150421 CFCR EMPLOYING SANDF IN COOPERATION WITH SAPS TO ...

 
 

 
 
EMPLOYING
  THE
  SANDF
  IN
  COOPERATION
  WITH
  THE
  SAPS
  TO
  QUELL
  XENOPHOBIC
  ACTS
 
 
OF
 VIOLENCE
 

 
Adv
 Johan
 Kruger,
 Director:
 Centre
 for
 Constitutional
 Rights
 

 
The
  Minister
  of
  Defence
  and
  Military
  Veterans,
  Nosiviwe
  Noluthando
  Mapisa-­‐Nqakula,
 
recently
  announced
  that
  the
  South
  African
  National
  Defence
  Force
  (SANDF)
  would
  be
 
employed
  to
  support
  the
  South
  African
  Police
  Service
  (SAPS),
  in
  order
  to
  assist
  in
  the
 
prevention
 and
 suppression
 of
 further
 xenophobic
 attacks.
 

 
Given
  South
  Africa’s
  history
  and
  the
  use
  of
  the
  military
  in
  townships
  to
  suppress
  legitimate
 
protests
  prior
  to
  the
  advent
  of
  democracy
  in
  1994,
  it
  is
  understandable
  that
  this
  latest
 
development
 may
 raise
 some
 concerns.
 In
 addition,
 the
 recent
 spate
 of
 xenophobic
 attacks
 
and
 the
 images
 of
 these
 acts,
 have
 stirred
 emotions
 across
 the
 country,
 and
 surely
 serve
 as
 
reminders
  of
  the
  kind
  of
  violence
  that
  we
  never
 again
  want
  to
  experience
  in
  South
  Africa.
 
Hence,
 understandably,
 in
 this
 context,
 possibly
 the
 last
 thing
 South
 Africans
 want
 to
 see
 is
 a
 
return
 of
 soldiers
 to
 maintain
 law
 and
 order
 in
 our
 streets.
 

 
For
  that
  reason,
  the
  Constitution
  and
  the
  Defence
  Act
  of
  2002
  -­‐
  apart
  from
  recognising
  the
 
need
  to
  deploy
  the
  SANDF
  within
  South
  Africa
  in
  certain
  circumstances
  -­‐
  clearly
  regulates
 
when
  and
  how
  the
  SANDF
  may
  be
  employed
  in
  a
  law
  enforcement
  capacity,
  and
  how
 
Parliament
 must
 at
 all
 times
 effect
 oversight
 in
 relation
 to
 such
 employment.
 

 
The
  primary
  objective
  of
  the
  SANDF
  is
  to
  “defend
  and
  protect
  the
  Republic,
  its
  territorial
 
integrity
  and
  its
  people
  in
  accordance
  with
  the
  Constitution
  and
  the
  principles
  of
 
international
 law
 regulating
 the
 use
 of
 force”.
 However,
 section
 201(2)(a)
 of
 the
 Constitution
 
provides
  for
  the
  President
  to
  authorise
  the
  employment
  of
  the
  SANDF
  in
  cooperation
  with
 
the
  SAPS,
  over
  and
  above
  employment
  in
  defence
  of
  the
  Republic
  or
  in
  fulfilment
  of
  an
 
international
  obligation.
  In
  turn,
  section
  19
  of
  the
  Defence
  Act
  gives
  expression
  to
  this
 
constitutional
 provision
 by
 providing
 that
 the
 SANDF
 “may
 be
 employed
 in
 co-­‐operation
 with
 
the
 [SAPS]
 in
 terms
 of
 section
 201(2)(a)
 of
 the
 Constitution
 in
 the
 prevention
 and
 combating
 
of
  crime
  and
  maintenance
  and
  preservation
  of
  law
  and
  order
  within
  the
  Republic.”
  The
 
President
 or
 the
 Minister
 may,
 in
 terms
 of
 section
 18
 of
 the
 Defence
 Act,
 also
 authorise
 the
 
employment
 of
 the
 SANDF
 for
 service
 inside
 South
 Africa,
 or
 in
 international
 waters,
 in
 order
 
to
  preserve
  life,
  health
  or
  property
  in
  emergency
  or
  humanitarian
  relief
  operations;
  to
 
ensure
  the
  provision
  of
  essential
  services;
  to
  support
  any
  department
  of
  state,
  including
 

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support
  for
  purposes
  of
  socio-­‐economic
  upliftment;
  and
  to
  effect
  national
  border
  control.
 
 
The
  SANDF
  has
  previously
  and
  on
  many
  occasions
  been
  employed
  to
  fulfil
  all
  of
  the
 
 
aforementioned
 functions
 at
 one
 time
 or
 another
 and
 has
 done
 so
 with
 distinction.
 
 
 

 
Be
  that
  as
  it
  may,
  in
  our
  constitutional
  democracy,
  national
  security
  is
  subject
  to
  the
 
authority
  of
  both
  Parliament,
  as
  representatives
  of
  the
  people,
  and
  the
  national
  executive.
 
Accordingly,
  when
  the
  President
  employs
  the
  SANDF
  in
  terms
  of
  the
  aforementioned
 
constitutional
  provisions,
  he
  must
  in
  terms
  of
  section
  201(3)
  of
  the
  Constitution,
  “inform
 
Parliament,
  promptly
  and
  in
  appropriate
  detail”
  of
  (a)
  the
  reasons
  for
  the
  employment;
  (b)
 
any
 place
 where
 the
 SANDF
 will
 be
 employed;
 (c)
 the
 number
 of
 people
 involved;
 and
 (d)
 the
 
period
  for
  which
  the
  SANDF
  is
  expected
  to
  be
  employed.
  If
  Parliament
  does
  not
  sit
  during
 
the
  first
  seven
  days
  after
  the
  employment,
  the
  President
  must
  provide
  the
  information
  to
 
the
 appropriate
 oversight
 committee.
 In
 addition,
 section
 19(2)
 of
 the
 Defence
 Act,
 requires
 
the
  Minister
  to
  give
  notice
  of
  such
  employment
  in
  the
  Gazette
  “within
  24
  hours
  of
  the
 
commencement
 of
 such
 employment
 and,
 upon
 such
 employment
 being
 discontinued,
 within
 
24
 hours
 of
 such
 discontinuation
 give
 notice
 of
 the
 discontinuation”.
 

 
Moreover,
  when
  the
  SANDF
  is
  employed
  in
  terms
  of
  section
  201(2)
  of
  the
  Constitution,
 
section
  19(3)
  of
  the
  Defence
  Act
  determines
  that
  service
  by
  members
  of
  the
  SANDF
  in
 
cooperation
 with
 the
 SAPS:
 

 
a. may
 only
 be
 performed
 in
 such
 area
 or
 at
 such
 place
 as
 the
 President
 may
 order
 at
 the
 

request
 of
 the
 Minister
 of
 Defence
 and
 Minister
 of
 Police;
 
b. must
  be
  discontinued
  in
  such
  area
  or
  at
  such
  place
  as
  the
  President
  may
  order
  at
  the
 

request
 of
 the
 Minister
 of
 Defence
 and
 Minister
 of
 Police,
 or
 when
 the
 President
 deems
 
it
 expedient
 for
 any
 other
 reason;
 and
 
 
c. must
 be
 performed
 in
 accordance
 with:
 
 

• a
 code
 of
 conduct
 and
 operational
 procedures
 approved
 by
 the
 Minister;
 
 
• such
 guidelines
 regarding
 co-­‐operation
 between
 the
 SANDF
 and
 the
 SAPS;
 and
 
 
• coordination
  of
  command
  over
  and
  control
  of
  members
  of
  the
  SANDF
  and
  the
 

SAPS,
  as
 the
  Chief
  of
  the
 SANDF
 and
  the
 National
 Commissioner
 of
 Police
  may
 
determine.
 

 
Section
 20
 of
 the
 Defence
 Act
 provides
 for
 the
 powers
 and
 duties
 of
 members
 of
 the
 SANDF
 
while
  being
  employed
  in
  support
  of
  the
  SAPS.
  This
  section
  determines
  that
  whenever
 
members
  of
  the
  SANDF
  are
  employed
  for
  a
  service
  contemplated
  in
  section
  201(2)
  of
  the
 
Constitution,
  such
  members
  have
  the
  same
  powers,
  duties
  and
  responsibilities
  as
  those
 
conferred
  or
  imposed
  upon
  a
  member
  of
  the
  SAPS
  by
  virtue
  of
  the
  relevant
  sections
  of
  the
 

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South
  African
  Police
  Service
  Act
  of
  1995,
  the
  Criminal
  Procedure
  Act
  of
  1977
  and
  other
 
 
relevant
 legislation
 as
 reflected
 in
 the
 Defence
 Act.
 
 
 

 
 
Such
  powers,
  which
  do
  not
  include
  the
  investigation
  of
  crime,
  may
  only
  be
  exercised
  or
 
performed
  by
  members
  of
  the
  SANDF
  for
  the
  purposes
  of
  successful
  execution
  of
  that
 
employment,
  prevention
  of
  crime,
  maintenance
  of
  law
  and
  order,
  or
  preservation
  of
  the
 
internal
  security
  of
  the
  Republic.
  Section
  20
  also
  determines
  that
  members
  of
  the
  SANDF
 
employed
 in
 terms
 of
 section
 201(2)
 of
 the
 Constitution,
 must
 have
 received
 the
 appropriate
 
training
 prior
 to
 such
 employment,
 and
 must
 be
 equipped
 accordingly.
 

 
It
  is
  clear
  from
  the
  constitutional
  and
  legislative
  framework
  that
  when
  members
  of
  the
 
SANDF
  are
  deployed
  in
  cooperation
  with
  the
  SAPS,
  these
  soldiers
  are
  deployed
  within
  the
 
very
 strict
 parameters
 of
 the
 Constitution
 and
 the
 law.
 As
 such,
 they
 must
 act
 in
 accordance
 
with
  the
  Constitution
  and
  the
  law,
  including
  customary
  international
  law
  and
  international
 
agreements
 binding
 on
 South
 Africa,
 and
 may
 not
 obey
 a
 manifestly
 illegal
 order.
 However,
 
in
  light
  of
  the
  widespread
  acts
  of
  xenophobic
  violence,
  especially
  in
  KwaZulu-­‐Natal
  and
 
Gauteng,
  this
  employment,
  with
  the
  overall
  objective
  of
  supporting
  the
  SAPS
  in
  preventing
 
and
  suppressing
  further
  acts
  of
  xenophobic
  violence
  -­‐
  including
  loss
  of
  life
  and
  property
  -­‐
 
should
 be
 welcomed.
 It
 will
 hopefully
 ensure
 that
 the
 rights
 in
 the
 Bill
 of
 Rights
 are
 realised
 
and
  protected
  for
  all
  people
  in
  South
  Africa
  -­‐
  regardless
  of
  nationality.
  In
  this
  context,
  the
 
SANDF,
  together
  with
  the
  SAPS,
  will
  hopefully
  “reflect
  the
  resolve
  of
  South
  Africans,
  as
 
individuals
  and
  as
  a
  nation,
  to
  live
  as
  equals,
  to
  live
  in
  peace
  and
  harmony,
  to
  be
  free
  from
 
fear
 and
 want
 and
 to
 seek
 a
 better
 life”.
 

 

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