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Handful of Armies: The Future Prospects of the Homeland Armies
A Response to Greg Mills and Geoffrey Wood
Without going into a detailed historical background of Venda and more specifically the Venda Defence Force (VDF), it is necessary to rectify and correct some of the facts and perceptions created in the article by Greg Mills and Geoffrey Wood, Handful of armies: the future prospects of the homeland defence forces, which appeared in the South African Defence Review, Issue no 5.
Prior to the takeover of the Venda Government on 5 April 1992 by then Chief of Staff of the VDF, Col Ramushwana, Venda, under the Ravelle Administration, was rapidly descending into chaos and anarchy. Public servants in most departments were striking, essential services were constantly being interrupted and in many cases purposely sabotaged. Mass meetings, protest marches, boycotts and intimidation of Venda citizens was a frequent occurrence.
Throughout these demanding times the VDF had both to keep essential services functioning while at the same time also giving the volatile situation within the country their fullest attention. At no time did any soldiers refuse to carry out these tasks, nor did they defy authority of any kind. In fact, there have been no instances of insubordination or ill-discipline on a large scale since the establishment of the VDF.
But in the article of Mills and Wood, repeated statements are made referring to the lack of discipline. To quote a few: '... plagued by disciplinary problems ... a small unit beset with disciplinary problems ... all have a record of disciplinary problems ...'
These remarks are both misleading and false and it would be interesting to learn on what grounds the authors base their observations.
The authors also mention that the VDF is, I quote, 'highly politicised'. Once again it would be interesting to hear from these gentlemen what grounds they have for their observation. The VDF has remained apolitical and its soldiers as citizens of Venda have the democratic right to support the political party of their choice as long as they carry out their duty as servants of the state.
The Council of National Unity with Brig Ramushwana as chairman are the present rulers of Venda but regard this as an interim measure. The Council assumed power in a successful attempt to restore stability and restore services to normal. It is the stated intention of the present government to maintain this status quo and they have indicated that they will, therefore, remain in power until Venda has been reincorporated with South Africa. At that stage, depending on the outcome of negotiations and discussions, Venda will return to civilian rule.
Another misconception contained in the article is the reference made to inexperienced officers being rapidly promoted. This may be the case in other defence forces but not so in the VDF. The VDF personnel have undergone, or are currently undergoing the same courses attended/required by the South African Defence Force (SADF). They are therefore on the same level of training as their counterparts in the SADF. Promotion only follows if a member meets the required standards. These standards include minimum merit assessments, minimum period of time served and, of course, qualifications required for the particular rank. For these reasons, the reintegration of Venda into South Africa will not require any substantial retraining, as stated in the article by Mills and Wood. Furthermore, the doctrines and policies used in practice by the VDF are the same as those taught and applied by the SADF.
To imply that the VDF consists of ill-disciplined soldiers do these men and women a great injustice. Throughout Venda's history of independence, the Venda Defence Force has proved to be the stalwarts of the country. The VDF soldiers deserve to be complimented for their efforts in this regard, and not intentionally or unintentionally demotivated.
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