The glass ceiling is well and truly shattered in the national defence force with women represented in by far the majority of musterings across all four services.
As examples in the SA Navy (SAN): the newest addition to the fleet, MMIPV (multi-mission inshore patrol vessel) SAS Sekhukhune (P1571) has a woman executive officer (XO) and the maritime service also boasts Africa’s first woman submariner.
In the SA Air Force (SAAF), women occupy the left hand front seats of almost all platforms in the fleet and there are also those who sit in the front right seat of rotary-winged aircraft as pilots-in-command. The airborne service also has numerous women in other musterings and holding senior positions with the chief ATC (air traffic controller) at Air Force Base (AFB) Waterkloof just one example.
In the landward force women have – and are – commanders of Rooikat armoured car squadrons; company, unit and battalion commanders as well as being in command of continental peace support missions. Deployments internally and continentally have women in the ranks of infantry units. Apart from contributing in the peace support arena by way of patrols and escort duties, among others, women soldiers are seen as valuable workers when it comes to community outreach programmes.
The uniformed side of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) is, notwithstanding Minister Thandi Modise’s call for more women to join, currently finding itself with over 25% of personnel strength filled by what was once termed “the fairer sex”. At the apex of the South African government’s military is Modise with Defence Secretary Gladys Kudjoe another woman in a top defence post.
The Engineer Formation of the SA Army is another SANDF component where women are part and parcel of operations. This is well illustrated by Captain Tshegofatso Gwai reporting on work done by an engineer squadron in KwaZulu-Natal in the aftermath of the April floods in an Operation Chariot deployment.
Daily tasks performed by women Sappers include working construction sites, staffing water points, doing road repairs and bridge rehabilitation.
“Since the squadron was deployed in mid-April 2022 for disaster relief women defied the narrative of belonging in the kitchen as generally, engineering work is seen as man, equipment and heavy machinery,” she wrote adding this sees many assume women cannot take “the pressure that comes with the workload on the ground”.
“The engineer squadron women proved they can be anything they dream of with military and gender stereotyping not entering the equation. They are the epitome of excellence, discipline and hard work.
“Women in uniform are continually empowered by military engineer courses at the School of Engineers in Kroonstad with others attending school to qualify in trades and there are also those with tertiary qualifications who enlist,” she reported.
