\n
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the contribution of the South African Defence Force for serving the country with distinction during a \u201cdifficult, demanding and unprecedented\u201d time in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
President Ramaphosa was addressing Armed Forces Day in Mpumalanga on Monday \u2013 a day which commemorates the sinking of the troopship SS Mendi in the English Channel on 21 February 1917 and the death of more than 600 men of the SA Native Labour Corps who were aboard when it was struck by the SS Darro.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor your role as the SANDF in preventing the loss of more lives to the pandemic, in working with law enforcement agencies and communities to end the unrest, and in helping civilians in the troubled regions of our continent, your country thanks you. For remaining ever vigilant and ever ready to answer the call of duty, we thank you.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe honour you and we salute you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The President explained the role that the SANDF has played over the past two years where the country has hit some turbulent times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is now two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SANDF was there, assisting with the implementation and maintenance of the National State of Disaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is seven months since parts of South Africa experienced the worst unrest in our democracy\u2019s history. The SANDF was there, assisting law enforcement agencies to restore order and protect key economic infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when our Parliament was engulfed in fire at the beginning of this year, it was our personnel from Air Force Base Ysterplaat Military Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Services who were part of the first responders to douse the flames,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On the continent, the SANDF has also been participated in humanitarian aid and military missions in Mozambique and peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to our Constitution, the primary objective of the armed forces is to defend and protect the Republic. The SANDF has more than lived up to this task, particularly over the past year, when our country endured great tribulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt all these moments of uncertainty, crisis and very real danger for our country, for our neighbours and for our continent Africa, the SANDF has been there,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
The President paid tribute to soldiers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we pay homage to Corporal Tebogo Radebe, who was killed in Cabo Delgado late last year during a deployment as part of the SADC Mission in Mozambique. We remember all our soldiers who have fallen in the line of duty in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Sudan.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir deaths remind us that our freedom, our way of life and the peace that we enjoy as a country comes at a price,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
President Ramaphosa also acknowledged that the armed forces are \u201cfacing many challenges\u201d in the face of the country\u2019s limited resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cI commend the leadership of our military and all members of our armed forces for fulfilling their responsibilities even as we grapple with funding challenges that affect various defence programmes and development activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking, within these constraints, at ways to better resource our defence force with the tools they need to fulfil their mandate,\u201d he said. \u2013 SAnews.gov.za<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the contribution of the South African Defence Force for serving the country with distinction during a \u201cdifficult, demanding and unprecedented\u201d time in the country\u2019s history. President Ramaphosa was addressing Armed Forces Day in Mpumalanga on Monday \u2013 a day which commemorates the sinking of the troopship SS Mendi in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[4284,3346,1038,426,11094],"class_list":["post-45271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-armed","tag-forces","tag-president","tag-ramaphosa","tag-salutes"],"yoast_head":"\n
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