1

MILITARY LAW PRACTITIONERS AND

ACADEMIC DISCOURSE: A SINE QUA NON
FOR DEVELOPING MILITARY LAW

Michelle Nel
Stellenbosch University
Abstract

There has been limited development in South African military law since
the inception of the Union Defence Force in 1912. Military law has mainly evolved
as a way to enforce discipline in a force consisting of mostly conscripted members,
and a historical comparison of the relevant legislation shows no renewal in military
justice or its processes in spite of a shift to a new all-volunteer force. Surely, the
approach towards discipline and military justice should also have changed. However,
the limited development seen since was only brought about when necessitated by
constitutional challenges and external factors. This also seems to be true for the
military law practitioners’ understanding of what military law entails. Generally,
military law is understood as the criminal law of the soldier, limiting it to the realm
of military justice. Considering the expanding role of armed forces internationally,
and the secondary roles of their employment, there is a clear need for a broadening
of the definition and scope of military law as a discipline. The author argues that
there are a number of other disciplines that could be of great assistance in a
broadening of our understanding of military law. This article therefore argues that
there is a critical need to develop military law as well as our understanding of what
it entails. This requires the development of a legal-academic discourse within the
discipline.

Introduction

Although a general definition of what

Scientia Militaria, South African
constitutes ‘the law’ may not be easy to
Journal of Military Studies, Vol
45, No. 2, 2017, pp. 1–19. pinpoint, it is explained in every introductory
doi : 10.5787/45-2-1212
 2

law course in generally similar terms.1 Hand in hand with this definition is the
demarcation of the various disciplines of law. Most disciplines are easily identifiable
and their sources clearly outlined. Some disciplines have been with us since the
inception of South African law, while others, such as Constitutional Law and Internet
Law, are relatively new additions. The law does not remain stagnant, and as societies
and the legal landscape change and develop, new areas of the law develop and
require academic discourse. Textbooks, legal research and case law on most
disciplines abound. South African Military law is not a new discipline. It has been
in existence since the inception of the armed forces; yet, it is a legal discipline that
is relatively unknown.

There are no South African textbooks available on South African Military

Law. There are only a limited number of academics doing research and publishing
in this area,2 and in spite of the influence of the Constitution on military law, the
content of the subject matter has remained relatively stagnant. 3 There has been only
limited development since the inception of the Union Defence Force in 1912.
Offences, punishments and procedural aspects where copied from the 1881 British
Army Act, remained unchanged until the promulgation of the 1957 Defence Act,4
which consolidated the discipline codes of the various Arms of Service into a
uniform Military Discipline Code,5 the same one still in use in 2016. The advent of
the Constitution necessitated some changes to the military justice system, but said

1
See for example Kleyn, D & Viljoen, F Beginner’s Guide for Law Students (Juta Law 2010) at
1 and Maisel, P & Greenbaum, L Introduction to Law and Legal Skills (LexisNexis
2001) at 15.
2
Published articles are few and far between. Historically there are no prolific publications on
the subject matter. Authors who have published one or two articles include CJ
Pretorius (1973), ELK de Villiers (1974), MM Oosthuizen (1990), H van der
Westhuizen (1994), R Adm D Smart (1994), Prof. L Heinecken and M Nel (2003),
Prof. M Carnelley (2005) and more recently Prof. EA Tshivhase. Available research is
limited to the question surrounding constitutional concerns regarding the appointment
and independence of the military judges.
3
The South African Law Reform Commission has had some discussion and suggestions in
2011 regarding changes they regard as necessary, but to date there has been no
forward momentum regarding their recommendations – see South African Law
Reform Commission ‘Discussion Paper 123: Statutory Law Revision: Legislation
Administered by the Department of Defence, Project 25’ (2011), available at
http://www.justice .gov.za/salcr/spapers/dp123.pdf. It is also foreseen that the
proposed Military Discipline Bill will result in considerable changes to the military
justice system, although there is no clear indication when the Bill will serve before the
National Assembly. The last official notice in this regard was in GN 650 of 2008,
published in GG 31078 of 23 May 2008, which indicated that the Minister of Defence
intended to introduce the Bill in June 2008.
4
Defence Act 44 of 1957.
5
Schedule 1 of the Defence Act 44 of 1957.
 3

changes are largely limited to procedural aspects and seemingly cannot be attributed
to any internal drive for change and development from within the Legal Services
Division or research within the field.

Change was brought about by pressure outside the South African National
Defence Force (SANDF), by court cases compelling change and the enforcement of
a number of human rights. The most pivotal case was arguably the 1999 case of
Freedom of Expression Institute v President, Ordinary Court Martial,6 which
specifically found that the ordinary court martial format in use did not conform to
the constitutional understanding of what constitutes an ‘ordinary court’ in terms of
section 35(3)(c) of the Constitution, forcing the swift implementation of the Military
Discipline Supplementary Measures Act (MDSMA).7 This in turn paved the way for
the change to the current Court of a Military Judge format. The main aims of the
MDSMA were to replace the unfair and unconstitutional practices in the military
courts with a constitutional military court system, independent judges, the right to
appeal and review as well as providing recourse to the High Court of South Africa. 8
As mentioned, these changes only addressed procedural aspects of the military
justice system. It is however this researcher’s contention that military law
encompasses much more than merely military justice.

