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75 years old this month, the South African Defence Force (SADF) has changed immeasurably since it was founded after Union. But it is still a mass of contradictions and an ethnic hotch-potch. But it

functions well — perhaps because it does not realise what a strange organisation it is

he SADF, 75 years ago this month, arose like a phoenix from the still- Tglowing ashes of one of the most frat­ ricidal, endlessly tragic and utterly needless wars SA has ever seen. Yet one good thing that emerged from the ggle was a grudging but mutual respect, just 10 years later Boer and Brit clasped « hands — not altogether willingly or happily, perhaps — and the Union Defence Force, later the SADF, was born. It was an act of faith or perhaps unfound­ ed optimism, given the circumstances, but it worked, and 75 years later it is still working. It has changed, of course. Its soldiers fight now with tank and 155 mm gun-howitzer, light machine-gun and Mach 2 fighter in­ stead of rifle and bushveld pony. Its com­ plexion has changed, figuratively and literal­ ly. Men of all races and cultures now serve in its ranks. But willy-nilly the old khaki magic and decades of custom, usage, habit and tradition still bind it together. The SADF is a strange organisation born of a strange country. It helps to prop up a white-ruled government, yet it attracts more volunteers of other races than it can train, and the ones that do get in serve loyally and enthusiastically.

re — but unseen It can muster more fighting troops than any other nation in Sub-Saharan Africa — but for most of the year they are invisible, and have to be summoned to a deafening chorus of moans and groans (although they are all right once they get down to it). It hammers the kill-your-enemy doctrine into its troops on all occasions — but it is studded with priests, pastors and ministers of 33 different churches who constantly exhort the doctrine of the Prince of Peace. It is the statutory tool of a ruling group that has existed for almost 40 years on a doctrine of racial separation — but white troops salute black officers without giving it a second thought. It embodies all sorts of ethnic traditions and somehow manages to digest them all, so that some of its soldiers wear the red coats of the British Empire, others swagger around in kilts, still others adhere to the more sober tongue is a weird and, to the outsider, often It has fought through several rebellions, usages of the Boer commandos; most present almost incomprehensible lingo made up of two world wars and the smaller but no less arms in the normal way, but the Zulu sol­ extracts from all its parts, intermingled with deadly conflict in Korea. Its honoured dead diers of 121 Battalion port their rifles and military jargon old and new, cryptic abbre­ — white, black, brown — lie buried in slap their magazines as their ancestors once viations and the odd Swahili word left over France, in Flanders, in the burning sands of rattled their short stabbing-spears against from World War 2. the Western Desert, in ancient Palestine, in their ox-hide shields. Italy, in India and places as unlikely as It is a veritable Tower of Babel — it Belgrade. speaks English and Afrikaans in a dozen different dialects and regional accents, Battles, but not wars and Xhosa, Venda It has lost skirmishes and battles, but it and Sotho, Portu­ has never lost a war or a campaign. At this guese and Ovambo, moment it is involved in yet another war, and Nama and Kavango believes it is winning that one too although it — but its native is not the sort of war that ends in formal peace negotiations. It faces internal rum­ blings that have yet to be resolved, and the fairly distant but not-to-be-dismissed possi­ bility of a conventional war. One could make a strong theoretical case for saying it should not work as well as it does. But — like the honey-bee, which flies because it does not know the laws of aero­ dynamics says it cannot — the SADF has always gotten by, and seems prepared to do so in the future as well. And its enemies Canberra light bombers__ old but still lethal under-estimate it at their peril.

