letters to the editor - Department of Defence

Airborne Africa 2001By Col H. Schobesberger, SSOCom SA Army (published inSA Soldier: June 2001, page 28)1Parachute Battalion of the SAArmy celebrated its 40th anniversaryon 1 April 2001. The culminationof this event was an internationalairborne combat-readiness competition- Airborne Africa - held from 22March to 3 April 2001. Preparationfor it was done in Bloemfontein,while the actual competition tookplace at the Madimbo Training Areain the Northern Province.Military parachutist teams fromBelgium, Botswana, France, Ghana,Great Britain, Jordan, theNetherlands, South Africa, Tanzaniaand the United States of Americastories from 2001Fltr: WO1 Isaac Salivu (MasterSergeant Major Ghana Army), WO1Sebenzile Teyisi (Sergeant Major GSBBloemfontein) and Capt AwuahMantey (Ghana Army).Meet our first black female pilotBy Capt Fundile Siyongwana (publishedin SA Soldier:August 2001,page 27)Photo: Sgt David NomtshongwanaOn the afternoon of 2 July 2001 SASoldier held an exclusive interviewwith the first black female pilot,2Lt Annabel Macauley (21) atWaterkloof Officers' Mess in Pretoria.2Lt Macauley was born in SierraLeone.She started with her primaryschooling in Sierra Leone and thenmoved to Nigeria, where she stayedfor seven years, completing her primaryeducation. She had to leaveNigeria and headed to Botswana fora very short stay. After she leftBotswana she came to South Africawhere she started Standard five atMmabatho High School, and here shestayed until she completed hermatric.2Lt Macauley worked very hardat school and was in love with aeroplanesfrom a very young age. Shedid not know what she wanted to be.She said that at one point she studiedaccounting, but this bored her. Thentook part in this event - the first of its kindto be held on South African soil.The first South African black femalepilot, 2Lt Annabel Macauley, in apiece of machinery that she has fallenin love with.she realised that she wanted to be a pilot. Shesaid: "Luckily the SA Air Force came to myschool. I applied and went for psychometrictests. That is how I got the job in 1996."S A S O L D I E RYouthFoundationTrainingProgrammeBy Capt FundileSiyongwana (published inSA Soldier: September2001, page 18)The Department ofDefence launched theDOD Youth FoundationTraining Programme at theDenel Training Academy inKempton Park on 20 July2001.The programme underscoresthe Government'scommitment to uplifting thelives of the youth by creatingand providing work opportunities,and thus activelycontributing to social deliveryand advancing the goalsof the African Renaissance.It is a small beginning,with the retraining of some175 formerly disadvantagedstudents, but there is virtuallyan ironclad guarantee thatthis project will grow to beone of the main pillars providingSouth Africa with anew generation of decisionmakers and future leaders.The programme will go along way towards reversingthis situation, and willensure the continued maintenanceof professionalismwithin the SANDF.It was also recognised atthe outset that the enterprisewas not to be conducted bythe DOD alone. It was thereforedecided to outsource theprogramme by entering intoa public-private partnership.After due tender process, theDenel Consortium wasselected as the serviceprovider. The whole projectis co-managed by the JointTraining Formation onbehalf of the DOD and DenelPersonnel Solutions.M A Y 2 0 1 1 • s15