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When South Africans gathered in Kliptown at the Congress of the People in 1955 they declared for the world to know that:

"...The people shall govern, ...there shall be houses...the doors of learning and culture shall be opened...there shall be peace...security and comfort..."

In 1996, the people spoke, through their parliament. They declared:

"...Defence must serve to uphold peace and security in a democratic society so as to create a stable environment for the improvement of our people's lives and for the development and progress of our country,"

And,

"...The SANDF shall have a primarily defensive orientation and posture, and be fully subordinate and accountable to Parliament and the Executive ... South Africa shall pursue peaceful relations with other states."

The people declared that the preferred and primary course of self-defence was to prevent conflict and war, meaning that South Africa will turn to military means only as a last resort, when deterrence and non-violent strategies had failed. We solemnly hope that that day will never come.

They said the SANDF they wanted would be integrated, transformed, representative and at peace with the world. They wanted an SANDF that understood that it had a role in the reconstruction and development programme the RDP.

This is the basis on which the task of fundamentally transforming the Department of Defence and the SANDF has proceeded. It has proceeded from the understanding that defence encompasses human security, linking the needs to secure our citizens from all types of enemies, including disease, unemployment, lack of skills, unequal access to resources, poverty, while contributing to world peace.

Some of the guiding principles for the transformation and integration are:

1) Sound civil military relations
2) Defence as core business of the DOD
3) Alignment with the national policy framework, and
4) Maximisation of the Collateral Utility.

As spelt out in the White Paper and the Defence Review, transformation must at all times be guided by the principle of civilian oversight and scrutiny. This stresses the importance of strengthening the Defence Secretariat so that it can perform its task. Sound civil-military relations entail also a vibrant interaction with civil society, as demonstrated during the Defence Review process.

In the Defence Review of 1996, a number of Force Design options were developed, which reflected different permutations of level of defence, posture and cost. When presented to parliament and cabinet Option One, which provides a core capability with growth potential, was approved subject to available finances.

Although this option was considered sufficient to maintain the "core defence capability", the approval did not constitute blanket approval for all implied capital projects, nor was it an immutable contract in terms of the exact numbers and types of equipment. At best, it constituted approval in principle for the maintenance of the specified capabilities at an approximate level.

This design was the basis for the development of the Strategic Defence Package (SDP). Apart from the required capabilities, the budget allocation at the time indicated a figure of 70 000 full-time force members (including civilians).

This force was found to be unaffordable and unsustainable as its sustainable cost turned out to be approximately R4 100m over the defence budget allocation, which includes allocation for the SDP. The proposed Military Strategy attempts to find ways of achieving an affordable level of defence.

Studies based on this strategy indicated a personnel component of approximately 60 000 full time force members (including civilians), with related reductions in infrastructure, main equipment and units. The exact number and geographic distribution of these is currently under investigation.

Indications are that the force design and structure under investigation, which includes the SDP, will be affordable and sustainable assuming that the defence budget allocation will remain at its current level of 1.7% of GDP. This structure will be able to execute all the missions and contingencies expected of the SANDF, although the reduced resource levels will influence the extent to which the missions will be executed.

The core force concept depends on the ability of the force to expand quickly should the need arise. This depends on the availability of a viable, transformed and integrated, Reserve Force, multi-skilled and diversified at all levels. Such a Reserve Force has great potential to contribute to the RDP and NEPAD.

However, the Reserve Force has not been receiving the attention it deserves, and in the light of the Defence Pact concluded in 2001 within SADC, and the likely requirements once political settlements have been reached in a number of Sub-Saharan countries, immediate steps should be taken to address this issue.

Of importance is the budgetary constraint. To maintain a 35% strength in the Conventional Reserves and almost 75% strength in the Territorial Reserves, some R264 million per annum is required. This budget should reside within the directorate of reserves, and is activity based. The amount may appear large, but is actually small in contrast with the personnel cost of the SA Army regular component, which exceeds R 2,6 billion. The amount excludes operational costs, but allows for a fair recruitment, training and retention of the reserves, as well as integration of ex-MK and ex-APLA members who want to serve in the Reserve Force.

While the core function of our Department is to defend the nation against external aggression, the DOD understands that it has a role in the reconstruction and development programme, the RDP.

Collateral utility means peacetime utilisation of Defence resources for development. Outlined in the Defence Review, collateral utility embodies the DOD's contribution to internal security, peace, stability and development.

I was impressed to learn that our Group Support Base in Oudtshoorn has developed good partnership with the community in a project of distributing books to disadvantaged schools. This demonstrates that the Group Support Base has heard the President's call to the nation to volunteer for the Letsema and Vuk'uzenzele. This also shows that this Group Support Base understands its peacetime mission to be of service to our citizens.

The core force concept also requires that we recruit and train young people who will be disciplined, fit and ready to defend the nation. It requires that our Department selects and keeps the best cadres to fulfil the requirements for achieving a professional and well-trained national defence force.

During 2000 we commenced a process to develop a new HR Strategy aimed at ensuring the availability of the right quantity and quality. The new military skills' development service, aimed at rejuvenating the SANDF and implementing the Skills Development Act is part of the new HR Strategy.

This new integrated employment strategy takes into account issues of equal opportunities and affirmative action. It is critical that we hold line managers and service chiefs accountable for integrating employment equity as part of their work on which their performance will be assessed.

The practice of relegating employment equity to human resource or transformation departments and advisory boards is strategically unsound, as these structures can do no more than provide line management with professional advice, which the latter may choose to ignore.

To ensure the optimal health of our members, the DOD programme on combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and caring for those that are affected is premised on the fundamental principle that HIV/AIDS is one of many chronic, progressive and potentially life-threatening diseases. The launch of the Masibambisane Campaign, focusing on behaviour change and targeting specifically military personnel, has added impetus to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Our Department has been actively involved in developing partnerships with other state departments and the private sector to develop an effective demobilisation programme, to ensure that those who are exiting the SANDF are properly equipped for civilian employment.

Work sessions were held with the support of the US DOD and the Department of Labour. These were the Life Skills Development Programme held from 26 to 30March 2001 and the South African/US Rationalisation Workshop, which took place from 9 to13 July in Pretoria.

The purpose of these workshops was to establish inter-sectoral collaboration with relevant state departments. They are aimed at ensuring that we do not throw unemployed soldiers into the street, but help them to become self-supporting and economically active after they leave active service in the SANDF.

The Military Veterans Advisory Board has made good progress and is now involved in preparations for the launch of the new Military Veterans Federation and hosting the World Veterans Federation Congress in December 2003. The Military Veterans and the DOD are involved in the Freedom Park initiative, which will commemorate and celebrate the history of our struggle for freedom.

We recognise that the present working conditions of soldiers, especially in the lower ranks, are far from satisfactory and we continue to search for ways to improve them. These conditions, which were designed in the previous dispensation for a conscripted army, are not congruent with the notion of a voluntary and professional national defence force.

General Nyanda has begun to explore a more appropriate package for our soldiers who have continued to serve with dedication, despite the poor working conditions and the heavy challenge of the job of being a soldier.

The General has also issued an instruction to all the service chiefs, demanding that they demonstrate their commitment to transformation by backing this commitment with clear programmes and targets for accelerated training and fast tracking the promotion of those who have been historically marginalised.

We have also realised that the situation at the South African Military Health Service needs to be corrected. While the membership of the SAMHS is predominantly female, its top leadership remains white and male. I hope the Surgeon-General will take up the challenge when he fills the vacant posts in SAMHS to target specifically blacks and women as a corrective measure that is long overdue.

Gender transformation remains a daunting task in the DOD. It entails transforming the predominant male culture and adopting special measures to address the obstacles and challenges women soldiers face.

Despite these immense challenges, we have begun to see the results of the DOD gender policies, spearheaded by the Equal Opportunities Directorate. These include policies on Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Sexual Harassment, Fast tracking and Mentorship. I appeal to all senior officers to actively support the work of the Directorate.

The launch in August 2000 of the African Women's Peace Table was acclaimed as a groundbreaking initiative. The DOD hosted a conference bringing together, for the first time women and men from the DOD with women and men from civil society to chart the way for peace in Africa.

The African Women's Peace Table must be strengthened and allocated adequate resources and personnel. This forum has begun to contribute to NEPAD, by creating an opportunity for women soldiers and civil society to interact on issues of peace in the Continent.

South Africa has spearheaded the campaign to rid our country and those of our region and continent of surplus and illegal arms, in order to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands and fuelling the conflicts in Africa.

We have dismantled our military nuclear capability and converted it for non-military use. We campaigned for the ban of anti-personnel mines and our country was among the first to sign the Mines Ban Treaty and has begun drafting enabling legislation as required by the convention.

The DOD has destroyed well over one million kilograms of surplus and redundant small arms in order to curb their re-circulation. The SANDF has in joint operations with the SAPS collected thousands of illegal small arms. The DOD has also participated in combined operations with Mozambique and Lesotho in an effort to curb the proliferation of these small arms, which when they fall into the wrong hands, are used for crime and for fuelling conflicts.

The DOD is involved in developing common regional security measures and contributing to the harmonisation of regional defence policies and legislation. Countries of the region are co-operating on how to strengthen the guarding of our common borders, in the fight against trafficking in arms, drugs and humans.

Indeed, we can truly say, our country is transforming the lives of our people for the better. The Freedom Charter is as alive today as it was in 1955.(1)

(1) The Freedom Charter was adopted by the Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1955

Issued by the Deputy Ministry of Defence