The task The SADF’s task is simply to defend SA from external invasions, border-busting insurgents

and internal insurrection — singly or all together, depending on how the hands are dealt. Some of the threats are real, some are merely read possibilities. One way and another, the list of them makes for disturbing reading

eing a statutory body under civilian Defence Act (Act 44 of 1957, as amended a □ It must act in support of the civil poi®* control the SADF has absolutely no number of times), boils down to four points: where necessary. - B say — except in an advisory sense — □ It must defend SA and Namibia from any □ It must assist in the maintenance of life or in its choice of enemies, a fact which critics conventional threat. health and the maintenance of essential ser­ of government policy find difficult to accept □ It must undertake, when called on, the vices. and consequently often ignore. prevention or suppression of terrorism in SA The SADF’s task, as stipulated in the and Namibia. The SADF’s structure The SADF might look simple to outsiders, but although it is run by means of an elabo­ AN ALARMING PICTURE rate network of command and planning sys­ tems, it still relies to an unprecedented de­ Manpower, number of tanks and artillery pieces gree on a relatively unsophisticated militia Country Total manpower Army manpower Battle tank* Artillery manpower system which only works by con­ sent of the people who supply the men. RSA ...... 378 000 (approx) 356 000 (approx): 250 (approx) 145 (approx! 18 000 (PF) The South African Defence Force is a vast 58 000 (NS) and complicated organism which, say its 140000 (CitForce) detractors, works in spite of itself and never 140000 (ComForce) in the last half-hour before knocking-off SWATF ...... 22 000 21000 None 16 (approx! Angola ...... 127 000 (approx) 50000 480 (minimum) 460 time. Ethiopia...... 227 000 (incl. foreign) 220 000 (ind. militia) ■1 000 (approx! 700 (approx) Jokes aside, its entire intricate and some­ Nigeria ...... 94 000 80000 112 450 what confusing upper command echelon is Source: 1986/7 edition of the International Institute of Strategic Studies' annual publication, "The Military Balance.'' dedicated to the main task of the soldier, COMBAT AND SECURITY VEHICLES, NAVAL STRIKE CRAFT.

Combat and Security Vehicles Naval Strike Craft Sandock-Austral Limited has for more than two decades been The Sandock Shipyard in Durban was originally well-known for responsible for the manufacture and assembly of wheeled its efficient construction of fishing trawlers and coastguard armoured vehicles for the South African Defence Force. They vessels. In latter years it has developed into a facility capable of have all been proven in combat by armoured units and producing highly sophisticated naval craft, as witnessed by the mechanised infantry in the most testing Southern African series of fast missile-carrying vessels for the Strike Craft Flotilla environment. Furthermore, these vehicles have been exported of the . These ships, designed for quick to foreign countries where they have similarly given an excellent strike and return are of a battle-proven design and have account of themselves. exceptional fire power for their size. The sophisticated research and development capabilities of the The shipyard has the capacity of constructing vessels of up to Group ensure ongoing studies which have already produced a 35000 tons and is supported by comprehensive back-up such as new generation of advanced combat vehicles as well as a series complete electrical services and ship’s carpentry. of armour protected vehicles for use by security organisations. In addition, Sandock-Austral Limited is well-known inter­ The latter are designed around commercially available com­ nationally for its efficient ship repair capability. ponents, with ease of maintenance in mind.

