Brig. Gen. Khaya Makina (6 June 1964 – 25 March 2021) was a General Officer in the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

from the

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. He was born in New Brighton location in Port Elizabeth on 6 June 1964. He matriculated from Khwezi Lomso High School in 1982. He joined the uMkhonto we Sizwe and went into exile in the

Kingdom of Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a populatio ...

and later in the

Republic of Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

where he completed military training.

Military career

He specialized in ground engineering and field artillery. He completed the Brigade Commanders Course at

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, ...

Military College in the

Crimean Oblast During the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, different governments existed within the Crimean Peninsula. From 1921 to 1936, the government in the Crimean Peninsula was known as the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic; ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in 1991. In South Africa, he served as a Company Commander and Operations Officer in the National Peacekeeping Force from January to May 1994 at

De Brug ''De brug'' (''The bridge'') is a 1928 Dutch documentary silent short film directed by Joris Ivens. This silent film explores the then-newly constructed Koningshaven Bridge in Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Ro ...

and in

Koeberg Koeberg nuclear power station is a nuclear power station in South Africa. It is currently the only one on the entire African continent. It is located 30 km north of Cape Town, near Melkbosstrand on the west coast of South Africa. Koeberg ...

. He completed the bridging training at the Air Defence Artillery School in Diskobolos. He served as a Battery Commander of Support Battery at the School of Artillery in 1995, Regimental Training Wing Commander in 1999, Officer Commanding School of Artillery during 2002–2004. The then Lt. Col. Makina completed the penultimate single service Senior Command and Staff Duties Course of the SA Army in 2001. He served as the SSO Force Preparation for the Artillery Formation from 2005 to 2008, SSO Research & Development from 2008 to 2013. Chief of Staff Artillery Formation during 2014 to 2015, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on 1 Jan. 2016 and appointed the General Officer Commanding SA Army Artillery Formation. Brig Gen Makina was awarded the master gunner by the senior artilleryman present-Maj Gen Deon Holtzhausen at the crossed-barrels investiture held at the Ubique Hall, School of Artillery on 17 March 2017. He died in Mookgopong on 25 March 2021.

Honours and awards

Medals

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Proficiency badges

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makina, Khaya 1964 births 2021 deaths South African Army generals South African military officers People from Port Elizabeth UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel