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ACCELERATING TRANSFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION

MADAM SPEAKER,
HONOURABLE MEMBERS,

I am honoured to present the Defence Vote.

Our overarching goal is to transform the armed forces to become reflective of our democratic society, and to ensure reliable, effective, affordable and loyal Defence.

Symbolic of this change is the new name of our main military base outside Pretoria-Thaba Tshwane.

This process will continue to ensure that our National Defence Force embraces our national culture.

The navy has been in the forefront by renaming their strike craft after famous warriors from our common history, and I applaud them for setting the right example.

11. ACHIEVEMENTS IN TRANSFORMATION

DEMILITARISATION

We have fundamentally transformed the militaristic character of the former Defence establishment:

Massive reductions in military spending have diverted state resources to socio-economic upliftment and to the fight against crime.

Defence spending has dropped from 4.5% of Gross Domestic Product in 1989 to 1.5% of GDP now, and as a percentage of total Government expenditure, it is down from 15.6% in 1989, to around 5% now.

Our comprehensive ban on anti-personnel land mines, was an historic landmark in the campaign to secure a universal ban.

We have taken further action in stamping out the scourge of mercenary activity through the passing into law of the Foreign Military Assistance Act.

INTEGRATION AND REPRESENTIVITY

Madam Speaker

The full complement of our Full Time Force is 93 000 of whom 70% are black and 30% white.

However, the overwhelming number of ordinary troops are black, whilst a large majority of officers and NCOs are white.

29% of all officers are black- as compared to 22% last year and 1% in the old SADF.

In dealing with Integration, I make no apologies for using colour labels as a measure of progress.

Integration is virtually complete and stands as a key achievement.

The final intake is due in July for the last batch of MK and APLA members.

The audit of former SADF personnel is underway and will be thoroughly verified to ensure that all have legitimately qualified for their ranks.

Of almost 29 000 registered MK, and 6 000 APLA members, almost 28 000 have reported for integration and 7 000 chose to demobilise.

The number that have chosen to remain in the SANDF is 16 640 - of whom 1552 are officers.

To date, we have appointed 15 black generals - although 3 have retired and another is deceased - 29 brigadiers colonels and lieutenant colonels, 302 majors and 456 captains.

But to be frank much more needs to be done at the middle and junior rank levels.

More specifically, of all senior ranks - that is, brigadier-generals to generals: former MK and APLA officers constitute nearly 19%.

In middle ranks from majors to colonels: they constitute 12%.

And in junior ranks from 2nd lieutenant to captain: they constitute 17%.

Our challenge is to ensure the functioning of a team of top leaders who work together in partnership - irrespective of background - as the new command core of a modern professional army, ready to take our military into the 21st Century.

The picture will continue to change given the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action programmes, and our demographic realities.

Momentous changes are underway.

This week General Nyanda succeeds General Meiring as Chief of the SANDF.

I am sure I have the support of the whole House in congratulating General Nyanda on his historic appointment.

We wish him every success for the future, and we express our appreciation to General Meiring for his years of service and his dedicated role in shaping the new SANDF.

At the end of June, General Ramano succeeds General Otto as Chief of the Army.

I would like to congratulate General Ramano and to wish him well in his post, and to acknowledge General Otto's service.

General Lambert Moloi has retired from the defence force on reaching the age of 65.

My appreciation to him for the outstanding role he has played in shaping the new SANDF and for his heroic contribution in bringing freedom and democracy to our country.

It also gives me great pleasure to congratulate General Masuku who became Chief of the Defence Medical Services in December 1997.

At the end of June, Major-General Motau becomes Chief of Defence Intelligence.

The present incumbent, General Verbeeck, is due to retire and my good wishes to both of them.

I would also like to thank the Chaplain General, General De Witt, who retires at the end of September, and announce the appointment of Brigadier-General Gqiba who will succeed him them.

In the past year the following are amongst those who have been promoted:

General Ferreira, as Chief of Joint Operations;
General Coetser, as Chief of Logistics;
General de Vries, as Chief of Joint Training;
General van der Poel, in the Personnel Division; and
General Janse van Rensburg, in the South African Medical Service.

Illustrative of the new face of the SANDF were the appointments last year of the following generals to the provincial territorial commands:

General Matanzima, as Officer Commanding , Eastern Cape;
General van Zyl, as Officer Commanding, Western Cape;
General Ntshinga, as Officer Commanding, Northern Cape;
General Lombard, as Officer Commanding, Gauteng;
General Ngwenya, as Officer Commanding, North West Province;
and General Mgwebi, as Officer Commanding, Mpumalanga.

