FW de Klerk, die voormalige staatspresident van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika, se aankondiging op 2 Februarie 1990 dat Nelson Mandela vrygelaat gaan word en dat die regering met die voormalige bevrydingsbewegings gaan onderhandel, het tot die einde van die 30 jaar gewapendestryd gelei. Dit word vandag as ‘n keerpunt in die land se geskiedenis beskou omdat dit tot omvattende politieke, ekonomiese en maatskaplike veranderinge aanleiding gegee het. Daar bestaan ‘n sterk gevoel onder die meeste post-apartheid militêre veterane dat hulle deur die post-apartheid regering in die steek gelaat is. Die voormalige Nasionale Dienspligtiges is ontnugter deur die verloop van transformasie na 1994. Voor die verkiesing het hulle ‘n groot bydrae tot stabiliteit in die land na 1994 gelewer, maar nie algemene erkenning daarvoor ontvang nie. Van die veterane van die Nie-Statutêre Magte meen dat hulle nie soos die res van die bevolking die voordele van die nuutverworwe demokrasie geniet nie.
Afgesien van verskeie veterane-organisasies en die oorkoepelende South African National Military Veteran Association, ervaar die meeste veterane van albei groeperinge polarisasie, isolasie en ‘n gebrek aan gemeenskapsondersteuning. Baie van hulle is steeds op soek na afsluiting en die sin en betekenis van oorlogsverwante ervarings. Hoewel die verskillende veteraangroepe soortgelyke uitdagings ervaar wat hulle meer begrip vir mekaar en hulle omstandighede sou kon gee, lewe hulle steeds gepolariseerd. Die gestruktureerde ondersteuning van die Departement van Militêre Veterane, the South African National Military Veteran Association asook die Wet op Militêre Veterane aan veterane, is ‘n goeie begin, maar in die geheel nie voldoende nie.
Die doel van die studie is om vanuit ‘n pastorale perspektief ‘n bydrae te maak ten opsigte van die ondersteuning van post-apartheid veterane. Hierdie studie fokus op Afrikaanssprekende dienspligveterane van Europese oorsprong in hulle spesifieke konteks en hulle ervarings, uitdagings en lewenshouding as deel van die post-apartheid sosiaal-kulturele konteks van Suid-Afrika. Die studie volg ‘n outo-etnografiese benadering. Die eie verhaal en verhale van dienspligveterane word aangebied teen die agtergrond van die “plek” wat hulle in die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing beklee. Deurleefde ervarings word in gesprek gebring met toepaslike terapeutiese modelle en metodes. Met behulp van die pastorale hermeneutiese siklus word hierdie data verwerk en as ‘n pastorale versorgingsmodel voorgestel ter verbetering van die praktyk.
Die bydrae van hierdie studie is die ontwerp van ‘n pastorale benadering tot post-apartheid veterane se soeke na heelwording en afsluiting. ‘n Gemeenskapsgebaseerde, holistiese en multi-dissiplinêre benadering tot die pastoraat word voorgestel. Met behulp van die outo-etnografiese benadering word persoonlike ervaring en die afsluitingsproses van dienspligveterane in Suid-Afrika binne die wyer kulturele en religieuse konteks geplaas en nuwe insig verkry. Die studie illustreer hoe hierdie proses sosiale en persoonlike transformasie en psigiese afsluiting kan fasiliteer.
The political changes in South Africa since the announcement of FW de Klerk, former president of South Africa, on 2 Feb 1990 that Nelson Mandela would be released from prison and negotiations between the former enemies will be initiated, marked the end of a 30 year armed struggle. This was a turning point in the history of South Africa. It led to comprehensive political, economic and social change. Some former national service conscripts, who had been part of the Statutory forces, were disillusioned by the process of transformation after 1994. They felt that they were abandoned by the new government and that their contribution to establishing stability in the country prior to the election was not recognised. Some veterans of the Non Statutory forces believe that they do not enjoy the same privileges after the new democracy as the rest of the population.
In spite of the existence of multiple veteran organisations and the overarching South African National Military Veteran Association, many military veterans from both groups still experience polarisation, isolation and a lack of support from the community. Many veterans are still searching for closure and to find meaning in what they had experienced in the current political developments. The different veteran groups had similar experiences and sharing those experiences could aid them in gaining a better understanding for “the other” and find healing. However, the polarised society in which they live, does not provide much opportunity for this. Structured support from the Department of Military Veterans, the South African National Military Veteran Association and the Military Veterans Act is inadequate.
This study aims to contribute towards purpose driven support with post-apartheid veterans from a pastoral perspective. The epistemological point of departure is social constructionist. The target group is former Afrikaans-speaking national service conscripts of European origin in their specific social context. The approach of the study is autoethnographic. My own story and those of other national service conscripts are presented against the backdrop of pre- and post-apartheid contexts. The focus of the investigation is on past and present experiences and the challenge to find closure and re-establish our place in post-apartheid South Africa. Lived experiences are brought into conversation with relevant therapeutic models and methods. The data is processed by means of the pastoral hermeneutic cycle. A pastoral care model for the improvement of the current practice is presented. A community based holistic and multi-disciplinary approach is proposed where spiritual leaders and faith-based organisations play a significant role. The study illustrates how an autoethnographic approach can be useful to practical theology and how it can facilitate social and personal transformation.
