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South African Army
The South African Army is the principal Army, 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. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army, who is subordinate to the Chief of the SANDF. Formed in 1912, as the Union Defence Force (South Africa), Union Defence Force in the Union of South Africa, through the amalgamation of the South African colonial forces following the unification of South Africa. It evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by Boer Commando (militia) forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies. Following the ascension to power of the National Party (South Africa), National Party, the Army's long-standing Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth ties were cut. The South African Army was fundamentally changed by the end of Apartheid and its preceding upheavals, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Union Defence Force (South Africa)
The Union Defence Force (UDF) () comprised the Military, armed forces of South Africa from 1 July 1912, when the Defence Act (No 13 of 1912) took effect, two years after the creation of the Union of South Africa, until 1957 when it was reorganised and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF). History of the UDF Establishment After the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, General Jan Smuts, the Union's first Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Minister of Defence, placed a high priority on creating a unified military out of the separate armies of the union's four provinces. The South African Defence Act (Act 13 of 1912) made provision for a UDF that would be composed of a Permanent Force (or standing army) of career soldiers, an Active Citizen Force (ACF) of temporary conscripts, a Coast Garrison Force and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (South African Division) (RNVR(SA)), as well as any other defence arm that might in future be established to meet the defe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lawrence Mbatha
Lawrence Mbatha is the current chief of the South African Army. He was appointed to this position in April 2020. Before being appointed Chief of the Army he was the general officer commanding of the South African National Defence Force Training Command and before that he was the 19th commandant of the South African Military Academy. Military career He joined Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1984 and completed courses in Angola and Zimbabwe. He integrated into the South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The Chief 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 of ... in 1994 and served as a company commander at 3 SA Infantry Battalion. He was promoted to colonel in 2003. In 2003 he served as officer commanding of the General Support Base in Johannesburg, followed by an appointment as principal staff offi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini; and it encloses Lesotho. Covering an area of , the country has Demographics of South Africa, a population of over 64 million people. Pretoria is the administrative capital, while Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament of South Africa, Parliament, is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is regarded as the judicial capital. The largest, most populous city is Johannesburg, followed by Cape Town and Durban. Cradle of Humankind, Archaeological findings suggest that various hominid species existed in South Africa about 2.5 million years ago, and modern humans inhabited the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Force was officially succeeded by the SADF, which was established by the Defence Act (No. 44) of 1957. The SADF, in turn, was superseded by the South African National Defence Force in 1994. Mission and structure The SADF was organised to perform a dual mission: to counter possible insurgency in all forms, and to maintain a conventional military arm which could defend the republic's borders, making retaliatory strikes as necessary. As the military expanded during the 1970s, the SADF general staff was organised into six sections—finance, intelligence, logistics, operations, personnel, and planning; uniquely, the South African Medical Service (SAMS) was made co-equal with the South African Army, the South African Navy and the South Africa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Army Support Formation
The South African Army Support Formation supports and provides sustainment services to all South African Army units. Structure References Logistics units and formations of the South African Army {{SouthAfrica-mil-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Combat Training Centre (South Africa)
Lohatla is a training area of the South African National Defence Force. It is located in the Northern Cape Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa and is home to the SA Army Combat Training Centre, which is part of the South African Army Training Formation. Capability The SA Army Combat Training Centre is unique in the sense that it is one of only ten such institutions in the world that provide exclusive and permanent facilities for landward warfare training. Only two of these institutions are located in the Southern hemisphere, of which the SA Army Combat Training Centre is the largest, in total.} History This military training institution was founded on 15 January 1978 and was known as the South African Army Battle School. The Battle School originated due to a need by the Department of Defence for a military training facility where conventional and integrated training on divisional level could be executed. Nature Reserve The Ga-Thlose Nature Reserve was proclai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Army Training Formation
