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End Conscription Campaign 4Lt End Conscription Campaign 4lt ■/ ECC PRESS RELEASE 4 JANUARY 1991 JANUARY 1991 CALL-UP On 8 January 1991, yet another whites-only call-up into the SADF will begin. Despite the government’s supposed commitment to political change, it refuses even to discuss the replacing of the existing racist system of military conscription. Resistance to conscription continues to grow, with thousand of conscripts failing to report for camps and evading initial military service. While the existing system of conscription collapses, the government selectively prosecutes a few high-profile conscientious objectors, while most "draft dodgers" are left alone, in a hypocritical and opportunistic attempt to intimidate other would-be objectors. However, the great increase in the numbers of those who have refused publicly to perform military service in defence of apartheid proves the failure of this strategy. We say to President F W de Klerk: The retention of a racist, whites-only system of conscription is not acceptable. The refusal of the SADF and your government even to discuss the future of the defence force and the system of conscription is not acceptable. The continued persecution and selective prosecution of conscientious objectors is not acceptable. Your failure to take effective disciplinary steps against General Magnus Malan and senior SADF personnel responsible for the actions of the CCB and the obstruction of the Harms Commission is not acceptable. While such glaring discrepancies exist between your talk of reform and democracy on the one hand, and the continuation of racist and undemocratic practices on the other, we will continue to find your bona fides unacceptable. Issued by Chris de Villiers ECC Chairman (Johannesburg) Telephone : 880 1705 (w) End Conscription Campaign ECC PRESS STATEMENT 6 FEBRUARY 1991 STATEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF CONSCRIPTION BY DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENCE. WYNAND BREYTENBACH The ECC is encouraged by the statements at a news briefing today bv Deputy Minister of Defence, Wynand Breyten bach, concerning the phasing out of "whites only" conscription. The ECC's interpretation of the Defence Act is that the scrapping of the Population Registration Act would remove the legal basis for a racially discriminatory call up. The implication is that the government is faced with two choices in providing manpower for its army: it can either call uo ail race groups or it can move away from conscription and recruit volunteer professionals. The ECC believes that the former option is unworkable and would only serve to exacerbate tensions in our society. For example, until a democratic new government is elected, members of the ANC and other organisations opposed to the government will clearly resist conscription into the SADF. Equally, right wing whites will resist conscription into an integrated aetence force. Instead, we believe that the recruiting of professional soldiers into a scaled down defence force is the most politically sensible and cost effective approach. State President de Klerk has a 1 ready stated in his open ing of parliament speech that he believes that the SADF must operate on a professional basis. If the SADF is taking the programme of the State President seriously, then the path to follow is to transform the SADF into a professional force with a volunteer reserve. It is clear that the government has finally admitted that a racially selective call up is unacceptable. It thus follows that the prosecution of Conscientious Objectors has no moral basis and such prosecutions should be halted immediately. The ECC urges the governmen t to ac t positively in the light of the statemen ts by the State Presid ent and Deputy Min ister of Defence, and to consult with a 11 interested par ties in formulating the basis for a new defence force. d-x (J. C L ; Issued by Chris de Villiers, ECC Chairman, Johannesburg Branch. Telephone: 880 1705 (w) 2 *** Qee-fcf Ander metodes kan kom om SAW te beman Wynand se oor nuwe grondwet, diensplig KAAPSTAD. - Diensplig sal tydens die het nie die name van die lande genoem oorgangstadium in Suid-Afrika in sy nie. huidige vorm behou word, maar inge- Hoewel Suid-Afrika nie wapens ver­ volge ’n nuwe grondwet kan daar ander koop het aan ander lande wat in die metodes wees om die Weermag te be­ Golf-krisis betrokke is nie, is Krygkor man. Op hierdie wyse sal dit onbillik aktief besigom na markte te soek vir sy wees om te verwag dat net een deel van oorskot-wapens na die beeindiging van die bevolking onderhewig moet wees die oorlog in Angola, het mnr. Breyten­ aan diensplig. bach gese. So het mnr. Wynand Breytenbach, Krygkor verhoog nie produksie nie, Adjunk-minister van Verdediging, gis- maar hy kan dit verhoog indien hy ter op ’n media-voorligtingsessie in markte kan vind, het hy bygevoeg. Kaapstad gese. • Die End Conscription Campaign Oor die oorlog in die Golf het hy gese (ECC) het die Regering