INTEGRATION OF MILITARY FORCES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE

Abstract

In February 1990 the then State President put 42 years of apartheid ideology to rest and put the country on a new path of hope, by un-banning the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC). Negotiations for a democratic South Africa were initiated and were as inclusive as possible culminating in the Congress for Democratic South Africa (CODESA). The parties concerned negotiated an acceptable political solution for South Africa and in November 1993 the Transitional Executive Authority (TEC) was established. Subsequently the Sub-Council for Defence (SCD) was created. It later created the Joint Military Co-ordinating Council, which was charged with the integration process of all armed forces presented in the TEC. In 1994 the integration of seven military establishments who were former adversaries began in South Africa. This study examines the integration process of these seven armies and the demobilisation of those ex-combatants who could not be integrated into the new South African National Defence (SANDF). The seven armies that were integrated were uMKhonto we Sizwe (MK) and the Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA), the military wings of the ANC and PAC respectively; the former Bantustan Armies of Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei; and the South African Defence Force (SADF). The experiences of Zimbabwe and Namibia are also examined in order to deepen the understanding and analysis of this research paper. These countries have, been chosen because of their similarities with the South African situation. The ex-combatants of these countries have not only shared camps with MK and APLA, but have also inspired them.