Pietermaritzburg Commando

Pietermaritzburg Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South African Army. It formed part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve.

Pietermaritzburg Commando
Pietermaritzburg Commando
Active1940 – 1981
Country South Africa
Allegiance
Branch
TypeInfantry
RoleLight Infantry
SizeOne Battalion
Part ofSouth African Infantry Corps
Army Territorial Reserve
Garrison/HQPietermaritzburg

History

Origin

This unit could trace its origins back to a Natal Law for the protection of the colony, namely Law No 19 of 1862 which instructed the establishment of a rifle association.

With the UDF

The name of this rifle association was changed during the UDF era to the Pietermaritzburg Commando.

By the 1940s, the commando was headquartered at the Pietermaritzburg Drill Hall and was shared by another unit during that era, namely the Natal Carbineers.

From Commando to Regiment

In 1981, the commando was converted to a regiment as an infantry battalion under the Citizen Force, being renamed as the Natalia Regiment.

Commando System Disbandment

This unit, along with all other Commando units was disbanded after a decision by South African President Thabo Mbeki to disband all Commando Units.[1][2] The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.[3]

References
  1. Col L B van Stade, Senior Staff Officer Rationalisation, SANDF (1997). "Rationalisation in the SANDF: The Next Challenge". Institute for Security Studies. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2015.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "About the Commando system". Retrieved 17 January 2008.
  3. de Lange, Deon. "South Africa: Commandos Were 'Hostile to New SA'". Cape Argus. Retrieved 5 March 2015.

See also


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