GENERAL NGWENYA TO REPLACE NYANDA AS SANDF CHIEF
Lieutenant General Godfrey Ngwenya is to be promoted as the third chief of the SA National Defence Force from June 1, Cabinet announced on Wednesday.
Ngwenya succeeds General Siphiwe Nyanda, who is taking early retirement.
"The President informed Cabinet that he had granted a request from the Chief of the SANDF, General Siphiwe Nyanda to take early retirement at the end of May 2005," a Cabinet statement said.
"In this regard, the President, after consultation with the Minister of Defence has appointed Lt. Gen GN Ngwenya as Chief of the SANDF with effect from 1st June 2005. Government expresses its profound appreciation to General Nyanda for his sterling service to the people of our country; and wishes him well in his new endeavours," the statement added.
Ngwenya was promoted lieutenant general and appointed Chief of Joint Operations (CJ Ops) with effect from January 1, 2000.
He had previously been deputy to the late Lt Gen Deon Ferreira, his predecessor as CJ Ops.
Ngwenya, like Nyanda had previously served in the ANC's military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK).
He was MK regional chief of staff in Angola under the cover name Timothy Mokoena, in the early 1980s, becoming regional commander in 1984.
Ngwenya was wounded in combat against Angolan rebel movement Unita the next year and relinquished his post in 1987, when he was co-opted onto the ANC national executive committee.
He then succeeded the late Steve Tshwete as MK commissar, a post he kept until 1992.
From 1992 to 1994, Ngwenya was MK's chief of personnel, according to an ANC submission made to the Truth and Reconciliation commission.
* General Georg Meiring was the first chief of the SANDF, serving in that post from April 1994 to May 1998.
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13 Avril 2005 à 11:01 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
