November - Department of Defence

All the role players had to performwell to bring all systems into play.They had to focus on the migrationplan elements, which included accommodation,both domestic as well asfunctional, transportation of equipment,upgrading of facilities, transferof personnel, cost implications andmany more. On this note, the officerscommanding and their teams fromHoedspruit AFB, 1 Air Servicing Unit,5 Air Servicing, 10 Air Depot and theAir Force Mobile Deployment Wingwere praised for their total commitmentand exceptional support thatbrought about the smooth re-locationof the Air Force Command andControl School. An awesome amounthas been achieved in a very short period,if it is taken into consideration thatit has only been ten months since theAir Force Board decided to relocatethe school.The last courses to be presented atCommand and Control School atWaterkloof AFB were completed on 28November 2003. Since early January2004 when the Command ControlSchool once again opened its doors fortraining at Hoedspruit AFB, fourteencourses have been successfully presented.Seven courses are currently inprogress and thirteen courses areplanned for the rest of 2004. This alsomeans that at certain periods sinceJanuary 2004 up to seventy students ata time have been trained and accommodated.During this phase a newMAOT course, as well as a Commandand Control AB INITIO Course wasalso developed and presented.Concluding from the observationand comments made by the visitinggroups during the tour of the accommodationfacilities, the learning centre,the ham shack and the differenttraining wings at the school, it is clearthat all have gone out of their way notonly to make this relocation a success,but more importantly, the culturetransformation to a learning environmenthas been hugely successful.There is also an impression that thenew environment has resulted inmembers having a more positive outlookand the new culture of learningwill continue to assist Command andControl School to step into the futureas a centre of learning excellence.With what has been achieved atHoedspruit AFB, Command andControl truly see themselves as part ofSA Air Force vision 2010 in assistingthe Air Force Board in its endeavoursto make the SA Air Force a truly representative,competent, proud andcombat-ready organisation, which thenation expects it to be."A final word of appreciation goesto the Officer Commanding of Commandand Control School, Col M.O.Mcetywa, and all the members of theschool: never forget that you are representingthe SA Air Force in theLimpopo region and that it is yourduty to promote the image of the AirForce and to uphold its traditions. Youperformed with great distinction andyou did your unit and the SA AirForce proud. Our value of excellencein all we do was perfectly demonstrated.Well done." Those were Maj GenGagiano's words during the officialopening ceremony held at Hoedspruiton 19 August 2004. Command andControl School has reopened and Iwill proceed to unveil the plaque asthe symbol of learning excellence,concluded Maj Gen C. Gagiano, ChiefDirector Air Policy and Plan.Handing over the reignsThe Northern Military Police Regionheld a change of command parade atthe SA Army College in Pretoria on 30July 2004. Col Khuselwa Inah Gobozahanded over the reigns to ColMzobanzi Justice Macanda. It was thesecond change of command since theestablishment of Northen MilitaryPolice Region.Col Goboza was born at Bedfordon 28 October 1954. Her first employmentwas with the Department ofEducation where she worked as ateacher. She joined the Department ofPrisons, and then integrated into theSANDF in the Military Police Agencyin 1998. She was then appointed as theSO1 Correctional Facilities at theMilitary Police HQ. Col Goboza wasthe first senior African staff qualifiedofficer in the Military Police Agency,as well as the first woman to becomeProvost Marshal. Col Goboza has sincebeen appointed as the SSO Policingand Chief of Staff at the Military PoliceCol Khuselwa Inah Goboza handed over the reigns to Col Mzobanzi JusticeMacanda. (Photo: F Sgt David Nomtshongwana)Agency Headquarters.The newly appointed ProvostMarshal, Col Macanda, joined theCiskei Defence Force in 1986. He startedas an Infantry Paratrooper andlater, in 1989, he became an Infantryofficer. He was later transferred to theMilitary Police. In 2002 he wasdeployed in Burundi during OPSFIBRE as the Second in Command.Col Macanda was the first MilitaryPolice officer appointed to act asOperational Commander.(Article by Lebohang Letaoana)N O VEMBER 2 0 0 4 • S A S O L D I E R35