November - Department of Defence

Celebrating women inten years of democracyBy Capt Mohau Modise, DirectorateCorporate CommunicationPhoto: F Sgt Amelda StrydomWhile the celebratory moodof Women's Day wasstarting to settle down 26and 27 August a group ofwomen kept the candleburning for Women'sMonth by embarking on avisit to different military installationsin Phalaborwa.The visit consisted of women fromdifferent Government departments,including Correctional Services, theMetropolitan Council, ItsosengWomen's League, and NW MogwaseWomen's Organisation, to name but afew. The aim of the visit was to commemorateWomen's Month, ten yearsof democracy and also to sensitiseother women outside the DOD to theachievements and capabilities ofwomen in uniform, in particular.The visit was also graced by seniormembers from the different Serviceswho accompanied the guests, withBrig Gen Nontsikelelo Motumi, DirectorSocial Work, being the mostsenior DOD member. She did not onlyform part of the visit, but also donatedbags with a logo depicting ten years ofdemocracy on behalf of herDirectorate to the visiting group ascorporate gifts.The group left Swartkop Air ForceBase in Pretoria on 26 August 2004 andfirst visited Hoedspruit Air Force Basewhere they were presented with thehistory and present status of the unitby Brig Gen P. du Plessis.The next day they visited 7 SAInfantry Battalion (7 SAI Bn) where thebriefing was about force preparationfor members deploying outside theborders of South Africa in neighbouringcountries. One of the guests at 7SAI Bn asked what the DOD does inpreparing and supporting familiesand relatives of those members whoare deployed. Brig Gen Motumiexplained that the Directorate of SocialWelfare of the DOD has a mechanismin place to deal with such issues ashow to handle their finances, stressmanagement, and how to handle thechildren while the other partner isaway, as there will be role reversal. Incases where a husband has deployedfor six months and the wife has to playa dual role, the Social WelfareDepartment will help to prepare suchpartners psychologically and makethem understand that they are notonly married to soldiers, but to memberswho are expected to safeguardthe citizens of South Africa and theirinhabitants. Therefore their familiesmust be prepared to sacrifice theirloved ones for such a calling.The next day the cheerful groupvisited the DOD Reserves where a presentationon the role and tasks of theCommandos and Reserve Force memberswas explained. The visit was concluded,after which the group leftPhalaborwa aboard a C130 and flewback to Pretoria. All were smiles andexpressed their gratitude for havinglearned so much and had a betterunderstanding that the SANDF wasan integral part of the broader societyand consisted of various Services thatthey had not known existed. Theywere now ready to go back to their differentcommunities and share theirexperiences, especially with regard tothe achievements of women in theDOD after ten years of democracy.They could not help singing:'Malibongwe I gama la bafazi' whichmeans 'Praise to the women'.29Back in Pretoria the visiting group were all smiles.N O VEMBER 2 0 0 4 • S A S O L D I E R