GoSouth

South African, Credible and Current

  • HOME
  • NEWS AND FEATURES
    • News & Opinion
    • Covid-19
    • Cape Independence
  • FINANCE
  • SCIENCE
  • INTERESTING
  • NATURE & ANIMAL TALK
  • LIFESTYLE ART
  • HISTORY
    • Cape South Peninsula

Good and not so good in proposed Mzansi Home Guard

defenceWeb – 7 July 2020

The new SA Army Reserves initiative to, among others, improve rural safety and security has drawn largely positive comment with reservations and an obvious comparison to the now defunct Commando system.

Announced last month by Brigadier General Gerhard Kamffer, Director: SA Army Reserves, the embryonic Mzansi Home Guard will see better utilisation of South Africa’s part-time soldiers. This will see Reserve Force soldiers, when called up, work to support needy communities with water and sanitation services, assist in responding to natural and other disasters as well as contributing to intelligence collection in rural and semi-rural areas.

Both Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader Pieter Groenewald and African Defence Review (ADR) director Darren Olivier point out similarities to the now disbanded Commando system. This was the previous SA Defence Force (SADF) home guard providing intelligence in rural areas, with the major difference being then it was against what was termed “terrorism” and “insurgents”. Other duties included guard duties at what were then national key points, now under the government critical infrastructure umbrella, and taskings in support of the defence force of the time.

Groenewald, himself a former Commando, sees the proposed Mzansi Home Guard as a thinly disguised version of the “old Commando system”.

“It, as we used to, makes use of local knowledge to provide intelligence. This ranged from stock theft to the presence of suspicious people and others. The Commandos were, by and large, staffed by locals with knowledge of their area and people in it.

“I somehow don’t see people in rural areas today having anywhere near the same level of trust in a Mzansi Home Guard as they did in their local commando,” he said pointing to wide lack of support for both soldiers and police in the lockdown currently in force as part of the government reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.

“In principle, I have no objection to the initiative but stress it must be implemented with proper and enforceable command and control. If this is not there, it’s not going to work.”

Olivier told defenceWeb “some support” for the Mzansi Home Guard concept is based on the assumption it would recreate the rural security function of the then Commandos.

“To me, that does not appear to be the case. That function would require a specific structure and personnel numbers the (defence) budget cannot support and it should be done by the SA Police Service.”

He sees the home guard concept as “interesting” but expressed concern it will divert resources from the core mission of the national defence force and “blur the lines” between civilian and military agencies.

Calling the initiative “well-intentioned,” Olivier sees it as an opportunity for unemployed part-time soldiers to perform useful work and receive much-needed income. This would apply specifically to those with technical qualifications, such as engineers in various disciplines.

“This opportunity only exists because of the failure of state civilian agencies, especially at municipal level. The risk is if the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) takes on roles like those envisioned for the Mzansi Home Guard it will be unable to keep the scope small and will increasingly be drawn into filling gaps left by those state institutions.

“Worse, it may create an incentive for national departments and local governments to avoid either investing in or resolving problems around service delivery in the hope of handing it to the Home Guard. As we’ve seen in other countries, over the medium to long term this often leads to a distortionary effect where the military spends most of its resources and personnel doing work that should be done by local government, becomes too involved in service delivery in ways that increase corruption risk and loses sight of its primary missions.”

  • Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Skype
  • Telegram

Related Posts

  • Grief and Love in the Animal Kingdom

      From mourning orcas to distressed elephants, biological anthropologist Barbara J. King has witnessed grief…

  • Power and Property in Southern Africa

    So long as the commercial farmers and their staff supported Zanu PF they were allowed…

  • Secret histories of drugs - legal and illegal - in southern Africa

    The highs and lows of the opium trade in southern Africa Thembisa Waetjen, Associate Professor…

  • Landmark court ruling highlights crisis in South Africa’s cities and towns

    The precedent-setting ruling is set to cause jitters in municipalities around the country. It might…

  • What young people have to say about race and inequality in South Africa

    "We need to get over blaming the past”, or linking poverty with laziness, or refusing…

Contact US

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Search this Website

HELP HOTLINE 0800 029 999

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Most Recent Posts

  • The ‘Choice’ Conduct of the JSC
    FW de Klerk Foundation – 5 March 2021 The FW de […]
  • SANDF – Budget cuts a recipe for disaster
    defenceWeb – 26 February 2021 “The SA National […]
  • Lab-grown ‘mini brains’ suggest a mutation may have rewired the human mind
    Itzia Ferrer, Postgraduate researcher in Translational […]
  • Johnson & Johnson vaccine looks excellent for SA in first published detailed analysis
     The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is effective […]
  • Headaches: three tips from a neuroscientist on how to get rid of them
      Amanda Ellison, Professor of Neuroscience, Durham […]
  • South African astronomy has a long, rich history of discovery – and promising future
    Ian Glass, Associate Research Astronomer, South […]
  • ‘No valid or sound reason’ for Zuma’s failure to appear before the inquiry. ZUMA’s reply
    The commission will make an application to the […]
  • CIAG calls for public consultation on W.Cape secession in the wake of SONA 2021
    Phil Craig of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group […]
  • Transparent wood is coming, and it could make an energy-efficient alternative to glass
    Steve Eichhorn, Professor of Materials Science and […]
  • Risk of severe COVID established early in infection – new study
    Damage to the body’s organs is not caused by the virus […]

NUMBERS TO NOTE

Gender-Based Violence Command Centre: 0800 428 428
Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement: 082 903 8739

Police: 10111

Childline: 0861 322 322
Child Welfare SA: 0861 424 453

South African National Human Trafficking Hotline: 0800 222 777

Copyright © 2021 — GoSouth • All rights reserved • Privacy Policy • Disclaimer • Terms & Conditions • Cookie Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.