HOEDSPRUIT: Military personnel awarded for their service
“I felt like giving back to the community where health care was needed. [Being] awarded the 10 years’ service medals means a lot to me."
Air Force Base (AFB) Hoedspruit combined with members from the SA Military Health Services (SAMHS) were greatly rewarded for their excellence and hard work as they were presented with different medals on Thursday, October 18 at Drakensig Military Sport Complex.
Despite the chilly and drizzling weather at Hoedspruit on the day, it was a great turnout at the parade where 52 recipients and their families came to celebrate.
Director Command and Control Systems, Brigadier General Jacobus Eduard Crous, proudly awarded the medals to the worthy recipients in the name of the President of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Brigadier General J.E. Crous welcomed and mentioned in his speech: “The awarding of medals is one of the Defence Force’s most unique and long standing traditions, where we publicly announce and recognise the extraordinary achievements for outstanding and dedicated service by our soldiers. Military medals are proudly displayed by soldiers all over the world as symbols of honour, bravery, loyalty and dedicated service to their country.
“The soldiers who were awarded the medals were part of or supported SANDF operations and deployments. It is during these activities, operations and even when just executing their day to day tasks, that these members proved themselves to be well trained, mission ready soldiers, who are disciplined, committed and willing and ready to fulfil their constitutional obligations.”
Corporal Neive Vusi Dlamini was proudly awarded with his 20 years medal and was the youngest to be awarded the accolade. Upon being awarded the medal, he said, “I felt I am being recognised and acknowledged by our Defence Force, I joined the Air force on 23 August 1996 in the Protection Service but my passion for the military hasn’t ceased. I was deployed to Burundi four times, Comores once and DRC twice for protection of the opposition parties which was dangerous.”
Corporal Dlamini is a husband and father of three children but he had to sacrifice for the passion that he had for his country.
When asked how he feels about serving the Defence Force for such a time, his response was positive as he is not discouraged because of his mindset, he believes the mentality of today’s soldiers is not the same as compared to previous solders as they had a full understanding of military cultures and discipline.
“The discipline of nowadays is making new generations compromise the standards of the military,” Corporal Dlamini said but this is certainly not true in his case because he is enthusiastic about his work and understands the concept of service before self.
Lieutenant Kgomotso Margaret Kgole joined the Defence Force in 2001, at 3 Military Satellite College, Bloemfontein. In 2012 she completed 10 years of service and is very proud to serve the country and its citizens. In this 10 years she has been deployed during OPS BATA and Prosper. Lieutenant Kgole says: “I felt like giving back to the community where health care was needed. [Being] awarded the 10 years’ service medals means a lot to me, as it reminds me of my late parents who supported and encouraged me to be a confident, registered professional nurse in the South African National Defence Force. The military and functional qualifications achieved in the SANDF and being recognised by the President made me proud and humble. Indeed hard work pays.”