Military legal scholarship

The unrealised expectation of a seismic shift in our approach to military law

created by the movement from a conscription force in an unconstitutional era to an
all-volunteer force in a constitutional human rights and international law
environment is questionable.9 Although military law only affects a small percentage
of our population directly, its potential influence should not be underestimated. The
SANDF is playing a prominent role in the international peacekeeping environment,
especially at regional and continental level. Conduct by members of the SANDF as
well as policy decisions may have diplomatic consequences and are brought to the

6
Freedom of Expression Institute v President, Ordinary Court Martial 1999 (2) SA 471 (C).
7
Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act 16 of 1999.
8
Nel, M Sentencing Practice in Military Courts (unpublished LLD thesis, Unisa 2012) at 16.
9
With the advent of the Constitution, the security sector, including the armed forces, went
through extensive changes. Africa, S ‘The Transformation of the South African
Security Sector: Lessons and Challenges’ (2011) DECAF Policy Paper no 33 at 1 lists
a number of changes as a new constitutional and legislative framework, integration of
the statutory and non-statutory forces, the establishment of a common culture among
the various security forces, policy reviews and the introduction of a human rights
approach.
 4

attention of civilian South Africa more and more frequently. 10 Taxpayers demand
results, and an effective military law system could go a long way towards prevention
and cure where ethical, trusted legal advice is available.

Without research and development, a discipline stagnates and can arguably

no longer be effective.11 Development relies on research and legal scholarship and
influences all areas of the law. It affects “judicial decisions, legislative policies,
administrative practices, and cultural attitudes”.12 The ability of a discipline to
develop by means of research would assume that it is an academic discipline, which
raises the question whether military law could in fact be regarded as such. To be
regarded as an academic discipline –
 military law must collect the knowledge in a system, i.e. describe and
explain information in an existing framework;
 the knowledge must be obtained by means of an academically recognised
method; and
 the aim must be to collect international knowledge.13

The discussion below will attempt to address some of these aspects.

There are a number of ways in which research can be done, depending on

the researcher’s motivation. In the traditional descriptive manner, one would study
legislation and case law and the way it can be applied in the specific legal
discipline.14 This approach regards law as a practical discipline since the results will
be valuable to legal practitioners in understanding and applying legal rules. 15 In
general, a comparative study would also yield fruitful results, especially with the aim
of developing a discipline. A third possibility would be studying the law as part of
the humanities.16 Here I argue that legal academics and military law practitioners
should be open toward other fields within the humanities, especially when
developing military law into an international discipline instead of a very narrow

10
A number of recent incidents come to mind, such as the 13 soldiers who died on
deployments in March 2014 in the Central African Republic, recent complaints of
sexual misconduct by South African soldiers on deployment with the UN as well as
questions raised about the continued efficacy of Op Copper in a number of Defence
Web discussions.
11
Kamba, WJ ‘Comparative Law: A Theoretical Framework’ (1974) 23 International and
Comparative Law Quarterly at 494 argues that legal education is “incomplete without
legal research”.
12
Rhode, DL ‘Legal Scholarship’ (2002) 115 (5) Harvard Law Review at 1328.
13
Smits JM The Mind and Method of the Legal Academic (Edward Elgar 2012) at 37–8.
14
Ibid 1.
15
Siems, MM & Sithigh, DM ‘Mapping Legal Research’ (2012) 71 (3) Cambridge Law
Journal at 652.
16
Ibid 654.
 5

branch of our domestic law.17 Law may also be studied as part of the social sciences18
where one would investigate the consequences of applying certain legal rules,
determining the effect of law on society. 19 It is submitted that the military law
environment does not lend itself easily to empirical research in determining the effect
of military law on society. Even if one would follow the empirical route, this type of
research is hampered by challenges such as difficulty in accessing research
participants within the SANDF and the classification of information.20 The present
discussion will consequently focus on the role of research as a practical, descriptive
discipline in the development of military law and brief mention will be made of the
role of comparative studies and the humanities.

Traditional descriptive research

Descriptive legal research denotes a systematic description of the law in a

certain field,21 in this instance of military law, and it remains the most common way
in which legal research is done. One cannot do away with a proper description of the
legal discipline. At a basic level, this would include a neutral description of what
military law is, and it explains to the reader how it operates. This is what is typically
found in legal textbooks. This would include an analysis of the relevant legislation
and case law, placing it in a system and then developing this system further. 22 Such
a system is set out as a “coherent set of concepts, rules and principles” which is done
“by exposing contradictions, defining concepts and classifying rules and cases”.23
Existing materials are produced by the legislature and the courts, it is described to
make it easier for others to understand, consequently making the outcome more
predictable24 thereby creating our legal doctrine.25

17
See in this regard Smits op cit 1.
18
Siems & Sithigh op cit 655.
19
Smits op cit 9.
20
For a discussion on the difficulties encountered when doing military research, see
Heinecken, L ‘Reflections on Insider-outsider Experiences of Military Research in
South Africa’ in Carreiras, H, Castro, C & Frederic, S (eds) Research in Military
(Routledge 2016) at 41.
21
Smits op cit 11.
22
Ibid 12–3.
23
Ibid 15. One is not able to describe the law without also interpreting the law – see the
discussion in Van Hoecke, M & Warrington, M ‘Legal Cultures, Legal Paradigms and
Legal Doctrine: Towards a New Model for Comparative Law’ (1998) 47 International
and Comparative Law Quarterly at 523–4.
24
Smits op cit 16.
25
Tiller, EH & Cross, FB ‘What is Legal Doctrine?’ (2006) 100 (1) Northwestern University
Law Review at 517.
 6

The problem is that once a legal system is put in place, that system will
generally determine the outcome of future descriptions of the subject matter. Even
if new rules are developed, legal practitioners will fit it into existing groupings. This
in turn influences the practice and application of military law since legal academics
work normatively on a system used in practice. Any proposed developments and
changes to the system will have to fit into the existing system. 26 The research is not
separated from practice. Although the legislature and the courts can in effect create
law, the unwillingness to move outside the existing groupings could prove
problematic for any proposed expansion of the existing understanding and
application of military law.

Military law has been in existence in some form since the beginning of
military history, and in South Africa, since the inception of our armed forces.27 This
is a discipline seemingly resistant to change. Luban’s28 quote of Quine seems apt
under the circumstances: “We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct
their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom.”

All military legal practitioners are conversant with the descriptive method of
research – it is the prevalent method commonly used in law faculties throughout
South Africa. Even though it has the potential to influence military law, and is
potentially valuable to judges, practitioners and policymakers,29 descriptive research
in the military context faces a number of challenges.

There are several statutes applicable to the military law environment. The
most important being the South African Constitution. As the supreme law, all other
statutes are subject to the Constitution. This means that all statutes must comply with
the imperatives of the Constitution, including the human rights contained therein.30
This places a burden on the Military Courts to interpret and apply these
Constitutional imperatives.31 Compliance will go a long way towards the ethical,
trusted military legal system alluded to earlier.

The military justice system is a creature of statute and it cannot exist without
the legislation that created it. There are three statutes that find particular application
in military law: the Defence Act,32 the Military Discipline Supplementary Measures

26
Smits op cit 17–8.
27
For an overview of the history of military, see Nel op cit 36–126.
28
See Luban, D ‘Military Necessity and the Cultures of Military Law’ (2013) 26 Leiden
Journal of International Law at 349.
29
Rhode op cit 1339.
30
S 2 of the 1996 South African Constitution.
31
S 39(1) of the Constitution.
32
Defence Act 42 of 2002.
 7

Act (MDSMA)33 and the Military Discipline Code (MDC).34 Although the Defence
Act and the MDSMA have been written after the advent of the Constitution and
should comply with the Constitutional demands,35 the MDC stems from 1957, with
no discernible changes from the 1912 MDC. It is foreseen that the proposed Military
Discipline Bill will bring about a number of changes and hopefully effect the long-
awaited constitutionalisation of the Military Discipline Code.36 Since the Bill is not
available for perusal, it is unclear to what extent, if any, this Bill will influence the
existing Military Law legislation, and this situation is not conducive towards
research or much needed development of military law. 37 It is of concern that the
Military Discipline Bill has been pending since at least 2005. Continued assessment
and review of legislation is important in order to identify problems within the
military justice system and to recommend improvements, as well as to identify
critical needs.38 Since the law can be regarded as both legal and political,39 research
and development become necessary to adapt to the changing “legal and political
context”.40 With legislation taking more than a decade to see the light of day, the
changes to the “legal and political context” will pass us by.

In general, one only finds limited descriptive research published in military

law. This is by no means an indication that research in the field is not being done at
all. A large part of the legal services rendered to the SANDF includes the writing of
official legal advice papers on a wide selection of topics and legal questions. The
problem is that these papers are not made available for publication or even at a more
restricted level, to the military legal practitioners specifically. Although there are a
number of classified situations which understandably would prevent publication, it
is surely possible to publish those legal opinions that are not regarded as classified.41

33
Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act 16 of 1999.
34
First Schedule to the Defence Act 44 of 1957.
35
This is however not the case. There are still serious constitutional concerns regarding aspects
such as the difference in treatments between the ranks, the validity of certain offences
and concerns regarding sentencing and yet little has been done in terms of academic
critique of these voids and concerns.
36
To what extent the MDC will be changed is unclear, as no copy of the draft Bill is available.
It is expected, however, that the biggest changes will be to the jurisdiction of
Commanding Officers to exercise discipline over their subordinates.
37
As there is no indication when the Bill will be promulgated as a law, this situation can
continue indefinitely.
38
Vashakmadze, M ‘Understanding Military Justice’ (Geneva Centre for the Democratic
Control of Armed Forces 2010), available at
http://www.dcaf.ch/Publications/Publication-Detail?Ing=en&id=127045 at 18.
39
Tiller & Cross op cit 528.
40
Vashalmadze op cit 18.
41
Many topics are regarded as sensitive or controversial by the SANDF and are classified
accordingly. Research on relevant issues should be published, but military researchers
 8

It should even be possible to generalise classified information by, for example

restating the question in more generic terms, and then making it available. This
would be an invaluable tool in the development and education of military legal
practitioners as well as providing a body of research with which to develop military
law.

