Why does South Africa have so many mercenaries?

There are (or at least used to be) indeed a lot of South African mercenaries. I say used to be because many of the people who used to be in the industry are now becoming too old and have stopped their mercenary involvement. read more

During the 90’s, untill 1999, it was not illegal in South Africa to join private military organizations, so it was easy for a lot of those specialist career soldiers to join such groups. One often hear of these South Africans since they are often involved in big operations or big conflicts. read more

Nigeria has drafted “hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa” in its fight against Boko Haram. South Africans have a long-standing reputation as being among the best mercenaries in the world, and have been present in one form or another in most African conflicts for the past two decades. read more

Mann, the son of a South African mother and British father, co-founded a private military firm that fought on the government sides against rebels in Angola and Sierra Leone in the 1990s. At its peak, Executive Outcomes employed about 1,500 South African mercenaries, some of whom are alleged to be in Nigeria today. read more