8 June 2004
Madame Speaker
Honourable Members
Ladies and Gentlemen
The thing that we've learn and listen to is that the Defence Force in the past ten years have been able to keep to the constitution of our country they have been able to change the training of the personnel according to the needs of the constitution and the Bill of Human Rights. They have been able to make sure that men and women who were part of the Bisho Massacre, Lesotho raid Cuito Carnavalle, Magoo Bombers respect human rights and became proud defenders of the constitution. They have been able to become angels of the new democracy no more defending tiny pots, or race or colour but upholding the constitution which governs all of us. It has kept to its vision, which is in accordance with the constitution. That is effective defence for a democratic South Africa, enhancing National, Regional and Global security through balanced, modern, affordable and technology advance defence capabilities with its mission being.
To provide, manage, prepare and employ defence capabilities commensurate with the needs of South Africa, as regulated by the constitution, national legislation and parliamentary and executive direction.
We will be able to illustrate, the unity and growing patriotism amongst members of the defence, who are common in carrying forward the vision and mission of this Government what separates them in their mission of fighting poverty and fight for a substantial peace in Africa, because they know the issues confronting Africa.
Statistically
| Operation | African | White | Coloured | Asian | Total |
| OP MISTRAL | 1206 | 100 | 77 | 4 | 1387 |
| OP FIBRE | 1034 | 134 | 296 | 2 | 1466 |
The breakdown on the South African Soldiers that is deployment at the moment is:
What the constitution dictates of the Defence to do Chapter II
That is the proud defence force that we are talking of the one that have made everyone of us proud about its performance. They have traveled and walked every path and road around the continent. They have preserved and defended the poor those who have no rights they have defended South Africans to enjoy their voting rights three times nationally. They have protected your skies; they have been defending your maritime from depletion. They have contributed to the fight against crime with no brutality involve with the discipline that was clearly spelt out by the Chief of Defence in our portfolio committee meeting that he had to assist with language, and that they continue to make us proud in the African continent.
In the 10yrs of democracy the defence force has come of age. It has tried and gone through the White Paper and the Defence review. The remarks made by the Minister of the difficulty he finds himself in, is following steadfast after the speech of the President that said in the State of the Nation address on Friday, 21 May 2004.
"We shall, in the coming months, conduct a thorough review of the impact of socio-economic transformation on Social cohesion within communities and across society as a whole, including such qualitative issues as non-racialism and non-sexism. The role and place of family value systems, identity and moral regeneration. We hope that this exercise, which will involve structures of civil society, will help us better to understand who are and better appreciate other matters that impact on quality of life beyond the material.
That is what we're also confronted with as everybody begins to vote for the ANC, as everybody is prepared to lay his life for the stability of Africa. We should be asking ourselves where are we going to, the pride we use to have in defending our country, you beginning to feel and hear in the defence as they uphold the constitution as people or agents black and white infiltrate cells of people who're trying a coup. You ask yourself is the strategic business plans based on this? When we do the Defence review it is for us to see the relevance of the quota system affirmative action are these policy imperatives still relevant, we say these are challenges, those of us who were looking for votes and renewing the mandate. Doors were opened by black and white, we need to talk about Minister of Foreign Affairs made a substantial contribution last week about the direction that we are taking as a country and a department, and our Ministry have conceded that we're going to have to put up with the direction that say we pull or minimize the involvement the support to the Police and increase our role of taking a productive role by engaging in the peacekeeping mission and help to build and defend the poor in the African Continent.
What she said over the past ten years "Our involvement in world affairs has been premised on the view that the strength of our nation depends on the strength of the entire continent." "Hence too our efforts in consolidating an African agenda, in co-operating with the African Diaspora and in working together with other partners to create a better more humane and people centred world"
She went on describing the lesson she had learned on her trips and the launch of the Peace and Security Council expressing the view that the people who were in this meeting were agreeing with us that we should all of us strive and remain focused on issues related to peace, stability, democracy and people-centred sustainable development on the African continent bringing an end to poverty and in contributing to an equitable world order where there is harmony between the world's people.
This do mean that the DOD will have to restructure and refocus and develop its structure and in relation to this policy direction, the efforts they have put in of building a new democratic soldier will have to follow, the budget that we are voting in now will in the future have to follow some of this policy direction, because this has been expressed by the President of South Africa our role versus NEPAD will have to systematically be planned. I'm not saying Chief of the Defence it is not happening, I'm just saying our plans will have to be enhanced to strengthen this because it is clear that the issue of Morale, threat, capacity building will have to be addressed in relation to this direction. It means the Strategic Business Plan will have to help in relation for this direction. The role of the defence industry will have to be done in relation to this not new but we will have to get everything.
The Transformation of the Military Legal System
The Minister decided to set up a Ministerial Task Team to investigate the possibility of transforming the Military Legal System. This decision was informed by the numerous grievances received by both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence with complaints of victimization of particularly black members by senior white officers using the legal system.
For example in 2002 the Defence Intelligence carried out an investigation in a case involving two members of the Military Police Unit who had been sentenced by the Military Court to imprisonment. The two members had lodged a complaint with the Minister of Defence to the effect that charges laid against them were fabricated and that most of the procedures followed in court were flawed. The findings of this investigation concluded that there were indications that the charges might have been fabricated and that there was a possibility of collusion between the senior officers to implicate and make a finding of guilty in this case.
And again the Ministerial Task Team which was set up by the Minister to investigate the circumstances that let to the "Tempe killing" in 1999, recommended that the Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act, 16 of 2000 be looked into to enquire the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Act.
In 2003, the Minister set up a Ministerial Task Team to investigate the transformation of the Defence Secretariat with a view to build capacity and to enhance the quality of work therein. This Ministerial Tasks Team also recommended that a separate Task Team should be set up to specifically deal with the transformation of the Military Legal System.
In December 2003 the Minister set up a Ministerial Task Team to look into the transformation of the Military Legal System
Members of the task team
The Minister appointed the following persons to be members of the Task Team.
Terms of Reference
The purpose to provide the Minister of Defence as to how the Military Legal System could be transformed in particular reference to:
Objectives
Progress so far
The Task Team handed its report to the Minister in April 2004. The report is presently being discussed within the department.
Conclusion
This evaluation of the SANDF has highlighted the achievements of the SANDF over the last 10yrs as well as its current major challenges. Our conclusion is that in the course of the last decade the South African military has undergone deep-rooted fundamental change but it has left the SANDF only relatively well positioned to execute its constitutional mission and secondly tasks. In terms of civil-military relations and racial and gender representation, the DOD has achieved stated policy objectives. The new weapons acquisitions in the pipeline, though not enough, will nonetheless enhance the operational capability of the SANDF. Despite this, there are four major challenges that face the military. Firstly, the DOD needs to address the inconsistency between defence policy and the defence budget. Currently the SANDF is overextended in terms of budget realities and this is leading to a general running down of capabilities. In doing so, the DOD must revisit the definition of its primary function and broaden this to include peace missions in Africa as an essential element of the South African defence strategy. Secondly, the DOD must address its internal inefficiencies. The size of the support structures and the rank inflation is disproportionate to the operational capabilities of the SANDF. Thirdly, the DOD must reinvigorate the part-time force to ensure sustainability and affordability in the defence function in South Africa. Finally, the DOD, along with the rest of the nation, must boldly address the AIDS pandemic if it is to prevent the gradual disintegration of the defence force and cripple its capacity to undertake its defence function.
I thank you