Transformation in the South African Military: A Study of the Gender-Representivity Component in the South African Navy

Abstract

In 1994 the newly elected ANC government embarked on an ambitious project of transformation, of which gender equality is a critical principle. The South African Navy is required to implement this principle of gender equality as part of its transformation. Our assessment starts with the Navy's policies regarding Gender Transformation, proceeding to an examination of the numbers of women serving in the Navy, their rank distribution, the situation compared to 1999 and the situation compared to men in the Navy. The growth in the number of women and their current number is strikingly good. Yet they may not indicate any success in transforming the SAN because the number of women in temporary positions is high and because temporary employees usually do not leave their mark on an organisation.

Notes

Based, in large part, on the MA-thesis of Simon Taylor (2007), Assessing the People's Navy: Gender Transformation and the South African Navy (Cape Town, University of Cape Town). We are enormously indebted to the comments and suggestions of the examiners, Professor Andre du Pisani and Lindy Heinecken. We are also indebted to Professor Heinecken, the Department of Defence (DOD) and the SA Navy for data. We also thank members of Parliament who consented to be interviewed. Needless to say, errors are ours.

RSA (1996), The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 (emphasis added).

Section 187, sub-section 1–3.

See also CGE (undated), ‘About CGE’, Commission on Gender Equality.

Although there have been numerous gender equality cases brought before the Constitutional Court, none of these (as yet) have dealt with the military.

The different armed forces have vastly differing gender policies. This sentiment is also expressed by the current chairperson of the JSCD, Ms T. Tobias.

See PMG, ‘Setai Commission Final Report: Progress Report on Integration since June 2001’ and PMG, ‘Equal Opportunities in the SANDF briefing’, 16 October 2001, Portfolio Committee on Defence.

See also the conference led by Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Litchfield-Tshabalala in October 2005. Media Liaison Office, Naval Base Simon's Town, ‘First Female Navy Admiral Leads A Women's Conference’.

See Charles C. Moskos and John S. Butler (1996), All That We Can Be: Black Leadership and Racial Integration the Army Way; George E. Curry and Cornel West (1996), The Affirmative Action Debate; and Donna Winslow (1999), ‘Rites of Passage and Group Bonding in the Canadian Airborne’, Armed Forces and Society.

Detected by Annette Seegers during various activities of the civic education projects of the Minister of Defence, 1994–2000.

For men in the SAN, the figure is almost an equal split between contract, permanent and MSDS. Therefore, women in the SAN are being employed in a somewhat different pattern to men.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Annette Seegers

∗Department of Political Studies, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa.