SAMIL Trucks (South African MILitary) are the standard logistical transport vehicles of the

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

(and its predecessor the

South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...

). SAMILs are currently re-manufactured by Truck-Makers in Rosslyn,

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 ...

, Drakensberg Truck Manufacturers in Wallmansthal, N1 Trucks in Wallmansthal and Transvaal Motors in

Boksburg Boksburg is a city on the East Rand of Gauteng province of South Africa. Gold was discovered in Boksburg in 1887. Boksburg was named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic, W. Eduard Bok. The Main Reef Road linked Boksburg ...

. The civilian versions of these trucks are called SAMAG (South African MAGirus). Original production of these vehicles ended in 1998. These trucks all have a high-strength chassis, making them capable of handling severe off-road conditions, and are thus an ideal vehicle for 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. ...

. In recent years, reconditioned and re-manufactured ex-military SAMIL trucks have also been made available to the private sector and vehicles have been sold to mining groups, exploration companies, contractors, farmers and many other organisations in fields such as tourism and forestry.

Types

Essentially upgraded versions of

Magirus Deutz Magirus GmbH is a truck manufacturer based in Ulm, Germany, founded by Conrad Dietrich Magirus (1824–1895). It was formerly known as Klöckner Humboldt Deutz AG, maker of the Deutz AG, Deutz engines, so the brand commonly used was Magirus Deutz ...

diesel-engined

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

s, the range includes the following vehicles: # SAMIL 20 # SAMIL 50 # SAKOM 50: The SAKOM 50A is a 7-tonne 4x2 version of the SAMIL 50. The SAKOM 50 uses a SAMIL 20 cab and is employed on second-line duties. # SAMIL 100

Citations and References

Citations

Bibliography

{{SADF Vehicles Military vehicles of South Africa Cold War military equipment of South Africa Military trucks Off-road vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s