ECONOMIC REINSERTION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S DEMOBILISED MILITARY PERSONNEL

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the economic reinsertion of demobilised military personnel in South Africa, focusing on the challenges faced by former soldiers from both statutory and non-statutory forces. It analyzes the mismatch between the skills of demobilised personnel—who are predominantly unskilled or semiskilled—and the demands of a South African labour market that increasingly favors skilled workers. The document provides a profile of demobilised soldiers, evaluates the effectiveness of the SANDF's reintegration efforts, and offers recommendations for improving employment outcomes through targeted reskilling and public-private partnerships.

• The integration of former statutory and non-statutory forces into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was functionally effective and increased the force's legitimacy, but the resulting size (over 100,000 members) necessitated a rationalisation process to reach a core strength of 70,000 members by April 2002.
• Demobilised personnel face significant unemployment, particularly among younger cohorts. In a sample of 307 former soldiers, 37% were unemployed, with the rate rising to 43% for those aged 19 to 30.
• There is a stark disparity in employment outcomes based on education; 65% of full-time employed respondents had attained grade 12 or higher, compared to only 35% of those who were unemployed.
• Military training has provided little to no value for civilian employment. Among the one-third of respondents who received military training, 77% stated it did not help them find a job.
• Former military personnel expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the support provided by the SANDF upon their departure. 99% of unemployed respondents and 90% of employed respondents felt the SANDF had not done enough to assist them.
• The South African labour market is undergoing a structural shift where unskilled jobs are disappearing while demand for skilled and semiskilled workers grows. Between 1995 and 1999, 567,504 unskilled jobs were lost, while 266,288 new jobs were created overall.
• The Service Corps, established to assist in reskilling former combatants, was largely ineffective because its training focused on low-level skills (such as motor mechanics and bricklaying) that were already abundant in the civilian economy, and it offered no managerial training.
• The report recommends a policy shift from transforming security institutions to redressing the socio-economic plight of those adversely affected by demobilisation, suggesting the creation of Citizen Force units based on the tradition of the armed struggle to provide part-time employment.
• To improve employability, the report suggests that lower-skilled personnel must become 'double or multiskilled' to compete in an urban economy where the supply of labour exceeds demand for semiskilled and unskilled roles.

APA

Liebenberg, I., & Roefs, M. (n.d.). ECONOMIC REINSERTION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S DEMOBILISED MILITARY PERSONNEL. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono61.pdf

Chicago

Liebenberg, Ian, and Marlene Roefs. ECONOMIC REINSERTION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S DEMOBILISED MILITARY PERSONNEL. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono61.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Liebenberg |first1=Ian |last2=Roefs |first2=Marlene |title=ECONOMIC REINSERTION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S DEMOBILISED MILITARY PERSONNEL |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono61.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{liebenbergndeconomic, author = {Liebenberg, Ian and Roefs, Marlene}, title = {{ECONOMIC REINSERTION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S DEMOBILISED MILITARY PERSONNEL}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono61.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }