Lt Col Mimy Matimbe is an 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. ...

and was appointed as the first female

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

in the

South African Army Artillery Formation The South African Army Artillery Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army artillery units. It draws much of its history from the South African Artillery, established in 1934 but with roots that reach back to 1921. The formati ...

when she took over command of 4 Artillery Regiment on 7 April 2017.

Early life

Mimy Matimbe was born at

Mamelodi Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Etymology "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix bei ...

, north east of

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

in 1977 and matriculated from Thabo Tsako High School in 1995. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from

Vista University Vista University, South Africa was established in 1981 by the apartheid government to ensure that urban black South Africans seeking tertiary education would be accommodated within the townships rather than on campuses reserved for other populatio ...

, Mamelodi Campus in 1999.

Military career

She completed Basic Military Training under the Voluntary Military System (VMS) at 3 SAI Bn at

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...

, in 2002 and was appointed as a Gunnery Instructor at Gunnery Wing, School of Artillery in

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom (, colloquially known as Potch) is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstroom is on the Mooi Rivier (Afrikaans for "pretty river" ...

from 2005-2007. Observation Post Officer in 2008-2010 at 43 Battery,

4 Artillery Regiment 4 Artillery Regiment is based at Potchefstroom, responsible for the training of soldiers allotted to Field and Medium Artillery. History Origins Under the UDF On May 28, 1945, authority was granted for the formation of 4 Field Artillery as ...

. She was appointed as

Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the Target Acquisition (45) Battery two years later. In 2014, then Maj Matimbe served as 2IC Artillery Mobilization Regiment until 31 March 2017. She was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 2017 and was appointed as the Officer Commanding, 4 Artillery Regiment on 7 April 2017. She is the first woman ever to command an artillery regular force unit in South African Military History. She was awarded the crossed-barrels by the South African Artillery Corps Council on 8 November 2019 by Brig Gen Khaya Makina during end of the year investiture celebrated at the , Potchefstroom. She handed over command of her regiment in late 2020 and has since completed the SANDF Joint Senior Command and Staff Programme during 2021 and served briefly as staff officer at Headquarters of Artillery and presently at the Joint Operational Headquarters.

Honours and awards

Medals

Notes

References

South African military officers Living people 1977 births People from Pretoria {{SouthAfrica-mil-bio-stub