Continuity in Change: The SA Army in Transition

This report, introduced by Jakkie Cilliers, provides a snapshot of the South African Army's transition following the end of apartheid. It details the shift from a secretive, racialized force to a democratically overseen institution, while highlighting significant operational and human resource challenges, including 'transformation fatigue', integration delays, and a funding crisis that threatens operational capability.

• The South African military has transitioned from being an 'instrument of racial oppression' to a legitimized institution under a comprehensive system of civilian control and legislative oversight, moving away from the secretive and brutal environment of the former South African Defence Force (SADF).
• By 1998, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was experiencing 'transformation fatigue', institutional overstretch, and poor role-definition, with the SA Army specifically viewed as remaining 'untransformed' despite years of effort.
• The process of integrating various armed forces into a single SANDF has dragged on for over four years without a political decision to terminate it, leading to training system congestion and difficulties in planning.
• A funding crisis and high personnel costs are severely impacting the military's operational readiness, resulting in curtailed training, procurement delays, and declining operational capability.
• While progress has been made toward demographic representivity, white officers still disproportionately dominate most rank groups. The expected outflow of white middle-rank officers and NCOs is predicted to severely impact technical skills, discipline, and operational effectiveness.
• The SA Army is undergoing a structural shift toward 'jointness', separating force preparation (the role of the arms of service) from force employment, which is now the responsibility of the Chief of Joint Operations.
• Logistic concepts are being restructured to move from maintaining reserves on wheels to a 'cargo drop system' based on 'just-in-time' rather than 'just-in-case' inventory management, involving increased outsourcing and civilian participation.
• Regional security perspectives, as expressed by Tanzania's head of military intelligence, suggest that Southern African security should be based on consensus and equitable arrangements rather than being dominated by South Africa.

APA

Cilliers, J. (1998). Continuity in Change: The SA Army in Transition. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-26-continuity-in-change-the-sa-army-in-transitionedited-by-jakkie-cilliers

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie. Continuity in Change: The SA Army in Transition. Institute for Security Studies, 1998. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-26-continuity-in-change-the-sa-army-in-transitionedited-by-jakkie-cilliers.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |title=Continuity in Change: The SA Army in Transition |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 1998 |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-26-continuity-in-change-the-sa-army-in-transitionedited-by-jakkie-cilliers |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliers1998continuity, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Continuity in Change: The SA Army in Transition}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1998}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-26-continuity-in-change-the-sa-army-in-transitionedited-by-jakkie-cilliers}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }