Amatola Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South African Army. It formed part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve.
| Amatola Commando | |
|---|---|
 Amatola Commando emblem | |
| Active | 3 January 1878 – 2003 |
| Disbanded | 2003 |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Light Infantry |
| Size | One Battalion |
| Part of | South African Infantry Corps Army Territorial Reserve |
| Garrison/HQ | Stutterheim |
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History edit
Origin edit
Colony Frontier Wars edit
The Ngqika Rebellion edit
On 31 December 1877 martial law was proclaimed in the districts of Komgha and Stutterheim and on 3 January 1878 the Burgher Act was published which enabled government to call out burgher commandos.[1][2]
Operations edit
With the Cape Colony edit
With the UDF edit
With the SADF edit
During this era, the unit was mainly used for area force protection, search and cordons as well as stock theft control assistance to the rural police.
With the SANDF edit
Disbandment edit
This unit, along with all other Commando units was disbanded after a decision by South African President Thabo Mbeki to disband all Commando Units.[3][4] The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.[5]
Unit Insignia edit
Leadership edit
| From | Honorary Colonels | To |
| From | Commanding Officer | To |
| From | Regimental Sergeant Major | To |
References edit
- ^ 152-637-1-PB.pdf
- ^ Makay, Sue. "Grahamstown Journal 1878 - 3 - July to September eGGSA Newspaper Extracts". eGGSA. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ Col L B van Stade (1997). "Rationalisation in the SANDF: The Next Challenge". Institute for Security Studies. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ "About the Commando system". Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
- ^ de Lange, Deon. "South Africa: Commandos Were 'Hostile to New SA'". Cape Argus. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
See also edit
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