Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

General Data

Area: 1,129,266 sq.km (433,678 sq.miles); 11% arable, 65% meadows and pastures, 3% forest and woodland, 21 % other.

Coastline: 2,9541an (1,836 miles).

Maritime claims: Territorial waters 22km (12nm), EEZ 370km (200nm), continental shelf -200m or to depth of exploitation.

Population: 43,647,658 (July 2002 est.); annual growth rate 0.02% (2002 est.). The population is 75.2% black, 13.6% white, 8.6% coloured, 2.6% Asian.

Religions: 68% Christian, 1.5% Hindu, 2% Muslim, 28.5% indigenous beliefs.

Languages: Eleven official languages. Literacy rate: 85%.

Government

Long-form or legal name: Republic of South Africa.

Type of government: Republic.

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces.

Legal system: Based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law.

Branches of government: The President (elected by the National Assembly) is Head of State and Government and Chairman of the Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the President; bicameral legislature (400-member National Assembly and 90-member National Council of Provinces); the 9 provincial parliaments each appoint 10 members to the National Council of Provinces; judiciary headed by Supreme Court; separate Constitutional Court.

Suffrage: Universal over age 18.

Member of: UN, AU, IAEA, ICAO SADC, ISDSC and others.

Economy

GDP: US$412 billion (2001 est), US$9,400 per capita; real growth rate 2.6% (2001 est.).

Balance of trade: Imports, US$28.1 billion (fo.b., 2001 est.); exports, US$32.3 billion (fo.b., 2001 est.). Budget: Revenues, US$22.6 billion; expenditures, US$24.7 billion (FY02/03).

Defence

Structure: According to the Constitution, the President, as head of the national executive is the Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), and is responsible to appoint the Chief of the SANDF.

The SANDF, as part of the Department of Defence, has undergone a transformation process since 1997. One of the main principles of the transformation was the Constitutional provision of parliamentary oversight.

The Department of Defence resorts under the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence and their office is called the Ministry of Defence. The Secretary for Defence, who is a civilian director general, is the head of the department and acts according to the Constitution, Public Service Act of 1994 and the Public Finance Management Act of 1999. He is the accounting officer of the Department and head of the Defence Secretariat as well as the government's advisor on defence policy matter. Five divisions of the DoD resort under the Defence Secretariat.

The Chief of the SANDF is the commander of the defence force and the government's chief adviser on military matters.

The SANDF consists of four Services (Army, Navy, Air Force and Military Health Services) which are mainly responsible for force preparation, and supported by four staff divisions. The Joint Operations division is responsible for the operational employment of forces.

Total active manpower: 59,200 (September 2002) regulars and 16,200 Public Service Act personnel. The Reserves consist of 52,900 Territorial Commando (commando was a 17th century Dutch name for a militia territorial command system) and 15,400 conventional reserves. The DoD has set personnel targets to reflect the percentage of distribution of ethnic groups represented in South Africa. This has largely been achieved, except for specific rank groups, which is being addressed.

Conscription: No conscription exists, but a system called Military Skills Development, a volunteer short service system, is being implemented.

Defence budget: Rand 18.41 billion (some USSI.77 billion)(FY02/03).

Police Service: 60,000 police and 60,000 civilians constitute the South African Police Service. The police operates an Air Wing with 1 BEECHJET, I KING AIR Air 90, 1 Cessna 402, 9 PC-6s, 1 500D, 2 500Es, 15 Bo-105s, 2 Bk-117s, 4 AS.350 SQUIRRELs.

Navy

Personnel: 4,940 regulars, plus 2,322 civilians and 770 reserves (as at 7 November 2002).

Structure: Navy Office (part of the DoD), Fleet Command in Simon's Town

Fleet:

Submarines:

2 ASSEGAAI class (DAPHNE type)

Light forces:

6 "Warrior"class missile FACs (Israeli RESHEF type)

28 NAMACURRA class coastal patrol craft

Mine warfare forces:

4 "City" minehunters (ex-German LINDAU class Type 351 "Troika")

4 UMKOMAAS class minesweepers (RIVER type)

Major auxiliaries: 2 fleet replenishment vessels, 1 torpedo recovery/diving support vessel, I hydrographic survey vessel.

NB: 4 MEKO A-200SAN AMATOLA class "corvettes" (light frigates) on order, with the first ship due for delivery in January 2003 for local fitting out and commissioning in mid-2004. 3 Type 209/1400 submarines on order for delivery at one year's interval from April 2005 to April 2007. An order for 4 Super LYNX shipborne helicopters for the corvettes has been postponed, but it is expected to be placed in the near future.

Major naval bases: Naval Base Simon's Town, Naval Station Durban (SAS SCORPION). The Naval HQ is situated in Pretoria.

Marines: Two battalions.

Land Forces

Manpower: 29,115 full-time uniformed personnel plus 5,060 civilian personnel, 6,781 Conventional Reserve and 71,515 Territorial Reserve

Structure: Army Office (part of the DoD) with 3 Chief Directorates (Army Force Structure, Army Force Preparation, Army Corporate Services and Directorate Inspector General Army). Under the Army

Office there are (full-time force):

- 2 Brigade HQs: 43 SA Brigade (HQ in Wallmansdal), 46 SA Brigade (HQ in Kengray)

- SA Army Infantry Formation HQ: 20 Group HQs, 2 mechanised infantry battalions, 3 motorised infantry battalions, 1 specialised infantry battalion, School of Infantry, 10 Light Infantry Battalion

- SA Army Artillery Formation HQ: School of Artillery, 4 Artillery Regiment, 1 Artillery Mobilisation Centre

- SA Army Air Defence Artillery Formation HQ: School of Air Defence Artillery, 10 AA Regiment

- SA Army Armour Formation HQ: School of Armour, I SSB, I Tank Regiment, tank transporter capability

- SA Army Engineer Formation HQ: School of Engineers, 2 Field Engineer Regiment, 1 Construction Regiment, 35 Engineer Support Regiment, 4 Survey and Mapping Regiment, I Military Printing Regiment

- SA Army Intelligence Formation HQ: School of Tactical Intelligence, 1 Tactical Intelligence Regiment, Special Forces Brigade (under command of CJ Ops)

SA Army Training Formation HQ: SA Army College, SA Army Gymnasium, SA Army Combat Training Centre, 3 SAI BN (SA Army Training Regiment)

- SA Army Support Formation HQ: 14 General Support Bases, 101 Field Workshop, 16 Maintenance Unit, National Ceremonial Guard, 102 Field Workshop, 17 Maintenance Unit.

Equipment:

MBTs: 172 OLIPHANT 1A/1Bs (modified CENTURIONs)

Armoured cars: 114 ROIKAATs, 53 RATEL ZT3 tank destroyers

APCs: 931 RATEL IIIs, 428 CASSPIRs, 538 MAMBAs

Artillery: 45 G5 155mm towed, 43 G6 155mm SP

RCL Guns: 171 106mm

Mortars: 25 120mm

MRLs: 25 127mm BATELEUR

AA guns: 35 Mk4/5 35mm towed, 36 23mm

SAMs: 54 CACTUS (CROTALE).

NB: Equipment on storage, most of which is expected to be declared as surplus and offered for sale, includes 120 OLIFANT 1A/1B tanks, 128 ROOIKAT armoured cars, 450 RATEL wheeled APCs, 56 G6 (SP) and G5 (towed) 155mm howitzers, and 160 other artillery pieces.

A new ground-based air defence system is to be established, starting with a a three-year programme for a local warning segment and MANPADS.

Air Force

Personnel: 10,710 (including civilian staff)(as of late September 2001).

Structure:

Combat: 2 fighter squadrons: 2 Sqn. (Luis Trichardt) with 28 CHEETAH Cs and 10 Ds, 8 Sqn. (Bloemspruit) with 18 30 IMPALA MkI/MkIIs

Maritime Patrol: 1 dual-role squadron (35 Sqn. at AFB Ysterplaat) with 3 C-47Ts and 3 C-47Ms

Transport: 4 squadrons: 28 Sqn. (Waterkloof) with 7 C-13013/Fs; 41 Sqn. (Waterkloof) with 3 Beech 20s, I Beech 30, 1 PC-12 and 11 C-208 CARAVANs; 44 Sqn. (Waterkloof) with I CN-235, 4 C212s and 13 Cessna 185s; 21 Sqn. (VIP)(Waterkloof) with 1 737BBJ, 2 FALCON SOB, 2 Cessna 550s and 1 FALCON 90

Helicopters: 5 squadrons: 17 Sqn. (Waterkloof) with 10 ORYXs and 9 SA.319 ALOUETTE Ills; 19 Sqn. (Louis Trinchart) with 18 ORYXs and 10 SA.319 ALOUETTE Ills; 22 Sqn. (Ysterplaat) with 11 ORYXs and 9 SA.319 ALOUETTE IIIs; 15 Sqn. (Durban) with 8 BK-117s (SAR) and 10 ORYX; 16 Sqn. (Bloemspruit) with 12 CSH-1 ROOIVALK (deliveries being completed)

Trainers: I Central Flying School (CFS Langebaanweg) with 57 PC-7MkII ASTRAs; 85 Sqn (Combat Flying School)(Hoedspruit) with 12 IMPALA MkIs and 12 MkIIs; 87 Sqn (Helicopter Flying School) (Bloemfontein) with 16 SA.319 ALOUETTE Ills and 8 AS.32s

Others: 1 tanker/EW squadron (60 Sqn. at Swartkop) with 5 Boeing 707s.

NB: 9 GRIPEN two-seat fighters on order for delivery in 2007-2009 to replace the CHEETAH Ds, with an option for an additional 19 single-seater aircraft to be delivered in 2009-2012 to replace the CHEETAH Cs. 12+12 HAWK 100 trainers on order for delivery by 2005 (first batch) to replace the IMPALA MkIs and by 2006 (second batch) to replace the MkIs, respectively. 30 Agusta A-109M light utility helicopters on order, plus another 10 on option to be delivered in 2003-2005 to replace the ALOUETTE IIIs. Deliveries of 12 CSH-1 ROOIVALK combat helicopters will be completed in 2003.

Plans have been announced for the active inventory to be reduced to 28 CHEETAHs, 24 IMPALAs and 40 ASTRAs. 22 MIRAGE F. 1AZs, 13 CHEETAH Es (single-seat), 3 CHEETAH Ds (two-seat) and 9 C'-160 TRANSALL are on storage for sale.

Major air bases: Bloemspruit, TFDC Bredasdrop, Durban (to ba scaled back to an air station), Hoedspruit, CFS Langebaanweg, Louis Trinchardt, Swartkop (to be closed down), Waterkloof, Ysterplatt/Cape Town (to be closed down).

Military Healt Service

Personnel: 8,135 (including civilian staff)

Structure: Surgeon General, 2 Chief Directorates (Military Health Force Preparation, Military Health Force Support)

World Defence Almanac 2002-03