Eastern Province Command was a

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

of 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. ...

History

Origin

Under the Union Defence Force

In 1939, South Africa was originally divided under the Union Defence Force into 9 military districts. At the time, the command was headquartered at

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

and comprised 2nd Infantry Brigade and 5 and 6 Batteries of the Permanent Garrison Artillery.

Districts to Commands

Under the SADF, Northern Transvaal Command was originally split into an eastern and western sector while Northern Cape had to be created from scratch. The Southern Cape Command was merged with Western Cape. The Officers commanding the new Commands were usually Brigadiers all units in those areas fell under them as far as training, housing, administration, discipline and counter insurgency was concerned.

Operations

In 1980, Eastern Province Command and 6 SAI engaged in Operation Rain, which was support to the

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...

during a regional drought that lasted until 1981. SADF era Eastern Province Command insignia

In the early 1980s the command's units were reported to include

6 South African Infantry Battalion 6 South African Infantry Battalion is an air assault infantry unit of the South African Army. History 6 SAI was established on 1 January 1962, at Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. The new training unit was housed on the property previously used by ...

(Grahamstown), 84 Technical Stores Depot (Grahamstown); 11 Commando (Kimberley); East Cape Province Commando (Kimberley); Port Elizabeth Commando (Kimberley); and the

Danie Theron Combat School Danie Theron Combat School was a light infantry training regiment of the South African Army. It formed part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve. History Origin Danie Theron Combat Sch ...

(Kimberley).

Under the SANDF

Before the reintegration of the

Transkei Defence Force The Transkei Defence Force (TDF) was established during March 1981, from the 141 Battalion of the South African Defence Force (SADF). It was the defence force of the Republic of Transkei, a nominally independent bantustan during the Apartheid er ...

, a number of senior

officers had undergone staff courses in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. These included the head of the Transkei Defence Force, Brigadier T.T. Matanzima, who later on became head of the Eastern Province Command.Wood, Geoffrey(2000) 'South Africa's unfinished business: Organisational change and continuity within the South African national defence force', Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 38: 2, 92. The command was redesignated as ''Army Support Base Eastern Cape'' (ASB EC), currently commanded by Colonel N.A. Ndou. The Support Base was established in April 2000, after the closing down of the Eastern Province Command.

Groups and Commando Units

SADF era Eastern Province Command Commando structure

Group 6 (
Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...
)

* De Mist Commando (

Uitenhage Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. Along with the city of Port El ...

) * Donkin Commando * Humansdorp Commando * Kirkwood Commando * Port Elizabeth Commando * Recife Commando * Uitenhage Commando

Group 7 (Grahamstown)

* Cradock Commando * Katberg Commando * Murraydeen Commando * Somerset East Commando * Stormberg Commando

Group 8 (East London)

* Cately Commando * East London Commando

Group 32 (Graaff-Reinet)

* Amatola Commando *

Graaff-Reinet Commando Graaff-Reinet Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South African Army. It formed part of the South African Infantry Corps, South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve. History Origin Commandos ...

Group 39 (Queenstown)

* Aliwal North Commando * Barkly East Commando * Queenstown Commando

Leadership

References

Commands of the South African Army Military units and formations disestablished in 2000 Disbanded military units and formations in Port Elizabeth {{SouthAfrica-mil-stub