The South African legal system is based on a system of precedent where

courts are bound by their judgments in previous cases,42 and herein lies the greatest
strength of legal doctrine – the ability of the higher court to influence the decisions
by the lower court.43 The legal doctrine therefore operates in a hierarchical structure
with the lower courts using the doctrine to resolve the case with which they are busy.
They find guidance from the precedents and decisions of the higher courts.44 The
military legal system is no different. Although one Court of a Military Judge (CMJ)
is not bound by the decision of another CMJ, it is bound by the decision of the Court
of Military Appeal (CMA). The role of the higher court (the CMA) in the hierarchy
is to consider the wider effect of their decisions on the lower courts and as such, the
CMA must carefully consider its decisions and application of doctrine.45 CMA
decisions are made available within the legal services division, but they are not
published in any official format nor indexed, making research on CMA decisions
laborious. Since these decisions are only distributed internally, civilian researchers
do not have access, further hampering research in the area. Earlier decisions by the
CMA did not include any reasons for their judgements, and more recent cases do not
always contain extensive legal discussions on their reasons for judgement, making
it difficult for the lower courts to consider the military legal doctrine.

Only a limited number of CMJ cases are subjected to appeal or review by

the CMA.46 Since only CMA decisions are made available, the bulk of all CMJ
decisions are never reported and distributed. Consequently a vast body of military
case law is not available for research. It is therefore conceivable that a number of
potential important decisions, which are not reviewed by the CMA, are never made

have found that controversial or critical findings have resulted in them being unable to
publish their research due to restrictions placed on their findings. See in this regard
Heinecken op cit 43.
42
Kleyn & Viljoen op cit 58.
43
Tiller & Cross op cit 526.
44
Ibid 531.
45
Ibid.
46
In terms of Rule 71(1) MDSMA and s 34(6) MDSMA CMJ proceedings are forwarded to the
CMA on automatic review where an accused is sentenced to imprisonment (including
suspended imprisonment), cashiering, discharge with ignominy or dismissal or
discharge from the SANDF. In terms of s 34(5) MDSMA the accused may also apply
for a review of their case by the CMA.
 9

available to military legal practitioners, thereby impoverishing military law. The

importance of judicial decisions in legal research must be highlighted. It has been
argued that “the language of judicial opinion represents the law” and “a decision to
ignore [judicial] opinions misses the law”. 47 Since all CMJ decisions are recorded
and transcribed it should be feasible to publish them in a format similar to the various
law reports already available in South Africa.

A comparative method of research

Descriptive legal studies form the basis for comparative research in that it
use the legal systems described and systemised by the descriptive method.48
Comparative research describes the law by comparing one’s own legal system with
that of a foreign jurisdiction. Generally, it is directed at comparing “similar legal
systems within the same legal family”.49 The South African Constitution in fact
requires comparative application of the law. 50

There are a number of reasons to use a comparative method of research. 51

Comparing one’s own system with foreign systems tends to open up possibilities,
taking practitioners out of self-imposed legal isolation.52 Isolation and a narrow
application of the law may in fact be detrimental to the development of the legal
system – a state of affairs directly in contradiction to what is advocated in this article.
It is by comparison that one learns to question the rules, solutions and norms within
one’s own system,53 thereby stimulating development.

When one once again considers the historic development of military law, it
is clear that a number of military judicial systems developed from a common
denominator – the British system, and in spite of domestic influences, these systems
have largely retained their roots.54 This should create fertile ground for comparison.

47
Tiller & Cross op cit 518, 523.
48
Van Hoecke & Warrington op cit 530.
49
Smits op cit 25–6. See also Reitz, JC ‘How to do Comparative Law’ (1998) 46 (4) The
American Journal of Comparative Law at 618–9 and Kamba op cit 486.
50
S 39(1), which compels any court or tribunal to consider international law and allows the
consideration of foreign law.
51
Kamba op cit 490 includes academic studies, legislation and law reform, the judicial process,
unification and harmonisation, international law and international understanding
among the reasons for comparative research.
52
Ibid 492.
53
Ibid.
54
Fidell, ER ‘A World-wide Perspective on Change in Military Justice’ (2000) 48 The Air
Force Law Review at 206 states that “[i]n spite of the difficulty of establishing its
etiology, however, the existence and vast extent of this common core of legal systems
cannot be doubted”.
 10

The international nature of military operations is potentially ideally suited for this
type of research.55
Since approximately 2000, there have been a number of developments in
military law at international level.56 The reasons for the developments differ from
country to country, ranging from the need to adapt to human rights developments
within their jurisdictions to an improvement of the effectiveness of the military
justice system and the re-organisation of the armed forces in post-conflict
situations.57 Since the motivation for change will focus the research in a particular
military justice system, the benefit gained by studying that system might
unfortunately be limited. Comparative legal research requires a common point of
departure in order to make a comparison.58

The current international focus relates to terrorism, jurisdiction over civilians

and the treatment of juveniles. These are not challenges faced by South Africa. The
use of contemporary literature on military law from these jurisdictions would
consequently not be of significant assistance. Comparative studies with Canada and
Australia have however proved beneficial in the context of research on the shared
concerns regarding the independence of military judges.59 Comparative study is
consequently limited in the area of military justice but may prove useful in the areas
of operational and international law due to the international utilisation of the armed
forces. This is possible when considering that one of the valuable functions of
comparative studies listed by Kamba60 refers to the neutralisation of tensions and the
promotion of international understanding, thereby facilitating peaceful relations.
This is possible due to the transnational nature of comparative studies, which leads
to a better understanding of the legal traditions and institutions of other countries. A
military legal practitioner armed with this knowledge will be invaluable to a
commander in the field.

55
Fidell (ibid 202) gives three reasons for international collaboration as (1) the need to apply
foreign law in domestic courts; (2) the ability to borrow beneficial ideas and (3) the
enhancement of cross-border cooperation. See also Cotterrell, R Law, Culture and
Society: Legal Ideas in the Mirror of Social Theory (Ashgate 2006) at 130, who lists a
number of further reasons, with providing “legal solutions to causes of international
conflicts and so promote international understanding” being relevant in this context.
56
Fidell op cit 195.
57
Vashakmadze op cit 10 and Dahl, AW ‘International Trends in Military Justice’, paper
presented at the SJA/LOS Conference in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (2008), available at
http://www.ismllw.org/PDF/2008-01-
International%20Trends%20in%20Military%20Justice-UK.pdf.
58
Reitz op cit 622.
59
See in this regard the research done by Prof. AE Tshivhase from the Faculty of Law,
NMMU.
60
Kamba op cit 490 and discussed at 504–5.
 11

Comparative research is critical in identifying areas requiring law reform,

especially in the form of new legislation, but one should remember that any adoption
of foreign law would be modified to reflect the unique characteristics of South
African law, specifically in terms of the Constitution.61 Legislation remains the most
effective way to create, change or improve the law. 62

The law as part of the humanities

An approach of research of law as part of the humanities aims towards the

understanding of the law.63 Although we still tend to see legal research as practical
descriptive research, I would argue that in accepting an expanded definition of
military law, considering other disciplines, both inside and outside the legal
environment becomes necessary – hence, the need for legal research as part of the
humanities.64

This is underscored by the practice of military law in a military environment.

What does the SANDF do? The SANDF is, amongst others, involved in human
security issues. Therefore, military law must include this. One of the roles of the
military legal services is to advise the SANDF and as such it should be conversant
with, for example, security governance. This would require military legal
practitioners with the necessary skills and knowledge of the security environment,
including human security, to provide ethical advice that could inform policy and
doctrine.

In the operational domain, military strategy as a discipline can be of

invaluable assistance. It has been argued that due to the changing character of
conflict, new directions in legal studies and debates regarding interventions have
resulted in a disintegration of the barriers between strategy and law. 65

61
Reitz op cit 624–5 and Kamba op cit 495. See in this regard also S v Makwanyane 1995 (3)
SA 391 (CC) regarding the limitation in using foreign law in the South African
context.
62
Kamba op cit 496.
63
Siems & Sithigh op cit 655. As such comparative research also forms part of the humanities
– see in this regard Reitz op cit 625.
64
Considering other field of study or disciplines remains a comparative method of research –
see Reitz op cit 627.
65
Smith, TW ‘The New Law of War: Legitimizing Hi-tech and Infrastructural Violence’
(2002) 46 (3) International Studies Quarterly at 355 and 365, where he refers to the
“marriage of [these two] disciplines”.
 12

Expanding the definition and understanding of military law

The diversity and influence of the various disciplines are critical in

understanding the concept ‘military law’, and one of the first steps in understanding
a subject and where it fits in is developing an acceptable definition of that subject. It
is in fact challenging to find an acceptable existing definition of the concept ‘military
law’. An overview of the development of military law through the ages crystallised
the definition as the law that provides for offences and punishment within the
military environment.66 Even in our teaching of Military Law as a subject,67 we
define military law as those rules of law that pertain to the maintenance of military
discipline, which control soldiers in times of peace and war and which are in essence
regarded as being the criminal law of the soldier. This relegates military law to the
disciplines of criminal law and criminal procedure.68 This would suffice if the
content of military law were understood as being limited only to the military justice
system.

I would however argue that this traditional approach and understanding of

what defines military law could no longer be regarded as a true reflection of
contemporary military law. Our understanding of the various legal and other
disciplines as well as external factors shaping the military environment domestically
and globally should reshape our definition and understanding of military law.

Although military law could be included under the banner of both criminal
law and criminal procedure, the authoritative relationship existing between the
SANDF as an organ of the state and the individual soldier reflects aspects of
administrative law.69 Administrative law is further relevant to administrative aspects
such as boards of inquiry, redress of wrongs procedures and specific aspects of the

66
A number of sources from 1897 to 1929 confirm military law as “the law relating to and
administered by military courts, and concerns itself with the trial and punishment of
offences committed by officers, soldiers and other persons, … who are … subjected,
for the time being, to the same law as soldiers – see Morrison, CG Notes on Military
Law, Organisation and Interior Economy (Harrison 1897) at 1 – and “the law which
governs Officers and Soldiers in peace and war, at home and abroad … it is the law
relating to, and administered by, Military Courts, and is chiefly concerned with the
trial and punishment of offences … – see Banning, S.T. Military Law (Gale & Polden
1929) at 1.
67
Military Law forms part of the module Criminal and Military Law 144, presented at the
Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University as a first-year subject in the
Human and Organisational Development programme, required as part of the BMil
degree completed by members of the South African National Defence Force.
68
See also the explanation in Morris, LJ Military Justice: A Guide to the Issues (Praeger 2010)
at 1.
69
Van der Westhuizen, H ‘An Introduction to the Military Courts in South Africa and Some
Recommended Changes’ (1994) 14 African Defence Review at 18; Nel op cit 24.
 13

Military Ombud. Other matters pertaining to the Military Ombud and military unions
in turn overlap with labour law.
Changes brought about by the Constitution resulted in a number of
constitutional challenges to the military justice system and raised human rights
concerns. Even in situations where it is argued that the interests of the state are
paramount and the needs of individual soldiers subservient to the needs of the
SANDF, one cannot underestimate the effect and influence of human rights in this
environment.70 The transformation of the military justice system in a human rights
context remains an ongoing process, but unfortunately not one that seems to be
powered from within the ranks of the military law practitioners. This is unfortunate,
as one should never underestimate the potential influence of the military law
practitioner in this developmental process. I will return to this aspect shortly.

There are also a number of aspects outside the domestic legal environment
that should further influence and shape our understanding of military law. This may
be overlooked in situations if military law is merely equated with military justice.
The SANDF’s international deployments with the United Nations and the African
Union bring with them the inclusion of international humanitarian as well as
international human rights law. This view is in fact a constitutional imperative in
that the Constitution requires the SANDF to execute its mandate in accordance with
“the principles of International Law regulating the use of force”. 71

A further aspect that spans the international and domestic operational

environment is the utilisation of the SANDF in a number of secondary roles. It is
generally accepted that armed forces are utilised in eight clusters outside of their
traditional utilisation, including support of the police services, border protection and
support of socio-economic development.72 The most prominent role for the SANDF
is arguably its utilisation in anti-piracy and anti-poaching operations. These types of
operations, whether in international waters or on the borders of the Republic, is
regarded as law-enforcement operations, thereby effectively excluding the
International Humanitarian Law aspect. It brings the SANDF squarely into human

70
See the discussion in this regard in Rowe, P The Impact of Human Rights Law on Armed
Forces (Cambridge University Press 2006) at 5–9.
71
S 200(2) of the Constitution.
72
Vreÿ, F & Nel, M ‘Employing Armed Forces: The Rise of More Constructive and Ethical
Secondary Roles’ Politeia, (2009) 28 (3) at 23. See also SSR Backgrounder ‘The
Armed Forces: Roles and Responsibilities in Good Security Governance’ (Geneva
Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, 2015), available at
https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/195684/DCAF_BG_10_The%20Armed%20Forces.11.1
5-1.pdf.
 14

rights territory and law enforcement operations for which training may be severely
limited.
These, coupled with the influence of various academic disciplines, are just a
few examples showing that the historically accepted definition can no longer be
regarded as adequate. Provision should be made for a wider application than criminal
law and criminal procedure. To this end, the definition by Vashakmadze may be of
assistance.73 Although the author’s definition refers to the narrower concept of
military justice as “a distinct legal system that applies to members of armed forces
and, in some cases, civilians”,74 it is submitted that it could be applied to the wider
concept of military law as well. By applying the wider term of ‘legal system’ it
allows for the acknowledgement of the various disciplines influencing military law,
and the term ‘distinct’ acknowledges and retains the unique nature and environment
within which the military operates.

Fidell’s75 description of operational law could also successfully assist in

defining the essence of contemporary military law, not only in times of war but also
in times of peace. He describes operational law as

[T]hat body of domestic, foreign, and international law that impacts

specifically upon the activities of … forces in war and operations other than
war … It is a collection of diverse legal and military skills, focussed on
military operations. It includes military justice, administrative and civil law,
legal assistance, claims, procurement law, national security law, fiscal law,
and international law.

