Department of Defence & Military Veterans (National): Overview

The Department of Defence is a contingency-based organisation whose mandate is delivered from the basic right of every nation to defend itself from aggression and protect its sovereignty. This mandate is enshrined in the Constitution and restated in the Defence Act.

The primary objective of the SANDF is to defend and protect the territory and people of South Africa in accordance with the Constitution and the principles of international law.

The Constitution states that the SANDF may be deployed for service in:

• the defence of the country, for the protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity
• compliance with the international obligations of the country to international bodies and other states
• the preservation of life, health or property
• the provision or maintenance of essential services
• the upholding of law and order in the country in co-operation with the SAPS, under circumstances set out in legislation, where the Police Service is unable to maintain law and order on its own
• the support of any department of State for the purpose of socio-economic upliftment.

The SANDF exercises its powers and performs its functions solely in the national interest in terms of the Constitution, 1996.

The SANDF is therefore responsible for:

• defending the country against aggressors
• promoting security
• supporting the people of South Africa.