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Base celebrates diverse unity on Heritage Day

 

The staff and civilian personnel of Air Force Base (AFB) Makhado ended Heritage Month on a high note by hosting a cultural day to celebrate the country’s diversity.

Brigadier General André Barends, the officer commanding of AFB Makhado, hailed members of the base for the authentic and noble character displayed by all with the intention of promoting unity among people of various cultures working at the base. He was speaking at the base’s Heritage celebration held on 29 September.

Gen Barends reminded all members that the event should also be used to acknowledge and pay tribute to the contribution made the late President Nelson Mandela, who laid the foundation for peace and democracy in South Africa. He said that everyone had reason and the right to celebrate a day that was created in South Africa for all South Africans.

Staff and civilian personal could decide how they wanted to celebrate the day, based on their belief in culture and tradition. Almost all cultures were represented.

Gen Barends and the officer commanding of 3 ASU, Col Moses Njomo, opened the floor with a dance performance depicting the Boer culture. The base’s technicians represented the Pedi culture, while the defence civilians represented the Venda culture.

Most of those who depicted their cultures had the opportunity to perform a story about the history of their tribes, the kind of food they eat and the type of clothes they wear. The part of history most talked about on the day was that of Shaka Zulu, who became a very powerful king of Zululand.

Culture and tradition within the military context symbolize the pride and unity the soldiers have in serving the nation. As said by the first African commander in chief of the South African Air Force (SAAF), Lieutenant General Fabian Zakes Msimang during his inauguration in September 2011: "Ours is to serve with discipline, dignity, professionalism and patriotism". The South African National Defence Force in particular has a unique role in bringing and promoting unity among cultures. A good example of this is the military tattoo that is held annually, either in Durban or Cape Town, where almost all the armed services are represented.

General Barends ended the day by saying that, as they celebrated Heritage month, they should all condemn the abuse of women and children, domestic violence, rape, racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, cyber and social-media bullying, hate speech, derogatory language, and comments inciting hate speech.

News - Date: 22 October 2016

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Brigadier General André Barends (left), officer commanding of AFB Makhado, and the officer commanding of 3 ASU, Col Moses Njomo (right), opened the floor with a dance performance depicting the Boer culture. Photos: AFB Makhado.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

Email: [email protected]

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