Microsoft Word - seminar summary.doc

This document is a summary of the proceedings from a seminar held on 22 May 2008 in Pretoria, hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The seminar focused on analyzing the Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006, specifically examining its impact on South African citizens, the military profession, and the regulation of private security and military companies (PSCs/PMCs).

• The Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006 contains several regulatory and definitional gaps. These include vague definitions of who constitutes a mercenary that may not align with international law, a lack of clarity regarding what constitutes humanitarian assistance, and the absence of civilian or parliamentary oversight, which grants the executive powers not provided for in the constitution.
• The Act's punitive nature is noted to provide no incentive for compliance, and the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) is described as a dubious institution responsible for regulating this compliance.
• There is a tension between the Act's goal of curbing mercenarism and the practical needs of African armies for technical assistance provided by PSCs and PMCs, particularly as South Africa leads various peacekeeping missions on the continent.
• At the time of the seminar, the Act had not yet been operationalized, as it was pending a Presidential proclamation in a Gazette, leaving room for further debate to potentially influence amendments.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Microsoft Word - seminar summary.doc. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Microsoft Word - seminar summary.doc. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Microsoft Word - seminar summary.doc |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndmicrosoft, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - seminar summary.doc}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }