FACING THE FUTURE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY AND TRANSFORMATION

This document consists of conference papers from March 1997 regarding the transformation of the South African Army and the broader South African National Defence Force (SANDF). It outlines the shift toward civil control, representivity, and a new democratic ethos, while detailing the structural reorganization of the Ministry of Defence and the Army's transition toward a 'force provision' mission to support joint operations in a changing regional security environment.

• The transformation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is based on three primary objectives: establishing civil control over defence, achieving broad representivity that reflects the national population, and providing a defence capability that is modern, effective, affordable, and accountable.
• Significant structural changes were implemented in February 1997 to increase civil accountability and efficiency. This included the creation of a new integrated head office called the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which amalgamated separate administrations from Defence Headquarters and the various services, resulting in a projected saving of R300 million.
• The SANDF is working to integrate seven different armies, including the former South African Defence Force (SADF), non-statutory forces (NSF), and the armies of the former homelands of Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei. This process has involved bridging training for former NSF members to address disadvantages and suspicions of simple absorption by the old SADF.
• The mission of the South African Army is shifting away from the classic goal of winning the land battle. Its future role is defined as providing battle-ready and supported troops to the Chief of the SANDF (CSANDF) for employment by a Joint Operations Organisation.
• The South African Army faces several critical current realities, including a dwindling supply of experienced officers and NCOs, ageing equipment, and a drastically reduced budget that has negatively impacted morale, training, and maintenance.
• Defence spending for the 1997/98 period is set at 1.6 per cent of GDP, reflecting a shift toward peacetime conditions and the reprioritisation of government spending toward social development.
• The Army identifies a need to maintain and upgrade specific capabilities to remain effective in the African environment, specifically anti-aircraft, intelligence gathering, anti-armour, engineering, artillery, and the standardisation of the vehicle fleet.

APA

Modise, J. (1997). FACING THE FUTURE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY AND TRANSFORMATION. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_21.pdf

Chicago

Modise, Joe. FACING THE FUTURE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY AND TRANSFORMATION. Institute for Security Studies, 1997. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_21.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Modise |first1=Joe |title=FACING THE FUTURE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY AND TRANSFORMATION |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=April 1997 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_21.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{modise1997facing, author = {Modise, Joe}, title = {{FACING THE FUTURE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY AND TRANSFORMATION}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1997}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/paper_21.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }