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57-654: Air Defence Artillery in South Africa dates back to 1 April 1939 when the 1st Anti-Aircraft Battery was established as part of the Coast Artillery Brigade. The first anti-aircraft training took place at Brooklyn airfield and at Klaasjagersberg, near Cape Point, in 1939. The 1st Anti-Aircraft Battery departed for active service in East Africa in 1940, and during the Second World War, gunners of Anti-Aircraft units won

114-450: A Haute Cuisine route was formed, trickling from Mbombela down to Hazyview. The Lowveld Gourmet Route covers the four top fine dining restaurants the area has to offer. The restaurants include Summerfields Kitchen, Oliver's Restaurant, Orange and Salt. Mpumalanga is home to a diverse range of cultures, including Swazi, Ndebele, Afrikaans, Tsonga, Zulu, Mapulana, Portuguese and Pedi communities. The Ndebele Cultural Village at Botshabelo

171-589: A closed list system. Under the constitution of South Africa, the legislature is intended to create laws, promote public participation and provide oversight. From 1994 to the present, the African National Congress has been the leading party in the Mpumalanga legislature. As of the 2019 elections, the Economic Freedom Fighters , Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus are in opposition in

228-515: A combined air picture derived from primary radar and IFF (identification, friend or foe), as well as a command and control system for effective air defence control. The high mobility nature of the system, which is transported on an all-terrain 8x8 transporter, coupled to the battlefield-specific local warning sensor design, make the system a pivotal element of the South African Army Ground-based Air Defence System. It

285-410: A fossil layer shows microbial activity that is 3.22 billion years old. This discovery indicates that life emerged on Earth 300 million years earlier than previously thought. Mpumalanga has a high plant and animal diversity. Many species are endemic to the province. A partial list of species that are endemic to Mpumalanga The diverse and special flora and fauna of the province enjoys protection in

342-529: A range of nature reserves. Many species of plants are unique to the different geological formations within Mpumalanga. Some examples of these formations include serpentines of Barberton Mountains, norites of Sekhukhuneland , quartzites of Blyde River Canyon , and the dolomites in the northern plateaus. Mpumalanga is governed by the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature , a unicameral system of 30 legislators democratically elected though

399-576: A site near Mbombela shows evidence of agricultural societies from between the 6th to 17th century. Bokoni stone-walled sites on the Mpumalanga highveld are indicative of a large precolonial agropastoral society between ~1500 and 1820 CE. These societies became centers of trade, with increasingly large and centralised populations This pattern increased as they connected to the Portuguese trading post in Maputo Bay . In this era, groups that would become

456-508: A unit of the Permanent Force. Headquarters was at Young’s Field and it was under the command of Maj DDG Steenkamp. From 1 February 1968 it became 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment. From the beginning it was not possible, owing to the acute shortage of personnel, to run the two units separately. Consequently, 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment was tasked with the administration of the School. A partial solution was

513-484: Is Mbombela . Mpumalanga was formed in 1994, when the area that was the Eastern Transvaal was merged with the former bantustans KaNgwane , KwaNdebele and parts of Lebowa and Gazankulu . Although the contemporary borders of the province were only formed at the end of apartheid , the region and its surroundings have a history that extends back thousands of years. Much of its history, and current significance

570-488: Is a highly mobile solid state L-band 2D surveillance radar designed to provide early warning to air defence artillery troops in the field. It is a fully autonomous armoured system with self-contained power plant packaged on a Spanish-designed Kynos Aljaba 8x8 (“Skimmel” in SANDF parlance) truck, and is capable of being fully operational within 10 minutes of arrival at the deployment site. The system built by Reutech also provides for

627-628: Is a popular destination. The other major tourist attractions include the Sudwala Caves and the Blyde River Canyon . Many activities including the big jump, mountain and quad biking, horse trails, river rafting and big game viewing are endemic to the region. This is " Big Five " territory. Towns in the Lowveld are Barberton , Mbombela , White River , Sabie , Graskop , Hazyview , Malelane , Pilgrim's Rest , Lydenburg and Nkomazi . In 2008,

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684-576: Is a renowned center of cultural heritage, with displays of Ndebele house painting . Ndebele artist Esther Mahalangu gained international acclaim for her artwork rooted in Ndebele traditions and geometric patterns. Prominent South African artist Gerard Sekoto was born in Botshabelo . Many celebrated South African musicians, such as Ray Phiri , Rebecca Malope and Pretty Yende , are from Mpumalanga. Since 2003, Mpumalanga's capital city, Mbombela, has hosted

741-558: Is already in service with the South African Navy and Finnish Navy ). Intended to be carried on a SHE Cavallo truck platform. 11 Field Postal Unit 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment is an anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the South African Army . 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formally established on 1 February 1968 as though it was a new unit of the Permanent Force, without any mention of

798-570: Is an hour away on the Highveld: With climate change in the province, rainfall is becoming more variable, temperatures and evaporation rates are rising and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. It is predicted that these changes will shift biomes so that most of the province will be savanna. Some of the earliest signs of life on Earth have been found in Mpumalanga. In the Makhonjwa mountain range's greenstone belt near Barberton ,

855-623: Is as a region of trade. Archeological sites in the Mpumalanga region indicate settlement by humans and their ancestors dating back 1.7 million years. Rock paintings, engravings and other archeological evidence throughout the province indicate that Mpumalanga has a long history of human habitation by groups of hunter gatherers. Excavations not far from the Mpumalanga border in the Origstad district, show evidence of Middle Stone Age habitation dating back to 40,000 years ago. The Lion Cavern, in Ngwenya on

912-410: Is done and the minerals found include gold, platinum group metals, silica , chromite , vanadiferous magnetite , argentiferous zinc , antimony , cobalt , copper, iron, manganese , tin , coal, andalusite , chrysotile asbestos , kieselguhr , limestone , magnesite , talc and shale . Gold was first discovered in Mpumalanga province in 1883 by Auguste Roberts in the mountains surrounding what

969-531: Is now Barberton. Gold is still mined in the Barberton area today. Mpumalanga accounts for 83% of South Africa's coal production. 90% of South Africa's coal consumption is used for electricity generation and the synthetic fuel industry. Coal power stations are in proximity to the coal deposits. A coal liquefaction plant in Secunda ( Secunda CTL ) is one of the country's two petroleum-from-coal extraction plants, which

1026-615: Is one of the nine provinces of South Africa . The name means " East ", or literally " The Place Where the Sun Rises " in the Nguni languages . Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique . It shares borders with the South African provinces of Limpopo to the north, Gauteng to the west, the Free State to the southwest, and KwaZulu-Natal to the south. The capital

1083-400: Is operated by the synthetic fuel company Sasol . The high density of coal power stations on the Mpumalanga highveld means that the region has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in the world. Mpumalanga is popular with tourists. Kruger National Park , established in 1898 for the protection of Lowveld wildlife, covering 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi),

1140-498: Is said to be able to track up to 100 targets simultaneously to a range of 120 km. The mast is 12m tall. The SANDF acquired 169 Oerlikon GDF 35mm guns, along with 75 Superfledermaus fire control units (FCUs) in 1963. In 1990, 48 of these Mark (Mk) I guns were upgraded to Mk V status and the Superfledermaus fire control units were replaced by Italian LPD20 radars. German defence company Rheinmetall AG will be responsible for

1197-499: Is the only South African province to border two provinces of Mozambique ( Gaza Province to the northeast and Maputo Province to the east), as well as all four regions of Eswatini ( Lubombo , Hhohho , Manzini , and Shiselweni districts). The Lowveld is subtropical , due to its latitude and proximity to the warm Indian Ocean . The Highveld is comparatively much cooler and drier, due to its elevation of 1700 m to 2300 m above sea level. The Drakensberg escarpment receives

