Wednesday, September 25, 2002

The creation of the South African National Defence Force

The creation of a new defence force was an essential step in South Africa’s negotiated settlement. The integration of previously antagonistic forces was made more difficult by the differences in training, resources and political affiliations.

The planning for the changes ended in April 1994 when a common institutional culture and camaraderie within the organisation had been created and a manageable and goal-oriented planning framework agreed upon. A second, absorption phase, then commenced, which saw MK, APLA and the TBVC forces being absorbed into structures which, though new, were mainly those of the SADF.

The real shift occurred in March 1998 when a report submitted by the Chief of the National Defence Force brought about his own resignation. Power then shifted away from the conservative axis to more constitutionally inclined officers who supported the democratic transition and the military restructuring.

Source: Institute for Security Studies

Monday, September 9, 2002

Indalo Yethu

Indalo Yethu is a legacy project, an independent trust of the South African Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. It functions as an endorsement brand promoting greening and eco-friendly practices as a way of life. Its origins lie in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in South Africa in 2002.

The primary objective of Indalo Yethu is to reinforce the notion of environmental conscious living within the context of the country’s economic and social development programmes whose interventions will be reinforced by an extensive mass communications campaign as well as outreach programmes. Indalo Yethu wants to draw attention to responsible environmental living as this is a crucial ingredient in South Africa’s drive to realise its stated objectives of a better life for all, ensuring that benefits derived can be enjoyed by present and future generations. This will be achieved by programmes built on a two pronged approach:

Endorsement Program: Developing an Endorsement Brand that will link and become an umbrella for environmentally responsible or focussed programmes and projects that links economic growth and social development. This will include developing and implementing a public awareness and mass media campaign that will bring about this awareness. Every endorsed project will get the “butterfly” stamp of approval, making its environmentally friendly foundations evident for all to see.
Education and Awareness: Promoting and encouraging responsible environmental activities through institutional support for focussed actions, programmes and projects.

Source: http://www.indaloyethu.co.za



You can find information on the origion of the Indalo here.