Tjaart Barnard

Since the birth of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 1994, South African military men and women have been sent all over the world on peace- and diplomatic missions.  Soldiers and sailors are only humans so they need entertainment while off-duty.  One of the most desired forms of entertainment for male soldiers is to visit brothels.  The aim of this paper is to explore to what extent SANDF soldiers support the local sex industries whilst on deployment.  This paper will firstly present a brief background on the interface between deploying soldiers and prostitution by exploring examples from militaries all over the world.  Secondly the paper as qualitative exploration will relate some personal accounts of soldiers who have deployed with the SANDF and have visited brothels or have heard stories from colleagues who have visited brothels whilst on deployment.  Thirdly, the paper will provide the SANDF with possible ways to manage the problem of soldiers visiting sex workers on deployment.  The United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) both prohibit their soldiers from utilising the services of sex workers whilst on mission because it constitutes sexual exploitation, yet is seems as if the practice continues unabated.

The battle of Cuito Cuanavale took place more than twenty years ago, yet there is still no consensus as to the outcome and significance of the battle.  The battle has become a very sensitive event in the histories of the belligerent parties, all of whom view the perceived outcomes of the event differently.  The aim of this paper is to determine how historians, lay and university-based, of the countries present at Cuito Cuanavale, are commemorating this contested event.  This paper will firstly present a background of the origins, course and outcomes of the battle itself.  Secondly, the perceptions the former-South African Defence Force (SADF) and their allies as well as those of the Cuban-Angolans and their allies have of the event, and how they remember and commemorate Cuito Cuanavale, will be explored.  The battle of Cuito Cuanavale is clouded by a mist of controversy, but the battle can be used as a means to unify the people of South Africa by commemorating those that lost their lives during this battle.  Interpretations may differ and contending views may be expressed, but historians and social scientists must occupy an objective, historiographic middle ground, and remain detached of the ideological dialogues regarding the historic meaning of Cuito Cuanavale.

Religion is a controversial issue in world affairs.  Especially in Africa, religion has been at the heart of much of the contemporary conflicts.  Religion is often depicted as a trigger factor in many conflicts.  Religion is also often being blamed as a tool to mobilise people during conflicts.    In many parts of the world people from different religions live in peace and coexist without any conflict.  Then why is religion such a great cause of conflict in other parts of the world?

People are sensitive about religion because religion forms part of an individuals’ identity.  Religion is not only an integrated part of individual identities, but it is also important for group identity Religion and nationalism goes hand in hand.  The Scottish, Russians, Jews, Mormons and Afrikaners all at some time argued that they are “Gods people”.  Religion is at the heart of a community’s value system in most parts of the world, so people who practice a different religion are easily labelled as worthless.  A threat to one’s beliefs is also a threat to one’s very being and that is why people are willing to fight for their religious beliefs. 
Religion is a glue that can bind and unify a nation or a group of people, or it can lead to the destruction of nations as well as lead to intra-state conflicts.  The relationship between religion and conflict is a complex one, and one need to take into consideration many factors before one can argue that religion is the main cause of conflict.  Faith make people feel safe, because they can predict what is going to happen in the future (especially in the afterlife).  Most religions teach that war is wrong and that violence must only be used as a last resort.  The religious scripts give guidelines on when it is just to use violence, but people can interpret these scripts in different ways.  One can ask the question: So why is religion a factor in war at all when all the main faiths have little time for violence and advocate peace?

... Journal Title: Scientia Militaria : South African Journal of Military Studies; Volume: Volume 39; Issue: Issue 1; Publication Date: 2011; Pages: 143 - 144; Authors: ET Barnard; ISSN: 10228136; Abstract: James Ngculu was one of those young South Africans who had chosen to ...