15 South African Infantry (SAI) Battalion recently spent a month honing its combat skills at the General Ben Viljoen training area about 150km from its home base in Thohoyandou.
The combat readiness re-retraining exercise is not named by Captain K Hlongwane, who reported the selected site was chosen for “its dense bush” well suited for jungle warfare training, a 15SAI speciality. The landward force of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) previously used parts of the Entabeni State Forest for jungle training when there was a South African contingent deployed in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Prior to that a SA Police Service (SAPS) training ground outside Port St Johns was used by Mthatha-based 15 SAI and Reserve Force unit, the Umzimvubu Regiment, as well as other units for jungle training ahead of activation under the United Nations (UN) flag.
Hlongwane reported a tactical battalion headquarters and three rifle companies were the major elements of the recent exercise. Support was in the form of light workshop and signal troops along with elements from the Limpopo Area SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) unit and Logistics Division.
Training focused on essential infantry skills, collective battle drills and weapon handling. Counter-insurgency urban operations included cordon and search operations, roadblocks, crowd management and urban patrols, while counter-insurgency rural operations covered foot patrols, immediate action drills and section and platoon battle drills using the 7.62 mm light machine gun, 60 mm patrol mortar and 40 mm multiple grenade launcher.
Physical fitness was tested during five, nine and 24 km route marches conducted on three consecutive Saturdays. Heavy rain did not deter the infantrymen and women who dug deep to doing what was asked of them.
The unnamed four-week exercise tested troops’ ability to operate under austere conditions. Catering personnel prepared meals using firewood, while light workshop troop (LWT) mechanics restored unserviceable vehicles using limited resources, ensuring the unit was operationally effective throughout the exercise.
Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha’s SA Army is gearing up for its annual showcase Vuk’uhlome exercise with a stable parade held at the Combat Training Centre (CTC) Lohathla in the Northern Cape province. No dates are given for the exercise, which started as a division level one and subsequently shrank to brigade level and normally sees exercises Matha and Phirima as precursors. It generally takes place in late November at the 158 000 hectare training area. DefenceWeb asked the SANDF Directorate Corporate Communication (DCC) for dates of all three exercises in the third week of June and still awaits response.
Mbatha was on hand at Lohathla to oversee the B-park stable parade of mission equipment ranging from infantry fighting vehicles through to armoured car and tanks as well as field ambulances and trucks. Captain Vuyani Mafu reports him reports him saying, in reference to the age of equipment still in service, there is a need to balance legacy and modernisation. He said while heritage must be preserved, new equipment must be procured and current equipment must be maintained and upgraded.
The landward force supremo said the stabling parade was part of building a better army – “one capable of building a better Army and capable of working with partners to achieve success in joint missions”.
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