- published: 08 Jul 2015
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The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa.
The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.
The military as it exists today was created in 1994, following South Africa's first post-apartheid national elections and the adoption of a new constitution. It replaced the South African Defence Force.
The SANDF too over the personnel and equipment from the SADF and and integrated forces from the former homelands forces, as well as personnel from the former guerrilla forces of some of the political parties involved in South Africa, such as the African National Congress's Umkhonto we Sizwe, the Pan Africanist Congress's APLA and the Self-Protection Units of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
As of 2004, the integration process was considered complete, with the integrated personnel having been incorporated into a slightly modified structure very similar to that of the SADF, with the latter's structure and equipment for the most part being retained.