Defence Force bids ‘Father’ farewell

He was celebrated after turning 60 years old and having served in the Defence Force with distinction for 39 years. ‘Father’ as he was commonly called both at home and at the workplace, was accompanied by his son Onkabetse and he could not contain the joy and contentment at the multitude of colleagues who came to bid him farewell. Col Mokibelo Jerry Magana, the commanding officer at the South African Air Force Gymnasium (SAAF Gym), thanked Setlhabetsi for his selfless service to the Defence Force and commended him for the great job he had done.

He wished him well on his retirement. Magana urged members of the unit to remain disciplined and to commit themselves to achieve the core business of the organisation. “Your kindness, generosity, unity, positive attitude and more over the love and the warm feeling you always possess every single day at work, will no longer be felt due to your departure,” Magana said Setlhabetsi started his military career in the then Bophuthatswana Defence Force on January 17, 1983, after completing grade 12.

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Upon completing his basic military training which lasted for a year, he was earmarked to do a leadership course which was conducted at 1 Infantry Battalion the following year. Setlhabetsi was charged with the responsibility to give basic military training to the recruits of the Bophuthatswana Defence Force. He produced the best rifleman, best private, best platoon commanders as well as generals from the Bophuthatswana Defence Force which became one of the highlights of his military career.

Another highlight was when he participated in the amalgamation of various forces; the South African Defence Force (SADF), Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei Defence Force (TBVC) Forces and the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the Azanian People Liberation Army (APLA) Forces who were all joining to make one Force named the South African National Defence Force in 1994. Setlhabetsi contributed to the success of several directorates within the South African Air Force namely:

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Directorate Chief Staff Operations, Directorate Education Training and Development, Directorate Command and Control, Directorate Human Resource Services, Directorate Corporate Staff Services, and Directorate Legal Services while serving as an adjutant. “I will always be thinking of you. I am going on pension which is not a nice thing, I don’t know if you have seen that when you have to wake up you say, eyyy Maleka is waiting for me with a roll call book. Then you jump out of the bed to realise that ohh you are not in Drakensig but at home on retirement,” Setlhabetsi said jokingly.

Colleagues who worked with him in the human resources environment within the base, echoed the same message of best wishes and thanked him for the hope and inspiration they received from him. They also thanked him for being a good mentor and a father to them.“Go home and rest and ensure you enjoy life to the fullest, go and father them,” said his colleague, WO1 Baldwin Maleka.