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R/£ Minister's conscription call gets cautious welcome
January 30, 2007 Edition 1
Murray Williams, Linda Daniels and Sapa
A cabinet minister's suggestion that national service should be reintroduced to help curb crime has been cautiously welcomed by the DA.
Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said at the weekend that enlisting young men in the defence force could help cut violent crime.
The statement comes as an increasing number of South Afri-cans are citing crime as the country's greatest threat.
"The worrying trend whereby our youths are involved in the current spate of armed robberies and other related violent crimes that are ravaging our country could be reversed once they join the army," Mdladlana said.
He was speaking at a ceremony to commemorate King Mampuru of the Bapedi nation and King Nyabela of amaNdebele at Mamone in Lim-popo.
Mdladlana's remarks were in-cluded in a statement issued by his department yesterday.
Quoting from the ANC strategy and tactics document, he said: "Conscripting our young people would not only help inculcate discipline, but make them understand better the importance of defending our hard-earned liberation."
Andries Botha, DA spokesman on defence, said in response today: "There was not even a thought of conscription when the new constitution was negotiated. But if it comes on to the table we will definitely consider it and discuss it.
"To bring people into a national service is a very, very good idea, provided you have the funds to do it.
"On top of affordability, there would have to be the organisational capacity to do this. If every school- leaver served, for example, where would we get instructors to train 1.5 million trainees?
"It must also be a true national service - there must be no political implications. The national service we used to have was very political - and racist. Only a certain part of the population was subjected to it, and the main purpose was to maintain a racist, discriminatory status quo."
Public criticism of the crime rate has soared since the murder of battlefield historian David Rattray on Friday.
Tourism organisations have warned that his murder could have a negative impact on foreigners aiming to visit the country.
But this was rejected by the Environmental and Tourism Affairs Ministry yesterday.
The spokesman for the ministry, Riaan Aucamp, said it was too early to tell whether Rattray's death would have any impact on the tourist trade.
"To speculate on the impact of this incident on the tourism market would be premature. Obviously, no government would wish for this kind of thing. Our best efforts are being directed toward ensuring that this kind of thing does not happen," Aucamp said.
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