New South African Army chief appointed
The S[outh] A[frican] Army has a new chief, defence minister Mosioua Lekota announced in Pretoria on Thursday.
Maj-Gen Solly Shoke, currently chief director human resources support in the SA National Defence Force [SANDF], will assume his new post as chief of the SA Army on 1 August.
Shoke, former mission commander of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces in Lesotho between 1998 and 1999, replaces Lt-Gen Gilbert Ramano who is retiring at the end of July.
Shoke, who was awarded the Luthuli medal of honour for duty in Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK), completed his basic training in Angola.
According to a statement released by the SANDF, he completed his commander's course in the former United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), his intermediate staff course was done in Zimbabwe and his senior officers' orientation and command courses in South Africa.
During his time in the MK, Shoke served as unit commander of the former Transvaal. He later became part of the "national underground leadership" and after the un-banning of MK, became the national coordinator for the peace process.
SANDF spokesman Col Kwena Mangope said Shoke would conduct interviews only once he had officially taken up his post.
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24 Juin 2004 à 16:57 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
