CLOSE-UP AND PERSONAL
The Salisbury Island 6 and SS Mendi 616 were remembered on Armed Forces Day
President Jacob Zuma gets a closer look at some of the personnel and weaponry on display during Armed Forces Day in Durban yesterday as he sits with, front row, from left, KZN Premier Willies Mchunu, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula, Zuma’s wife,Thobeka Madiba Zuma and SANDF Chief, General Solly Shoke.
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has paid tribute to the six people who died in the Salisbury “freak accident” last Island week.
Three contract workers with the Public Works Department and three members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) died after inhaling methane gas at the naval base.
Some of the SANDF members were in Durban for the Armed Forces Day commemoration.
“We are with the families at this difficult time. Their loss is our loss,” said Zuma.
He was speaking at the fifth annual Armed Forces Day event, which was held in Durban yesterday, and “celebrates the contribution of the people’s defence force in the consolidation of democracy and peace in our country”.
At the ceremony were military veterans of World War II and descendants of the more than 600 members of the South African Native Labour Contingent who perished on the SS Mendi. This year, Armed Forces Day coincided with the centenary of its sinking.
“We chose the date of the sinking of the SS Mendi, so that the day on which so many paid the supreme price for peace should be used to honour our men and women who are prepared to lay down their lives if need be, to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic and its people, our soldiers,” said Zuma.
The 616 mostly black men who died at sea in the ill-fated troopship had been ahead of their time, said Zuma, when they had volunteered to sign up for World War I.
“They were internationalists who loved peace and justice. They also joined the war believing that their contribution would lead to better treatment back home after the war by the colonial masters.”
Zuma said it was unfortunate that their sacrifice did not earn them any respect from the rulers of the time, adding that they were never decorated or awarded any medals at the end of the war.
“Together today, we restore the dignity and humanity of the black soldiers who perished on that fateful day.
“We salute their courage, bravery and commitment. We salute their quest for a more equal and just world, for the better world we are still working to achieve 100 years later.”
He said in recognition of the tragedy, the country had also named one of the National Orders, the highest honours to be bestowed by South Africa, the Order of Mendi for Bravery.
“Through this award we will continue to honour these men and their sacrifices throughout our lives and from generation to generation,” said Zuma.
It was in the memory of the bravery and selflessness of the men of the Mendi that Zuma saluted members of the South African National Defence Force yesterday.
He stood up, hand-on-heart, as the navy, air force, army and military health services and national ceremonial guard saluted him in a spectacular parade down Masabalala Yengwa (NMR) Avenue, outside the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Hundreds of onlookers braved the rain to witness the parade before making their way to Blue Lagoon, where a demonstration of military combat capabilities was displayed in the sea, on land and in the air.
Spectator Deno Gounden, who drove from Newcastle with his wife Julie and their 5-year-old daughter Bella Suri, said the event was spectacular.
“South Africa definitely is on top of the game regarding the capabilities of protecting the citizens of the country,” said Gounden. “It was well worth the drive.”
The event celebrates the contribution of the people’s defence force in the consolidation of democracy