SANDOCK-AUSTRAL LIMITED P.O. Box 6390, Dunswart 1508. Republic of South Africa. Telephone (Oil) 894-7251. Telex 4-24134 S.A. Telefax (Oil) 894-6910. sailor and airman, namely to efficiently wage war against whoever the gov­ ernment of the day has des­ ignated as an enemy of the country. The SADF’s titular head is the State President, in his capacity as com- mander-in-chief of the armed forces. The execu­ tive defence leader, howev­ er, is the Minister of De­ fence (currently General ), whose ministry controls both the SADF and the Armaments Corporation of SA (Arms- cor). The SADF is headed by the Chief of the SADF (currently General Jan □ The Director General of the Interior; and Geldenhuys) and is divided □ The Director General of Justice. into four services — the The SSC communicates directly to the , the Chief of the SADF himself on the contribu­ tion the SADF can make to the security of (SAAF), the South Afri­ the country, and he deals directly with M can Navy and the South heads of the four combat services ( A r i^ African Medical Service SAAF, Navy and Sams) and the two support (Sams), in that order of services (Quartermaster General and Chap­ seniority. Each service is lain General), each of which has its own headed by a lieutenant planning and command structure. general, except in the case of the Navy, The Chief of the SADF does this by way which is headed by a vice-admiral. of the Defence Command Council (DCC). Each service is in turn divided into a The DCC carries out strategic planning and number of smaller formations (field and ter­ operational implementation, and makes sure Country | % of GDP 1984 ritorial), which in turn dispose of a plethora that SADF policy strategy conforms with Top S p e n d ** (10 percent of the GDP and higher); of units, both “teeth” and “tail.” that at national level and in accordance with guidelines laid down by the SSC. 51.1 Assisting the combat services are two sup­ 24,4 porting services headed by the Quartermas­ It has the following members: SaucB-Arabia...... 20,9 ter General and the Chaplain General, □ The Chief of the SADF, who is also the 0 man ...... 24.2 whose efforts are devoted to the SADF at chairman; oyria ...... 15,1 large, rather than any particular service. □ The chiefs of the Army, SAAF and Navy; Russia...... 12-17 The chain of command that can set this □ The Surgeon General (chief of Sams); Mnrfar«tfl tn Inmn tnonitort |C_Q nnrcnn niouviiiR in in yd *ponuoi* ***** k awesome machine in motion starts in the □ The Inspector General of the SADF; MOzamDiqueMmamKinna ...... *...... 8.4 office of the State President. From there it □ The Chief of Defence Force Staff; and East Germany...... 7,7 runs downwards to the Cabinet and the Min­ □ The chiefs of the other staff divisions at United States ...... 6.4 Mignamsian ...... 6,9 ister of Defence. The Cabinet, in turn, is Defence Headquarters (DHQ). advised by the (SSC) The Defence Planning Committee (DPC), Fair-to-moderate spenders (3-6 percem on matters which may affect the security of oversees the Defence budget, the develtffc Britain 5,5 ment planning and the procurement of n” 4.1 the country. 4.1 The SSC’s task is national strategic plan­ weapons on behalf of the DCC; and controls 3,9 ning and co-operation of 14 inter-depart­ joint SADF-Armscor projects. It is chaired West Germany ...... 3,3 mental standing committees. It has a perma­ by the Chief of the SADF and consists of: Poland ...... 3,7 nent secretariat chaired by the State □ The Chiefs of the Army, SAAF and Low-to-f»ir spenders (0-2 percent of the GDPI: President and is closed to everyone (includ­ Navy; Denmark ...... 2,3 ing most Cabinet ministers) except a small □ The Inspector General of the SADF; Canada ...... group of the most influential office-bearers □ The Chief of Staff Operations; U in the country. They are: □ The Chief of Staff Intelligence; Japan ...... 1,0n

