The South African security predicament: making sense of the objective realities

Abstract

This article reflects an effort to make sense of the objective realities of the South
African security predicament. The objective realities on the security agenda are rooted
in the practical reality of experience and are open for public discussion, debate and
speculation. These realities are informed by the threats facing South Africans on a
daily basis. Government provides security with subjective content to the extent that
political power demarcates the threat agenda, prioritises the items on the threat agenda,
and foots the security bill. Since the creation of the Union in 1910, South Africa has
had to find a balance between the security realities emanating from three key security
domains – irrespective of the ruling entity: security threats from outside Africa, those
threats facing the country from within Africa, and security threats from within the
borders of South Africa. The article aims at a scholarly demarcation of some of the most
critical, important, and key features of the South African security agenda using these
three domains as a framework for discussion. On a secondary level, the discussion also
critically reflects on the ability of the human security paradigm to address the South
African security predicament.