South African Military Academy

The South African Military Academy is based on similar principles to that of the military academy system of the United States (United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy United States Air Force Academy). The academy is a military unit of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) housing the Faculty of Military Science of the University of Stellenbosch.

South African Military Academy
MottoDiscendo Armemus (Latin)
(Arm yourself through Knowledge)
Typemilitary academy
Established1 April 1950 as South African Military College (now the South African Army College) in Thaba Tswane)
DeanProf M. S. Tshehla
CommandantBrig Gen Lawrence Mbatha
 South African Army
Academic staff
48
Studentsapprox. 300 future officers of the four Arms of Service
Undergraduates
  • Military Science (B.Mil) in:
    • Science & Technology
    • Human Resource Development
    • Security & Africa Studies
    • Defence Organization & Resource Management
PostgraduatesMasters Degree in Military Science (M.Mil)
Location
Saldanha
,
Western Cape
,
 South Africa
CampusMalgaskop, overlooking Saldanha Bay
AffiliationsStellenbosch University
South African National Defence Force
Websitehttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/milscience/

It provides officers of all the arms of service an opportunity to earn a BMil or more advanced degrees. See Military science § University studies.

Campus

It is situated on the West Coast in the town of Saldanha, set against the scenic slopes of Malgaskop, overlooking Saldanha Bay.

Students

About 300 men and women represent the four arms of service.

Faculty

There are 48 members of the Faculty of Military Science who form an integrated group of military and civilian lecturers. Brig Gen Lawrence Mbatha is the commandant of the military academy, and the dean of the faculty is Samuel Tshehla.[1]

Programs

A three-year bachelor's degree in military science (B. Mil) is awarded to students upon graduation in December. The B. Mil is the generic title for the degree which may be undertaken in two different fields, these being natural science (equivalent to Bsc) and social sciences (equivalent to BA). Traditionally, natural science has been considered the premiere degree due to its highly quantitative nature of its course contents (i.e. mathematics, physics). After graduation, they rejoin their arm of service to serve as officers. Postgraduate qualifications at master's and doctoral level are also offered.

History

The academy was established on 1 April 1950 under the auspices of the University of Pretoria and the South African Military College[2] (now the South African Army College) in Voortrekkerhoogte (now Thaba Tswane), with the goal of elevating students to a BA (Mil) or BSc (Mil) degree to meet the intellectual challenges of modern war.[2]

In 1953 the newly elected National Party Minister of Defence, Frans Erasmus, wanting to establish the military academy as a separate, independent, all-service institution decided to relocate the academy to Saldanha, his political constituency. In Pretoria it had catered for army and air force students only. It became a faculty of the University of Stellenbosch, who now awarded a B Mil degree to successful students.[2] The military academy was organisationally divorced from the South African Army College on 1 February 1956. Its headquarters temporarily shifted to Stellenbosch, while suitable accommodation was built at Saldanha which was his own constituency. The headquarters of the military academy moved to Saldanha in December 1957 and in February 1958 the first students, second and third-years, reported at Saldanha.[2]

The South African Defence Force's increasing involvement in the Border War from the mid-1970s produced an increased demand for junior officers, with the result that the Defence Force decided that junior officers should be "task qualified" within their respective services before becoming eligible for admission to the military academy.[2] The degree course at the military academy was thus excluded from the development cycle of junior officers from 1976; admittance to the academy then became an option for those who wished to obtain a university degree.[2]

Commandants

Until 1967 the dean of the faculty also served as commanding officer of the academy. In 1967 these roles were split, allowing a professional lecturer to act as dean and a military officer to act as commanding officer.[3]:341

NumberStart of termEnd of termNameBranch
1st1 January 1956[3]:1691967Col Pieter J.G. "Vlakkies" de Vos[4]:194[3]:165South African Army
2nd196811 December 1971[3]:328Brig Magnus Malan SM[5]:77[3]:343South African Army
3rd11 December 1971[3]:328Jan 1974Brig Johan D. Potgieter[3]:343SMSouth African Army
4th197421 January 1977[3]:412Brig J.P.B. van Loggerenberg[3]:337 SM[6][3]:349South African Air Force
5th21 January 19771980Brig Alex Potgieter[3]:416South African Army
6th24 January 1980[3]:41625 January 1983Brig F. Shylock Mulder[3]:439 & 403 SMSouth African Army
7th25 January 1983[3]:46519 January 1987[3]:416Brig S. Willie J. Kotze[3]:453South African Army
8th19 January 198729 January 1990Cdre Robert Simpson-Anderson SD SM MMMSouth African Navy
9th29 January 1990[3]:416–Brig Fred E. Du Toit[3]:495South African Air Force
13th–1996Brig Pieter O. Verbeek[7]:189 (Footnote 30) & 204 SM MMMSouth African Army
14th19961999Rear Adm (JG) Piet C. Potgieter[7]:204[3]:ix SM MMMSouth African Navy
15th20002003Brig Gen L. Solly Mollo[8][7]:321:244 MMS MMMSouth African Army
16thJan 20042006Brig Gen Tawana Z. Manyama[7]:319South African Air Force
17th20062009Rear Adm (JG) Derek Christian MMMSouth African Navy
18th20092011Brig Gen Lindile Yam CLS MMSSouth African Army
19th2011dateBrig Gen Lawrence MbathaSouth African Army

