The Military Academy has turned 66 on Friday 1 April 2015. The unit celebrated this joyous occasion the whole day long.
The Military Academy came into being on 1 April 1950 under the auspices of the University of Pretoria, as a branch of the SA Military College at Voortrekkerhoogte. The Military Academy was established with the aim of elevating the training of permanent force cadets to the level of a baccalaureate, to provide the Defence Force with a competent, highly professional corps of officers.
In order to establish the Academy as a separate institution, and facilitating the participation of naval students, it was decided in 1953 that the Military Academy would be moved to Saldanha. Here it was to resort under the trusteeship of Stellenbosch University. The first group of students began attending classes at Stellenbosch at the beginning of 1955.
The celebrations of the unit's birthday started with a flag hoisting parade in the morning, where the Commandant of the unit, Brigadier General Lawrence Mbatha addressed the members. In his speech he highlighted that history is one of the most important philosophical and practical collections from which we can take a leaf of wisdom, a foundation for who and what we are today. He also said that when one has clarity about journeys past, navigating tomorrow becomes a more calculated road map. "If we are to succeed in positioning the Academy as a success story beyond our time, we will have to learn to put the interest of the institution first beyond our individual greed, by honoring and respecting its vision and mission."
Brig Gen Mbatha also emphasized that members need to understand as they celebrate the historical birth of this important national asset within the DOD, SANDF and the local community, that it was founded for a specific role - being to educate and empower its members in the Art of Warfare, both academically and militarily. The main focus of the speech was on urging member to become patriots not only of the country and the DOD, but of the Military Academy in order to be true and proud ambassadors of the unit.
After the parade, the unit hosted a Unit Tea where all were present and the lovely birthday cake was cut by Brig Gen Mbatha and the Dean of the Faculty of Military Science, Prof Samuel Tshehla. At 13:30 staff members were ready at the Military Academy's Parade ground for a Fun Walk. Members completed a distance of 5 km and the end point was the Military Academy's Stables. Here everyone participated in a braai and the day was well spent socializing with each other out of the offices.
Article
& Photos: Major Engela Meintjes
