Speaker, the recent violent clash between the police and military unions was a national disgrace and a symptom of another national disgrace, which was the failure of the officer corps to effectively deal with grievances within the chain of command of the Defence Force.
We, therefore, welcome the establishment of the National Defence Force Service Commission to investigate and make recommendations regarding the remuneration and conditions of service of members of the Defence Force. The commission faces an enormous challenge because, to succeed, members of the commission will have to have an honest conversation about the root causes of the problems in our Defence Force.
The root cause of the problem in the Defence Force, as we all know, is transformation. We are told transformation of the state entails extending the power of the national liberation movement over all levels of power, including the army, the police and the intelligence structures.
The fact is that transformation is the very opposite of military professionalism. The appointment of officers on the basis of party loyalty, which is the essence of transformation, is the very opposite of the appointment of military officers on the basis of merit, which is the essence of military professionalism.
The appointment of the commission represents an opportunity to get this right. We cannot afford to fail, but to succeed we need to begin an honest conversation about the state of the SANDF. That is going to take courage and we hope the commission is up to the task. [Applause.]