Republic Day 31 May - Republiekdag 31 Mei

31 May Republic Day – 31 Mei Republiekdag

The choice of this particular day was no accident, but was deeply significant in South African history.

31 May 1902
The end of the Boer War on 31 May 1902, when the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed by representatives of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State who had been waging war with Great Britain since October 1899. The Peace Treaty of Vereeniging, signed at Melrose House in Pretoria (not in Vereniging). The British Union Jack is victoriously hoisted over the entire South Africa. On signing the “peace agreement” the Boers officially lost the independence of their internationally recognized Boer Republics. The Boer people not only lost their independence but also lost 50 % of their child population in the British concentration camps.

31 May 1910

Eight years later on 31 May 1910, the Union of South Africa was inaugurated, uniting the previously separate colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State.

31 Mei 1928

A new unique South African flag is designed, but not officially adopted for 10 years.

31 Mei 1938

This is also the date when the South African flag had first been flown on 31 May 1938. The new flag is hoisted next to the Union Jack in Cape Town, and a new National Anthem is sung. The new flag and anthem (Die Stem). The proceedings are planned to coincide with the 100th centenary of the Great Trek (1838- 1938).

31 May 1961

The long-awaited Republic of South Africa comes into being. The Union of South Africa became the Republic of South Africa on the 31st May 1961, with her membership of the Commonwealth simultaneously expiring, thus severing its long-standing ties to the old British Empire. The orange-white-blue flag remains unchanged as the National flag of SA.

Republic Day 31 May - Republiekdag 31 Mei

Memorial Day 2013

Home at Last

He’s home at last, a mother’s son, a fine young man, his duty done,

Yet not for him the fond embrace, a loving kiss, a smiling face

Or cries of joy to laugh and cheer the safe return of one so dear,

It is his lot to show the world a soldiers fate as flags unfurl

And Standards lower in salutation, symbols of a grateful nation.

Sombre now, the drum beats low, as he is carried, gentle, so

As if not to disturb his rest, by comrades, three and three abreast

Who now, as quiet orders sound, they, one by one then move around

To place him in the carriage decked with flowers in calm and hushed respect,

Preparing for the sad, slow ride through silent crowds who wait outside.

So the warrior now returns to native soil and rightly earns

The great respect to one so young, though sadness stills the waiting throng,

While flowers strew the path he takes, as the carriage slowly makes

A final turning to allow the veterans standing there to show

The soldiers pride, a silent, mute, proud and respectful last salute.

Yet, while onlookers stand and see the simple, moving ceremony,

There is a home, a place somewhere, where sits a waiting, vacant chair,

And one great yawning empty space in someone’s heart, no last embrace

To bid a final, fond farewell to one who will forever dwell

In love and cherished memory, a Husband, Son, eternally.

And we who see should not forget that in this soldier’s final debt

And sacrifice for duty’s sake, it is the loved ones who must take

The hurt, to bear as best they can, and face a future lesser than

The one they dreamed in bygone years, now to regard with bitter tears,

Reflecting, as time intervenes, on thoughts of how it might have been.

But in their grief there’s quiet pride that loved ones bravely fought and died

Believing in a worthy goal which helps give solace, and consoles

By knowing that the loss they bear is shared by all our peoples where

In gratitude, their names will be forever honoured, guaranteed

To be remembered and enshrined, beyond the shifting sands of time.

Tony Church

Memorial Day 2013

Annual Commemoration Service / Jaarlikse Herdenkingsdiens

Jaarlikse Herdenkingsdiens by die SA Weermag Muur van Herinnering / Annual Commemoration Service at the SA Defence Force Wall of Remembrance

26 Mei / May 2013

08h00 Hys van die nasionale vlag / Hoisting of the national flag

09h00 Gewyde musiek / Solemn music

09h40 Gaste Sit / Guests are seated

09h43 Plasing van baniere / Placing of banners

09h48 Pos van skildwagte / Posting of sentries

09h55 Aankondigings / Announcements: Maj. T.J. Lane

10h00 Verbyvlug / Fly past

10h02 Verwelkoming / Words of welcome: Maj. Gen. G.N. Opperman, SD, SM, MMM (Rtd)

10h07 Gedenkdiens / Memorial service: Genl-maj. (Ds) J.H.J. de Witt, SD, SM, MMM

Votum / Invocation

Lied / Hymn

Gebed / Prayer (Mans staan, verwyder hoffdeksels / Men stand, remove headdress)

Skriflesing / Scripture reading

Oordenking / Sermon

Lied / Hymn

Seënbede / Benediction

10h25 Herdenking / Remembrance

Vlagordonnans ontplooi / Flag orderly takes up position

Verbyvlug / Fly past

Laaste taptoe (Salueer) / Last post (Salute)

Stilte van twee minute / Two minute silence

Oggendsinjaal / Reveille

Verbyvlug / Fly Past

10h40 Kranslegging en afsluiting / Wreath laying and conclusion

Volgorde sal aangekondig word / Sequence will be announced

Volkslied / The National Anthem

Onttrekking van skildwagte / Withdrawal of sentries

Ontrekking van baniere / Withdrawal of banners

Ontrekking van gaste / Withdrawal of guests

Onthulling van die Infanterie Gedenkpaneel / Unveiling of the Infantry Commemorative Plaque

Start Date: 5/26/2013 8:00:00 AM

End Date: 5/26/2013 11:00:00 AM

Annual Commemoration Service / Jaarlikse Herdenkingsdiens

Dakota Hit By a SAM7 Surface to Air Missile

Dakota hit by a SAM7 Surface to Air Missile on 1 May 1986

How’s this story from Captain Colin Green – In 1986, a Dakota while on a flight to Ondangwa at about 8000 ft was hit with a SAM7 missile. The explosion ripped off most of the Dakota’s tail. To add additional pressure, the Dakota was full of military VIP passengers including the Chief of the Army.

Captain Colin Green slowed the Dakota down to 100 knots in order to keep it under control and called for help. There was a chopper in the area which formatted on him and relayed the damage to him. The chopper also took the picture’s.

Apparently Captain Green ordered the passengers around the aircraft to regulate the centre of gravity before going into land. Using flaps and power to control the pitch (up and down), he greased it onto the tarmac.

Captain Colin Green was later awarded The Chief of the SADF Commendation for his exceptional flying skills.

About to land safely after being hit by a SA-7 surface to air missile on 1 May 1986

From left to right:

National Serviceman Private Walsh (loadmaster), Captain Colin Green (aircraft commander), Lieutenant Mark Moses (co-pilot)

Photographs: Captain William Good collection

Dakota Hit By a SAM7 Surface to Air Missile

How to Obtain an SADF Discharge Certificate

When a male citizen of South Africa applies for a visa to migrate to another country, immigration officials might request his military discharge papers. This is the case in Australia. The document is available at the Department of Defense Documentation Center in Pretoria. The archives contain personnel records for the Navy, Army and Air Force.

Difficulty: Challenging
Instructions

1. Gather the following information: the date you began your military service; date of discharge; the regiment and unit in which you served; and the name and address of next-of-kin when you entered the military.


2. Write, call, fax or email the Department of Defence Documentation Centre and ask for a form to request discharge papers. Request up-to-date fee information. The address is: Department of Defence, DOD Documentation Centre, Private Bag X289, Pretoria, South Africa, 0001. The telephone number is (012) 355 397; the fax number is (012) 323 5613; and the e-mail address is info@mil.za.


3. Complete and return the form with the requested fee to the Department of Defence, DOD Documentation Centre, Private Bag X289, Pretoria, South Africa, 0001.


4. You may also purchase a photocopy of your discharge papers in person at the DOD Documentation Center. The cost is 60 cents per page, (a little more than half a rand), according to the South African Department of Defence Corporate Communications Office website. Call the Documentation Centre (012) 355 397 for information about office location.

Tips & Warnings

It is likely that receiving your discharge papers will be a slow process. Plan accordingly.

Taken from By Fran Henry, eHow Contributor

How to Obtain an SADF Discharge Certificate

SAMVOUSA Forum

Good day to all our Members.

We have been very busy working on a SAMVOUSA Forum. Since this Forum is your Forum we would appreciate your input before we complete and launch it.

The Forum will be accessible by SAMVOUSA registered members only.

There will be forums for the various military and police branches, units, Battles etc.

A Forum for Business Networking and Advertising for your business or service.

There will also be a forum where members can post Employment Opportunities.

Also available will be a Help Forum where members can post about topics from assistance for other vetereans to health issues and PTSD.

SAMVOUSA asks if you would kindly comment on the above proposed Forums and also let us know if we have left anything out that you would like to see included.

Once we have the basic framework of the Forums complete we will be inviting you to assess it and give us feedback.

Thanking you in advance.

SAMVOUSA Forum

TIME and Space Timelapse

Amazing Google Timelapse, find the “Explore the World” link to watch a timelapse of a specific area.
TIME and Space

“These Timelapse pictures tell the pretty and not-so-pretty story of a finite planet and how its residents are treating it …. ”

“Spacecraft and telescopes are not built by people interested in what’s going on at home. Rockets fly in one direction: up. Telescopes point in one direction: out. Of all the cosmic bodies studied in the long history of astronomy and space travel, the one that got the least attention was the one that ought to matter most to us—Earth.”

TIME and Space Timelapse

LinkedIn Page and Group

SAMVOUSA was recently asked by our members how they could connect and network on a business level with other South African Veterans.

