New SANDF chief Thabiso Mokhosi dies after one month on the job

Lieutenant General Thabiso Mokhosi, chief of the South African Army, died on Tuesday in a Pretoria hospital following a short illness, the presidency has announced.

Mokhosi was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, allowing him to fill the post of chief of the army in October. Prior to his appointment, he served as the general officer commanding of the Joint Operations Division.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday offered his condolences to Mokhosi’s family and friends.

Mokhosi completed his basic military training in 1985 in Angola. In the following year, he moved on to an advanced engineering demolition course at Simferopol Military Combined Arms College in the Ukraine where he completed courses on operational command and control of mechanised infantry forces.

He later completed the ASC-6 course in operational logistics at ASC School in Bareilly, Italy, in 1992 before returning to South Africa.

In 1999 he completed the strategic leadership course at the SA Army Peace Mission Training Centre in Thaba Tshwane.

Mokhosi later completed the Joint Command Staff Duties programme at the SA Army College and the Joint Senior Command and Staff programme in 2003 at the SA War College.

He also successfully completed the then Executive National Strategic programme, now the Security and Defence Studies programme, at the SA Defence College. He completed the International Security and Strategy course in 2010 at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.

Ramaphosa said the passing of Mokhosi was a heart-wrenching loss to the South African National Defence Force as it came at a time when his dedicated and exemplary service was needed most. The president has also extended his condolences to the South African Army and the defence family as a whole.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.