South Africa's Post-Apartheid Military - Lost In Transition And Transformation (Paperback)

This timely book examines how the South African National Defence Force has adapted to the new security, political and social environment since 1994.

In South Africa’s changed political state, how has civilian control of the military been implemented and what does this mean for ‘defence in a democracy’, particularly with the army being used to quell gang violence in the townships? This book presents an overview of the security environment, how the mission focus of the military has changed and the implications for force procurement, force preparation, force employment and force sustainability.

The author addresses other issues, such as:

• the effect of integrating former revolutionary soldiers into a professional armed force
• the effect of affirmative action on meritocracy, recruitment and retention
• military veterans, looking at the difficulties they face in reintegrating back into society and finding gainful employment
• gender equality and mainstreaming (including debates around religious dress)
• the rise of military unions and why a confrontational, instead of a more corporatist approach to labour relations has emerged
• HIV/AIDS and the consequences this holds for the military in terms of its operational effectiveness
• the use of a military trained for warfare deployed in peacekeeping duties in urban areas

In closing, the author highlights key events that have caused the SANDF to become ‘lost in transition and transformation’, spelling out some lessons learned and what this means for the future of defence, security and civilmilitary relations. The author has more than 25 years of teaching and research in the field, and this book draws on her past research, but includes recent interviews with key academics and politicians familiar with defence issues, as well as military practitioners.