The South African Army is making great strides in returning hundreds of combat and logistics vehicles to service, with 101 Field Workshop at the Army’s Combat Training Centre (CTC) bringing Ratels and others back to life, and converting trailers to accommodation for deployed soldiers as an upgrade over tents.
Acting Officer Commanding 101 Field Workshop, Major C Motau, said the unit’s main task is to repair and maintain all prime mission equipment (PME), particularly for deployments and exercises like Vuk’uhlome, which culminated in a Distinguished Visitors Day on 26 November and Chief of the SA Army Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha declaring forces ready for combat.
Photo: Guy Martin
While exercises like Vuk’uhlome can put a strain on vehicles, serviceability this month has been about 90%, Motau said. Technicians have been hard at work for months to ensure enough vehicles are serviceable, and have been assisted by counterparts from Cuba. They are particularly skilled with software issues and have helped fixed cranes, amongst others. The Cubans also built four driving simulators for the SA Army, Motau said.
As part of the Modern Light Brigade initiative, broken and damaged vehicles are being made serviceable, with an emphasis on self-reliance – where possible, work is done in house rather than outsourced to industry in order to save money. Securing a supply of spares can be challenging but the SA Army is refurbishing its own spares to help ease this burden, with much of this being done in Pretoria.
Mbatha said the SA Army has established five regional workshops around the country to ensure the Army remains on its wheels. He added that technicians made the Army proud during Exercise Vuk’uhlome 2025.
At the Combat Training Centre in the Northern Cape, the majority of vehicles being refurbished by 101 Field Workshop are A and B vehicles (armoured and unarmoured) but it is also rehabilitating G5 and G6 howitzers, Military Health Service equipment and other hardware. According to Motau, since August last year over 100 Ratels have been refurbished and dozens more are in the process of being overhauled or getting ready for overhaul. This includes servicing mechanical components, replacing anything that is defective and repainting the vehicle from brown to camouflage.
Motau said it can take a couple of days to several weeks to refurbish a Ratel, depending on the level of work involved. For instance, replacing pistons or wiring can take some time. Even a basic engine service is fairly complicated as changing oil and filters requires the engine to be removed from the vehicle.
A project that improves the welfare of troops and saves accommodation costs is seeing the conversion of trailers into accommodation, with either four, six, or eight beds as well as a fridge, microwave, and stove being installed. Most of the trailers were originally acquired decades ago and used to house spares and equipment or showers and toilets. The trailers are repainted, re-equipped, and have their brakes, suspension and other components refurbished. Work on the trailers began in 2022 – some have already been put into service. About three dozen trailers have been converted this year alone.
Photo: Guy Martin
Motau said the aim of the vehicle resuscitation project is to help “bring back the glory days” of the SANDF.
