Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With the shift to an all-volunteer force and the end of the Cold War, armed forces across the globe
are finding it increasingly difficult to attract, recruit and retain the right quantity and quality of recruits
in the ranks. Similarly, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has expressed difficulties
with recruitment but more so with the ability to attract ‘high calibre’ recruits in order to staff a defence
force that is disciplined and technologically advanced. Although this is a consequence of various
economic, social and political factors, one of the greatest challenges facing recruiters is the changing
work values and preferences of the new millennial generation. As the title of this thesis postulates,
evidence from the West suggests a ‘clash’ in values between millennials, who are individualistic,
protected, ambitious and self-centred, and the military, which requires conformity, obedience and
structure. While there is a vast amount of literature regarding the all-volunteer force and youth values
of military service in the West, there is no study of this kind in South Africa.
In this study, I aim to fill this void by exploring young South Africans’ perceptions and experiences
of military service. As there is no existing literature on the propensity to enlist in South Africa, focus
groups and interviews were conducted with high school learners, Military Skills Development System
(MSDS) members who have completed one year of military service and recruitment officers who
come into contact with school-leavers from across South Africa. These discussions were framed
around two broad questions, namely what are the work values of young South Africans and what
factors attract young people to or deter them from the military job.
The conclusion is reached that the SANDF is not an employer of choice because of various
institutional and societal factors. The military job is largely unappealing to young South Africans,
who are risk-averse, individualistic and wish to be in close proximity to their families. The culture of
the military is also unattractive to the majority who are not receptive to authoritarian regimes that
expect unquestioning obedience and discipline and emphasise hegemonic masculine ideals. Besides
this, two societal forces have a significant impact on the ability of the ability of the SANDF to attract
recruits. The decline in the prestige of the military job and the presence of an ever-growing civilmilitary
gap indicate that youth are neither informed about the military nor see the military as a high
status job in society. Consequently, the inability of the SANDF to meet recruitment targets can be
detrimental to the ability of the SANDF to fulfil its mandate. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert die verskuiwing na weermagte wat geheel en al uit vrywilligers bestaan en die einde van die
Koue Oorlog vind gewapende magte wêreldwyd dit steeds moeiliker om voldoende rekrute van die
regte kwaliteit te lok, te werf en te behou. Ook die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag (SANW)
ervaar probleme met werwing, maar veral met die vermoë om ‘hoëkaliber’-rekrute te lok na ’n
weermag wat gedissiplineer en tegnologies gevorderd is. Hoewel dit die gevolg van verskeie
ekonomiese, sosiale en politieke faktore is, is een van die grootste uitdagings vir werwingspersoneel
die veranderende werkwaardes en werkvoorkeure van die nuwe milenniumgenerasie. Soos die titel
dit stel, dui getuienis uit die Weste op ’n ‘waardekonflik’ tussen hierdie generasie, wat
individualisties, beskut, ambisieus en selfgesentreerd is, en die militêr, wat konformiteit,
gehoorsaamheid en struktuur vereis. Hoewel daar ’n magdom literatuur oor vrywilligersmagte en
jeugwaardes van militêre diens in die Weste bestaan, is geen studie van hierdie aard nog in SuidAfrika
onderneem nie.
Met hierdie studie wil ek hierdie leemte vul deur jong Suid-Afrikaners se persepsies en ervarings van
militêre diens te verken. Aangesien daar geen literatuur bestaan oor geneigdheid om by die weermag
in Suid-Afrka aan te sluit nie, is fokusgroepe gehou en onderhoude gevoer met hoërskoolleerders,
MSDS-lede wat hul eerste diensjaar voltooi het en werwingsoffisiere wat met landwyd met
skoolverlaters in aanraking kom. Hierdie gesprekke is afgegrens deur twee breë vrae, naamlik wat
die werkwaardes van jong Suid-Afrikaners is en watter faktore jong mense na of van die militêre
werk lok of afstoot.
Die gevolgtrekking is dat die SANW om verskeie institusionele en maatskaplike redes nie ’n
voorkeurwerkgewer is nie. Jong Suid-Afrikaners, wat risikoweersinnig en individualisties is en naby
hulle familie wil bly, vind ʼn militêre loopbaan breedweg onaantreklik. Die militêre kultuur spreek
ook nie die meerderheid aan nie, wat nie ontvanklik is vir outoritêre regimes wat onverbiddelike
gehoorsaamheid en dissipline eis en hegemoniese manlike ideale beklemtoon nie. Hierbenewens is
daar twee samelewingsfaktore wat ʼn beduidende impak het op die SANW se vermoë om rekrute te
werf. Die kwynende prestige van ʼn militêre loopbaan en die teenwoordigheid van ʼn steeds groeiende
kloof tussen siviel en militêr dui daarop dat jongmense nóg oor die militêr ingelig is nóg dit as ’n
werk met status in die samelewing beskou. Gevolglik kan die SANW se onvermoë om
werwingsteikens te behaal sy vermoë om sy mandaat uit te voer nadelig beïnvloed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96851 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Smith, Megan |
| Contributors | Heinecken, Lindy, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 124 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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