Khoisan Nation Self Defence Unit addressing the injustices of Ex SACC members to integrate into the South African Security Forces who were excluded from the South African National Defence Force since 21 April 1994

The term “Integration” The bringing of people of different racial or ethnic groups into unrestricted and equal association, as in society or an organization in this case the new SANDF.

Base on the integration of the 7 different former forces, each with their own culture, traditions and military history into the SANDF. Admitting to a common culture and identity was the Khoisan soldiers of South Africa / former SACC members

Who is the Khoisan Nation Self Defence Unit of South Africa?

The KNSDU was launched on 15 June 2014 as a new indispensable unit in the struggle for Khoisan people’s recognition and to address integration of Khoisan soldiers /former SACC members into the new SANDF.

Who do the Khoisan Nation Self Defence Unit represent?

The Khoisan Nation Self Defence Unit represent both former SACC members and civilians that consist of volunteers drawn from the revolutionary sections of Khoisan people.

The history of our fore fathers against colonialism started 1st Khoikhoi War (1659-1660), San Wars (1668-1861), 2nd Khoikhoi War (1673-1677), Cape Frontier Rebellions (1795-???) 

Who is SACC – South African Cape Corps?

The SACC was one of the oldest organised military units in South African history, the origins of the Cape Corps date back to 1781 from the khoikhoi at the Cape during the first Dutch administration. At the time they were called the “Cape of Bastaard Hottentoten.

Upon being disbanded in 1992, SACC members could unfortunately not integrate into the SADF and did not receive assistance of being re-skilled or being given alternative employment.

Findings preventing integration of former SACC members into the SANDF

Termination of the integration intake act 44 of 2001

Court case lost by Khoisan soldiers to integrate – North Gauteng High Court 

The public protectors report to the Khoisan Nation Self Defence Unit

The repealed of all integration bills signed by former President Zuma JG on 15 December 2015

The view of the Khoisan Nation Self Defence Unit of South Africa is that in order for all 8 forces to enjoy equal opportunities and benefits the best way is to provide for a proper legal basis by enabling legislation or to create a law or to discuss and amend the draft khoisan soldiers integration bill to bring it in totally in line with the constitution.

The Hessequa Khoi Tribal Council was launched on 26 May 2017 in Swellendam and is a registered NPO with Department of Social Development, registered with Western Cape Cultural Commission as a Cultural Council and registered with the CRL Commission as a Community Council and also received international recognition. 

The Hessequa Khoi Tribal Council (HKTC) is a subgrouping of the Cape Khoi. And comprised of more than 25 Geographical communities / houses/branches through the Status quo reports. With the implementation of the khoisan traditional leadership bill on 01 April 2021 and the appointment of the Khoisan Commission on 01 September 2021, khoisan traditional leaders and communities was given the opportunity to apply for recognition as senior khoisan traditional leader or branch head and recognition for khoisan communities as from 30 March 2022. 

More than 15 communities & traditional leaders under the Hessequa Khoi Tribal Council attended the Khoisan commission interview investigation since June 2023 for recognition as Senior Khoisan Traditional Leader or Branch Head. 

Many other traditional leaders of the Hessequa Khoi Tribal Council must still attend the Khoisan commission interview investigation which make us one of the largest groups under one Tribe & and specific council who attended the Khoisan Commission interview investigation and who will form part of history. The fact the Khoisan Commission with his limited mandate to only investigate senior Khoisan traditional leaders and branch Heads, Paramount Chief Dannyboy Pieterse applied for recommendation as Principal Traditional Leader according the Khoisan Traditional Act of 2019 who makes provision for:

• Kingship

• Queenship

• Principal Traditional leader

• Senior Headman/Woman AND

• Headman/woman

We, People of value and valour

Our history is very short, but started long ago, as our ancestors were the first Nation of Southern Africa.

Our story is the same tale of most of the indigenous people of the world, it tells of the coming of settlers, missionaries, traders and soldiers who only looked at conquering new lands and acquire resources.

Our millenary peace was interrupted by a new way at looking at us, as uncivilised savages, uneducated and even at times, considered as animals.

This was, therefore, a new way to look at Nature, at the Creation. It was not our way.

We did experience outright genocide, slavery, evangelisation, marginalisation and exclusion.

What we must tell, is that we have a heritage, as people of the land, to be close to nature, close to where we live, close to our communities and close to Spirit and we knew how to gather ecological intelligence, and as a result, we have been exploited as best mercenaries of the Apartheid regime.

We were given many names: coloureds by the successive anthropologists, politicians and colonisers who disrespected our ancient traditions and imposed their supremacy by taking our women to carry their progeny and raise it as convenient labour.

Under Apartheid, as soldiers, as we knew too much from the orders we followed, we were excluded from experiencing the new form of freedom as a “rainbow nation”.

Instead we were the new cast of outcasts, silenced, ignored and victimised.

Most of us lived and continued to live with the trauma of discrimination, also stigmatised and degraded with the shameful brand of being “coloured” with no identity.

But this traumatic situation brought us back to our original instructors and instructions as indigenous people, discovering that beyond all names, sufferance and exactions, we are human beings after all.

We witnessed the collateral damage done to our communities, our youth, our mothers and sisters, our elders and we stood and continue to stand, not only for our equal rights as citizens, but our responsibility to rebuild a nation, away from the ugly divide and rule game, and the dominant ideology of globalisation, mercantilisation, consumerism, that have led us all, including the very same people who introduced this unfair and unjust system, to the current world crises which have a ripple effect in all our communities, living in poverty and misery.

We are now leading a movement towards unity and communion around the purpose of recovering our dignity.

Through such a journey, we pledge to contribute to the radical transformation so called for by our new government, by helping, assisting and supporting our communities in disarray.

Our legendary martial skills are to be applied in our mission to unite all Khoeikhoe groups and clans towards re-indigenising our livelihoods with reconnecting with Indigenous Knowledge Systems, like natural medicine, the ceremonies and celebrations that stood the test of time.

We have been inspired by other first nations of the world, similarly emerging from being ostracised and marginalised to take their rightful and important place and spiritual duty to remind that humanity is in great necessity to reconnect with our roots and original valued and principled ways of living.

These ways are anchored in sustainability requiring that we become custodians of our sacred lands and resources, like water and biodiversity, and we act in full foresight of the seven generations ahead.

We are assertively prepared to educate and trained our communities to liberate themselves from the ills of crime, corruption, and greed and to instil social cohesion between all who live together in the same space, time and energy.

We want to also offer opportunities in the revival and renaissance of our cultural identity.

We are establishing, in partnership with heart-like and spirit-like other organisations and ordinary citizens’ platforms of interventions and activities leading to our communities’ self-sufficiency, local autonomy and sovereignty.

We want to encourage our youth and women to shine and become models in our livelihoods, demonstrating that to be humble, simple and become the ordinary selfless servant of people, for people, by people, with people, is the true basis of generating respect and wisdom.

We want to see our cultural traditions to show the way to the future as best strategy to adapt to phenomenon like drought, climate change and to reverse the negative effect of ecological damages, moral degradation and the loss of the “Commons”.

This manifesto is just the dawn or the birth of the next impulse towards the rise of consciousness of being indigenous. It translates our best manifestation, application and expression of the Universal values of love, peace, respect and responsibility. Something common to all indigenous peoples of the world.

As, some of our well-known Elders have said: “We were here before … we are here now, we will still be here long after”

So, that is to declare you can count on us. 

In conclusion, we are not alone anywhere, as it is written in the sands of time that: Do to others what you want others to do to you.