Event to honour armed forces ready for rollout

The planning is done, the cannon was fired, and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has begun mobilising for its ninth Armed Forces Day (AFD) in the Limpopo capital of Polokwane in the next few weeks.

While Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula met Treasury yesterday, Acting Army Chief Major-General “Mannetjies” de Goede said such an event was “priceless”, when asked about the budget for the event.

“The military, the defence force and the department of defence are all crying about the diminishing budget,” he said. “The AFD is important because we bring the SANDF, which belongs to the people. Because taxpayers maintain the SANDF, we showcase it to the people of Polokwane this year for them to see how well their money is spent, or not.”

General Officer Commanding Air Force Commander Brigadier-General William Gibson noted the South African Air Force centenary would also be celebrated tomorrow.

“This is celebrating the birth of the air force on 1 February, and it is a National Defence Force celebration, too, of 25 years of democracy,” Gibson said.

However, defence analyst Darren Oliver, from African Defence Review, said the increasing furore around the SAAF could have been handled better.

The event was started by presidential decree in 2010 to commemorate the loss of 616 soldiers on board His Majesty’s transport ship SS Mendi, after it was rammed by the SS Darro during World War I in 1917 in the English Channel.

Of the 616 deaths, 606 were black South Africans from the 5th Battalion of the South African Labour Force Corps.

A total of 823 men were on board at the time and the SA Corps, about 25,000 strong and working under apartheid conditions, was disbanded the following year.

Armed Forces Day not only honours their memories, but also those men and women “in the hub of the profession of arms, the SANDF, who lost their lives in the line of duty both internally and externally as well as the current serving members”.

Brigadier-General HJ Stroebel, General Officer Commanding SA Army Intelligence Formation, yesterday laid out plans for the week-long commemorative event, which would include a static display and a parade, culminating in a capability demonstration.

On 14 February it will kick off with a fan park, followed by a fun run and a sports clinic, an interfaith service on 16 February and a capability demonstration for the public on 17 February, followed by a gala evening.

The SANDF would also be on a recruitment drive during the week, Stroebel said.

“We have a defence force to keep people safe,” De Goede said. “If you want peace you must prepare for war.”

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