Andreas Liebenberg

General Andreas "Kat" Liebenberg, SSAS, SD, SOE, SM, MMM (18 April 1938 – 23 May 1998) was a South African military commander. He served as General Officer Commanding South African Special Forces (1982–85), Chief of the Army (1985–90) and Chief of the South African Defence Force (1990–93).

Andreas Liebenberg
Born(1938-04-18)18 April 1938[1]
Upington, Cape Province, South Africa[2]
Died23 May 1998(1998-05-23) (aged 60)
Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa[3]
AllegianceSouth Africa
Service/branchSouth African Army
Years of service1955–1993
RankGeneral
Commands heldChief of the South African Defence Force (1990–93)
Chief of the Army (1985–90)
South African Special Forces (1982–85)
2 Military Area (1977–80)
Battles/warsSouth African Border War
AwardsStar of South Africa, Silver
Southern Cross Decoration
South African Police Star for Outstanding Service
Southern Cross Medal
Military Merit Medal
Spouse(s)Helena Johanna (Crafford)[4]

Military career

Liebenberg joined the South African Army in 1955 and, after obtaining a BA Law degree at the University of Stellenbosch,[2] was commissioned in 1961.

Liebenberg was posted to London as a military attache in 1969.[5]:25 In 1972, he returned from London to become second in command of the Army Gymnasium. Two years later he was back at Army Headquarters as a Staff Officer before becoming Director Infantry and, in December 1977, as a colonel, Officer Commanding 2 Military Area (later called Sector 10) at Oshakati.[5] He stayed there till January 1980, when he became Director of Operations at Army Headquarters in the rank of brigadier.[5]

Liebenberg served as General Officer Commanding South African Special Forces from 1982 to 1985, as Chief of the Army from 1985 to 1990, as Chief of Defence Force Staff for a few months in 1990,[6] and then as Chief of the South African Defence Force from 1990 to 1993.[7] He was a member of the defence committee of the Transitional Executive Council which supervised the South African government during the final months leading up the first democratic election in 1994.

Trial

In 1995, Liebenberg, former defence minister, General Magnus Malan, and former defence force chief, General Jannie Geldenhuys were tried for murder, as a result of a military operation in which several civilians had been killed. They were all acquitted.

Awards and decorations

References
  1. "Andreas Jacobus (Kat) Liebenberg, former head of the SA Defence Force, is born". sahistory.org.za. SA History Online. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  2. Uys, Ian (1992). South African Military Who's Who 1452–1992. Fortress Publishers. p. 133. ISBN 0-9583173-3-X.
  3. "Gen. Kat Liebenberg (60), ex-chief of the SA defence force, dies of cancer in Pretoria". SAHO. South African History Online. 23 May 1998. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  4. "Liebenberg word nuwe hoof van Weermag" (in Afrikaans). Die Burger. 28 July 1990. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  5. "The SADF: Supplement to the Financial Mail" (PDF). Financial Mail. July 1987.
  6. "Meiring kry bevel van leër". Die Burger. March 1, 1990. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  7. Fact file: Chiefs of the SANDF,past and present | DefenceWeb
Military offices
Preceded by
Johannes Geldenhuys		 Chief of the South African Defence Force
1990–1993		 Succeeded by
Georg Meiring
Preceded by
Ian Gleeson		 Chief of Defence Force Staff
1990		 Succeeded by
Marthinus Bekker
Preceded by
Johannes Geldenhuys		 Chief of the Army
1985–1990		 Succeeded by
Georg Meiring
Preceded by
Fritz Loots		 GOC South African Special Forces
1982–1985		 Succeeded by
Joep Joubert
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