Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha is set on leading an army that is not only competent in military skills he also wants strategic thinking and its publication to reinforce the SA Army pride of lions identity.
This vision saw soldiers who submitted contributions to the SA Army writing competition rewarded at the Vuk’uhlome awards evening marking the end of the division level force preparation exercise at the Lohathla Combat Training Centre (CTC) in the Northern Cape province last week.
An added plus for those who submitted entries is that there is now a vehicle for their work in the form of the relaunched SA Army Journal.
Six soldiers, representing ranks from candidate officers to colonel; non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and privates were rewarded for their military research and writing skills thanks to the generosity of the SA Army Foundation, Dynateq International and Thales South Africa Systems.
First place in the officer category went to Major A Gono, Western Cape Regional Works Unit, for his essay “The Implications Of Climate Change In the Sustainable Management of Military Training Areas Within the SA Army”. In second place was Lieutenant Colonel S Manaka, Air Defence Artillery Formation for “The impact of African cultures on SANDF soldiers’ deployment in peace support operations in Africa”. Third in the officer category was Second Lieutenant K Lebepe, Engineer Terrain Intelligence Unit for “A warrior ethos for the SA Army: What is a warrior ethos and how must it look like in the SA Army?”
In the non-commissioned officers category, Staff Sergeant S Rossouw from the Northern Cape Signal Unit earned top honours for his essay on the warrior ethos while Staff Sergeant A Arries (Air Defence and Artillery School) earned number two position for “Command and control through social media – What are the benefits and dangers?”
Air Defence Artillery School Gunner L Masekoameng was the sole awardee in the privates section for his essay “Multilateralism in Africa – What should he African Union prioritise in the next five years”.
