June - Department of Defence

officers and soldiers were to be usedin administering the process smackedof absolute betrayal in their view.A number of factors influencedthis thinking: The soldiers who were preparingmeals for them were simplythe "enemy" who couldnever be trusted overnight. The arrests by the SADFMilitary Police and SAP ofmembers in the assembly areason the pretext of alleged previouscrimes and possible espionageas previous members ofstate security forces seemed toundermine diplomacy in thenegotiation process. The situationactually proved to be ashow of strength and flexingof muscles by the "enemy" inthe eyes of the soldiers. The criteria of selection used,with the approval of theJMCC, and monitored byBMATT, was regardedwith immense suspicion.This required that certaineducational standards and acognitive level of thinking beutilised and some be given atime limit to qualify accordingto their rank levels. Soldiers did not have their militaryqualifications with them,as they were never allowed totake them after qualifying inexile, for obvious reasons. Theprocess then seemed not torecognise their courses. Therewas a feeling of dissatisfactionas the ranks given to individualswere downgraded. TheStatutory Forces were notgoing through this pain and itwas therefore seen as a forcedpure absorption into aEurocentric culture. Violent eruptions were experiencedas the SADF soldiersused tear gas in the mess toexercise "control" and establish"order". As the tensions grewsome "MK" combatants actedin a highly undisciplined andmutinous manner, and theybegan to carry placards. The suspicions, however,seemed not to be unfounded,as some files of the memberswould frequently be found industbins. There was wild talkby the white media andbetween SADF members at thetime as to how the "integrating"forces, with their informalway of doing things, wouldcope with the classical "professional"discipline of the SADF.This, deliberately or not, createdan impression that the NonstatutoryForce members werehalf-baked soldiers, incapableof integrating as a true professionalentity and that theywere therefore obliged toconform to the culture of theSADF. I must admit that onefound it strange that the SADFmilitary intelligence was"unaware" that the NonstatutoryForce memberswere trained both as guerrillafighters and highlyprofessional soldiers.These guerrillas, like the SADFand other Statutory Forces,were born out of rigorousdrilling on the parade groundand more so on hostile foreignterrain where they underwentimmense deprivations.The making of a non-statutorysoldierNon-statutory soldiers weretrained as true cadres according to theprinciples of mission command, andwere able to survive and grow by providingreal-time leadership on theirown without guaranteed sustainablemoral or logistic support.They were trained like all otherprofessional regular military forces inthe world and participated in manybattles outside the RSA borders, someof which were conventional battles. Itshould also be mentioned that womenwere also part of the sharp end, andwere thus required to equal thestandards of their male compatriotsin soldiering.It is a known fact that the doctrinesused and the provision of trainingin some cases was conducted bymilitary superpowers with far greaterresources and experience than theSADF in many respects.I personally regarded these soldiersas having much more disciplinethan the SADF members and theStatutory Forces at the time. This wasbecause the members of non-statutoryelements never had any financialcontractual benefits with own motherbodies. They in fact had signed withtheir lives. They earned no salarieswhatsoever. They had no guaranteeof decent meals and sometimes noneat all. They were far from home andvirtually with no communicationwith their families. They never hadleave or holidays and had to be contentwith bloody battles in hostile foreignterrain, tropical diseases, heavydemands to do their best in trainingdespite all the challenges and so on.These soldiers had to survive foryears without sex, as there were no,or very few female compatriots. Itwas a crime to commit sodomy andtreason to be involved in rape. Thestandard of show discipline was veryhigh at all levels. All were required tostand to attention whenever the mostsenior rank entered the camp, and notonly those that he could see. Youngleaders at section level had absoluteauthority and were also well respectedby their subordinates. They werereally proud of belonging to a familyof true soldiers.These soldiers were proud ofbeing seen in military uniform, fightingside by side in military uniform,acting in public as soldiers in themanner a soldier is expected tobehave, both in and out of uniform.They had immense pride in beingSouth Africans and not a bunch ofdisoriented and divided tribes andraces. They scorned those whojudged others according to the languagethey spoke, their area of originin South Africa or the mere colour oftheir skin. I am not implying that theinequalities of the past were notaddressed, but am merely spellingout how the Non-statutory Forceswere shaped in their homogeneity asa present-day SANDF entity.They understood the honour andconspicuousness of being a soldier asthat of a leading patriot amongmultitudes of other patriots and as acalling. They were very aware of their(Continued on page 40)J U N E 2 0 0 4 • S A S O L D I E R39