SANDF’s annual recruitment drive on hold

“All recruitment in the SANDF has been suspended until further notice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Once a review has been done, further information will be made known to potential recruits who want to enlist in the defence force,” SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said yesterday.

According to Darren Olivier, defence expert and director at African Defence Review, the recruitment process for Special Forces is thorough and difficult, with only a small percentage getting through.

“Recruits are first subjected to a punishing fitness test and a personal interview combined with a battery of psychological and aptitude tests to determine whether they have the right stuff to go further. Typically, more than 70% of those who apply are turned away at this point,” Olivier said.

He said those who pass then enter six weeks of pre-selection, a phase of high-pressure training and evaluation of 20-hour days, increasingly long route and speed marches with heavy loads, as well as difficult physical and academic tests and additional psychological testing. Olivier said the final phase was the selection course, which was the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance. This is a week-long forced march during which recruits seldom sleep or eat, get no chance to rest and have to keep moving.

“It’s designed to simulate the most extreme operational conditions and take them beyond the ordinary limits of their bodies. Those who pass selection have to dig deep to find the will power to continue, despite severe exhaustion, pain and hunger.

“Recruits can quit at any stage if it becomes too much for them, and they’re monitored by psychologists and Special Forces instructors who’ll remove anyone at risk of serious harm or who shows undesirable characteristics like being unable to work in a team while under pressure.”

By the end of the selection process, only a handful remain. According to Olivier, the SANDF Special Forces are highly trained and are often responsible for high-risk operations, including covert reconnaissance, hostage rescue, training foreign forces as well as operations that require precision and efficiency.

– siphom@citizen.co.za

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