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| Title: | The Transformation of the South African Military |
| Author: | Kynoch, Gary |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Periodical: | Journal of Modern African Studies |
| Volume: | 34 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Period: | September |
| Pages: | 441-457 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | South Africa |
| Subjects: | civil-military relations armed forces Military, Defense and Arms Politics and Government |
| External link: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/161380 |
| Abstract: | With the South African withdrawal from Angola, Namibian independence, F.W. De Klerk's 'downsizing' of the armed forces, and definite moves towards the first inclusive elections in South Africa's history, it seemed that the military's influence in politics would diminish. The military elite reached an agreement with the ANC to incorporate the armed forces of the liberation movements and the homelands to form the new South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Although the SANDF has been promoted as a model for national reform and reconciliation, an examination of recent developments suggests that no significant 'transformation' has yet occurred, and that the ostensibly more enlightened and progressive SANDF differs very little from the old SADF (South African Defence Force). It adheres rigidly to political realism, supports the expansion of a massive defence industry and international arms trade, and manages to retain a budget grossly out of proportion with the legitimate security needs of the country. Given these factors, it is difficult to see how the SANDF will make a positive contribution to the nation's Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Notes, ref. |
