- List of South African military chiefs
The following is a list of South African military chiefs. From
1958 until the first post-apartheid election in 1994, the present-daySouth African National Defence Force was known as the South African Defence Force. From 1912 to 1958, the military was known as the Union Defence Forces.__NOTOC__ADF (before 1994)
The South African Defence Force consisted initially of land forces and a division of the
Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). An aviation corps was formed in1915 and replaced by theSouth African Air Force in 1920. A naval branch was added in1922 , and the RNVR was incorporated into it in1942 .In
1951 , the defence forces were reorganised into three distinct combat services: theSouth African Army , theSouth African Air Force , and theSouth African Navy . The organisation was renamed "South African Defence Force" in1958 . In1968 , their medical branches were pooled to form theSouth African Medical Service , which was given the status of a combat service in1979 .Chief of the SADF
(There was no overall commander from 1912 to 1922).
* Maj Gen
Andries Brink DTD DSO (1922-1933)
* Gen SirPierre van Ryneveld KBE CB DSO MC (1933-1949)
* Lt GenLeonard Beyers (1949-1950)
* Lt GenChristiaan du Toit DSO (1950-1956)
* GenHendrik Klopper (1956-1958)
* GenStephen Melville SSA OBE (1958-1960)
* GenPieter Grobbelaar SSA DSO (1961-1965)
* GenRudolph Hiemstra SSA SM (1965-1972)
* AdmHugo Biermann SSA SD OBE (1972-1976)
* GenMagnus Malan SSA SD SM (1976-1980)
* GenConstand Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM (1980-1985)
* GenJohannes Geldenhuys SSA SD SOE SM (1985-1990)
* GenAndreas Liebenberg SSA SD SOE SM MMM (1990-1993)
* GenGeorg Meiring SSAS SD SM MMM (1993-1994)Chief of the Army
(There was no separate army commander until 1948).
* Brig
Christiaan du Toit DSO (1948-1950)
* BrigHendrik Klopper DSO (1950-1953)
* Maj GenPieter Grobbelaar DSO (1953-1958)
* Maj GenNick Bierman CBE (1958-1959)
* Maj GenSybrand Engelbrecht SM (1959-1963)
* Maj GenPetrus Jacobs SSA SM (1963-1965)
* Lt GenCharles 'Pop' Fraser SM (1966-1967)
* Lt GenWillem Louw SM (1967-1973)
* Lt GenMagnus Malan SSA SM (1973-1976)
* Lt GenConstand Viljoen SSA SM (1976-1980)
* Lt GenJohannes Geldenhuys SSA SD SM (1980-1985)
* Lt GenAndreas Liebenberg SSAS SD (1985-1990)
* Lt GenGeorg Meiring SSAS SD SM MMM (1990-1993)
* Lt GenHattingh Pretorius SM SM MMM (1993-1994)Chief of the Air Force
* Col Sir
Pierre van Ryneveld KBE DSO MC (1920-1937)
* ColFrederick Hoare CBE (1937)
* Lt ColHector Daniel MC AFC (1937-1939)
* ColJohn Holthouse OBE (1939-1940)
* Maj GenChristoffel Venter CB DFC (1940-1945)
* BrigHarold Willmott CBE (1945-1946)
* BrigJames Durrant CB DFC (1946-1951)
* BrigHarold Willmott CBE (1951-1954)
* BrigStephen Melville OBE (1954-1956)
* Maj GenBarend Viljoen SSA OBE (1956-1965)
* Lt GenHenry 'Kalfie' Martin SM CBE DFC (1965-1967)
* Lt GenJacobus Verster SSA SM (1967-1975)
* Lt GenRobert 'Bob' Rogers SSA SM DSO DFC (1975-1979)
* Lt GenMichal Muller SSAS SD (1979-1984)
* Lt GenDenis Earp SSA SD SM (1984-1988)
* Lt GenJan van Loggerenberg SSAS SD SOE (1988-1991)
* Lt GenJames Kriel SSAS SD SM MMM (1991-1994)Chief of the Navy
* Cdr
Norman Rankin (1922-1928)
* CdrR.P. Fitzgerald (1928-1932)
* Vacant (1933-1939)
* R AdmGuy Hallifax CMG (1940-1941)
* CdreJames Dalgleish CBE (1941-1946)
* CdreFrederick Dean OBE (1946-1951)
* BrigPieter de Waal CB CMG (1951-1952)
* V AdmHugo Biermann SSA OBE (1952-1972)
* V AdmJames Johnson SSA SM DSC (1972-1977)
* V AdmCharl Walters SD SM (1977-1980)
* V AdmRonald Edwards SSA SM (1980-1982)
* V AdmAndries Putter SSAS (1982-1985)
* V AdmGlen Syndercombe SD SMM (1985-1989)
* V AdmAndries Putter SSAS (1989-1990)
* V AdmLambert Jackson Woodburne DVR SD SM (1990-1992)
* V AdmRobert Claude Simpson-Anderson SD SM MMM (1992-1994)urgeon-General
* Maj Gen
Eugene Raymond SSA SM (1960-1969)
* Lt GenColin Cockcroft SSA SM (1969-1977)
* Lt GenNicolaas Nieuwoudt SSA SD SM (1977-1988)
* Lt GenDaniel Knobel SSAS SD SM MMM (1988-1994)ANDF (since 1994)
The SADF amalgamated with the
Azanian People's Liberation Army ,Umkhonto we Sizwe , and the homeland defence forces to form the South African National Defence Force in1994 . The SANDF was based on the existing SADF structure of South African Army, South African Air Force, South African Navy, and South African Medical Service (which was renamed "South African Military Health Service" in1998 ).Chief of the SANDF
* Gen
Georg Meiring SSA SD SM MMM (1994-1998)
* GenSiphiwe Nyanda SSA SBS CSL DMG MMS MMM (1998-2005)
* GenGodfrey Ngwenya MMS (2005- )Chief of Joint Operations
* Lt Gen
Deon Ferreira PVD SD SM MMM (1999-2000)
* Lt GenGodfrey Ngwenya MMS (2000-2005)
* Lt GenSipho Binda (2005-2006)
* Lt GenThemba Matanzima (2007-)Chief of the Army
* Lt Gen
Hattingh Pretorius SD SM MMM (1994)
* Lt GenReginald Otto SD SM MMM (1994-1998)
* Lt GenGilbert Ramano SSAS SD MMS MMM MMB (1998-2004)
* Lt GenSolly Shoke MMS (2004- )Chief of the Air Force
* Lt Gen
James Kriel SSAS SD SM MMM (1994-1996)
* Lt GenWillem Hechter SSAS (1996-2000)
* Lt GenRoelf Beukes SD SM MMM (2000-2005)
* Lt GenCarlo Gagiano SM MMM (2005- )Chief of the Navy
* V Adm
Robert Claude Simpson-Anderson SSAS SD SM MMM (1994-2000)
* V AdmJohan Retief SD SM MMM (2000-2005)
* V AdmRefiloe Mudimu DMG SM MMS MMM (2005- )urgeon-General
* Lt Gen
Daniel Knobel SSAS SD SOE SM MMM (1994-1997)
* Lt GenDavidson Masuku SSAS MMM (1997-2000)
* Lt GenJurinus Janse van Rensburg SD SM MMM (2000-2005)
* Lt GenVejaynand Ramlakan DMG MMS MMB (2005)
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