Navy to fend off pirates

Frigate will patrol Mozambique coast

Feb 22, 2011 10:46 PM | By CAIPHUS KGOSANA
South Africa is sending out a navy frigate to protect its waters from Somali pirates following an attack on a vessel off the coast of Mozambique in December.

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AYE, AYE: Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says the SA Navy is well-placed to combat piracy Picture: SHELLEY CHRISTIANS
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Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu told journalists in Cape Town yesterday the government would dispatch the navy frigate SAS Mendi to the Mozambican channel to patrol the waters and help counter piracy.
She said the hijacking of a Mozambican vessel in December in which 14 Mozambicans and two Spaniards were taken hostage had necessitated the need for South Africa to become actively involved in efforts to combat piracy.
"We remain very concerned about the intrusion of piracy into our space and we remain very determined that we will not allow it to continue," she said.
Sisulu said the frigate would trawl Southern African waters to determine the level of threat from piracy and that she would use the information to brief the cabinet on a strategy to safeguard South African shipping.
"We have now gone back to cabinet . to say it is important that we look at this matter and perhaps devise strategies to deal with it . It is not possible for us to sit back when we have incursions on waters we are responsible for," she said.
But she would not disclose whether the frigate had permission to shoot if it encounters pirate vessels in Southern African waters.
The defence minister said South Africa, with its superior naval capabilities, was best placed to respond to the threat posed by piracy in the region.
The cabinet earlier issued a statement saying South Africa was considering offering assistance to Somalia's transitional government as part of efforts to combat piracy.
South African sailors Deborah Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari were kidnapped by Somali pirates off the coast of Tanzania in October. A $10-million ransom has been demanded for the couple's release.