SUMMARY Proceedings of the Seminar on the Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006

The document summarizes a seminar on South Africa's Act 27 of 2006, highlighting concerns over vague definitions, lack of oversight, and potential conflicts with foreign policy and peacekeeping efforts in Africa, while acknowledging the Act's intent to curb mercenarism.

• The Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006 contains several regulatory and legal gaps, including vague definitions of 'mercenary' and 'humanitarian assistance' that may not align with international law.
• The Act lacks mechanisms for civilian or parliamentary oversight, granting the executive branch powers that are not provided for in the constitution, while compliance is regulated by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC).
• There is a tension between the Act's goal of curbing mercenarism and South Africa's foreign policy and peacekeeping objectives, as private security companies (PSCs) and private military companies (PMCs) often provide technical assistance needed by African armies.
• While the Act is viewed as a positive effort to address domestic concerns regarding former South African Army operatives destabilizing other countries, there are concerns that its strictness might drive mercenary organizations underground.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2008). SUMMARY Proceedings of the Seminar on the Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. SUMMARY Proceedings of the Seminar on the Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006. 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=SUMMARY Proceedings of the Seminar on the Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006 |date=22 May 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2008summary, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{SUMMARY Proceedings of the Seminar on the Prohibition of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain Activities in Areas of Armed Conflict Act 27 of 2006}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MERCSEMSUM22MAY08.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }