Special Hearings — Conscription Hearings — 1997-07-23

REV DU PLOOY: Thank you very much for the opportunity.  A submission is a very personal sort of thing because of the fact that when you talk about your religion and your personal beliefs it becomes personal and therefore it's also my personal experience I had in the Defence Force.
 I was appointed as a Chaplain in the Randburg Commando in 1977, in 1976 I received a commissioned rank as an officer, as a Chaplain in the Defence Force and then in 1977 I joined the permanent force as a Chaplain at Vortrekker Hoogte and as Chaplain, Duminy of the congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church Voortrekker Hoogte Oos.  I was allocated to the Technical Service Corp and eventually after two years I was appointed as senior staff officer Publications at
 Chaplain General HQ and as his personal staff officer.   In this post I served until April 1990.  I was then retrenched and left the SADF.
 This submission is about my personal experience of 14 years as Chaplain in the SADF, a witness about the role the Church played in the SADF during those years and I am talking from the perspective of the mainstream Afrikaans churches but my position as senior staff officer Publications and as personnel officer, publications relations officer to the Chaplain General also brought me in direct contact with all the other churches in the Defence Force at that stage.  So much of what is said today is also true of the other churches.
 In retrospect what sparked off this witness a few questions.  
 Why did the overwhelming majority of healthy, young and motivated South African White males of good standing, Afrikaans and English-speaking unconditionally do national service, more even, look forward to it?    Why did parents accept national service as a necessity and a general way of life?  
 Why did young people having difficulties at school suddenly see national service as a very good cause and a very good reason to quit school the moment they became 18?  The average educational standard of national servicemen at the end of the seventies was Standard 7.  That included the students.
 Why did parents feel obliged to inspire young men with problems at home or at school, to join national service in the hope that they will come good after disciplined training etc?
 What was the role of the Church, and that is my submission, and the Chaplaincy as such in bringing about this positive attitude?
 The appointment of Chaplains as officers and their ordination as Ministers in the SADF, were in the case of the Dutch Reformed Church, done in full knowledge of, and cooperation with, the General Synod of the DRC.  Governing bodies of the other churches fulfilled the same role.  Chaplains were not required to report on their work in the SADF to regional synods.  The Chaplain General being himself an ordained minister of the Dutch Reformed Church served on the Commission of the General Synod where he did the necessary as far as the work we did in the Defence Force.
 In matters of disciplinary action against Chaplains the Church and the SADF would liaise and accept each others decision.
 I just want to paint a small picture about the way that the chaplains and churches, therefore, were fully integrated in the military sphere at that stage. Although by that time, 1976, the chaplains did not wear military rank insignia but only the distinguishing chaplain's rank insignia, a chaplain was treated as a colonel.  That included being saluted by all officers, NCO's and servicemen carrying a rank less than colonel.  Chaplains had to salute all the officers in the Defence Force at the higher ranks, Brigadiers, Major Generals or Generals. Chaplains enjoyed the same privileges as all the other officers.  Chaplains serving in senior posts at the Chaplain General's HQ and in the HQ of the four arms of the service were promoted to where military ranks of Colonel, Brigadier or Major General as the case may be.
 On joining the Defence Force Chaplains had to undergo basic military training and Chaplains assigned to the operational units usually did all conventional or unconventional training with his unit.  The idea was to become acquainted with the circumstances under which the soldiers had to operate and to become one of the men.  I can recall a 42 year-old Minister of the Methodist Church, out of his free will, qualifying as a parabat with a squadron of 19 year-old youngsters. 
 Chaplains were required to carry weapons except if they did have conscientious objection in this matter, and the Chaplain was expected to be as far as possible to the front during operations.  
 To be promoted to the rank of Colonel, Brigadier or Major General Chaplains were required to do the ordinary military staff courses.
 The second point, just to illustrate how the Chaplains were integrated into the military sphere, it included that all the service benefits, such as housing, uniforms, salary and pension was footed by the government or the Defence Force at that stage.  Churches made no contribution towards any of these services.  The Dutch Reformed Church went as far as to constitute congregations of whom all the members consisted of military personnel.  Voortrekker Hoogte staged five Dutch Reformed congregations at one stage.
 The other thing is that Chaplains were also seconded by the Chaplain General to Military Intelligence, Special Operations and Communication Operations. The Chaplain General even formed a special citizen force unit consisting of church professors and leaders to do research on Church and Military matters.  They also advised him on issues such as the justification of the war, military and national service of church members and the deployment of qualified theological candidates as national servicemen and Chaplains.
 National servicemen Chaplains were military ranked insignia and were appointed with the rank of Lieutenant.  They functioned under the supervision of the local permanent force Chaplain and the officer commanding of the unit to which they were attached.  They were not allowed to be ordained as Ministers during their national service and had first to complete their national service before they were allowed to be considered as called to the Ministry outside the SADF.
National servicemen that did not want to serve as Chaplains on conscientious grounds were utilised as administrative personnel.  I would like to go on.
 This system of appointing Chaplains and the involvement of the Church in the Military were implemented by way of an official agreement between the State and the Church.  This agreement was approved of on National Synod level as well as on Parliamentary level.  This was in force until now.  All efforts over the years to change aspects of this agreement were dismissed by Chaplain General since, and I quote, 
"The Church stood to lose too much if any changes would be made to this agreement".
They would have to foot the bill of more than a 100 Chaplains serving in the Defence Force at R140 000 apiece.
 To really understand the role of the Military Chaplain ...(intervention)

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Sorry, can I just ask you to move your paper slightly away from the microphone because it's affecting the mike.