South African Military Veterans Organisation of the USA is pleased to announce the launch of our LinkedIn SAMVOUSA Page and LinkedIn SAMVOUSA group.

For the South African Veterans living in the USA and Canada there is the added opportunity for business networking opportunities with the SAMVOUSA LinkedIn group which requires requesting access.

LinkedIn SAMVOUSA links:

LinkedIn SAMVOUSA Page: www.linkedin.com/company/south-african-military-veterans-organisation-of-the-usa

LinkedIn SAMVOUSA Group: www.linkedin.com/groups/South-African-Military-Veterans-Organisation-4986671

We trust that these additions will be of benefit to our members and the SAMVOUSA community.

LinkedIn Page and Group

International Nurses Day

This week is International Nurses’ week. The week is celebrated around the world in early May of each year, to mark the contributions nurses make to society. International Nurses’ Day is celebrated on 12 May 2013 (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth).

Background

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, proposed that President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaim a “Nurses’ Day”; he did not approve it.

In January 1974, 12 May was chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing.

In 1999 the British public sector union UNISON voted to ask the ICN to transfer this day to another date, saying Nightingale does not represent modern nursing.

As of 1998, 8 May was designated as annual National Student Nurses’ Day. As of 2003, the Wednesday within National Nurses Week, between 6 and 12 May, is National School Nurse Day.
US & Canada Nursing Week

The U.S. and Canada celebrate National Nursing Week each year from May 6th to May 12th (the birthday of Florence Nightingale). It was established in the U.S. by President Richard Nixon in 1974. The Canadian Minister of Health instituted National Nursing Week in Canada in 1985.
UK Celebrations

Each year a service is held in Westminster Abbey in London. During the Service, a symbolic lamp is taken from the Nurses’ Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, thence to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar. This signifies the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another. At St Margaret’s Church at East Wellow in Hampshire, where Florence Nightingale is buried, a service is also held on the Sunday after her birthday.
Australian Celebrations

The Australian Nurse of the Year is announced at a ceremony at one of the state’s capital cities. Additionally, in each of the Australian states and territories, various nursing ceremonies are conducted during the week.

International Nurses Day

Remembering Cassinga

Lest we forget: 4 May – Cassinga Day.

They will not grow old like we that are left grow old.

Age will not weary then, nor the years condemn.

At the setting of the sun, and in the morning,

We will remember them.

The Battle of Cassinga was a South African airborne attack on a South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) military base at the town of Cassinga, Angola on 4 May 1978. Conducted as one of the three major actions of Operation Reindeer during the South African Border War, it was the South African Defence Force’s (SADF) largest airborne assault to date.

Battle of Cassinga (Wikipedia) | Battle of Cassinga (YouTube)

Artword used with kind permission from Johannes Le Grange Old Brown Tees

Remembering Cassinga

Infantry Memorial/Infanterie Gedenksteen

The Infantry memorial will be on unveiled on 26/05/2013 at the Voortrekker Monument. The event forms part of the annual Memorial Service at the Wall of Remembrance and will take place after the service. Members who are interested in attending, must reserve their seats for the service by email thea@erfenisstigting.org.za or fax 086 615 9587 no later than 15/05/2013.

Die Infanterie se gedenksteen word op 26/05/2013 by die Voortrekker Monument onthul. Die geleentheid vorm deel van die jaarlikse Herdenkingsdiens by die Muur van Herinnering en sal net na die diens plaasvind. Lede wat belangstel om die geleentheid by te woon, moet hulle sitplekke vir die diens by e-posadres thea@erfenisstigting.org.za of faksno 086 615 9587 nie later as 15/05/2013 bespreek.

Infantry Memorial/Infanterie Gedenksteen

Statement By The Minister Of Defence And Military Veterans On The Air Force Base Waterkloof Matter

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS MS NN MAPISA-NQAKULA ON THE AIR FORCE BASE WATERKLOOF (AFB) MATTER

During the period of my visit to Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, I was informed of media reports on the clearance given to an aircraft carrying international guests coming to attend a wedding in South Africa, to land at the Air Force Base Waterkloof. I had upon my return this afternoon, requested for an urgent briefing from the South African National Defence Force on the matter, and established the following:

1. That the Waterkloof Air Command Post to received information from the State Protocol Section of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), regarding an aircraft carrying state Ministers from India and they should assist with clearance for them to land.

2. That it is an established protocol that given its responsibilities, the office of the Chief State Protocol informs the Air Force Base when they have a request for foreign dignitaries to use the Air Force Base

3. Documentation from the DIRCO indicated that they have agreed to the request from the Indian High Commission in this regard.

4. The South African Air Force (SAAF) therefore dealt with the request as a normal process that has always applied when DIRCO makes such a determination and direction.

The following is also important to note:

1. A representative of Sahara approached us for assistance in approving a request that was to be sent by Indian High Commissioner for the use of the Air Force base. This request for assistance was rejected, and since it was not even formalized, the Ministry considered the matter closed. It had been our advice that the Airports Company SA was best placed to assist.

