And yes, hon members, we then deployed the rest of the 400 who had been approved by Parliament here. Where they were deployed - whether they were deployed in Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo - all of you who served in the former SA Defence Force know well that that is tactical information. That is operational information which we were not going to give you at the time, because we did not know where that information would land. [Applause.]
On the landward defence capability, I am sorry that hon Mr Groenewald is not here, because I really appreciate the comments that he made. I do want to say that transformation has nothing to do with accidents or mishaps that we have had in the SA National Defence Force. What we all need to do - you included, with the experience that you have - is to come forward with suggestions on how best we can improve our training programmes and our capacity, so that we will be able to meet the challenges that we have, and not to sit there and say "transformation". We will not reverse transformation.
My job is that of being Minister of Defence and Military Veterans in the Republic of South Africa. I am at the helm of a Defence Force that talks about peace, that advocates peace and stability on the African continent. I am not in a Defence Force that was maiming and killing women, civilians, and children. No! [Applause.] At the time when you were conscripted, and you joined the SA Defence Force, that was the time when all of these things were happening. You know. And history will be written by those who know the story of what happened in South Africa. That story is yet to be told, including the role that each one of us has played, both on the left and on the right. [Interjections.]