The State President's Guard[1] (Staatspresident Wag Eenheid) was the previous name of the National Ceremonial Guard, a guard unit for the South African State President and guard of honour at ceremonial occasions.
History
Until and throughout State President Charles Robberts Swart's term of office, no permanent Guards formation existed. On his retirement from office on 31 May 1967, plans were made for the Guard to appear in public for the first time. The unit was established officially on 1 May 1967 and an effort was made to train the specially selected servicemen who would form this guard of honour. Special uniforms were manufactured.[2]: 5 Due to the State President elect's illness, the Guard could only make its first public appearance eight months later at his State funeral.[2]: 5
State President P. W. Botha changed the name of the unit to the "State President's Unit" in 1983.[3]
It has been through some changes of name as well as being temporarily disbanded ahead of negotiations that led to the first democratic elections in 1994 and is now called the National Ceremonial Guard (NCG).[4]
Function
The most important ceremonial function of the State President's Guard was that of guard of honour. Appearances of the Guard in this capacity included the following:
visits from foreign heads of State, as well as other eminent foreign visitors;
performances at the state funerals of State Presidents and at certain other military funerals.
Regular performances also took place at occasions when foreign ambassadors presented their credentials to the State President. Other appearances were when national states officially gain independence. In addition, the Guard also performed at the official arrival and departure of the State President from various cities, especially those cities in which his official residences were situated.
The Unit was also responsible for a weekly changing of the guard parade on Fridays at Tuynhuys in Cape Town while Parliament was in session. At the end of each month, a retreat ceremony was held by the Unit at a public venue. Similar parades were held at Cape Town Castle, Grand Parade in Cape Town and at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Symbols
Colours
On 28 April 1988, history was made by the guard as it became the first unit in the SADF to be awarded National Colours together with unit Colours in a Presentation of Colours ceremony. "National Colours" (Nasionale Vaandel), serve the same purpose as King's colours in the British Army as well as "Presidential Colors" in India and other Commonwealth republics.[5]
SADF State President's Guard Commemorative Letter.
SADF State Presidents Guard ceremonial cap badge, also the arms of State President
The State President's Unit was disbanded in 1990. This beret badge was used by SANDF post 1994 in large parades to ensure uniformity.[clarification needed]
^"Scientia Militaria". South African Journal of Military Studies. 16 (5). 1986.
^ abWilken, Neels (July 1977). "Guard turns 10". Panorama. 22 (7). Information Service of South Africa – via Internet Archive.
^"State President's Guard". 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018. The unit was formed in 1967, at the request of outgoing state president Swart. It was called the State President's Guard, and it wore the plumed shako with the presidential emblem (the national coat of arms with the letters SP above). President Botha changed the name to "State President's Unit" in 1983, and later 1987, the ceremonial uniform was changed to ordinary service dress, with a "pith helmet" as headdress. This was in preference to a new full dress uniform which had been designed: it consisted of a Brown tunic with orange facings, white trousers, and a white Pith helmet President Mandela disbanded the unit. In the late 1990s, in its present form, it became known as the "National Ceremonial Guard".
^Helfrich, Kim (16 August 2017). "The National Ceremonial Guard – not only a precision drill showcase". DefenceWeb. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
South Africa
South African Army
State President's Unit 1988
State President's Guard information card
General Constand Viljoen and P.W. Botha inspect the guard of honour
SADF State Presidents Guard ceremonial cap badge, also the arms of State President![The State President's Unit was disbanded in 1990. This beret badge was used by SANDF post 1994 in large parades to ensure uniformity.[clarification needed]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/SADF_State_Presidents_Guard_Cap_badge.jpg/160px-SADF_State_Presidents_Guard_Cap_badge.jpg)
The State President's Unit was disbanded in 1990. This beret badge was used by SANDF post 1994 in large parades to ensure uniformity.[clarification needed]
![The State President's Unit was disbanded in 1990. This beret badge was used by SANDF post 1994 in large parades to ensure uniformity.[clarification needed]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/SADF_State_Presidents_Guard_Cap_badge.jpg/160px-SADF_State_Presidents_Guard_Cap_badge.jpg){kind=icon}
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