•S □ The ; I W,, □ The Minister of Defence; fn c * only: □ The Minister of Foreign Affairs; □ The Chief of Staff Personnel; Angola ...... □ The Minister of the Interior; □ The Chief of Staff Finance; Ethiopia ...... 1 9 , t : □ The Minister of Law and Order; □ The chairman of Armscor; and Somalia ...... 11,3 □ A representative of industry. Congo ...... 8,1 □ The Minister of Justice; Mozambique ...... 8,4 □ The longest-serving Cabinet minister, if The raison d’etre behind these high- 7,1 he is not already on the SSC; powered committees and various others Malawi ...... 5.0 which exist at high level is to facilitate the 4,8 □ The Chief of the SADF; functioning of the combat and support ser­ South Africa ...... 4.1 □ The Commissioner of Police; Kenya ...... 4.1 □ The head of the National Intelligence vices. Service; The organisation served by this multi­ Source: 1986/7 edition of the International Institute of Strategic layered structure is a somewhat peculiar one, Studies' annual publication, "The Military Balance.” □ The Director General of Foreign Affairs; with a peculiar problem: while SA can theo­ retically summon up a massive 400 000 or so service people, its defence force is more reli­ ant on non-regular and/or reservist forces than almost any other reputable military Meteoric Magnus machine in the world. Only one person out of every eight in the General Magnus Andre De Merindol Malan has SADF is a career professional; in the Army — the only one of the four services which can come a long way in a comparatively short time. occupy and hold ground — only one out of every 18 or so is a regular. It took him just 30 years to complete a Even stranger, the non-regulars account for almost all of the Army’s combat man­ meteoric climb to the country's highest military power. post, which was followed by early retirement According to the generally accepted fig­ ures issued annually by the International and instant promotion to Cabinet rank without Institute of Strategic Studies, the SADF’s total strength in terms of manpower is the customary sojourn in the back benches 42 400 career professionals of the Permanent Force, 64 000 national servicemen engaged in two years’ service (compulsory for whites, alan is a Pretorian by birth, al­ diering was brief. Within a year the SACM voluntary for men of other races), and nearly though his Cape Huguenot ances­ was disbanded and Malan transferred to the 300 000 reservists, mostly army but also in­ M try is clearly to be discerned in his South African Army as an instructor at the cluding air force, naval and medical services first names. Born on January 30, 1930, he Army Gymnasium at Voortrekkerhoogte personnel. always wanted to be a soldier. There is a base, near . In addition, there are another 21 000 serv- well-established story of how, at the age of By 1958 he was a captain and aide-de- 5 in its offshoot, the SWA Territory Force. 14, he followed the example of many another camp to the Governor General of what was •Observers estimate that if SA Were to adventurous South African boy and ran then still the . A year maintain any significant first-class all-pro­ away from home to enlist in the Army. later he was appointed second-in-command fessional force, it would have to have at least Like most of them, he was tracked down of the SA Military Academy, which had 200 000 men under arms, which would come and hauled back to school by his concerned been established a few years earlier. near to doubling the Defence budget. family. Malan did not try to abscond again. From here Malan became staff officer in Thanks to this bargain-basement ap­ He bided his time and in 1950 finally started charge of planning, operations and training proach, SA is able to simultaneously fight a his long-awaited military career by attesting at Army Headquarters. In 1961 he complet­ border war, contribute to damping down in the South African Permanent Force after ed an SADF staff course and rejoined the internal unrest, and spend large sums on matriculating at the Afrikaanse Hoer staff of the Director of Planning and Oper­ developing its sanctions-busting weapons, Seunsskool. ations. This was followed in 1962 by the while keeping defence spending hovering Having completed the PF officers’ course honour of being nominated to attend the two- comfortably around 4,5% of the GDP. at the SA Military College (at this stage the year US Army Staff Course at Fort Leaven­ At the same time it leaves the SADF with South African Military Academy did not worth, followed by a short attachment to the an all-too-apparant Achilles heel. The South exist) he went on to graduate as a Bachelor 35th Armoured Division in Colorado. African military machine functions because of Science (Mil) at Pretoria University in Interesting stories are told about that the majority of whites accept the necessity 1954. time. It is said his instructors singled out for national and part-time service — as do Malan was commissioned into the newly- Malan as future possible national leader, and large numbers of blacks, coloureds and Indi­ established but already self-consciously elite that he was given the ultimate accolade of ans, to judge by the stream of recruits the South African Corps of Marines (SACM), being invited to meet President John F Ken­ volunteer “non-white” units turn away every but his taste of regimental subaltern’s sol­ nedy. year for lack of accommodation. There might be another problem making ' appearance on the manpower scene. Al­ •most two years ago the International Insti­ tute for Strategic Studies warned that in SA “some white military manpower problems” were becoming evident. “South African industry and the armed forces are clearly competing for the limited pool of white manpower that is available,” it says, “and it must be assumed that black, coloured or Indian manpower can no longer substitute for shortages of white military manpower within SA.” This has not happened yet, but at the same time there appears no likelihood at present of the extension of compulsory national service of coloureds and Indians, tri-cameral parlia­ ment or no tri-carmeral parliament: in terms of a rumoured but never confirmed deal, conscription will not be extended to these groups till times are more auspicious — and at the moment they are definitely not auspi­ cious. ■ Magnus Malan ... the hawk On returning to SA in 1964 he was ap­ stern appearance, for example, can be decep­ The correct way of conducting such a pointed to the staff of the SA Military Col­ tive. He has a well-developed sense of hu­ “total war,” he added, was to adopt a “total lege (now the SA Army College) at Voor- mour, mixes easily with people, and before strategy” which embraced not only firm trekkerhoogte in the rank of commandant at being faced with the necessity of cultivating military action where necessary but also non­ the age of only 34 — a sure portent of things the sort of gravitas South Africans demand military reforms to ensure the loyalty of the to come in a small and rather neglected from defence chiefs and Cabinet ministers, entire nation, regardless of race or political defence force where promotion tended to be built up a well-deserved reputation as a prac­ affiliation. slow. tical joker. Since retirement from the active military Just two years later he was promoted to Although an Afrikaner by birth, upbring­ freed his tongue to some extent, he has been full colonel and became Officer Command­ ing and culture, he speaks English fluently an outspoken advocate of large-scale consti­ ing SWA Com­ and articulately and does not suffer from tutional change, and did not deviate from mand, based in cultural isolation or racism. He has been a this point of view even at times when the . He strong proponent of coloured and black ad­ National Party has experienced serious was there only a vancement in the SADF and in fact the first problems with a right-wing backlash. year before go­ coloured officers in the history of the SADF At the same time he has remained an ing to the pres­ were commissioned during his term as Chief unashamed hawk on defence matters. He has tigious post of of the Army. been unrepentant in his support for the Unita Officer Com­ Characteristically, Malan did not allow rebels in Angola, remains convinced that SA manding SA these to be token appointments — the is the Soviet Union’s ultimate target in Military Acad­ coloured officer-cadets did the normal stern Africa and states on every conceivable op­ emy in the rank training course (which washed out half of the portunity his belief that the African of brigadier. first class). Their reward was full equality National Congress is run by communists. He stayed for with white fellow officers in every way. At the same time he has gone to consider­ five years at the During his periods of office as Chief of the able lengths to keep the military’s hands Academy, Army and Chief of the SADF parity of pay clean from the troops-in-townships mess. As shaping several generations of future offi­ was achieved in almost all ranks, and the long ago as 1984 he tabled an amendment to cers, before being appointed Officer Com­ SADF was usually ahead of civilian society the Defence Act aimed at placing curbs A manding , in the matter of integration. the use of military personnel in the in te r * based at , in 1972. Perhaps by temperament, perhaps be­ security role. Not long afterwards he issued a The following year he was promoted to cause most of his career before reaching warning that wrongdoers could not expect to major general, just 23 years after joining up. general’s rank took place in peace time, Ma­ hide behind the indemnity clauses of existing A few months later, aged 43, Malan was lan is primarily a staff and organisation man, legislation, and in fact a number of erring leap-frogged over the heads of a number of in other words an Eisenhower rather than a personnel have been punished for misdeeds other major generals senior to him in age, blood-and-guts field soldier of the Patton committed while on township duty. service or both, promoted to lieutenant gen­ type. He believes in enlightened man man­ Needless to say, Malan has been almost eral and appointed Chief of the Army, the agement and managerial structuring on the constantly in the hot seat, mostly at the youngest man to hold this post or its equiv­ commercial pattern, and has attended civil­ hands of the Progressive Federal Party. The alent in the history of the SADF. ian management courses and seminars deal­ ill-fated Cabinda raid in May of 1985 Malan stayed Chief of the Army till July ing with these and other matters. brought accusations of the heinous crime of 1976, just after SA had withdrawn the last of He is intolerant of inefficiency and de­ lying to the assembly (in a celebrated speech its forces from Angola at the conclusion of mands hard work from his subordinates, but PFP MP Graham McIntosh accused him of Operation Savannah. Then he was appointed commands great personal loyalty from those being “the Gaddafi of southern Africa”). acting Chief of the SADF to succeed Admi­ who have had contact with him (this is partly In September of 1986 Malan gave a clear ral , and on September 1 due to a magnetic personality, partly to good indication of his politics of reality in an that year his appointment was confirmed man-management and partly to a phenom- interview published in Die Suid-Afrikaan and he was promoted to full general. enal memory — he can reel off facts and magazine, in which he posed the “big ques­ In late 1980 Malan retired from the figures without consulting notes, and never tion” about how many South African blacks SADF, became a nominated MP and was forgets a man’s name). were concerned only with satisfying their appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of De­ His experience in the US Army seems to material needs, adding: fence. This caused some resentment among have left an indelible impression on him, and “There is currently a limited section tlA his new colleagues, since politicians — espe-, it is noteworthy that during his period in high is really interested in political participation. daily senior ones — tend to be as clannish as military office the SA Army’s staff structure I think for the masses in S A democracy is not old soldiers. But he was and is “P W’s man,” changed perceptibly towards the US pattern a relevant factor. For them it revolves around and earned his spurs in the general election (one US military observer has described the the satisfaction of their own needs. These of 1981. In 1987 he increased his majority. SA Army as being basically organised on the needs change with time and are now being Malan has a certain image problem. To British pattern, but with an American-style exploited by the revolutionaries.” many South Africans he is the sort of lethal, staff organisation superimposed on it). What will happen to him? At this stage superficially polished but hairy-heeled Lord- Malan’s political stance is not all that easy anything is possible. Malan is in a powerful God-of-hosts ethnic Boer who peoples their to define. There can be no doubt that while position. Because the military plays an im­ nightmares. still in uniform he was always a “political” portant (some say dominant) role in the Partly it is due to his appearance. Many general in the sense that he was intensely State Security Council he enjoys a great deal file photos depict him as a large, balding aware of the fact that military, political and of power. On the other hand, while well- man with remorseless eyes and a look of economic circumstances could not be dealt respected generally, he lacks the sort of poli­ square-chinned, humourless rectitude, even with in isolation from each other. tical power base that takes a decade or two to when he is smiling. Partly it is his forthright, As early as 1977 he was propagating the build up. almost abrupt, always confident manner of theory that SA was involved in a “total war” So the main question is: When P W Botha speaking at public occasions. Partly it is — not in the Hitlerian sense of total destruc­ goes, will Malan be serving in the ranks of what he says — unsurprisingly, he is a hawk tion of all opposition, but in terms of Mao the succession struggle or will he be leading on defence. Tse-tung’s belief that every activity of a state one of the factions? Malan has been “leader It is a false image, say both his record and (as Malan put it) “must be seen and under­ group,” in the Army phrase, since his school­ people who have worked with him. Malan’s stood as a function of total war.” days and always prepared to serve. ■ The literary general The man at the top of SA's military pile is a laid-back character who steps easily from the military to the civilian world and back

again ; and writes military manuals and

Jan Geldenhuys ... parodies of history with equal facility soldier/diplomat

orn at Kroonstad on February 5 1935, Magnus Malan. It surprised no-one. intricate manoeuvring at Lusaka in Febru­ Jan Geldenhuys attested in the Per­ In the minds of his large and loyal follow­ ary 1984 which led to the Joint Monitorjj B manent Force (PF) as a candidate- ing there was never any doubt about who Commission (JMC), he played a leading n officer on January 4 1954. After completing would take Viljoen’s place, and in November in forging the accord. In subsequent months the 13-month PF officers’ course and later a 1985 it duly happened. he frequently visited the JMC headquarters driving and maintenance course at the Jannie Geldenhuys’s nicknames — and in southern Angola, to resolve seemingly School of Artillery and Armour, he was the people who use them — say a good deal insoluble problems that threatened to torpe­ posted to 1 Special Service Battalion as an about the man. By the nature of their rank, do the entire delicate process. instructor. generals are high-profile people who tend to Geldenhuys is renowned for his good sense Geldenhuys’s climb through the ranks was be blamed not only for sins they have com­ of humour. One of the minor bugbears of his swift and sure. In 1964, in the rank of major, mitted but also for those of which they are life is the fact that he closely resembles he was appointed GS02 (Intelligence) at SA innocent — and usually this takes the form Springbok bowler Doug Watson, and is often Army Headquarters, and in 1965 was given of a disparaging nickname. mistaken for him. Not only is Geldenhuys a foreign service appointment about which Geldenhuys, however, is known as “Jannie not embarrassed by this continual process of his curriculum vitae is singularly unenlight- G,” “Gellie,” “Baas Jannie” and probably mistaken identity, he collects the stories and ening. others, and the people who use these handles re-tells them. In 1970 he was appointed senior oper­ are to be found not only in the Permanent He is also said to be the man who first told ations officer at what was then still SWA Force, but also in the Citizen Force. This is the now-famous joke — which he told with Command — a fateful move, because the partly due to genuine respect for his abilities, relish at a high-powered cocktail party, no border war was beginning to heat up. As it partly because he has a gift for getting along less — about the main difference between turned out, Namibia was the place where he with people without in any way diminishing the Army and a circus being that the Army made his reputation, then and later. his undoubted authority. had more tents. In May of 1974 Geldenhuys became OC It is a quality which he has always had, no Like many other senior officers Gelden­ SWA Command with the rank of brigadier, matter what his rank, or how many medals huys likes to play a few hands of bridge (his but seven months later he was moved back to on his tunic (10 in all, at last count, including ability to relax like this immediately aiflPt his former workplace, Army Headquarters, the Portuguese Order of Prince Henry). some enormously important and exhausti% to become Chief of Army Staff Intelligence. That his charm is as effective on civilians gathering is famed throughout the SADF). Two years later, aged 41, Geldenhuys was as it is on his fellow-soldiers, cannot be made Chief of Army Staff Operations and doubted. One journalist remembers how Other talents promoted temporary major general, almost Geldenhuys refused to allow publication of But he has other talents that one would exactly 22 years since reporting for his can- certain photographs for security reasons: normally not expect to find in a professional didate-offices’ course. “He apologised so sincerely and so profusely soldier. He is a fan of the Hungarian hu­ In August of 1977 Geldenhuys returned to that eventually I found myself saying: ‘Ah, mourist George Mikes, and has written two Windhoek as General Officer Commanding well, sir, that’s all right; it’s no sweat really’. historical parodies. SWA Command, which was soon to become “And then I remembered what the situa­ Some military observers pass their idle the SWA Territory Force. There he stayed tion was, and thought: ‘Hey, why am I com­ moments by wondering about what Jannie for three years, building a reputation both as forting himV ” Geldenhuys is going to do with the rest of his a soldier and as a diplomat. On a higher level, the Geldenhuys charm life. He is now 52; and if he goes on to serve At the end of 1980, having presided over is transformed into a source of inspired diplo­ the normal term in office, he will be only 55 Operation Sceptic, the largest mechanised macy. Accomplished professional soldier and when he retires. infantry operation conducted by South Afri­ crisis manager that he is, Geldenhuys relates Geldenhuys himself has not given any in­ can troops since World War 2, Geldenhuys easily to people from all walks of life and dications of what he will do then. But it is moved from Windhoek to Pretoria to take appears equally at ease in a business suit and safe to say he will not disappear into obscur­ over as Chief of the Army from Lieutenant in uniform. ity. His brain is too keen, his charisma too General , who had moved He has a gift for finding the real problems strong, his diplomatic skills too well-honed into the top slot on the retirement of General and solving them. For instance, during the for that to happen. Square peg?

As regards his language and religion Ian Rimbault Gleeson, Chief of Defence Staff and therefore effective second-in-command of the SADF, is everything which, according to the m ilitary’s critics, one should not be to reach the top echelons

J ^ r e the top jobs in the SADF reserved It is also a fact that the first 10 or 15 years College, a staff officer, Officer Commanding for Afrikaans-speakers who are also after the National Party took power in 1948 (OC) 2 SA Infantry at Walvis Bay and OC members of the Nederduits Gere- there were many political promotions. That Walvis Bay Military Area. formeerde Kerk (NGK) and the Broeder- era has faded away long since, as have the In July 1976, soon after the withdrawal of bond? Many civilians and members of the incumbents concerned, but the bad taste has SADF troops from Angola, he became GOC part-time forces believe, to a greater or lesser proved tenacious. 101 Task Force, controlling the border war degree, that this is so. Records of fairly recent times, however, operations. From there he went on to become The SADF, naturally, denies it and main­ give the lie to the Afrikaners-only belief. In Chief of Army Staff, Operations, and in tains that a member’s language or religion the past 10 or 15 years various distinctly non- 1985 was named as the first incumbentJfej have no bearing on promotion, which is gov­ Afrikaans, non-NGK, non-Broederbond of­ the recently re-created post of Chief of iW erned by innate ability, training, personality ficers have risen to high positions in the fence Force Staff. and the other normal factors. SADF. An old boy of Christian Brothers College True or false? To be sure, the Afrikaners- Among them are Lieutenant General C A in Pretoria, Gleeson is almost as at home in only theory appears to have a great deal “Pop” Fraser, former General Officer Com­ Afrikaans as he is in English, and like many going for it. Most office-bearers in the manding (GOC) Joint Combat Forces, Lieu­ fully bilingual South Africans does not hesi­ SADF are undeniably Afrikaans-speaking tenant General Bob Rogers, former Chief of tate to switch languages in order to find the (although not necessarily white), a majority the SAAF and Vice-Admiral R A Edwards, most apt or telling phrase. belong to one of the Dutch Reformed former Chief of the Navy. However, he is an English-speaker and churches (DRC) and there is no doubt that It is also a fact that a few years ago the proud of it. In a recent interview he made his the Broederbond has a substantial following. right-wing politico-cultural organisation feelings plain. It is true that SADF spoken and written Afrikaner-kultuur Volk en Vaderland On his language: “I come from a basically English often tends to be somewhat rough- (AKVV) attempted to establish a foothold in English-speaking background, both English and-ready and there is some ethno-cultural the SADF but (as one senior officer suc­ and Irish. I’m a third- or fourth-generation abuse, often at the hands of junior NCO cinctly puts it) “it dropped dead.” South African — and very adamantly an instructors. At present a heavily sprinkling of non- English-speaking South African. Afrikaner, non-DRC officers have reached senior SADF posts. Among them are Vice- Admiral Glen Syndercombe, Chief of the Navy; Lieutenant General Dennis Earp, Chief of the Air Force and Rear-Admiral A C Mandy, recently retired Chief Director, Logistics Planning, who are all English- speaking and members of the Church of the ;|-V Province of South Africa. Major General R M Pickersgill, the Quartermaster-General, and Rear-Admiral C H Bennett, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Command West, are English-speak­ ing Methodists. The most senior of them, however, is Ian Gleeson, who as Chief of Defence Force Staff is effectively second-in-command of the SADF. Gleeson is a widely respected soldier with a long record of solid achievement. Holder of a B Mil degree and graduate of the back­ breaking Army Staff Course, he joined the Army in 1954 and was commissioned into the infantry in 1955. After that he held a variety of appoint­ ments. Among other things he was an offi- ___I------Ian Gleeson ... proud to be cer-instructor with 4 Field Training Regi­ A C Mandy ... Church of the English ment, an instructor at the SA Military Province

Collection Number: AG1977

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