Military Facts and Statistics for South Africa
Background: After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.
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Military South Africa ... Military branches: South African National Defense Force: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for
voluntary military service (October 2004)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 11,924,500 (2004
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 7,247,696
(2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 471,221 (2004
est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2,653.4 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (2003)
Military - note: with the end of apartheid and the establishment of
majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and
ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National
Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered
complete
Transnational Issues South Africa
Disputes - international: managed dispute with Namibia over the location
of the boundary in the Orange River
Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and
cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for
illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through
various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana;
attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of
organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
source http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/sf.html