2. It had never been our expectation therefore that attempts would then be made to find other avenues to try and secure the use of the Air Force base through the diplomatic channel at DIRCO.

3. The Office of the Chief of the State Protocol dealt with the request from the Indian High Commissioner directly to the Air Force Base without consultation with the Chief of South Africa National Defence Force, the Chief Air Force and the Ministry.

4. The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans would never have approved such a request, and that our expectation would be that for a matter involving such a large foreign delegation, consultation should have been made with Defence Headquarters or at the least Air Force Headquarters

I have therefore directed the following:

1. The clearance should be rescinded and that aircraft should immediately be removed from the Air Force Waterkloof base.

2. An investigation on why the Air Force was approached with such a request, including all matters relating to the events of the 30th April 2013.

Statement By The Minister Of Defence And Military Veterans On The Air Force Base Waterkloof Matter

The Military Veterans Act of 2011: Promising More Than can be Delivered?

The Military Veterans Act of 2011: Promising More Than can be Delivered?

Planning The Way Forward For All South African Veterans

A five-strong delegation from the SA National Military Veterans Organisation (SANMVA) met with both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans to plan the way forward for all the country’s veterans.

The major outcome is that SANMVA is the sole national representative organisation of the country corps of veterans as defined by the military Veterans Act of 2011. To ensure it maintains this position it has to hold its national congress by no later than September this year and remain the conduit for veterans to deal with the department headed by Deputy Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thabang Makwetla.

This will see each of the founder members of SANMVA hold individual workshops ahead of the national congress.

SANMVA membership currently includes the MK Veterans Association, Apla Veterans Association and, through the Council of Military Veterans Organisations (CMVO), organisations such as the SA Air Force Association, the Gunners Association, the Infantry Association, Sappers Association and others.

The meeting with the national veterans’ organisation was the first for defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula since she took over from Lindiwe Sisulu in June last year. This does not mean the veterans’ side of the department has been neglected as it has been driven by Makwetla and Director General in the Department of Military Veterans, Tsepe Motumi.

The SANMVA delegation comprised president Kebby Maphatsoe, first deputy president Raymond Fihla, second deputy president Legionnaire Godfrey Giles, secretary general Dudu Pharma and deputy secretary general George Biya.

A SANMVS spokesman urged all veterans who do not yet belong to any representative veterans association or organisation to sign up without delay.

“This will ensure representation at the SANMVA national congress.”

According to the Military Veterans Act of 2011, a military veteran is “a South African citizen who rendered military service to any of the military organisations, which were involved on all the sides of South Africa’s liberation war from 1960 to 1994, those who served in the Union Defence Force before 1961, and those who became members of the South African National Defence Force after 1994, and has completed his/her military training and no longer performs military duties, and has not been dishonourably discharged from that military organisation.”

VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS

Planning The Way Forward For All South African Veterans

Planning The Way Forward For All The Country’s Veterans

A five-strong delegation from the SA National Military Veterans Organisation (SANMVA) met with both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans to plan the way forward for all the country’s veterans.

The major outcome is that SANMVA is the sole national representative organisation of the country corps of veterans as defined by the military Veterans Act of 2011. To ensure it maintains this position it has to hold its national congress by no later than September this year and remain the conduit for veterans to deal with the department headed by Deputy Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thabang Makwetla.

This will see each of the founder members of SANMVA hold individual workshops ahead of the national congress.

SANMVA membership currently includes the MK Veterans Association, Apla Veterans Association and, through the Council of Military Veterans Organisations (CMVO), organisations such as the SA Air Force Association, the Gunners Association, the Infantry Association, Sappers Association and others.

The meeting with the national veterans’ organisation was the first for defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula since she took over from Lindiwe Sisulu in June last year. This does not mean the veterans’ side of the department has been neglected as it has been driven by Makwetla and Director General in the Department of Military Veterans, Tsepe Motumi.

The SANMVA delegation comprised president Kebby Maphatsoe, first deputy president Raymond Fihla, second deputy president Legionnaire Godfrey Giles, secretary general Dudu Pharma and deputy secretary general George Biya.

A SANMVS spokesman urged all veterans who do not yet belong to any representative veterans association or organisation to sign up without delay.

“This will ensure representation at the SANMVA national congress.”

According to the Military Veterans Act of 2011, a military veteran is “a South African citizen who rendered military service to any of the military organisations, which were involved on all the sides of South Africa’s liberation war from 1960 to 1994, those who served in the Union Defence Force before 1961, and those who became members of the South African National Defence Force after 1994, and has completed his/her military training and no longer performs military duties, and has not been dishonourably discharged from that military organisation.”

Planning The Way Forward For All The Country’s Veterans