At a time when the public is calling for cuts in defense spending to free up money for domestic needs, there is legitimate concern about South Africa's ability to foot the bill for peacekeeping activities. But there are other obstacles to South Africa meeting its neighbors' peacekeeping expectations. The integration process, which is taking place with management training from the British, is not expected to be completed until late 1996. In the process, a force of about 75,000 will be retained and another 60,000 personnel will be demobilized. The integration process is painful, with murmurs of resentment and disillusionment emerging from both the former guerrillas and their white counterparts.
White soldiers claim that the army's standards are being lowered to accommodate black soldiers.
According to Minty, the process is proceeding more smoothly than expected, but it is far from completion. Minty also argues that the country should approach peacekeeping with caution in light of its troops' inexperience. He points out that other members of the regional alliance have experience with U.N. operations. Zimbabwe, for instance, has contributed troops to U.N. missions in Somalia and Rwanda. Further, in peacekeeping operations, soldiers seldom fire a weapon, except in self-defense.