HEADLINE:   Voluntary army service    

PUBLICATION: Mercury    

PAGE NUMBER: 1

AUTHOR:     Zubeida Jaffer

DATE:       2000-10-05 10:50:11

MINISTER RULES OUT CONSCRIPTION

Voluntary army service on cards 

MILITARY conscription is not on the cards, but voluntary national service for both young men and women is a strong possibility.

The department of defence was examining different scenarios to build up a part-time force, said Deputy Defence Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge.

"The principle upon which we are working is that it will not be compulsory," she said in an interview with The Mercury.

Such voluntary national service would create the possibility for young people to be trained and obtain skills.

"There are many young people who come out of school and have not made up their minds about what they want to do," she said.

"This will allow them to be involved in some kind of organised disciplined activity which may lead them to choose a career with the defence force."

She quashed earlier suggestions that compulsory military conscription was an option being considered by the ministry and said the need to create a part-time force was within the parameters of the defence review and the white paper on defence.

This policy framework required the setting up of a small but professional full-time force which could be rapidly expanded when the need arose, and this had been accomplished with the rationalised force.

The next stage was to consider how to recruit for a part-time force.

Honour

Ms Madlala-Routledge will speak in parliament today when both houses will jointly honour the peacetime role of the defence force.

Parliament's presiding officers, Dr Frene Ginwala and Ms Naledi Pandor, have convened the joint sitting to honour defence force units which have been involved in recent humanitarian initiatives locally and within southern Africa.

About 120 of the top military brass will be in the house today to receive a special award. Among those present will be defence force chief Siphiwe Nyanda, defence secretary January Masilela and the eight chiefs of service.

Ms Madlala-Routledge expects there to be a series of consultations and discussions with organisations such as the Youth Commission to consider the benefit of national service to young people.

"I am positive that there will be support for the idea," she said. "It will encourage the idea of young people being of service when there are floods, fires and other problems facing their communities."

She said there was a problem in drawing people from previously disadvantaged communities into the South African National Defence Force and that recruitment for a part-time force could provide "a rich resource base to identify the best".

Training in a disciplined environment would cover a range of skills more suited to peacetime conditions.

"Recently, we have helped with the cholera problem in KwaZulu-Natal and the floods both here and in Mozambique," said Ms Madlala-Routledge.

"The question is how to use military resources for humanitarian causes in times of peace."