Bringing Black Volunteers into the Part-Time Forces

The document advocates for a flexible, part-time volunteer system within the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to improve community security and stability. It highlights a successful 1994 pilot in Mpumalanga where black volunteers were recruited and trained to combat illegal immigration, cattle theft, and smuggling along the Mozambican border. The author argues that this model of community-based security, which also extends to nature reserves, fosters self-sufficiency, discipline, and regional stability, and should be scaled nationally to support South Africa's broader social and economic reconstruction.

• A pilot volunteer program in Mpumalanga province successfully addressed lawlessness and border security issues following the Mozambican civil war. By recruiting and training black volunteers from traditional areas close to the border, the SANDF enabled local inhabitants to protect themselves against illegal immigration, drugs, weapons smuggling, and cattle theft.
• The Mpumalanga volunteer initiative demonstrated significant operational success through community cooperation. Forty recruits, operating in pairs with radios, were responsible for arresting over 1,000 illegal immigrants and confiscating firearms, stolen cattle, and dagga since November 1994.
• The part-time volunteer model was extended in August 1995 to nature reserves, where game rangers receive training in military subjects—including patrolling, fieldcraft, and advanced musketry—to improve the conservation of endangered species.
• The author contends that a national part-time volunteer corps would benefit South Africa beyond security by creating a disciplined, skilled workforce capable of transitioning into the business sector and contributing to economic growth and foreign investment.

APA

Phosa, M. (1996). Bringing Black Volunteers into the Part-Time Forces. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-1-get-on-parade-restructuring-south-africas-part-time-military-force-for-the-21st-century-edited-by-jakkie-cilliers-/bringing-black-volunteers-into-the-part-time-forces

Chicago

Phosa, Mathews. Bringing Black Volunteers into the Part-Time Forces. Institute for Security Studies, 1996. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-1-get-on-parade-restructuring-south-africas-part-time-military-force-for-the-21st-century-edited-by-jakkie-cilliers-/bringing-black-volunteers-into-the-part-time-forces.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Phosa |first1=Mathews |title=Bringing Black Volunteers into the Part-Time Forces |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 1996 |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-1-get-on-parade-restructuring-south-africas-part-time-military-force-for-the-21st-century-edited-by-jakkie-cilliers-/bringing-black-volunteers-into-the-part-time-forces |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{phosa1996bringing, author = {Phosa, Mathews}, title = {{Bringing Black Volunteers into the Part-Time Forces}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1996}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-1-get-on-parade-restructuring-south-africas-part-time-military-force-for-the-21st-century-edited-by-jakkie-cilliers-/bringing-black-volunteers-into-the-part-time-forces}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }