General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Godfrey Nhlanhla Ngwenya, (born 1950) was a South African military commander and diplomat. He served as Chief of Joint Operations from 2001 to 2005, and

Chief of the South African National Defence Force The Chief of the South African National Defence Force is the most senior South African military officer and the professional Head of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The Chief is appointed by the President of South Africa. T ...

from 2005 until 2011.

Early life

Godfrey Ngwenya was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, South Africa, on 28 April 1950. He attended Orlando High School, where he matriculated in 1970. He joined the ANC and the ANC's Military Wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), at the height of the student uprisings in South Africa in 1976. While in exile he underwent military training in Angola and passed his further commanders' courses in the then German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union. He has been married to his spouse Busi since 1984 and has 3 children, one of which is cult figure Duma Ngwenya.

Military career

Ngwenya joined Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the military wing of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

, in 1976, and commanded MK forces in

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from 1983 to 1989. He transferred to the

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister ...

when MK was incorporated into it in 1994 and he was appointed as major general and served as Deputy General Officer Commanding of Witwatersrand Command in Johannesburg from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 1998, Ngwenya was General Officer Commanding of the North West Command in Potchefstroom and from 1998 to the end of September 1999 Chief Director Force Preparation in the Army Office. He served as Deputy Chief of Joint Operations from 1 October 1999 to 31 December 2000. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on 1 January 2001 and appointed as Chief of Joint Operations to 2005, when he was promoted to

Ambassador to Angola

After retirement from the army, Ngwenya was appointed Ambassador to Angola.

Awards and decorations

In May 2010, Ngwenya was awarded the United States Legion of Merit by then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral

Mike Mullen Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

. The award recognised Ngwenya's leadership during a time of transition in the South African military and his country's support of vital

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

peacekeeping operations in Sudan, Burundi and Congo. In addition, Ngwenya has been awarded the following medals and decorations:http://www.navy.mil.za/archive/1106/110608_SANDF_new_command/CV_Ngwenya.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngwenya, Godfrey 1950 births Living people South African Army generals UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel Ambassadors of South Africa to Angola Commanders of the Legion of Merit People from Johannesburg