An innocent 21st party this week which turned into a drunken orgy ended with running battles between military medical students, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Military Police (MPs).

Taking control of strategic points in stairwells and passages at the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) training formation barracks in Thaba Tshwane, students who were placed "on guard" in case of intervention by officers, hurled bottles and furniture at MPs trying to restore order while others continued frolicking in their rooms.

MPs tried several times to gain a foothold in the buildings but were repeatedly beaten back, with several being attacked by students brandishing fire extinguishers.

In an unprecedented move MPs called on the SAPS for assistance.

Police from throughout the city, including the highly trained Flying Squad, responded.

Within minutes police and MPs were swarming through the compound removing road barricades, kicking in doors and dragging naked troops caught in sexual throes from their rooms.

Many of those involved in the orgies were not soldiers. They, along with scores of cases of liquor, had been smuggled through the base gates hidden in the boots of cars and beneath seats.

MPs involved in the "battle" said this had never occurred before.

"It is a complete shambles. It was a full-on battle. Discipline here and the respect for the military has vanished. It is an utter disgrace," said one MP.

The MP, along with several colleagues, was among the first to try and restore order.

"It was raining glass. Every time we tried to get near there were whistles and then bottles would come raining down on us.

"There was nowhere we could get in without bottles and bits of furniture being hurled at us. They were throwing stuff from the third floor, from stairwells and from fire escapes.

"They had hidden themselves under stairs, in fire escapes and other corners and would attack us whenever we came near," the MP said.

Another MP said he, along with police, had pulled several soldiers from rooms hosting sexual festivals.

"In one room there was a soldier with two women. In another there were four soldiers and six women. They were all naked and in various stages of intercourse.

"I have never seen anything like this. I cannot believe that this has happened. The military is in serious trouble when this happens."

The battle, which lasted for nearly an hour, ended with arrest of more than 50 SAMHS members of various ranks.

Ten of them appeared in court this week on charges ranging from public violence, disobeying lawful command, prejudice to military discipline, riotous and unseemly behaviour to malicious damage to property and common law assault.

More charges could be added to the charge sheet which has yet to be finalised. If found guilty they could be discharged.

Military analyst Helmoed Heitman said the incident suggested a total collapse of leadership.

"Soldiering is about being disciplined, competent and honest and if you do not have these three your defence force people will die.

"Soldiers do not have to like you but they have to respect you and they will respect you if you are competent, honest, fair and set an example.

"If you have good leaders this will not happen *1," he said.

Heitman said it was a minority of soldiers and not the majority who were ill-disciplined. "The problem is the unwillingness to deal with the minority," he said.

He said recent signs of ill-discipline had been seen with people in defence force unions "apparently" threatening to make the country ungovernable if not heard, threatening to disrupt Parliament and sloppy-looking soldiers protesting outside court over Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota's speeding saga.

"The problem is that ever since we underwent transformation *2 our defence force has been reluctant to enforce discipline for fear of retribution.

"It is all very well for the minister and senior officers to pontificate about discipline but when you have a brigadier-general producing forged degree certificates remaining a brigadier-general or when you have another brigadier-general cheating on an exam being demoted to a lieutenant-colonel and then given a consolation prize and sent on a foreign staff course, how can you expect junior soldiers to be disciplined?" he asked.

Heitman said: "If you have bad, ill-disciplined officers you cannot be surprised if you have ill-disciplined troops. The bottom line is that discipline starts at the top *3. You set the tone at the top and once you do this people fall in line and look towards you and respect the leadership

"The trouble is that we do not get rid of the scum *4 and this is grossly unfair to the good soldiers."

Institute of Security Studies military expert Henri Boshoff said it all started with discipline in a unit. "An incident of ill-discipline is never meant to go as far as the MPs, never mind the civilian police.

"To call in the MPs is already a crisis. It is something that you do not even dream about *5."

With acknowledgements to Graeme Hosken and Cape Argus.