Chapter 2 - P rogramme 1 - Department of Defence

| Department of Defence |
Strategic Overview by the
Secretary for Defence, Director-General, Mr J.B. Masilela
and General G.N. Ngwenya, Chief of the South African
National Defence Force
INTRODUCTION
The Department of Defence (DOD) carries out
its mandate of defending and protecting South
Africa in accordance with the Constitution and the
principles of international law.
The Department of Defence’s programmes
contribute to the outcomes of Government’s New
Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD),
as well as the African Renaissance objectives
for economic growth development and its preconditions
of peace and security. Through the
delivery of defence outputs as detailed below,
the Department, within its various clusters,
strives towards its vision of “Effective defence
for a democratic South Africa”. This is pursued
through the following intermediate and interrelated
outcomes: strategic defence cooperation, advanced
by the defence diplomacy initiatives; and peace,
stability and security on the Continent, advanced
by support to multilateral organisations such as
the United Nations, African Union and Southern
African Development Community in particular.
The changed environment, and the increasing
requirements placed on the Department to provide
forces for peace and humanitarian missions,
necessitated the updating of the White Paper on
Defence (1996) and the Defence Review (1998). The
process culminated in the Defence Update (2006),
which redefines the level of capabilities required
within the force design to comply with the current
and expected involvement in peace missions. The
Department continues to play a key partnering
role with the Department of Foreign Affairs in
promoting peace, security and stability in Africa. It
is therefore pursuing a multinational and multilateral
approach in its defence posture.
The current world situation has necessitated a review
of the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance
Act, 1998 (Act No. 15 of 1998). The Prohibition
of Mercenary Activities and Regulation of Certain
Activities in a Country of Armed Conflict Act, 2006
(Act No. 27 of 2006) will regulate the manner in
which private security and military entities of South
African origin operate in such countries.
The DOD has transferred the management and
operations of the Naval Dockyard Simon’s Town to
Armscor. The process should be completed by 2008
financial year.
Foreign policy initiatives
The Department continues to engage with its
regional counterparts in Africa by focusing on the
security-related objectives of the African Union
(AU). The SADC Mutual Defence Pact, the African
Standby Force and the establishment of continental
and regional early-warning centres are still being
designed and developed.
The SANDF has continued to participate in peace
support operations in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire and Sudan
and is expected to contribute to post-conflict
reconstruction activities. Military observers and staff
officers continue to serve at UN missions in Eritrea,
Ethiopia/Somalia and Liberia. The deployment of
xiii Annual Report FY 2007 - 2008
| Strategic Overview |