The Permanent Force was an integral part of both the
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...
and the
South West Africa Territorial Force
The South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) was an auxiliary arm of the South African Defence Force (SADF) and comprised the armed forces of South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1977 to 1989. It emerged as a product of South Africa's politic ...
which consisted of all the full-time volunteers, volunteers of
Auxiliaries
Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, ...
and
national service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
men.
South Africa
The Defence Act (No. 13) of 1912 established a
Union Defence Force (UDF) that included a Permanent Force (or
standing army) of career soldiers, an Active
Citizen Force (ACF) of temporary
conscript
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
s and volunteers as well as a
Cadet organization.
[ Library of Congress Country Studies: South Africa, Early Development of the South African Military, 1996]
Commonwealth
The Permanent Force forms a part of other
British Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
militaries such as Australia.
References
{{reflist
See also
*
Military history of South Africa
The military history of South Africa chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. It covers civil wars and wars of aggression and of self-defence both within South Africa and against it. It in ...
Military history of South Africa
South African Army
South West Africa Territorial Force