Guarding the Guardians. Parliamentary Oversight and Civil-Military Relations: The Challenges for SA

This book provides a conceptual framework for understanding civil–military relations in SADC, and perspectives of parliamentarians.

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a pledge by African leaders, based on a common vision and a firm and shared conviction, that they have a pressing duty to eradicate poverty and to place their countries – both individually and collectively – on a path of sustainable growth and development. The programme, however, recognises that peace, security, democracy, good governance, human rights and sound economic management are conditions for sustainable development.

Defence is one of the sectors of governance that is essential in enhancing peace and security and that equally needs to be subjected to the principles of democracy and good governance. This entails the establishment of civil oversight over the defence sector and the development of healthy, democratic civil–military relations. The role of parliaments in this regard is of special importance.

Selected members of the parliamentary committees of South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia charged with oversight of their respective defence establishments, held a three-day conference in July 2003 in Arusha, Tanzania to debate the subject of parliamentary oversight and civil–military relations – the challenges for SADC. Various papers on the subject were delivered and discussed. This book is a compilation of some of those papers.

Guarding the Guardians provides both a conceptual framework for understanding civil–military relations in SADC, as well as perspectives of parliamentarians from the three countries represented, based on their personal experiences. The book includes a paper on the challenges faced by parliaments in the intricate matter of arms transfers.

The value of this book extends beyond the confines of South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia to the entire African continent. Practitioners, academics and scholars of civil–military relations will find the book provocative and a valuable contribution to the general security discourse.