Article by and Photographs by Captain Hammilton Ngubane, Senior Officer 2 Internal Communication, SA Army Corporate Communication

The Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant General Vusi Masondo hosted his Formal Guest Evening at the South African Army College on 20 July 2012. Part of his mission to disseminate a common message to all members of the SA Army following his appointment as the Chief of the SA Army in October 2012, was to meet members of the Army Command Cadre and SA Army Honorary Colonels with their spouses in a formal gathering.

Dining Hall at SA Army College, Thaba Tshwane	Table Plan: Chief of the SA Army Formal Guest Evening

Lieutenant General Masondo started off by voicing out his gratitude and paying tribute to the former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Dr Lindiwe Sisulu for her dedication, commitment and loyalty to address all challenges and un-conducive service conditions that were faced by our soldiers before being relocated to the Department of Public Services and Administration in the beginning of June this year. In that note, he requested members to give the same support to the new Honourable Minister, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as they did with Minister Sisulu. He then congratulated the Honorary Colonels for their high level of interest towards the SA Army and re-affirmed them that they have a significant role to play in orchestrating and giving advises to their unit commanders.

Having just completed his visits programme to all SA Army units around the country, Lieutenant General Masondo admitted that these visits gave him an insight about the current status of the SA Army. He urged the entire leadership of the SA Army to pay regular visits to our soldiers and address their concerns. He made a special note on the responsibilities of the SA Army, which are to prepare a combat-ready force for the employment by the Chief Joint Operations and to contribute positively in changing lives of ordinary South Africans. He conceded that the SA Army has limited resources and a very thin budget to perform its core functions, however, he urged members to ensure that force preparation is not compromised, he furthermore highlighted successes that have been achieved where the SA Army was taken to task. In his own words, he mentioned that besides budgetary constraints, the SA Army has done tremendously well in changing lives of ordinary South Africans, and our contribution in Peace Keeping and Peace Support missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan is highly remarkable. The SA Army continues to provide high level of security in our borders which saw a sharp reduction of cross-borders crimes, and our involvement in South African National Parks has saved South Africa our government billions of rands.

In closing, Lieutenant General Masondo urged the senior leadership of the SA Army to demonstrate high level of discipline in their leadership, ensure that the concept of discipline is spread down to our soldiers, and remember that anything our leaders do reflects on the image of the SA Army.

The Silent Guard from National Ceremonial Guard awaiting the Functionary	Colonel E.I. Richardson and Mrs G. Richardson on their arrival

Deputy Chief Army Force Preparation, Brigadier General C.P. van Schalkwyk was well suited on his arrival	Chief Army Corporate Services, Major General S.L. Veldtman waiting to welcome Chief of the SA Army guests

Personal Staff Officer to Chief of the SA Army, Colonel M.J. Tyhalisi gives a warm welcoming to all invited guests	Colonel (Dr) I. Khoza (left), Colonel J.R. Jullienne (middle) and Colonel (Prof) S. Vil-Nkomo (right) enjoy the gathering

Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant General V.R. Masondo and Mrs Masondo on their arrival were warmly welcomed by Major General S.L. Veldtman	General Officer Commanding SA Army Engineer Formation, Brigadier General A.M.Z. Msi with his wife enjoying the mass gathering before the Formal Guest Evening resumed

Chief Defence Reserves, Major General R.C. Andersen (right) enjoying an informal conversation with Colonel J.L. Job while waiting for the Formal Dinner to resume	Colonel (Dr) I. Khoza (left) sharing a word with Ms Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde during the mass gathering

Colonel (Rev) C.B. Bosiki sharing words of wisdom with Colonel J.R. Jullienne on their arrival at the College	Brigadier General C.H. Roux (right) shares a conversation with Major General L.C. Nobanda (Centre) and the SA Army Sergeant Major, Senior Chief Warrant Officer C.A. Laubscher

Invited guests followed Military Formal Dinner rules inside the dinning hall as the event was kept strictly formal	General Officer Commanding SA Army Support Formation Major General S. Marumo (left) confirming table details with Brigadier General C.H. Roux

Brigadier General C.V. Geldenhuys and Mrs R. Geldenhuys enjoying the evening	Brigadier General A.M.Z. Msi with Mrs Msi listening to the announcements from the Mess President

Col (Prof) S. Vil-Nkomo detailing on professional ethics with Mrs I. Kamffer, the wife of Brigadier General H.J.G. Kamffer	Brigadier General K.C. Motlhabane (right) sharing a word with Mrs Drost, the wife of Brigadier General E.F. Drost

Colonel R.E. Mercuur (left) and Mr Mercuur (right) getting treated with the audio-visual music presented by Defence Television crew	Colonel T.T. Mboweni and Ms Mboweni enjoying refreshments served on the table