Remembering brave men of SS Mendi on Armed Forces Day
EVERY year we commemorate the sinking of the SS Mendi on February 21 – by dedicating the work of the men and women of the SA National Defence Force to the memory of those 616 brave men who drowned in the icy English Channel on the morning of February 21, 1917.
Armed Forces Day this year – the seventh since the first in 2013 – will be in Cape Town where the SA Navy will be host.
This year’s commemoration begins on February 16, with a full programme – from a fan park at Khayelitsha’s Mandela Park Stadium to live fire exercises off Muizenberg, a static display of seven Navy vessels (supply ships, frigates, offshore patrol vessels and one of our submarines at the V&A Waterfront) – culminating in the traditional wreath-laying, parade and capability demonstration on February 21.
Armed Forces Day 2019 promises to be a very special event, allowing us to showcase all four of the services that make up the SANDF and, fittingly, allow the people they serve to get up close and personal during the week.
But it’s more than that. Moving 8 500 personnel, as well as fighter aircraft from Makhado in Limpopo, and tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from Bloemfontein in the Free State to Cape Town is a major logistical
exercise. Food and accommodation present another challenge, while preparing a live firing exercise in False Bay and staging mock attacks out of the Atlantic Ocean with air cover on to the beaches is a process all of its own.
Armed Forces Day allows us to test our planning capabilities in real time with real tasks should we ever have to move the same volume of people and equipment across thousands of kilometres. It gives us an opportunity to marry the different components that make up our army, navy, air force and military health service in a reallife scenario, whether defending our sovereignty or intervening to sustain democracy in Africa, to perfect our use of the equipment and the weaponry that we have.
We do this at a time when we have ongoing commitments in Africa as part of the AU and UN, as well as safeguarding our borders as part of Operation Corona. On top of that, we have been asked to intervene, with the SA Engineer Corps, to guarantee the quality of water in the Vaal River for the communities that depend on it in Gauteng and the Free State.
As a people’s defence force, our citizens need to share our pride in an effective and professional organisation.
During the SANDF’S visit to Cape Town there will be opportunities to meet the men and women in uniform and see them in action – indeed, this will be the first time in decades that Capetonians have seen a G5 in action on the beach or one of our multiple rocket launchers, to say nothing of air and sea attacks.
But it’s more than marching bands, parades, fun runs and fan parks; every Armed Forces Day sees us leaving a tangible legacy in the city that hosts us – this time it will be the Siviwe School of Skills in Gugulethu which we will have refurbished using volunteer SANDF members and donated raw materials.
The nature of spreading out events from Blouberg to Gugulethu, from Muizenberg to the CBD and from the UCT campus to Khayelitsha has been deliberate, to ensure we reach all parts of the community while also stretching our civil military co-operation skills.
The most important aspect, though, is to pay tribute to the men of the SA Native Labour Corps. This year is the 102nd anniversary of their sacrifice in the English Channel.
We remember the immortal words of the Reverend Isaac Wauchope Dyobha: “Be quiet and calm, my countrymen, for what is taking place is exactly what you came to do. You are going to die… but that is exactly what you came to do. Brothers, we are drilling the death drill. I, a Xhosa, say you are my brothers; Swazis, Pondos, Basutos, we die like brothers. We are the sons of Africa. Raise your war cries, brothers, for though they made us leave our assegais in the kraal, our voices are left with our bodies.”
These men were not going to fight – they weren’t allowed to – they were going to perform other important military tasks. The relevance today, as the SANDF finds itself performing more military tasks over and above those that involve warfare, such as helping communities in times of desperate need, is eerie. There is no memorial to the men of the Mendi in their watery grave. Instead, they must live on in our hearts – inspiring us to serve whatever the cost, just as they did.
Dlamini is head of communications: Department of Defence.