| South African National Defence Force |
|
|---|---|
| Current form | 1994 |
| Service branches | South African Army South African Navy South African Air Force South African Military Health Service |
| Headquarters | Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Jacob Zuma |
| Minister of Defence and Military Veterans | Lindiwe Sisulu |
| Chief of the South African National Defence Force | Solly Shoke |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18-49 |
| Available for military service |
10,354,769 males, age 18-49 (2005), 10,626,550 females, age 18-49 (2005) |
| Fit for military service |
4,927,757 males, age 18-49 (2005), 4,609,071 females, age 18-49 (2005) |
| Reaching military age annually |
512,407 males (2005), 506,078 females (2005) |
| Active personnel | 74,000 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $US 3.16 billion |
| Percent of GDP | 1.1% (2010-2011) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Denel, Reutech Radar Systems, Thales, Paramount Group |
| Foreign suppliers | BAe, Saab, ThyssenKrupp, AgustaWestland |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of South Africa |
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The military as it exists today was created in 1994,[1][2] following South Africa's first post-apartheid national elections and the adoption of a new constitution. It replaced the South African Defence Force (SADF), and included personnel and equipment from the SADF and the former homelands forces, as well as personnel from the former guerrilla forces of some of the political parties involved in South Africa, such as the African National Congress's Umkhonto we Sizwe, the Pan Africanist Congress's APLA and the Self-Protection Units of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).[1] The SANDF is subdivided into four branches, the South African Army, the South African Air Force, the South African Navy, and the South African Military Health Service.[3] The South African Special Forces Brigade is a separate special forces unit under the direct command of the Joint Operations division of the SANDF.
As of 2004, the integration process was considered complete, with the integrated personnel having been incorporated into a slightly modified structure very similar to that of the SADF, with the latter's structure and equipment for the most part being retained.
Due to integration problems, financial constraints, and other issues, the U.S. government is not alone when its diplomats considered in 2005 that the South African military was 'rapidly crumbling.'[4]
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Four armed services make up the forces of the SANDF:[3]
The South African Commando System was a territorial militia active until 2008, based upon local units from the size of company to battalion. In its final years its role was to support the South African Police in internal security, During such deployments the units came under Police control.
The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President from one of the armed services. The current commander is General Solly Shoke. He in turn is accountable to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.
Recent peacekeeping actions by the South African military include an invasion of Lesotho in order to restore the democratically-elected government after a coup, as well as extensive contributions to United Nations and African Union peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. An operation to Sudan has just recently been started and is scheduled to be increased to Brigade strength in the next few months.
The SANDF commander consults with members of several councils and committees and chairs the Defence Command Council (DCC), which oversees the defence budget. On the DCC are the four service chiefs, the chief of the National Defence Force staff, the military inspector general, the chiefs of defence headquarters staff divisions, and other key defence officials. Headquarters responsibilities are allocated among six staff divisions—the Finance Division, the Intelligence Division, the Logistics Division, the Joint Operations Division, the Personnel Division, and the Planning Division.
Recently a large-scale programme was launched to re-equip the SANDF with warships and submarines being purchased in Germany and fighter jets being purchased in Sweden and the United Kingdom. This has been controversial due to the great cost and reports of corruption in the awarding of contracts.
Issues that face the SANDF include a severe shortage of pilots and naval combat officers, due to the replacement of white officers from the former SADF with appointments from the old liberation forces, none of which ever had any aviation or maritime components. The loss of trained personnel and the decommissioning of much needed equipment due to funding issues, high HIV-rates amongst personnel and the fact that SANDF infantry soldiers are some of the oldest in the world, all raise questions regarding the current fighting efficiency of the SANDF. Some of these issues are being addressed with the introduction of the Military Skills Development (MSD) programme, as well as aggressive recruitment and training by the Reserve Force Regiments. Funding shortages also cause problems.[5]
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