M A Y 2 0 1 2 • S A S O L D I E R - Department of Defence

S A S O L D I E Rlettersreview of defenceJOB WELL DONEI visited the Rand Show today, and Imust compliment the SANDF. Trulythis was most likely the only part ofthe show that was well organised.All of the military personnel werevery friendly. They were alwaysquick and willing to respond to anyquestions that my mother or I had.The vehicles, kit, weapons and otherdisplayed items were all clearlymarked. The stands were also veryclean and presentable as expected ofthe military.The opening was also conductedin a very professional manner. It’s areal shame that the public showedlittle respect for military tradition. Itwas also very rude and unprofessionalof the SA Police Service Band to paradewhile the General Salute was beingplayed. My mother also stated that thiswas disrespectful.The readiness display was alsoconducted in a very professionalmanner. And I must say it must havetaken a good couple of practice sessionsto get it right. Everything was perfectlysynchronised, from the mortar roundbeing “fired”, including more or lessthe flight time, to the impact. Whenthe 20mm cannon on the Rooivalk onthe second pass was fired I saw thatwinning letterthe gun by eye was pointing exactlywhere the “rounds” hit. The big bangfrom the Hawk was very well timedand synchronised. My photo of theHawk was just a photo with flames!To all the members involved in thedisplay, WELL DONE!To be honest I wish that membersof the old South African Defence Forcewould visit this event more to proveto them that the military is still of thesame high standard as it was then.Once again I must congratulateall members of the SANDF for a jobwell done. And I salute you. H. Ryno,emailmore exposURE to the worldI was the Defence Attaché in Malaysia,Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines(South East Asia) from July 2008 toJuly 2011. Many military practitionersat senior and junior level have visitedand received training in South Africa,R200-00 prize for the best letterand the country was more exposed tothe world than before. During MinisterLindiwe Sisulu’s tenure of officerelations between South Africa andthe countries in the region improveda lot, and her direct involvement andWell Done To The SANDF Service CommissionI ran out of words when I heardthe news on SABC Radio from ourCommander-in-Chief (President JacobZuma). I was so excited because wehave suffered for a very long timewith little pay in the SANDF. Butwe still go and deploy to protect ourcountry and the SADC countries.We never gave up hope that one-daysomeone would look at our problems.AppreciationI want to express my deepestappreciation for the Season’s Greetingsfrom the Minister of Defence andMilitary Veterans, Ms LindiweSisulu. The fact that the Ministerhas appreciated me as a person, aWhen soldiers were doing the toyitoyiit was bad for us, but that was ourlast hope that maybe someone wouldcome to our rescue. We had to show thewhole country that we were suffering,because if you do not cry, people thinkthat you are OK. But mostly I wouldlike to thank the Commission, MinisterLindiwe Sisulu and our Commanderin-Chieffor not hesitating to take actionsoldier and a family man goes a longway towards boosting morale andengendering loyalty to the organisation.I am sure that my appreciation isnot mine only, but that I share thesentiments of so many soldiers andSA SOLDIER welcomes letters to the Editor. Short letters are more likely to bepublished, and all letters may be edited for reasons of style, accuracy or spacelimitations. Letters should preferably be typewritten. All letters must include thewriter’s full name, address and home telephone number. The volume of letterswe receive makes individual acknowledgement impossible. Please send yourletters to: The Editor, SA SOLDIER Letters, Private Bag X158, Pretoria, 0001.Letters may also be faxed to (012) 355-6399 or sent via email to sasoldier@mil.za. We would like to hear your comments or ideas, particularly about mattersaffecting members of the Department of Defence. Regrettably, anonymous letterscannot be answered officially or published - Editor.that of her office in supporting theSA Defence Industry has led to SouthAfrica securing multi-million dollardefence contracts in the region. ColBen Mbanjwa, Senior Staff Officer:Africa and the Middle East, emailafter the Commission’s report.To Judge Lebotsang Bosielo, I saywell done. To my fellow soldiers, I sayget your R4s and protect this countrywith pride and high morale. Soldierscan now have a better life after along battle. I salute you all. Cpl L.BMudau, AFB Makhado (The letter waspreviously published in SA Soldier, April2010 edition, page 8.)comrades out there in the variousServices. One lesson I hope many ofus who are in leadership will learn isthat irrespective of all the challengesthat we have, one has to appreciatethe work done by subordinatesand we should not always criticisedestructively. So, despite the sea ofchallenges we face as an organisationwe have the will-power shown bythe Minister in tackling them headon.We appreciate the fact that sheappreciates our humble contributionsto the safety of our country, and thankher for her warm Christmas greetingson behalf of the Commander-in-Chief,Cabinet and Government, and I wantto say the feeling is mutual. ChaplainNkosinathi Ngesi, Military Academy(The letter was previously published in SASoldier, March 2010 edition, page 8.)6 • M A Y 2 0 1 2