Youths urged to join SANDF

LOUIS TRICHARDT – In an effort to take the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the people and to expose young people to the numerous career opportunities in the defence force, the minister for defence and military veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula addressed Hoërskool Louis Trichardt learners on Friday, June 26. Mapisa-Ngakula’s visit was not only aimed at encouraging learners to join the defence force, but to contribute towards promoting peace and reconciliation of races in the province. She said values of peace, tolerance and willingness to co-exist should be instilled in young people at an early age. Mapisa-Ngakula started her speech by asking if the learners were aware that June 26 was Freedom Charter Day. “It was on this day in 1955 at the heart of Apartheid that South Africans from all walks of life gathered together to define their wishes for a new South Africa that they wanted to live in. That was 60 years ago, and all of you were not yet born, but when they met on that day, our forefathers and mothers were thinking of the kind of country they wished for you, their future grandchildren, to live in.

“They vowed not only to declare these wishes, but their willingness to fight, even to the death to make sure their wishes were achieved. Their quest was indeed achieved when in 1996, after attaining our freedom and democracy, the contents of the Freedom Charter became the base document for the new Constitution of a democratic and free South Africa,” she said. “Today marks the 60th anniversary of that occasion, when black and white women and men, urban and rural, vowed to work together despite a system that divided them, to plan a just future for their beloved country. Many of them did not live to see the day when in April 1994, South Africa became free and ushered in a democracy. But they left an inheritance more valuable than any other, an example for us to emulate in taking our country forward.

“June is the month when we acknowledge and honour the heroic role young people played to bring about democracy and freedom in our country.” Mapisa-Ngakula said there were high levels of unemployment among young people, many of whom were unskilled. “This has perpetuated chronic poverty, resulting in social ills such as crime and substance abuse,” she said. She said young people must be given the tools to improve their lives and positively shape the future of the country. “Both the department of defence and military veterans is determined to place young people at the centre of its plans to create a highly professional, disciplined and technologically advanced defence force equipped to execute its core constitutional mandate and other assigned tasks,” Mapisa-Ngakula said.

The SANDF has a strong footprint in Limpopo. Two of the air force bases are located in Louis Trichardt and Hoedspruit, while the army’s 15th and seventh infantry battalions are located in Thohoyandou and Phalaborwa respectively. Other smaller units are scattered throughout the province.

The defence force recruits young people through the Military Skills Development System (MSDS) and University Reserve Training Programme (URTP).

“These programmes will be explained to you by officials. Suffice to say that the programmes offer opportunities of training and employment in the regular and reserve forces.

“Those who cannot be absorbed in the military will have the skills and training to compete on the open labour market, including in technical fields such as engineering, energy and the maritime industry,” she said. “While there are exciting career opportunities in the defence force, I must stress that there is a limit to the numbers we can employ due to acute budgetary constraints. We have, however, arrangements with other government departments in the security cluster such as correctional services, police, state security and home affairs to absorb people trained by us.” The role of the military goes beyond its constitutional mandate to defend the country and protect its people. There are many capabilities that reside in the defence force which enable it to make a significant contribution to the economic development of the country and to the welfare of its people. “Today, we have come here to invite you to join hands with the defence force for the development of our country and your communities. We are on an aggressive campaign to create awareness about the defence force and its work. I want to thank the organisers, the parents, the principals, the teachers and all the learners for supporting this initiative. I also want to extend a special appreciation to the management and learners of Louis Trichardt High School,” she closed her speech.