General Solly Shoke will retire at the end of the month, with Lieutenant-General Rudzani Maphwanya taking over as Chief of the SANDF from June 1.
Sandi Kwon Hoo
SOL PLAATJE municipality executive mayor Patrick Mabilo wished the outgoing Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), General Solly Shoke, well at a farewell parade that was held at the Diskobolos military base on Wednesday.
Shoke was appointed in September 2018 and will retire at the end of the month.
Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Sello Matsie said that Lieutenant-General Rudzani Maphwanya was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as Chief of the SANDF with effect from June 1.
“Lieutenant-General Maphwanya will be promoted to rank of General for a period of five years. He was previously appointed as General Officer Commanding the South African Special Forces in 2006 and as General Officer Commanding the SA Infantry Formation in 2016, and since 2019 as Chief of Joint Operations,” said Matsie
He explained that the farewell parade was held in Kimberley as it housed several units of the military and in the past hosted the Freedom of the City.
“We remain very proud to be associated with our defence force. Some of the units have in the past volunteered in assisting the Sol Plaatje Municipality in various programmes. The presence of these units also contributes towards local economic activity,” said Matsie.