From the Weekly Mail, February 12 to 18 1993 (copied without permission)

`Allow gays in army'

Weekly Mail Reporter

The African National Congress believes that gays did sterling work in
Umkhonto weSizwe over the years and that there is no reason why they
should not continue to do service in a reconstituted South African
Defence Force.

The ANC's commitment to gays in a new army is not based so much on
their track record as bush fighters as on the principle that there
should be no discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation under
a new constitution.

The ANC's standpoint was spelt out a a press briefing in Cape Town this
week by the organisation's constitutional experts, Kader Asmal and
Albie Sachs.

Sachs said gays who had served in the ANC's military wing had not been
discriminated against. Instead, they had been judged on their abilities
as soldiers.

He said that while the ANC had not formulated a specific policy
regarding the eligibility of gays into a new, volunteer defence force,
recruitment would clearly have to be based on the principle of
non-discrimination.

Asmal was even more categoric on the topic. He said all discrimination
on the grounds of sexual orientation would have to be outlawed in terms
of a future Bill of Rights.