Ladies and Gentlemen,
You think Canada is bad, have a look at South Africa, the following are taken from African Notes of 6 February 2002
Editorial: The appointment of even more generals and admirals unwelcome news
The announcement this week of a whole new slew of general and flags officers (see below) cannot be welcomed. The SANDF, by its own admission, now have over 200 generals and admirals for what should be a regular force of 78,000. It is currently above that level as a result of yet further holds ups with a much delayed demobilisation plan. Sweden, with a mobilisation strength of 270,000 only has 15 general/flag officer posts in its armed forces. It also has a mere 200 colonels/naval captains and reserve officers cannot advance beyond lieutenant colonel/naval commander. The US, with a force strength of over 1,2 million has around 300 generals and admirals. Kenya, with a force of 22,000 has less than 20 general officers. Comparisons are odious but this is not acceptable and yet another indictment of what can only be called a half-baked reorganisation of the SANDF by a leading consulting firm and a set of starry-eyed generals who have all now left the SANDF for the consulting circuit. Instead of fewer generals there are more. Instead of smaller service headquarters, now called "offices," there are larger structures. The SANDF‘s logistics system is in serious disarray and command and control is chaotic. The channels are too long to obtain either log support or a decision and even the most mundane issue must be referred "higher up" for approval. Service chiefs live in splendid isolation, having no chiefs-of-staff and no deputies. Yet the proliferation of brass continues. By conservative estimate if half this contingent can be regarded as unnecessary and sacked, the SANDF could save well over a billion rand a year  or an eleventh of the available budget. This is also unacceptable by any international standard. It is not clear what input the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in South Africa gave on this issue, or the recent appointment of a brigadier general as the SANDF‘s director of sport and physical training, arguably a major‘s job. Information to hand is that this team is earnest in its task and sensible with its advice  which, so the reporters say, are regrettably frequently ignored.
BMATT mandate renewed
The British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in South Africa is to remain in South Africa until sometime next year. The 10-member team is based in Pretoria and is currently headed by Brig SG Hughes. According to a South African Department of Defence internal bulletin the team‘s function is to assist the SANDF in its transformation, especially the process of integration, rationalisation, force development and developing a peace support capability. Its tasks are listed as monitoring and reporting of training; assessment and evaluation of personnel selection procedures and training courses; validation of criteria and standards to recognised international norms; adjudication related to integration, should the need arise; impartial advise on key aspects of democratic management of defence, especially integration, rationalisation, force development and continuing development of PSO capability; and, training assistance and support within resources on request.
More generals and admirals appointed
The chief of the SANDF this week announced the promotion of 13 general officers and six admirals. General Siphiwe Nyanda also announced the promotion to general officer rank of eight colonels and to flag rank of one naval captain. Several of the appointments are in the intelligence community according to an South African Department of Defence internal bulletin. Among the other appointments are Maj Gen MP Janse van Resnsburg as General Officer Commanding (GOC) SAAF Air Command and Maj Gen SZ Binda as GOC DoD Logistic Support Formation. Rear Adm SJ Verster has been appointed a chief director in the DoD‘s acquisition and procurement division. Brig Gen SS Kobe, currently GOC of 43 SA Brigade and the South African contingent in Burundi, is being moved to a staff post in the SA Army‘s Infantry Formation. He will soon be Director Area Defence, responsible for controlling the country‘s 83 commando units, many of whom still bear the names they wore during the two Anglo-South African wars a century ago. A 63-year- old colonel has also been promoted a substantive brigadier general and has been appointed Commandant of the SA Army Combat Training Centre at Lohatlha in the Northern Cape. Meanwhile, the SANDF was still fussing over the implementation of its "Employer Initiated Package" (or demobilisation scheme) meant to rid the services of surplus troops. Demobilisations are now scheduled for end of April, May, June and July. The SANDF could not provide numbers when requested.
MY NOTES These Generals/Admirals are mostly (some 188) ex-Freedom Fighters, these is also some 1,000 Colonels/Naval Captains. As the comment was made about, the vast majority are in appointments that should be held by junior officers or in some cases senior NCOs. The British military personnel were reported in The Times, of London, last November as being very unhappy in how their advice and direct assistance was being ignored or totally rejected.
Yours,
Jock in Sydney
