Winterberg Commando
| Winterberg Commando | |
|---|---|
 Winterberg Commando emblem | |
| Active | 1948- |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Light Infantry |
| Size | One Battalion |
| Part of | South African Infantry Corps Army Territorial Reserve |
| Garrison/HQ | Winterberg (Eastern Cape) |
.svg){kind=small}
Winterberg Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South African Army. It formed part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve.
History
[edit | edit source]Origin
[edit | edit source]The Winterberg Commando was founded in Adelaide, Eastern Cape in 1948.
Operations
[edit | edit source]With the UDF
[edit | edit source]By 1940, rifle associations were under control of the National Reserve of Volunteers. These rifle associations were re-designated as commandos by 1948.
With the SADF
[edit | edit source]The units area of responsibility was significantly large on the outset, and two further commandos namely Katberg and Midland Commandos were developed. Katberg Commando was again reincorporated with the Winterberg Commando in 1979.
During this era, the unit was mainly used for area force protection, search and cordones as well as stock theft control assistance to the rural police.
With the independence of Ciskei, the previous Katberg Commando area was incorporated with the new Homelands territory.[1]
Freedom of Adelaide
[edit | edit source]The unit received the Freedom of Adelaide in October 1986.
With the SANDF
[edit | edit source]Disbandment
[edit | edit source]This unit, along with all other Commando units was disbanded after a decision by South African President Thabo Mbeki to disband all Commando Units.[2][3] The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.[4]
Unit Insignia
[edit | edit source]
Leadership
[edit | edit source]| From | Honorary Colonels | To |
| From | Commanding Officers | To |
| 1970 | Kommandant A.C. Lombard | 1973 |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major | To |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Paratus Magazine page 5 July 1989
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
See also
[edit | edit source]Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 392: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
 | This South African military article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |