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The Democratic Alliance has welcomed Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota's "recognition of the pitfalls of pursuing racial quotas" in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

"It is certainly refreshing to have such honest and forthright realism expressed by a minister on this matter," DA defence spokesman Rafeek Shah said yesterday.

Earlier in the day, Lekota told the National Assembly's defence committee there would have to come a point when South Africans stopped being black, white, Indian and coloured and were merely South Africans.

"When will we cease to be Africans, coloureds, Indians and whites and merely South Africans? This is the question we must ask ourselves," he said.

Lekota said last year two white pilots flew him to an inter-continental defence meeting.

"When I arrived there I was asked where are the people of your country, why are you still being flown by these whites. It was not a question I was expecting.

"I thought about it and I told them that unlike in their country there are more than 10-million people of pure European stock in our country. They are South African, not settlers from Europe."

He said more and more the question of representativity was raising this issue of identity.

"We are going to have to look at this and say there are no Indians here, Indians are in India... they are South African. And these people called coloureds where are they from... they are probably more South African than anybody. It is becoming very difficult this mathematics," he said.

It was not always easy to adhere to the "mathematical requirement" set out by Parliament on how the race groups should be represented in the SANDF.

It was difficult to attract young white people into the defence force when there where better opportunities for them in the business world.

“Africans do not have these opportunities so they come to the defence force. I still have to meet the percentage quota of whites but what can I do? I cannot pass a law, I cannot compel them to join the defence force."

This was not an issue related only to the SANDF but it was relevant to the entire nation.

"We have to reflect on when all South Africans will be considered as South African. When we nominate a soccer team to play in Brazil it should be the best players not because one is light skinned or dark skinned. It's a difficult thing transformation.

"I have to open this debate. How long can we go on with this thing. Some time in the future this is a question that our nation will have to face," Lekota said.

In a statement later, Shah said the DA hoped Lekota's sentiments would "filter through to his colleagues in the Cabinet".

The DA had always maintained the fundamental change required to correct the imbalances of the past had to be achieved not through enforced quotas and artificial outcomes, but through providing opportunities to those that would otherwise not have had them.

No one should be excluded from joining the SANDF or being promoted on the basis of race.

But additional support and training should be provided to people previously excluded to ensure that they were able to seize the opportunities available in the SANDF.

"In addition, adequate incentives need to be provided to attract quality recruits to the defence force, and to retain them," Shah said. - Sapa

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