Department of History

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Browsing Department of History by browse.metadata.advisor "Esterhuyse, Abel"

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    From policy to operational application : The South African Defence Force 1969-1989
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Van den Berg, Charnelle; Esterhuyse, Abel; Visser, Wessel P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African conflicts, if not most conflicts , can be summarised in the phrase by Heinz Guderian; “There are no desperate situations, there are only desperate people”. 1 While the years that followed the National Party’s (NP) rule were filled with trials and tribulations, the period of 1948 to 1991 was also marked by innovation and growth in almost all aspects of the country. However, most modern histories of South Africa focus on the recalling of those who suffered under NP rule, understandably so since the country’s history is littered with injustices. But subjective retelling can cause blindness to de velopments that influenced the country and population to evolve the way it did.It is therefore of the utmost importance that the continuation of historical writing be based on unbiased grounds, to take full advantage of the opportunity to examine and learn from all aspects of South Afri can history in order to adapt to an evolving society. The South African Defence Force (SADF) was particularly well-adept in adapting to its environment and adjusting its organizational structures accordingly. The institution, however, did not function on its own, but was influenced by numerous external and internal factors. Most academic and non-academic authors have written about the structure, strategy, experiences and development of the SADF, but some of these writings can be regarded as subjective to the experiences of those authors, or politically orientated or motivated, or predominantly focused on the military aspect of the SADF. This thesis does not aim to contradict those authors, but ra ther to contribute to such know ledge. By combining political, historical, social and military research materials, the objective of this thesis is to chart the interface of the theory-policy-strategy-structure nexus of the SADF during 1969-1989. Through investigating the South African White Papers on Defence and Armaments and various archival materials available in the Department of Defence Archives, it can be determined to what extent defence policy influenced the operational application of the South African Defence Force.