I want to particularly commend the Navy on the appointment of Rear Admirals Magalefa and Mudimu, and the Air Force on the promotion of Brigadier-General Ngema.

I congratulate all who have been promoted, and we expect their complete loyalty and assistance in transforming the SANDF.

RATIONALISATION AND DOWNSIZING

We have begun reorganising the upper administrative levels in Defence by amalgamating formerly separate administrations for the army, air force, navy and medical service into a single management structure.

This eliminates the duplication of functions and multiplication of expenses.

We are implementing government policy on rationalising bloated structures and our plans are to reduce the defence force from the current level of 93 000 to approximately 70 000 through demobilisation, severance, retirement and resignation.

Of the 9 500 members who left the force this last year:
171 were former APLA members, 293 former MK, over 1 500 former TBVC, and nearly 7 000 former SADF.

Of those who resigned:
25 were ex-APLA, 56 ex-MK, 29 ex-TBVC, and over 1 500 ex-SADF.

Of 599 disciplinary discharges:
108 were ex-APLA, 137 ex-MK, 99ex-TBVC, and 226 ex-SADF.

Of almost 11 000 who took severance packages:
just over 7 900 members were former SADF, and over 2 900 were from the former TBVC.

It is imperative that those who leave must be assisted to qualify for a new career.

We need to be concerned for the lower ranks on short term service with meagre pension rights and benefits.

They are least able to fend for themselves after severance and cannot be cast into the streets to swell the ranks of the unemployed.

I have raised this problem with Cabinet.

There has been too much emphasis on reducing the short term personnel - who happen to generally be black and troops on the ground.

Where we can save on costs is by cutting the bloated administration - inherited from the past.

THE WHITE PAPER AND DEFENCE REVIEW PROCESS.

This past year has been crowned by Parliament's recent endorsement of the Defence Review.

I am not happy with the slow progress in producing a new Defence Act and Military Disciplinary Code, and we have made this our immediate priority.

CONSOLIDATING CIVIL CONTROL

Madam Speaker

The strengthening of the Defence Secretariat is a major area where we have been developing civil control over Defence.

A stronger Secretariat is needed to ensure that the ministry has the necessary managerial capacity for the supervision and implementation of transformation.

TRANSFORMING DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE

Madam Speaker

Defence Intelligence has been in need of transformation.

There have been changes in the top management structure of Defence Intelligence which is to be headed by General Motau, supported by Brigadier-Generals Doncaster, Pitso, Sijake, and Steenkamp.

They will be operating with the Commission looking into Defence Intelligence under Advocate Moerane.

NEW ATTITUDES AND VALUES

To bring the attitudes and values of the military in line with the fundamental principles of our new democracy, our Civic Education programme on "Defence in Democracy" was completed in 1997.

This programme is being implemented throughout the defence force as an integral part of our new military culture.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND GENDER

A gender section has been established within the Equal Opportunities Chief Directorate and tasked, amongst other things to:

Monitor the advancement of women and ensure that they are properly represented.

Ensure that women have every opportunity to participate equally with male colleagues; and
Liaise internationally with other organisations.

Almost 20% of the Department's members are women, and 13% of uniformed members are women.

The SANDF is one of the few armed forces in the world which accept the right of women to serve in combat.

There are women crews in the Artillery and Armoured Corps of the Army, and the air force has women trainee pilots.

The 5th South African Infantry in KwaZulu-Natal deploys women infantry on operational duty.

THE PART TIME FORCE

Regarding the Part Time Forces, I am concerned that several units have been run down and phased out, and that the programme to develop new units based on townships and rural villages has not progressed due to lack of funds.

I want to announce that I intend to prioritise the development of our Part Time Forces.

We must promote the citizen soldier as the basis for Defence, and I will ensure that the Part Time Forces develop to the required level.

No Part Time Force unit is to be disbanded without full consultation between myself and those affected.

The performance of some commando units is being closely evaluated, particularly where local communities have lodged complaints about harassment.

We must guard against units being used as a private police force, or utilised in the interests of one section of the population.

We have prioritised the need to alter the character of such units by:

Ensuring that they become representative;
That they link with the entire community; and
That they become involved in our Civic Education Programme.

