (also spelt Dyantyi) stood on the stage next to key speakers including US President Barack Obama, South African President Jacob Zuma and Mr Mandela's grandchildren, translating their eulogies.

An interpreter on South Africa's SABC TV shows the signing which should have been used

Mr Jantjie's performance was watched on television by millions of people worldwide and angered the South African deaf community. Pressure has been mounting on the government to explain why he was hired for such an important event.

Deputy Disability Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu told a news conference on Thursday: "Firstly, I don't think South Africa as a country would put at risk anybody's security, especially those of heads of state.

"Secondly, when somebody provides a service of a sign language interpreter, I don't think... somebody would say: 'Is your head ok? Do you have any mental disability?' I think the focus was on: 'Are you able to sign? Can you provide the services?'"

But she said: "In terms of security clearance that is in a process, we are requesting to check his vetting."

Ms Bogopane-Zulu apologised to the deaf community but said there was no reason for the country to be embarrassed.

Mr Jantjie has been employed to sign at ANC events in the past

"There are as many as a hundred sign language dialects," she said, explaining that Mr Jantjie speaks Xhosa and that "the English was a bit too much for him".

She also accused Mr Jantjie's employers of being "cheats", and said the directors of SA Interpreters had since vanished.

Government minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said the interpreting firm had been providing sub-standard services for some time

Mr Jantjie himself has blamed his flawed interpretation on a schizophrenic episode.

He told the Associated Press he had often been violent in the past, and had been due to attend a routine mental health check-up on the day of the memorial, to determine whether he needed to be admitted to hospital.

He told the BBC that during the event he had had a breakdown, and started hallucinating that angels were coming down into the crowd.

"I started knowing that I am not real, because it's not something possible. But believe me I saw them coming on stage.

"From that moment, it was not myself," he said, saying he had becoming concerned for the safety of people in the stadium and was "absolutely" aware that he was not signing correctly.

The US Secret Service said "agreed upon security measures" had been in place for President Obama's appearance at the memorial, and that US agents were "always in close proximity" to him wherever he went.

Spokesman Brian Leary said it was the responsibility of the South Africans to carry out the relevant background checks on people involved.

"Beyond that we won't comment on deliberations that took place between the Secret Service and South African authorities," he said.

Final journey

Long queues of mourners wait to catch a bus to view the body of ex-President Nelson Mandela, a scene reminiscent of that in 1994 when voters queued in Soweto

A long line of people wait outside the polling station in Soweto to vote in South Africa's first all-race elections in April 1994

Mr Mandela's body is lying in state until 13 December, when the military will fly the coffin to the Eastern Cape from Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria.

A military guard of honour will welcome the arrival, and the coffin will then be placed on a gun carriage and transported to a hearse.

Mr Mandela's body will then be taken to his home village of Qunu, where the Thembu community will conduct a traditional ceremony.

A national day of reconciliation will take place on 16 December when a statue of Mr Mandela will be unveiled at the Union Buildings.

Big screens have been set up across South Africa to show the planned national events.

South Africa's Arms Industry Most Advanced in Global South

United Nations — When the white apartheid regime in South Africa kept the overwhelming majority of blacks under military repression, the country's security forces were armed with weapons originating mostly from a highly-developed domestic armaments industry.

The wide-ranging locally-made weapons - some of which were categorised as crowd-control equipment - included transport and attack helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, military trucks, internal security vehicles, assault rifles, hand guns and tear gas canisters.

Proving the resilience of its arms industry, South Africa was quick to respond to a United Nations request last October for three attack helicopters and two utility helicopters to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

South Africa has the unique distinction of being the only country to have abandoned its nuclear weapons programme voluntarily - setting an example to other nuclear-armed states.

Nicole Auger, a military analyst covering Middle East/Africa at Forecast International, a leader in defence market intelligence, told IPS "the South African military industry really took shape in the 1980s and got to the point where its technical capability and design and production abilities were among the most advanced in the world."

After the 1994 election, when Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) assumed power, industry developments slowed, notably due to the decrease in defence spending and the lack of immediate security threats, she added.

Still the South African arms industry is considered one of the most advanced in the non-Western world today, and very much in the company of its IBSA partners, India and Brazil.

The industry dates back to the apartheid regime when its rapid development was necessitated by two key factors: battling a domestic insurgency and circumventing a 1977 mandatory arms embargo imposed by the U.N.

Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher, Arms Transfers Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told IPS the South African arms industry is advanced in a few niche areas such as certain light armoured vehicles and anti-tank missiles.

"But overall, it has become increasingly a part of the global arms industry acting as subcontractors and supplying military components for complete systems elsewhere."

He said South Africa currently supplies weapons and other military equipment to many countries throughout the world, from the United States to China, and from Sweden to Zambia.

The U.S. was a one-time major client because it urgently needed mine-protected armoured vehicles for use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

South Africa was the world leader in the production of such vehicles, he added, including the Casspir.

This dated back to the apartheid regime when the South African armed forces had to learn how to fight guerrilla forces in Zimbabwe and Namibia, which were then known as Rhodesia and South-West Africa, respectively.

South Africa was also on the threshold of becoming a nuclear power with its well-developed clandestine programme to produce weapons of mass destruction - even while it remained ostracised by the global community.

South Africa's nuclear weapon programme was successful in producing seven weapons which were eventually destroyed under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Jayantha Dhanapala, a former U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, told IPS that South Africa has the unique distinction of being the only country to have abandoned its nuclear weapons programme voluntarily - setting an example for other nuclear-armed states.

In 1991, South Africa joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state after destroying the weapons it had developed in a clandestine programme during 1974-1990, allegedly with Israeli collusion, he pointed out.

"President [F.W.] de Klerk, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the late Nelson Mandela, told me he was kept in the dark about the nuclear weapons programme until he became president when he decided to halt the programme," said Dhanapala, one of the world's best-known authorities on nuclear disarmament.

He said it was fitting the treaty declaring the whole continent of Africa a nuclear weapon free zone should be named the Treaty of Pelindaba, named after the place where the South African nuclear weapon programme was located.

Auger told IPS the U.N. arms embargo was one of the defining drivers for the South African defence-industrial base.

Before the embargo, defence firms would only acquire licence-production agreements from other countries so there was minimal drive to develop its own fully indigenous weapons.

But the 1977 arms embargo provided the incentive for South African firms to research and develop its own weapons so that it could become self-sufficient, she added.

The South African arms industry was led by Denel and the government's arms procurement organisation, ARMSCOR.

Prior to the embargo, South Africa produced most of its military equipment under licence-production agreements with countries such as France, Germany, Israel and Italy.

Wezeman said arms exports were an issue of debate during the 1990s with some people questioning the morality of selling tools of repression created by the former apartheid regime.

"I am not sure what Mandela's role was in this, but I think he was critical," he noted.

"In any case the new ANC government quickly set out to support the industry for the same reason as other arms-producing states: as a source of income, a catalyst for technological development and even hoped it could be used as a foreign policy instrument, in particular in Africa," said Wezeman.

It never became the latter, he said, because South Africa is a rather minor player as an arms supplier on the continent.