Article and photos by Lieutenant Colonel Mafi Mgobozi, SA Army Corporate Communication  

Kingsgate workers welcomed the Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant General V.R. Masondo, with great enthusiasm to their factory in Hammasdale in Kwa-Zulu Natal on 13 July 2012. The Kingsgate Factory manufactures camouflage for the SA National Defence Force.

Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant General V.R. Masondo during his visit to the Kingsgate Factory

The Kingsgate Factory Director, Mr Ayub Desai welcomed Lieutenant General Masondo and took him to the factory floor where the productions were manufactured. He showed Lieutenant General Masondo the whole process from when they received the material until camouflage was ready for distribution to the SA Army Depot.

Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant General V.R. Masondo and the Kingsgate Factory Director, Mr Ayub Desai

When Lieutenant General Masondo entered the factory, the workers welcomed him by saying "here comes our father". One worker said that they were happy to see him because, without him, it was going to be difficult for them to feed their families, because the factory was going to close down.

That was a learning curve for Lieutenant General Masondo and his entourage as they had never been there before.

Earlier in the week, Lieutenant General Masondo visited the Army units in Kwa-Zulu Natal, where he was briefed on the status of the units.