6 South African Infantry Battalion is an air assault infantry unit of the South African Army.
History
6 SAI was established on 1 January 1962, at Grahamstown, Eastern Cape.[1] The new training unit was housed on the property previously used by 44 Air School established by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
The Unit was involved in quelling the 1984 Grahamstown riots.[2] The army had been called in to assist the South African Police who had failed to contain the situation.
Air Assault Infantry
The battalion has since become an air assault infantry unit specifically trained to deploy via helicopters.[1]
In 2013, 850 members of 6 SAI were part of the United Nations (UN) Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) authorised to use lethal force to achieve peace in the DRC. 6 SAIs involvement in the FIB saw the defeat of the M23 rebel group during the Battle of Kibati and other skirmishes. The first elements moved into the DRC on 28 April 2013 and the rest following from 15 June, with all 850 South African troops ready for action by 18 June.[9][10]
Special Forces elements such as snipers were also attached to 6 SAI. When the FIB came under mortar fire, 6 SAI established an observation post at the triple towers site and engaged enemy targets up to 1400 meters. [11]
Freedom of Grahamstown
On 28 August 2014, after their return from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the battalion was honoured with a Freedom of the City parade through Grahamstown.[12]
Leadership
6 SA Infantry Battalion Leadership
From
Commanding Officers - 6 SAI BN
To
21 January 1962
Cmdt S.J. Terblanche
31 July 1963
1 August 1963
Cmdt M.N. Horner
19 December 1963
20 December 1963
Cmdt H.N. Norton
18 September 1966
19 September 1966
Cmdt F.A. Patten
30 November 1967
1 December 1967
Cmdt C.J. Lloyd
1 November 1968
2 November 1968
Cmdt H.F.P. Riekert
29 September 1972
30 September 1972
Cmdt E.J.J. Nel
11 January 1976
12 January 1976
Cmdt G.C.MG. Fourie
19 April 1979
20 April 1979
Cmdt M.J. Grobler
31 December 1981
1 January 1982
Cmdt F. Oelschig
18 October 1984
From
Commanding Officers - 6 SAI Training Unit
To
18 October 1984
Cmdt F. Oelschig
28 February 1986
1 March 1986
Cmdt P. J. Stroebel
31 December 1990
From
Commanding Officers - 6 SAI BN
To
1 January 1991
Cmdt G. P. Nel
20 December 1991
21 December 1991
Cmdt H. D. Du Plessis
17 December 1993
18 December 1993
Lt Col J. Du Buisson
8 December 1995
9 December 1995
Lt Col E. R. Rabie
7 July 1999
8 July 1999
Lt Col A. P. J. Du Preez
31 January 2008
31 August 2008
Lt Col M.S. Gopane
18 March 2010
18 March 2010
Lt Col S.S. Ntsunguzi
23 February 2012
23 February 2012
Lt Col Altin J. Gysman
29 January 2019
29 January 2015
Col V.D. Maseko
22 February 2017
22 February 2017
Lt Col M.A. Saki
2017
2017
Lt Col Yandisa Gaxenia
Present
From
Regimental Sergeants Major - 6 SAI BN
To
8 January 1962
WO1 P. J. Grove
31 December 1963
1 January 1964
WO1 F. P. Smit
31 December 1964
1 January 1969
WO1 D.J. Maritz
16 June 1964
17 June 1974
WO1 J. J. Gous
31 December 1979
1 January 1980
WO1 D. J. Oosthuizen
31 December 1981
1 January 1982
WO1 J. M. Goodrich
18 October 1984
From
Regimental Sergeants Major - 6 SAI Training Unit
To
18 October 1984
WO1 J.M. Goodrich
31 December 1987
1 January 1988
WO1 W. van Onselen
31 December 1990
From
Regimental Sergeants Major - 6 SAI BN
To
1 January 1991
WO1 J.F.E. Van Zyl
1993
1993
WO1 W.R. Botha
1998
1999
WO1 C.C. Richardson
2008
10 October 2008
MWO C. H. "Cassie" Coetzee
Present
Insignia
Previous Dress Insignia
SADF era 6 SAI insignia
Current Dress Insignia
SANDF era Infantry Formation insignia
Air Assault (Qualification)
Black on Thatch beige, Embossed Small Helicopter with wings
Gallery
Notes and references
^ abcdEngelbrecht, Leon (2 March 2010). "Fact file: 6 SA Infantry Battalion". Defenceweb.co.za. DefenceWeb. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
^"5 South African Infantry Battalion Deploys to DRC". African Defence. African Defence. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
^Olivier, Darren (29 August 2013). "The FIB Goes To War". African Defence Review. African Defence Review. Retrieved 25 September 2014. At 07h50 yesterday morning, the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) fired the opening shots of the first ever direct attack on rebel forces in UN peacekeeping history.
^Stupart, Richard. "The Last Days of M23". AfricanDefence.net. AfricanDefence.net. Retrieved 25 September 2014. It was an assault that few DRC cynics thought possible. Last week, with the assistance of the United Nations's newly established Force Intervention Brigade, troops from the FARDC drove the M23 rebel faction to the Ugandan border and forced what has been effectively their total and unconditional surrender.
^Olivier, Darren (30 October 2013). "How M23 was rolled back". AfricanDefence.net. African Defence Review. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
^Olivier, Darren (1 May 2014). "Casualties in APCLS attack on MONUSCO/FARDC positions". Africandefence.net. African Defence Review. Retrieved 24 September 2014. The SANDF soldiers … stood their ground and defended their position with great courage and determination.
^Hofstatter, Stephan; Oatway, James (22 August 2014). "South Africa at war in the DRC - The inside story". Times Live. Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
^"Grahamstown welcomes back 6 SAI peacekeepers from DRC". 1 September 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^Olivier, Darren (30 October 2013). "How M23 was rolled back". African Defence Review. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^"South African SOF Sniper Kills Rebels at 2125m - SOFREP". NEWSREP. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^"6SAI honoured in Grahamstown parade". Daily Dispatch. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
Cowell, Alan (8 October 1984). "Pretoria Will Use Army To End Riots". nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
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