[The Republic of South Africa]: The government is considering writing off the debt owed to it by several African countries, said Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Briefing the media at parliament, she said the debt dated from the apartheid era, before the first democratic elections in 1994, and was granted by the previous government.

The countries involved included the Central African Republic, Gabon and Mozambique, but there were others as well.

It did not appear there was any chance of getting the money back, and writing off the debt could be the best way to deal with the issue, she said.

It was not clear how much money was involved, but Dlamini-Zuma pledged to check up on the matter.

SAPA, IOL (South Africa), February 9, 2004