Military academy joins KSD, AbaThembu to do community projects

THE Saldanha Bay-based South African Military Academy is to partner with the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality and the AbaThembu kingdom on a number of community development projects, as part of the academy’s annual Trans Enduro exercise.

This year’s 10-day event, to take place in November, will also be used as part of the Mandela centenary celebrations. Yesterday, a team of students from the academy, led by chief of staff Colonel Nelson Dlamini, met KSD municipal representatives, along with mayor Dumani Zozo and AbaThembu representatives, to thrash out the deal.

Dlamini told the Daily Dispatch that the training exercise was started in 1983.

The teams normally start their training in Port Elizabeth and work their way up to Saldanha, staying in different towns along the way.

However, it had been decided that this year they would honour the late former statesman and do their training exercises in KSD.

“We came down here to request permission from the mayor and the AbaThembu kingdom,” he said.

“We thought it wise to start from Qunu and honour the father of the nation.”

They wanted to identify projects in which the three institutions could collaborate for the betterment of local communities.

Students at the academy, which falls under Stellenbosch University, have raised funds throughout the year for a number of projects.

Meanwhile, Zozo described the partnership and centenary celebrations as a huge milestone.

“The [Mandela centenary celebrations] will bring a lot of attention, not only from the rest of the country but from the whole world, and it provides an opportunity for people to learn more about Mandela,” he said.

The mayor said as the world was preparing for Mandela’s centenary celebrations, they had already challenged local businesses to capitalise on this by improving on tourism

Zozo said KSD had also invested in installing cameras around Mthatha, to better manage traffic flow. He appealed to people to refrain from burning objects on tar roads as it created potholes.

Mthatha has been thrown into chaos in recent weeks, with unknown people having blocked roads with burning tyres.

Prince Siganeko Zanothando Dalindyebo, one of the senior traditional leaders within the AbaThembu kingdom, welcomed the working relationship between themselves, KSD and the academy. —