Bloemfontein – President Jacob Zuma, as Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence (SANDF), today honoured and paid tribute to the selfless men and women in uniform at home and abroad.
“We are truly proud of your contribution to making South Africa a much better place to live in now, than it was before 1994,” President Zuma said at the Armed Forces Day celebrations, held in Bloemfontein.
He also paid tribute to the fallen soldiers who died during the execution of their duties in other countries.
The mission to assist in the post conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) Army had seen relative success and loss of lives.
In March last year, after being ambushed, SANDF members were unfortunately caught in the crossfire and had no choice but to defend their base and protect lives.
“Despite the sad and unfortunate loss of 15 of our members, our soldiers accounted well for themselves in military combat terms.
“It is our view that the true account of the battle of Bangui still needs to be documented, debated and be known to South Africans.
“We want to call on South Africans, to learn to celebrate and stand behind our heroes,” he said.
He said all South Africans must appreciate and celebrate the defence force, adding that they were here to serve them.
“We have built a new defence force out of the ashes of an apartheid force that was known for its aggression against neighbours in the Southern African region, where it sought members of the liberation movement and intimidated governments of the frontline states,” he said.
The 2014 Armed Forces celebration was also dedicated to the former President Nelson Mandela who passed away in December last year. President Zuma thanked the SANDF medical team that was taking care of Madiba.
“We thank the men and women of the SANDF who served on his medical team, as part of his personal staff, his security and pilots, and the many who directly and indirectly participated in the events leading to his burial,” he said.
Also as part of the celebrations, President Zuma used the occasion to present awards to some members of the SANDF.
One of the recipients, Major Stephen Jiyana told SAnews that he was happy with the recognition he received. “This is going to motivate me to work even more harder,” he said. Asked if he was still willing to be deployed, he said: “I’m a soldier and ready to go anywhere anytime”. Major Jiyana joined the SANDF in 1996 and has been deployed twice to Burundi.
Members of the public were treated to a fly-past by the SANDF aircrafts and a parade by the various units of the SANDF. Different SANDF aircrafts and military vehicles were on display for the public to see.
All services and divisions of the SANDF took part in the parade ensuring a full scale display of the South African armed forces’ readiness, professionalism, agility and excellence.
Members of the public, both young and old came in large numbers to celebrate the event.
The 2014 Armed Forces Day coincides with the country’s celebration of the 20 years of freedom and democracy. The day also mark 20 years of Defence for the SANDF since it was established in 1994. – SAnews.gov.za