It is not only our definition of military law that needs to expand; our
understanding of the concept itself and the parts comprising it also need to expand.
This understanding not only comes from a theoretical military legal scholarship
perspective, as discussed above, but also from an operational perspective of the
military legal practitioner, whose role is pivotal in the development of Military Law.
The practitioner’s role should not be underestimated.

The military legal practitioner

The military is a unique environment where a society has unique

expectations of its soldiers and where “discipline, organisation and hierarchy play a

73
Vashakmadze op cit.
74
Ibid 10.
75
Fidell, ER ‘Military Law’ (2011) 140 (3) Daedalus, the Journal of the American Academy of
Arts & Sciences at 171 quoting the Judge Advocate General’s School of Army
Operational Law Handbook.
 15

crucial role”.76 It is in other words an organisational society with a distinctive

culture.77 As such, the lawyers that operate within this environment must be part of
and understand this organisational culture. The nature of contemporary military
actions and operations is such that there is little that does not require some form of
legal advice.78 The nature of the legal services provided includes, apart from military
justice aspects, the writing of directives and policies, legal advice, training of
soldiers on aspects of the law of armed conflict as well as ad hoc advice to
commanders during military deployments.79

Luban80 identifies legal advice as the most important of these services

regarding its influence on the development of the law. He argues that, in spite of
popular opinion, judicial decisions are not the main driver for legal development.
This is especially true in the operational environment where litigation is the
exception rather than the rule. Courts will therefore not have the regular opportunity
to apply the law – it is rather the day-to-day interaction and advice given to
commanders by military law practitioners that shape the way in which the law is
applied,81 thereby potentially developing the law.

To this end, the need and importance of ethical and knowledgeable advice
cannot be emphasised enough. There is an ethical obligation on the military lawyer
to give independent and frank advice to commanders. He or she must give his best
interpretation of the law, even if the client is not receptive to the advice. It could be
very dangerous in the military, and more specifically the operational environment,
merely to tell the client what he or she wants to hear when he or she pushes the
boundaries of legality.82 Considering the number of roles fulfilled by the armed

76
Vashakmadze op cit 10. The need for a separate system was confirmed in Minister of
Defence v Potsane; Legal Soldier (Pty) Ltd and Others v Minister of Defence 2002 (1)
SA 1 (CC) para 31.
77
The traditional uniformity of military culture has made the regulation of soldiers easier in the
sense that the influence of different cultures on the law has not played any significant
role in the development of military law. However, the advent of the Constitution may
necessitate the investigation of the influence and role of cultural diversity in the future
of military law. The issues of gender and feminism are also playing a larger role in
military sociological research, potentially impacting the legal environment. See
Cotterrell, R ‘Law in Culture’ (2004) 17 (1) Ratio Juris for a discussion on the
influence of culture on law.
78
See also Fidell ‘Military Law’ op cit 165.
79
Luban op cit 318.
80
Ibid 319.
81
Ibid.
82
See in this regard Luban op cit 319–20, where he discusses the infamous ‘torture memos’
where military lawyers bent the law between 2002 and 2005 to allow the use of harsh
interrogation techniques – a more palatable way of referring to torture. Their
 16

forces and the resultant advice required, this is no easy task. Commanders are
frequently faced with a number of ethical and legal challenges on which military
legal practitioners must advise. On the one hand, the military legal practitioner is
faced with political directives and agendas, and on the other hand, he or she is
confined by the applicable (and often less permissive) legal rules. This situation is
exacerbated by the fact that military law includes a number of different disciplines.

Whetham83 explains that, although the law provides the framework and the
context within which commanders must make their decisions, it if not sufficient for
providing the required answers. Nor is it sufficient merely to determine the legality
of a particular action. One is required to make a judgement on whether the actions
are also legitimate. Decisions must therefore not only be lawful; they must also be
ethical. The military legal adviser must consequently give ethical legal advice to
protect the integrity of the law.84 In an environment where society expects soldiers
to lay down their lives, the integrity of the legal system is critical for the enforcement
of its rules. Discipline is critical for an effective military force,85 whether one expects
soldiers’ discipline in terms of military justice or their discipline in executing any of
their other functions. It has been argued that the effectiveness of the military justice
system in its ability to enforce discipline is to a large extent dependent on the
perceived fairness of that system. 86

This argument once again underpins the importance of the role of the
military legal practitioner. The Commander is not the legal expert, nor is he or she
necessarily aware of legal developments and constitutional concerns relating to the
execution of his or her tasks. This is the domain of the legal adviser, and herein lies
the danger. It is imperative that the legal adviser keep abreast of developments within
their specialised area of law. There are a number of ways in which this can be done,
such as studying recent research, attaining further academic qualifications in their
chosen area, or attending skills development and subject-specific courses and
seminars. This raises the question regarding the extent to which this is being pursued.

reasoning prevented the prosecution of 101 cases of waterboarding, sleep deprivation

and assaults.
83
Whetham, D ‘Ethics, Law and Conflict’ in D Whetham (ed) Ethics, Law and Military
Operations (Palgrave Macmillan 2011) at 10–2.
84
Luban op cit 320.
85
Morris op cit 3, Smart, D ‘The Revision of South African Defence Legislation: A Personal
View’ African Defence Review (1994) at 30 and Renaut, C ‘The Impact of Military
Disciplinary Sanctions on Compliance with International Humanitarian Law’ (2008)
90 (870) International Review of the Red Cross at 320.
86
Heinecken, L et al ‘Military Discipline: Where are We Going Wrong?’ (2003) 25 Strategic
Review for Southern Africa at 89.
 17

Certain areas in military law lend themselves more readily to self-

development. Those legal practitioners operating in the international law
environment will invariably be compelled to become conversant in the latest
developments, conventions and treaties. The challenge here lies in the breadth of this
area of law and South Africa’s involvement in a number of conflict domains.
Military legal practitioners must become experts in the land, air, maritime and cyber-
warfare domains, running the risk of becoming a ‘Jack of all trades but master of
none’. Expertise requires time and in-depth knowledge.

The legal practitioner within the military justice environment specifically

faces a serious challenge. It has been my experience that some military legal
practitioners do not feel the need to expand their knowledge much further than that
obtained during their graduate studies. In a discussion on the importance of further
education and research, it was stated by a prosecutor that those of us involved in
education and training are not busy with ‘real’ law. ‘Real’ law happens in the
courts.87 It is however my contention that ‘real’ law is not only applied in the courts.
The legal practitioner, in his or her day-to-day role as adviser to the Commander,
plays a much more effective role in the development of the law. However, even if
the military law practitioner involved with military justice did feel inclined to
broaden his or her knowledge of military justice he or she is faced with the reality
that his or her area of law has remained stagnant for a number of years.

Conclusion

The complex nature of the contemporary military environment in which

military officers must operate and on which the legal practitioner must be able to
advise, is aptly reflected by Whetham88 in discussing professional military education
as –

[A]n advanced appreciation of history as well as [an analytical engagement]

with issues of contemporary and future defence and international security,
from political, economic and international relations theory, through to
strategy, security structures and equipment procurement policies. Invariably

87
This is an opinion that is not unique to the military law environment. For a discussion on the
opinion that judges and practitioners feel that academics do not address their practical
needs, see McClintock MD ‘The Declining Use of Legal Scholarship by Courts: An
Empirical Study (1998) 51 Oklahoma Law Review at 659–95. See also Heinecken op
cit at 42, where she argues that the SANDF in general “lack [an] understanding and
appreciation of academic research. The SANDF rarely solicits research even where
there is a dire need for it”.
88
Whetham, D ‘Introduction: Purpose, Content and Structure’ in Whetham op cit 2.
 18

… [this] … will include a legal dimension and, due to the way it impacts on
every area of the military profession, increasingly it is becoming recognized
that the ethical dimension also needs to be addressed as an explicit subject
alongside the legal studies.

This reiterates the need of the military legal practitioners to expand their
knowledge base outside the law, drawing knowledge from other disciplines to inform
and expand their own legal discourse. It is accepted that interdisciplinary work has
“reshaped the legal landscape”.89 Understanding the law requires one to understand
the social practices of its legal community – in the context of this article, the military
legal community. It is argued that an understanding of the social practices requires
knowledge and understanding of the “general culture of the society in which the legal
community is embedded”.90

The importance of the military legal practitioner being involved in research

– whether as practitioner or scholar – cannot be emphasised enough. The difficult
environment within which they must operate can be described as “being complex,
demanding, chaotic, challenging, irregular, unpredictable and uncertain” with the
application of the law being “equally challenging and demanding … uncertain and
unpredictable”.91 Members of the military will necessarily approach matters from a
different perspective than civilians.92 This does not mean that the military alone
owns military law.93 There are a number of role players involved in day-to-day
military conduct94 and this is exactly why collaboration with research disciplines
outside the legal environment becomes necessary in order to understand the
influences of the different disciplines better.95 It has been argued that understanding
the law means more than merely reading legislation and court decisions. To be
properly understood, law must be placed in “a broad historical, socio-economic,
psychological and ideological context”.96 Although the military justice system

89
Rhode op cit 1338. McClintock op cit also discusses the importance of interdisciplinary
work.
90
Van Hoecke & Warrington op cit 497.
91
McEvoy, P ‘Law at the Operational Level’ in Whetham op cit 110–1.
92
Luban op cit 336. He argues, “people who see the world differently are likely to see the law
differently as well”.
93
See also Fidell ‘Military Law’ op cit 171, who argues that the military should not have “a
monopoly in learning in the field of military justice” in a democratic society.
94
Luban op cit 338 refers to politicians and the media. One can also include the emergence of
private military companies, non-governmental organisations, transnational
organisations, civilian industry and of course the civilian population impacted by these
decisions, to name a few.
95
See also Rhode op cit 1329.
96
Van Hoecke & Warrington op cit 496.
 19

should not be isolated from the civilian justice system,97 the unique nature of the
military would argue against a complete ‘civilianisation’ of military law, something
that may happen if military law practitioners do not stand up and own their subject.

97
Vashakmadze op cit 21.