A senior army officer has urged Makana's citizens to get behind the men and women of the 6 South African Infantry Battalion as they prepare for a crucial peace-keeping mission.
A senior army officer has urged Makana's citizens to get behind the men and women of the 6 South African Infantry Battalion as they prepare for a crucial peace-keeping mission.
The unit is expected to set off from Grahamstown around 11 March for the De Brug Mobilisation Area near Bloemfontein.
The unit will then be flown to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in April. This will be the unit's second deployment to the DRC.
Their battle honours include a previous deployment to Sudan and Burundi. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Altin Gysman, the battalion will be deployed to Goma and surrounds, in the shadow of the Nyiragongo volcano.
The unit will be tasked with peace-keeping, which could include contact with the notorious M23 Rebel Group. "As usual we are looking forward to the chance to act in the role which only soldiers can fulfil – peacekeeping," Major Werner Klokow, Tactical Battalion Second in Command told Grocott's Mail this week.
Klokow said he believed the unit's previous deployment would stand them in good stead. "It should serve us well as we take on this task," Klokow said.
The unit has undergone intensive training and health screenings, known as a the Concurrent Health Assessment. "It is our intention to do our country proud and our actions there may even reflect on the attitude of Grahamstown, whose residents have supported us for years now," said Klokow.
He said the city's support mattered a great deal to the soldiers.
"It would be heart-warming to each and every one of us if we could go to the Congo knowing we are supported and that our civilian population is proud of their soldiers," he said.
The 6 SAI Battalion will hold a Freedom of the City parade on 8 March "to greet Grahamstown in the correct way", Klokow said. He said they hoped to see Makana's citizens out in their numbers during the parade.
