President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday commended South Africa’s armed forces for a job-well-done during its domestic and foreign missions in Africa.
Ramaphosa made the commendation when he addressed troops on Armed Forces Day in Mbombela in Mpumalanga province to commemorate the sinking of the troop carrier SS Mendi in the English Channel on 21 February 1917.
The ship was hit on this day by the SS Darro, a German ship, killing over 600 men of the South African Native Labour Corps who were on their way to the warfront during the First World War.
Ramaphosa also hailed the contribution of the present-day South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for serving the country with distinction during what he described as a “difficult, demanding and unprecedented” time when the country was rocked by riots last July.
“At that moment of great crisis, the sight of a uniformed SANDF member out there, keeping us safe, restoring calm, gave reassurance at a time when many were fearful,” he said.
The unrest, which was triggered by the incarceration of former South African president Jacob Zuma, claimed over 300 lives and damaged property valued at more than US$2 billion in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng provinces.
Ramaphosa also praised the role played by SANDF during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent attacks on the parliament building in Cape Town.
“It is now two years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The SANDF was there, assisting with the implementation and maintenance of the National State of Disaster,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “And when our Parliament was engulfed in fire at the beginning of this year, it was our personnel from Air Force Base Ysterplaat Military Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Services who were part of the first responders to douse the flames,” he said.
The SANDF has also acquitted itself well in regional and continental peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Somalia, he said.
NM/jn/APA