Annual awards

Sword of Honour
  • 1953: I. Lemmer
  • 1954: P. C. Smith
  • 1955: C. L. Viljoen
  • 1956: M. B. Anderson
  • 1957: T. H. Smith
  • 1958: W.J. Wolmarans
  • 1959: B. J. Vorster
  • 1960: J. R. F. Irvine
  • 1961: D. S. Hamman
  • 1962: J. G. Coetzee
  • 1963: P. D. Steyn (Later Lieutenant General Pierre Steyn)
  • 1964: G. L. Serfontein
  • 1965: N. S. L. Steenkamp
  • 1966: G. J. C. Marais
  • 1967: P. De Villiers
  • 1968: L. A. Visagie
  • 1969: W. J. Le Crerar
  • 1970: P. Richardson
  • 1971: T. Fonternel
  • 1972: R. J. Strydom
  • 1973: B. A. L. Clegg
  • 1974: J. P. Nel
  • 1975: P. Schöultz (Later Rear Admiral Phillip Schoultz SSA SD SM MMM)
  • 1976: L. Rudman (Later Maj Gen Les Rudman PVD SD SM MMM LOM)
  • 1977: J. C. Johnson
  • 1978: M. C. Durrant
  • 1979: C. J. Visagie
  • 1980: C. C. Scheepers
  • 1981: J. H. Leibbrandt
  • 1982: H. J. Rheeders
  • 1983: J. Olivier
  • 1984: P. J. Introna
  • 1985: M. R. Malan
  • 1986: W. J. Herbst
  • 1987: D. J. Stegmann
  • 1988: C. Van Ryneveld
  • 1989: J. H. Burger
  • 1990: K. Wiesner
  • 1991: G. K. Arndt
  • 1992: L. Olivier
  • 1993: A. M. Booysen
  • 1994: B. Eckert
  • 1995: J. A. Swart
  • 1996: J. F. Laubscher
  • 1997: M. Engelbrecht
  • 1998: G. J. Pienaar
  • 1999: L. B. Riley
  • 2000: M. Riley
  • 2001: M. J. De Jager
  • 2002: P. C. G. S. Jordaan
  • 2003: H. A. Visser
  • 2004: J. A. Boucher
  • 2005: M. C. Kgosana
  • 2006: G. W. Mills
  • 2007: C. Manganyi
  • 2008: N. Wallace

Best Student – Army
  • 1957: P. J. Conradie
  • 1958: B. Redelinghuis
  • 1959: D. J. Mortimer
  • 1960: W. J. Badenhorst
  • 1961: M. S. Verster
  • 1962: J. G. Coetzee
  • 1963: J. M. Van Rooyen
  • 1964: R. T. Deyzel
  • 1965: N. S. L. Steenkamp
  • 1966: G. N. Opperman
  • 1967: P. De Villiers
  • 1968: A. J. Van Niekerk
  • 1969: W. J. Le Crerar
  • 1970: P. Richardson
  • 1971: T. E. Fonternel
  • 1972: R. J. Strydom
  • 1973: J. Jooste
  • 1974: J. P. Nel
  • 1975: G. Liebenberg
  • 1976: L. Rudman (Later Maj Gen Les Rudman PVD SD SM MMM LOM)
  • 1977: A. K. Calmeyer
  • 1978: M. C. Durrant
  • 1979: D. J. Putter
  • 1980: C. C. Scheepers
  • 1981: J. H. Leibbrandt
  • 1982: h. J. Rheeders
  • 1983: J. Olivier
  • 1984: P. J. Introna
  • 1985: M. R. Malan
  • 1986: W. J. Herbst
  • 1987: A. N. Walters
  • 1988: J. C. G. Terblanche
  • 1989: J. H. Burger
  • 1990: K. J. Stanz
  • 1991: J. W. A. Cheminais
  • 1992: N. Vertue
  • 1993: A. M. Booysen
  • 1994: P. B. Jansen
  • 1995: C. F. Claassens
  • 1996: A. Pretorius
  • 1997: D. J. De Villiers
  • 1998: G. J. Pienaar
  • 1999: L. B. Riley
  • 2000: J. Tempelhoff
  • 2001: M. J. De Jager
  • 2002: H. Dalton
  • 2003: J. D. Quma
  • 2004: J. A. Boucher
  • 2005: M. C.Kgosana
  • 2006: G. W. Mills
  • 2007: A. Van Der Merwe
  • 2008: N. Wallace

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See also

References
  1. Mentjes, Maj. A. (17 April 2013). "News:2012 Achievers". Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  2. Visser, Deon (November 2004). "Military history at the South African Military Academy" (PDF). Historia. 49 (2): 129–146.
  3. Visser, G.E. (2000). "DIE GESKIEDENIS VAN DIE SUID-AFRIKAANSE MILITÊRE AKADEMIE, 1950 – 1990". Scientia Militaria – South African Journal of Military Studies (in Afrikaans). University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy). 40 (Supplementa 1). ISSN 2224-0020.
  4. Donaldson, Ken, ed. (1959). Who's Who of Southern Africa 1959. Pietermaritzburg: Natal Witness.
  5. Uys, Ian (1992). South African Military Who's Who 1452–1992. Germiston: Fortress Publishers. ISBN 0-9583173-3-X.
  6. South African Defence Force Review 1991. Walker-Ramus. 1991.
  7. Esterhuyse, Abel Jacobus. "Professional military education in the South African national defence force : the role of the military academy". Stellenbosch University. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  8. Ekron, Ziegfried (25 August 2004). "Saldanha 'torn in two'". News24. Retrieved 31 December 2014.

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