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These two Bills mark an important milestone in the history of the transformation of South Africa and specifically in the history of the South African military.

As a result of the negotiation process, a new force - the National Defence Force - was created on 27 April 1994 comprising the old SADF, the TBVC states' forces, and Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress.

Later, the Azanian Peoples Liberation Army, the armed wing of the PAC, became part of this process.

The new Constitution established a single defence force to be the only, lawful military force in the Republic

The non-statutory forces were identified by a Certified Personnel Register commonly known as the CPR. This, in essence, is a register of the members of MK and Apla which has been verified.

The completion of such a register was an achievement that has gone by largely unrecognised.

Guerrilla formations keep records differently from conventional military forces. The liberation movements kept records in the most difficult of circumstances. They were based in many different countries and records therefore, were not at any one time, in one central point. To avoid the capturing of names was paramount.

In addition, the levels of involvement in an underground, illegal organisation differ widely. Whilst on the one hand, you will find combatants militarily trained, they are housed and protected by civilians who have had no military training whatsoever. Had those civilians been caught and arrested, they would also have paid a high price and would have been imprisoned for many years. Who therefore can be classed as a member of the non-statutory force?

Once settlement was made, it became an arduous and lengthy process to bring all the records into a centralised register. This explains the liberality with which we treated the time frames surrounding the intake and integration process.

I am making this point, to try to explain to the House one aspect of the complexity of the process of integrating different armed formations into a single united military force.

These two Bills, coming as they do 7 - 8 years since the start of the integration process, bear testimony that, to all intents and purposes, this process may now be concluded administratively.

I am pleased to report to the House that with all the problems that can be imagined in the carrying out of this process, the SANDF has successfully managed this process and is now ready to move on.

The Termination of Integration Intake Bill seeks to bring to an end the process of taking in members of MK and APLA for integration purposes.

There will be an intake next month of around 100 persons and a final intake will take place early next year before the final date just to make sure that a door has been left ajar for any latecomers.

The Demobilisation Amendment Bill amends the definition of "closing date" by providing that the closing date shall be 31 December 2002. This new date is fixed to allow members of MK and APLA, who are unable to meet the employment requirements of the SANDF, for various reasons, to demobilise.

On behalf of the SANDF and the DoD, I would like to thank the Portfolio Committee of Defence under the leadership of the Honourable Thandi Modise, for holding a public hearing on these two Bills. This gave the Veterans Associations of both MK and APLA a chance to raise issues of concern with the oversight committee. Recommendations coming from the Committee will be accommodated by the Department.

The successful integration of seven military formations into a single, lawful, loyal, and professional military force is one of democratic South Africa's most shining achievements. This national defence force unites young South Africans around the patriotic duty of defending their country and peoples. I am convinced it will continue to fulfil this function for generations to come.

I therefore urge members to support these two Bills.

Issued by: Ministry of Defence, 18 October 2001