SANDF reserves’ youth recruitment plan shot down by defence committee

The reserve force of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) needs fresh blood, but recruitment remains stagnant. An executive from the SANDF’s Reserve Force Council (RFC) on Friday gave a presentation to the Select Committee on Defence, proposing a youth recruitment plan. RFC members envisioned a youthful reserve force that received basic military training, coupled with skills development over a multi-year period.

The RFC believed that this pathway would create young South Africans of character; however, a committee member stated that it strayed from the force’s primary role to supplement SANDF numbers in times of crisis. Retired Major General Gordon Yekelo was adamant that the reserve force had the power to groom future generations. “We believe that the most realistic way forward is only realisable when we work within the framework we are going to propose,” Yekelo told the committee.

The SANDF reserves have traditionally been a volunteer force comprising former soldiers, but Air Force Major Herrick Richards stated a focus on the youth would be “a beacon” of the RFC’s current term of office. “This council wishes to travel another road with an all-of-government approach, where we say, let’s harness South Africa’s youth vitality, and to advocate for the reform of the system so that we can do good in society,” said Richards. He said a reimagining of the reserves’ military capability was possible, one where their relevance and impact within communities could be redefined.

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He explained that using the reserve force to train the youth would create “responsible citizens” and a positive societal return on investment. The crux of the plan relies on a paid, three-year “incubation” programme for youth recruits, who would receive job experience and training, enabling them to become functional members of society with a volunteer military mindset.

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