Cape Town Racial representivity in the
defence force has changed so dramatically that
almost all privates are black and the military is
having difficulty recruiting young people from
minority groups.
This means in its lower ranks, the South African
National Defence Force has been transformed since
1994 from a white-dominated to a black-dominated
organisation.
It has also emerged that whites in middle-management
positions in the defence force continue to leave in
large numbers, raising concerns about the loss of
essential skills from the SANDF.
Gen Andries de Wit, briefing Parliament’s defence
committee yesterday, said 96% of all privates were
black, with 3,2% white and 0,8% comprising other
minority groups. The target for the military was 76%
black and 24% white.
He said that one of the main challenges of the
Military Skills Development System was that it
“remains difficult to attract youth from minority
population groups and university graduates”.
He also explained that there were two methods by
which soldiers could leave the defence force
voluntarily the Mobility Exit Mechanism and the
Employee Initiated Severance Package and it was
predominantly white members who had used these exit
mechanisms.
Gen de Wit said that since the introduction of exit
mechanism five years ago, 3718 SANDF members had
used it to leave the military. Of these 2496 were
white, 856 were black, 306 coloured and 70 Indian.
In the four years of the severance package, 530
SANDF members had taken voluntary packages and 368
of them were white.
He said that steady progress was being made on
stated objectives such as representivity and the age
profiles of soldiers through the use of the Mobility
Exit Mechanism.
He said 36% of all exits were of white males in
relatively senior ranks, between warrant officers
and colonels, and that 67% of all exits were of
white males.
Gen de Wit said the issue was not about chasing
whites out of the defence force, but was a
correction of the imbalances of the past.
He stressed that when members with scarce skills
asked for an exit, their request could be refused by
the defence department.