South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force ( SADF ) comprised the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994 . Shortly before the nation reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961 , the former Union Defence Force was officially proceeded by the SADF , which was established by the Defence Act ( No . 44 ) of 1957 . The SADF was , in turn , superseded by the South African National Defence Force in 1994 . South African military units were involved in the long - running Angolan and Mozambican civil wars throughout the 1980s , frequently supporting Pretoria ' s allies in the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( UNITA ) and the Mozambican National Resistance ( RENAMO ) . SADF personnel were also deployed during the related South African Border War and attempted , unsuccessfully , to crush Namibia ' s bid for independence . Within South Africa itself , the SADF was organised with the aim of performing a dual mission : to counter possible insurgency in all forms , and to maintain a conventional military arm which could defend the republic ' s immediate borders , making retaliatory strikes as necessary . During apartheid , armed SADF troops were used in quelling opposition to minority rule , often directly supporting the South African Police services . The burden of maintaining a strong defence force fell largely on white South Africans , who were alone subject to conscription . However , Asians and Coloured citizens with mixed ancestry were eligible to serve as volunteers , several even attaining commissioned rank . Conscription was opposed " inter alia " by organisations such as the End Conscription Campaign , but overall , white morale remained high - as exemplified by the few recruits tried for serious disciplinary offences . As the military expanded during the 1970s , the SADF general staff was organized into six sections - finance , intelligence , logistics , operations , personnel , and planning ; uniquely , the South African Medical Service ( SAMS ) was made co - equal with the South African Army , the South African Navy and the South African Air Force . History . Before 1957 , the Union of South Africa had relied on small standing cadres for defence , expanding during wartime through the use of white conscripts . During World War II the Union initially fielded only 3 , 353 full - time soldiers , with another 14 , 631 active in reserve roles . These troops were not prepared to fight in Europe proper , as they had hitherto been trained only in basic light infantry tactics and bush warfare . However , Jan Christiaan Smuts proved remarkably resourceful in raising 345 , 049 men for overseas operations ; South African soldiers went on to distinguish themselves as far abroad as Italy and Egypt . After 1957 , the new South African Defence Force was faced with a post - war upsurge in African nationalism , and forced to expand its resources accordingly . In 1963 its total strength stood at around 25 , 000 men . By 1977 , the United Nations was imposing arms sanctions on the republic due to its controversial policy of racial apartheid . South Africa responded by developing a powerful domestic arms industry , capable of producing quality hardware , including supersonic jet fighters , armoured cars , multiple rocket launcher s , and small arms . SADF units fought in the Angolan Civil War during Operation Savannah and were also active alongside the Rhodesian Security Forces during Zimbabwe ' s liberation war . Although both campaigns were strategically unsuccessful , it was clearly proven that South Africa ' s military was immeasurably superior in strength and sophistication than all her African neighbours combined . Further enlargement and modernisation of the armed forces continued under former defence minister Pieter Willem Botha , who became state president in 1984 . Shortly after Botha took office , the SADF numbered some 83 , 400 men ( including 53 , 100 conscripts and 5 , 400 nonwhites ) - one armoured brigade , one mechanised infantry brigade , four motorised brigades , one parachute brigade , a special reconnaissance regiment , twenty artillery regiments , supporting specialist units , a balanced air force , and a navy adequate for coastal protection in all . In addition , numerous auxiliary formations were trained as support units capable of occupying strategic border areas , including the predominantly Angolan 32 Battalion , Namibia ' s South West African Territorial Force , and several bantustan militias . During Botha ' s term , the SADF began focusing on taking a more aggressive stance to the ongoing war against communist - supported nationalist guerrillas in South Africa and Namibia ( then South - West Africa ) and targeting neighboring countries that offered them support . This was partially justified as a new structure intended to turn back a " total onslaught " on the republic from abroad . The post - colonial rise of newly independent black governments on the apartheid administration ' s doorstep created a perceived menace to the existing structure , and Pretoria ' s occupation of Namibia threatened to bring it into direct confrontation with the world community . On the ground , militant guerrilla movements such as the African National Congress ( ANC ) , South West African People ' s Organisation ( SWAPO ) and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania ( PAC ) challenged white supremacy with force of arms . In 1984 , at least 6 , 000 such insurgents were being trained and armed by Tanzania , Ethiopia , the Soviet Union , and Warsaw Pact member states . In general the struggle went badly for South Africa ' s opponents . Mozambique provided support and shelter to ANC operatives ; in retaliation South African units launched massive counterstrikes which the local security forces were in no position to block . Military aircraft and special forces units deployed across Zimbabwe , Botswana , Lesotho , and Zambia to attack suspected insurgent bases . 30 , 000 South African military personnel were posted on the Namibian border by late 1985 , frequently crossing the frontier to battle SWAPO groups operating from southern Angola . SWAPO ' s MPLA allies , with the backing of the Cuban army , were often unable to protect them . These raids reflected the SADF ' s talent for combating rural insurgency . Major guerrilla camps were always chief targets , whether on foreign or domestic soil . Consequently , establishing good intelligence and effective assault strategy were commonly reflected in tactical priorities . The SADF ' s success eventually compelled SWAPO to withdraw over 200 miles from the Namibian border , forcing their insurgents to travel great distances across arid bush in order to reach their targets . Many could no longer carry heavy weapons on these treks , occasionally abandoning them as they marched south . Moreover , serious SWAPO losses were already having a negative effect on morale . ANC operations fared little better . Most high - profile terrorist attacks were foiled or offered negative publicity from a normally sympathetic international stage . While it was clear that popular support was growing and guerrilla skills were being improved upon , affrays on South Africa itself did not seriously disrupt the economy or impact the country ' s superior military and industrial status . By the fall of apartheid in 1991 , the SADF was an uneven reflection of both the strengths and weaknesses of South Africa ' s white society at large . It employed many personnel with developed technical skills ; thus , the military could more easily maintain and operate sophisticated hardware than black African forces drawn from underdeveloped regions . In an unusual contrast with Southern Africa ' s other white armies , the SADF had a stern sense of bureaucratic hierarchy . Commanders deferred to civilian supervisors and normally could not aspire to political power . The SADF ' s technical performance had also improved greatly , owing largely to realistic and efficient training procedures . The army in particular was skilled in both counterinsurgency warfare and conventional mechanised operations . In 1984 , 11 , 000 infantrymen were even trained to execute blitzkrieg tactics . White soldiers were for the most part reasonably motivated ; conscripts had a sense of defending their own country rather than some far - off foreign venture . Commissioned officers generally accepted in principle recruits of all colours , placed an emphasis on technical efficiency , and preferred to fight a foreign rather than domestic enemy despite extensive preparation for both . Integration . As multiracial democracy was introduced to the republic in 1994 , the SADF was amalgamated with the formerly independent bantustan security forces , the ANC ' s Umkhonto we Sizwe , PAC ' s Azanian People ' s Liberation Army and the ' self - protection units ' of the Inkatha Freedom Party ( IFP ) . The resulting formation is the current South African National Defence Force . Organization . The State President was the Commander - in - Chief of the SADF with : Staff Divisions under the Chief of Defence Staff included : Other Support Services commands included : Personnel . Prior to the dissolution , the SADF had the following force : Nuclear weapons . South Africa at one time possessed nuclear weapons , but its stockpile was dismantled during the political transition of the early 1990s .