MK was not able, at the time, to impact more decisively on the process, because of the nature of its structure. It was largely a guerrilla force and its members were scattered throughout the country. Some were still in exile. Some MK members were allocated to non-military roles (as was particularly pronounced after the first democratic elections). MK negotiations relied largely on their political leadership’s broad interest in a legitimate, representative national defence force. MK officers frequently had to use their own political and military acumen to divert, stall or derail SADF positions that, in their opinion, would have disadvantaged their broad mandate and compromised the non-statutory and non-SADF personnel in the integrationprocess. Practical problems such as lack of transport, computers and other material to help in the research and preparation of position papers limited the ability of MK to compete on an equal footing with the SADF. The influence of MK on the integration process was thus uneven and depended strongly on the area of focus. Although MK had produced a number of pilots, it had very little impact on the Air Force and Navy working groups. MK was primarily a landward guerrilla army, and this became evident in the more pronounced influence it had in the Army working group. It is also important to note that the character ofthe SADF co-chairperson was such that the working group was able to conduct its discussions in a more relaxed atmosphere and that the trust levels were higher. In the Medical Services working group MK officers and doctors proved adept at preparing detailed position papers for the integration process of medical personnel.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 16:26:57 +0000
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