The defence ministry insisted on Friday that an interim service commission reporting on conditions in the military never had a mandate to raise the fraught issues of trade unions for soldiers.
"The commission's terms of reference were clear from the outset: its priority is to investigate and make recommendations regarding remuneration and the conditions of service of members of the SANDF - not about the existence or non-existence of unions within the military," the ministry said in a statement.
Retired judge Ronnie Bosielo this week said Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu sent him an email in which she changed the mandate of the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission and ordered him to stay clear of the issue of unions. Bosielo chairs the commission.
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Sisulu and President Jacob Zuma in August said it had been a mistake to allow soldiers to belong to trade unions after an illegal protest at the Union Buildings about conditions in the army turned violent.
This drew opposition from the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
Press reports on Friday said despite the ministry's firm stance, Zuma was trying to backtrack on the mooted ban on trade unions in the military, which runs contrary to a Constitutional Court ruling.
Sisulu this week resisted calls from the Democratic Alliance to make public an interim report by the commission given to her two weeks ago. It reportedly contained warnings that conditions at some of South Africa's military bases were "unbearable" and required "urgent attention".
She said she would release its final report, due at the end of December.
The ministry said on Friday it was well aware there were long-standing problems in the military and was "working tirelessly to fast-track the upgrading of facilities".
"The truth is that the current situation in the SANDF has been for a long time coming. Despite our success as an African peacekeeping contributing force, the SANDF has in reality experienced a decade of neglect." - Sapa
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