The South African Army Training Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army training units. The Formation was established in April 1999 and mandated to provide, maintain and sustain landward common training to the SA Army. History of Military Training in South Africa Dutch East India Company The Dutch East India Company in 1786 established a training centre in South Africa for military cadets, from the local population. However, the school did not reach the stage where it functioned properly, owing to the financial difficulties and eventual collapse of the Dutch East India Company. Union of South Africa After Union in 1910, Chapter IV of the South Africa Defence Act, 1912, made provision for the South African Military College. In the Annual Reports of the Department of Defence and Executive Commands for the year ended 30 June 1913, the College was referred to as "an institution or group of institutions, known as the South African Military Schools." The report ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Army Air Defence Artillery Formation
The South African Army Air Defence Artillery Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army Air Defence Artillery units. This Formation consists of both regular and reserve units. History Origin, World War 2 and the Bushwar Air Defence Artillery in South Africa dates back to 1 April 1939 when the 1st Anti-Aircraft Battery was established as part of the Coast Artillery Brigade. The first anti-aircraft training took place at Brooklyn airfield and at Klaasjagersberg, near Cape Point, in 1939. The 1st Anti-Aircraft Battery departed for active service in East Africa in 1940, and during the Second World War, gunners of Anti-Aircraft units won the respect of both friend and foe with their courageous actions. From the first Anti-Aircraft unit in 1939, Cape Town was no doubt the home of the Anti-Aircraft gunner. On 1 January 1962 the wartime concept of a training regiment was realised with the establishment of 10 Anti-Aircraft Battery. This was the forerunner of 10 Anti-Ai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Army Engineer Formation
The South African Army Engineer Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army military engineering units. The Formation is currently commanded by the General Officer Commanding (GOC); Brigadier General Willis Nkosi, C. Buyse History Relationship with the Corps of Royal Engineers Cape Volunteers Engineer Corps Military Engineers first made their appearance in South Africa during the Colonial era in 1859 the Governor of the Cape Colony authorised the establishment of the Cape Engineers (Volunteers), which in 1861 became simply the Cape Engineers. In 1865, the title was changed to the Cape Volunteer Engineer Corps, but in 1869, the Corps literally faded away. Ten years later in 1879, the Corps was resuscitated under the name Cape Town Volunteer Engineers. These sappers supported the ground forces during the Frontier Wars and even as far afield as Basutoland. Natal Engineer Corps In 1910, the Natal Engineer Corps was formed but ceased to exist in 1913, a year after t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 formation consists of both regular and reserve units. There is a separate South African Army Air Defence Artillery Formation that directs army anti-aircraft warfare units. History Origins The South African Permanent Force, created in 1913 as the Permanent Force and re-designated with effect from 23 February 1923, included the South African Field Artillery (SAFA), and the South African Permanent Garrison Artillery (SAPGA). The SAPGA had begun operations some time before, when the coastal defences of the Cape Peninsula (manned by the Cape Garrison Artillery) had been handed over to South Africa in December 1921. In Proclamation No. 246 of 1934, the Governor General of the Union of South Africa merged the two organisations with effect from 1 Septem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Army Infantry Formation
The South African Army Infantry Formation supervises all infantry within the South African Army. History Origins: Union Defence Force South African Infantry originated as the ''Infantry Branch'' of the Union Defence Forces in 1913. In 1915, the defence forces established the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force for war service outside Southern Africa. It included the ''South African Infantry'', comprising twelve battalions, and the ''Cape Corps'', comprising two battalions of Coloured volunteers. These units were disbanded in 1919. The Infantry Branch was enlarged in 1934, and the mounted rifles regiments were converted to infantry in 1935. In 1943, the Infantry Branch was incorporated into the new South African Armoured Corps, which was divided into armour and infantry branches after World War II. Republic Defence Force (SADF) Separated by language Based on the findings of a committee led by Brigadier H.B. Popper in late 1953, it was recommended that some Eng ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Army Armour Formation
The South African Army Armour Formation provides an Armour capability to the South African Army. The Formation came into being as part of a restructure. South African Armour Corps units previously under the command of various different brigades and other formations were all grouped under one formation. All armour is assigned to the SA Army Armour Formation under the charge of a General Officer Commanding. History Armoured Origins South Africa employed armoured cars as early as 1915 during its invasion of the then-German South West Africa (now Namibia). After the end of the First World War a single Medium Mark A Whippet light tank was purchased for the Union Defence Force and was operationally employed during the 1922 Rand revolt. The tank in question is now on display at the Army College at Thaba Tshwane. The formation of an armoured corps was proposed in 1924. An armoured car section was formed the next year when two Vickers machine gun-armed Crossley armoured cars and two me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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