Chameleons in Uniform: The South African Military in the 'Total Strategy' and Transition Periods

Abstract

From its inception the South African military was an almost exclusively white institution that acted as the guarantor of white rule. In the mid-1970s, because of various developments in the regional security environment, the military establishment began to change its approach to the majority black population. The South African Defense Force (SADF) recognised that the active support of segments of the black population was essential if white dominance was to be maintained. Thus began a period in which the SADF laboured to satisfy the racist agenda of the apartheid state, while at the same time attempting to build and maintain the most powerful military force possible. During the social, political and military upheavals of the 'total strategy' (1978-1989) and transition (1990-1994) periods, the SADF leadership proved to be quite adaptable as they maneuvered to both advance and protect the interests of the armed forces. Dominated by Afrikaners, the military was commonly characterised as the last bastion of apartheid, a conservative institution that would resist any challenges to white hegemony. Instead, the SADF demonstrated that its foremost priority was not the maintenance of strict racial segregation and minority rule, but rather the formation and protection of a strong military. In the end, institutional rather than nationalist concerns took precedence. This pattern appears to have carried over to post-apartheid South Africa as the old guard of the SADF and the former guerrillas who fought against the apartheid state have formed an effective military lobby in the new South African National Defence Force.