versoek om enige wapentransaksies met Irak - en in positief” op te tree in die lig van mnr. besonder die G5-kanon - is afgehandel Breytenbach se verklaring, berig Sapa. lank voordat die VN besluite geneem Mnr. Chris de Villiers, voorsitter van het wat gewapende optrede deur die die ECC, het gister in ’n verklaring gese geallieerdes moontlik gemaak het. Daar soos hy die Verdedigingswet interpre- moet ook onthou word dat Irak ook teer, sal die wetlike basis vir rassediskri- Britse en Amerikaanse vliegtuie bekom minerende diensplig verdwyn met die het. skrapping van die Bevolkingsregistrasie- Beweringe dat die Suid-Afrikaanse wet. Lugmag steeds vlugte na Angola onder- Die Regering. het dan twee moontlik- neem, het mnr. Breytenbach kategories hede om manskappe vir sy weermag te ontken. kry: Hy kan of alle rassegroepe oproep Op die vraag oor die moontlike rol of diensplig laat vaar en vrywilligers wat Umkhonto we Sizwe in die toekoms werf, het hy gese. kan speel, het hy gese daar is geen plan Die ECC meen die eerste moontlik- om die organisasie met die Weermag te heid is nie werkbaar nie en sal die laat integreer nie. Net so kan nie verwag spanning in die gemeenskap vererger. word dat die Ierse Republikeinse Leer Die tweede moontlikheid is politiek die met die Britse leer gei'ntegreer sal word mees verstandige en koste-effektiewe me, berig Sapa. benadering. Pres. De Klerk het reeds by die • Op die vraag of die Golf-krisis parlementsopening gese hy glo die daartoe gelei het dat Suid-Afrika hoege- Weermag moet op ’n professionele naamd wapens verkoop het, het mnr. grondslag bedryf word,” het hy byge­ Breytenbach volgens Reuter geant- voeg. woord: “Nee, glad niks nie.” Mnr. De Villiers het voorts gese die Sedert die VN se wapenboikot in Regering het finaal erken dat rasgebon- 1977 teen Suid-Afrika ingestel is, het de diensplig onaanvaarbaar is. Die ver- Suid-Afrika wapens ter waarde van meer as R2 miljard aan 39 lande ver­ volging van gewetensbeswaardes het dus geen morele grondslag nie en moet koop, het mnr. Breytenbach gese. Hy onmiddellik gestaak word. P.O. Box 537 Phone: 836-8423 Kengray 2100 Fax: 834-3189 ECC PRESS STATEMENT 1 MARCH 1991 STATEMENT ON THE FAILURE OF DEFENCE MINISTER MALAN TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THE NUMBER OF NATIONAL SERVICEMEN AND CITIZEN FORCE MEMBERS WHO HAD FAILED TO REPORT FOR SERVICE. Once again Minister of Defence Magnus Malan has refused to release figures of National Servicemen and Citizen Force members who refused or failed to report for military duties. In a written reply to DP MP General Bob Rogers, Minister Malan gave his now standard response that the release of such figures would be abused by “a certain organisation which campaigns for the discontinuation of military service". We suspect that the Minister means us. Once again the Minister is refusing to deal with the reality of conscription in South Africa. It is clear that the Minister’s refusal to provide figures shows that the number of people who have failed to report for either initial national service or citizen force duty is, for the SADF, embarrassi ngl y high. If this was not so, the ECC believes that the Minister would have released such figures. As for the suggestion that the ECC had abused such figures in the past, we suggest that Minister Malan read a dictionary to ascertain the real meaning of the word "abuse". The ECC believes that the Minister’s understanding of the word "abuse" means the publication of figures which illustrate that more and more South Africans are lodging their protest against the system by simply not reporting for national service or citizen force duty. Rather than repeating the now hackneyed statement that whites only conscription will remain in place during the period of transition, the Minister should look at the root causes of such extensive resistance to conscription. Clearly whites only conscription and conscription more generally is an increasingly unpopular and out moded manpower procurement system. Furthermore the Minister’s refusal to answer General Rodgers’ question shows his contempt for the public right to know and reflects his belief that the SADF is an arm of the state above public examination and criticism. Released by u y m • Roddy Payne, ECC National Worker, / J 836 8423 (w) CC £nd 'fh-m Campaign P.O. Box 537 Phone: 836-8423 Kengray 2100 Fax: 834-3189 FCC PRESS STATEMENT 14 MARCH 1991 STATEMENT ON THE CHARGING OF METHODIST PROBATIONER MINISTER ALAN STORY FOR REFUSING TO SERVE IN THE SADF. On 13 March, Alan Story a 22 year old probationer Minister in the Methodist church was formally charged at Doornkop Military base in Johannesburg with refusing to serve in the SADF. Alan was released on his own recognisance and will be appearing in Johannesburg Magistrates Court 8 on 1S Apri1 1991 Alan had indicated his refusal to serve to the authorities on 9 January 1991 when he was supposed to report for initial military service at the 8th Infantry Battalion at Upington.
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