Under regulations published by the regime in August 1977, African doctors have been made liable for military service in the Rhodesian security forces. They are the first category of Africans to be affected by the National Services Act of 1976. The Act, which came into force in September 1976, made Africans potentially liable for conscription by widening the definition of "resident". A number of African doctors at two of Rhodesia's largest hospitals, Harare Hospital in Salisbury and Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo, have been told they are due to serve in the army from January 1978. (RDM 19.10.77)
The regime's decision to extend conscription to Africans, finally put into effect after more than a year of discussing the possibility (see FOCUS 7 p.5), illustrates its growing manpower problems. The extension of conscription in February 1977 to white, Asian and coloured men in the 38 to 50 age group (who now perform at least 10 weeks service a year) has meant that the military service potential of the non-African population is now fully extended. New measures introduced in September 1977 can do no more than close the few remaining loopholes in the draft:
- deferment of national service for university students has been abolished. All non-African school-leavers intending to enter university or college will now be required to first complete two full years in uniform. Current students are also liable for call-up. The regime's Minister of Combined Operations and Defence told the House of Assembly that about 248 students would be affected. (GN/FT 28.9.77; BBC 7.10.77)
- a bonus scheme has been introduced to encourage conscripts deployed in an 'operational combat role' and others who have been discharged but wish to return to full-time service, to serve for longer than their statutory 18 months call-up. The bonus amounts to an extra R$100 a month for each month served up to a maximum of a year. (GN/FT 28.9.77)
- men of all ages who have been granted continuous exemption from call-up will now be inducted on a part-time basis into either the police reserve or the urban special constabulary. (GN 28.9.77). Taken together with provisions of the revised Emergency Powers Regulations published in June 1977 (see FOCUS 11 p.11) the ruling means that exemptions and deferments from service will be practically impossible to obtain.
DEFENCE SPENDING The worsening security situation has forced the Smith regime to allocate an additional R$15 million to fighting the guerilla war. Following a precedent established in 1976-7, the extra money is to be included in the Treasury vote as a reserve and distributed to other security votes as required. The regime's Minister of Finance, David Smith told the Rhodesian House of Assembly on 21 September that such distribution would be at his own discretion. (Parliamentary Debates 21.9.77)
Smith was reintroducing the regime's budget proposals for 1977-8 which had lapsed on the calling of the 31 August general election and the subsequent dissolution of parliament. Under budget estimates presented to the House of Assembly on 14 July 1977, around 32% of total expenditure has been allocated to defence and related matters (see FOCUS 12 p.5)