VETERANS

We are improving our programme for the re-entry of former combatants into civilian life by strengthening veteran associations - to be co-ordinated by a Veterans Directorate within the Ministry.

SUPPORT FOR THE POLICE

Co-operation with the Police Service, including in the National Crime Prevention Strategy, continues with success.

The SANDF deployed more than 6 000 soldiers daily in the fight against crime and politically inspired violence - organising hundreds of road blocks a month, together with countless foot and vehicle patrols and other activities.

The army and air force have been very active in supporting the police in key trouble spots such as the East Rand, Soweto and other parts of Gauteng, Richmond, and other parts of KwaZulu-Natal,. the Cape flats, and other parts of the Eastern Cape such as Tsolo.

As a result of Cabinet's decision we have also taken over the total responsibility for border patrolling, thus alleviating the police of this responsibility and allowing them to concentrate on fighting crime.

ASSISTING THE GOALS OF RECONSTRUCTION'S AND DEVELOPMENT.

I am proud of the fact that, in the past year, many useful tasks were carried out in times of natural disasters or humanitarian needs, notably:

Search and rescue operations on land and sea, naval patrols to deter poaching , and fire fighting such as in the Plettenberg Bay area recently.

OUR REGIONAL ROLE

Our humanitarian support and assistance in the region has included:

Training for mine clearance in Angola and Mozambique;
Air lifting supplies to Rwandan refugees; and
Air support for the Tanzanian flood relief effort.

Following our successful joint regional exercise in Zimbabwe last year, we are hosting a follow-up -Exercise Blue Crane - planned for September this year.

And our navy participated in a successful joint exercise off the East African Coast.

111. EVALUATION AND POLICY PRIORITIES

Madam Speaker

With transformation on such a massive scale, problems and setbacks are to be expected.

Most disturbing has been the massive theft of weapons from the 44th Parachute Brigade in Bloemfontein.

A full investigation of the arms theft is underway - involving all elements of our security services, co-ordinated by the relevant Ministers and their Deputies, and reporting on a daily basis to the Presidency.

No effort is being spared to track down the culprits.

A military Board of Enquiry is investigating - amongst other things - this lapse of security, and I have issued instructions for the tightening of security at all bases and arms stores.

I have repeatedly issued such instructions since 1994, and I am perturbed that this major theft could have occurred so easily.

I await the full explanation from the military chain of command which has the responsibility for the security of these bases and arms stores.

Discipline starts at the top.

It is not merely for the ordinary foot soldier.

It must be demonstrated by example from the very top.

The discipline of commanding officers can be judged in the first instance by the way they implement government directives.

Two years ago, the 44th Parachute Brigade commemorated - without seeking my permission - their operation at Cassinga - the site of the notorious massacre of Namibian refugees.

Recently I had to intervene to cancel an attempt - by the same Brigade - to hold a "Paratroopers Remembrance Weekend" on the anniversary of the Cassinga massacre.

The defiance of government authority will not be tolerated.

And I re-emphasise my intention to accelerate the pace of change.

The evaluation of senior officer's performance will be informed by their attitude to transformation and their respect for our democracy.

1V BUDGETING FOR A PEACE DIVIDEND

Madam Speaker

There are aspects of the Budget that I wish to clarify.

The amount to be voted for this financial year is R9,721 million .

This amount includes the carry through effect on the 1997/98 salary improvements of almost R572 million.

When taking these amounts into account, and with some minor adjustments, the actual figure of this year's budget - compared to last year - is R9,201 billion an actual reduction over last year of R378 million.

As I have repeatedly emphasised, a major problem has been replacing ageing equipment which is most pressing in the case of the navy and more so given the important role that it stands to play in the African Renaissance.

Cabinet has accepted that essential equipment's can be linked to strategic Defence and trade co-operation programmes with international partners.

Such agreements will boost our economy, stimulate industry and trade, and create jobs.

Our decisions regarding the strategic packages will soon be finalised so that we can begin our re-equipment programme.

The challenge of this Budget is to improve cost efficiency in the medium term by rationalising structures and transforming the SANDF in accordance with our Defence Review.

This will reduce our Personnel and Operational costs, and increase the amount available for Capital costs from under 10% at present to 30% over the next three years.

Achieving this will enable us to substantially handle our major capital acquisition within the Defence budget.

V CONCLUSION

My very able Deputy Minister, the Hon. Mr. Ronnie Kasrils, will elaborate on some of the issues.

I would like to thank him for his dedicated and tireless service.

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