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1254-473: The Afrikaans national arts festival Innibos. The festival features music, comedy, arts, crafts and theatre. Mpumalanga's population is 4,039,939 people (according to the 2011 census). The average population density is 52.81 people per km². Some 30% of the people speak siSwati , the language of neighbouring Eswatini , with 26% speaking isiZulu , 10.3% isiNdebele , 10.2% Sepedi and 11.6% Xitsonga . As of

1311-673: The Denel Overberg Test Range . On 24 September 2020, General Officer Commanding Interim Provincial Command KwaZulu-Natal, Brigadier General Siphiwo Dlomo, visited the incoming Bravo Company of 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment at Ndumo , where it was arriving to take part in South African National Defence Force operations in support of the SA Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa . The purpose of

1368-469: The Eswatini border, shows evidence of people mining iron ore in the Mpumalanga region and surrounding areas from at least 28 000 years ago. Evidence from mine shafts and trade goods shows that there was notable industry in tin, copper, gold, iron, ochre, and bronze. The Lydenburg Heads , from around 500 CE, are Africa's oldest Iron Age artworks south of the equator and were found in Mpumalanga. Evidence from

1425-485: The Kruger National Park is in the latter region. The Drakensberg exceeds heights of 2000 m in most places, with this central region of Mpumalanga being very mountainous. These regions have alpine grasslands and small pockets of Afromontane forest . The Lowveld is relatively flat with interspersed rocky outcrops. The Lebombo Mountains form a low range in the far east, on the border with Mozambique . Some of

1482-669: The South African Republic . The well established Pedi, Swazi and Zulu kingdoms put up significant resistance against the settlers. The Pedi fought wars with the Boers in 1876 (see Sekhukhune Wars ) and the Zulu fought with British settlers in 1879 (see Anglo-Zulu War ). These interconnected conflicts played a role in shifting the balance of power in southern Africa to colonial control. After 1860, missionaries, especially German missionaries like Alexander Merensky set up mission stations in

1539-558: The Swazi , Pedi , Ndebele , Mapulana and others established themselves in the area that is now Mpumalanga. In 1845, as part of the Great Trek , the first Dutch-speaking colonial settlers arrived in what they called the eastern Transvaal. The rest of the 19th century in the region was characterised by colonial encroachment and conflict over land and political control. In 1852, the Boers established

1596-634: The Artillery Air Defence School (AADS) in place of the Anti-Aircraft Training Centre. These two units amalgamated on 1 November 1969 and were designated Artillery Air Defence School/10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The name was changed in 1984 to Anti-Aircraft School/10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment. It became increasingly more evident that the Anti-Aircraft School/10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment, being situated at

1653-559: The General Officer Commanding of two Regular Force units and four Reserve units. The SA ADA Formation was founded on January 1, 1999, and it had the South African Air Force 's Air Defence Artillery Group, previously mainly responsible for airfield air defense (including 120 Squadron SAAF and 121 Squadron SAAF ), disbanded and centralized within it. Equipment was transferred to the new Formation. In 2001, as part of

1710-544: The SA ADA Formation. It was estimated that this history will take three years to compile. Due to a shortage of regular infantry, both 4 Artillery Regiment and 10 Air Defence Regiment have recently provided gunners deployed in a secondary role as line infantry in the central African region on peacekeeping duties. 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment also provided three Batteries for external deployment in Burundi. The first Battery deployed

1767-500: The SANDF to protect sensitive installations such as the Houses of Parliament, power plants, stadiums and other critical and civilian assets from a wide array of aerial threats, including asymmetric terrorist-type attacks. Skyshield air defence systems can be easily transported and can be deployed anywhere, depending on an evolving threat situation. South African made mobile Umkhonto short-range surface-to-air missile system (A naval version

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1824-533: The South African Army's transformation process, the Anti-Aircraft School/10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment were split into two units, namely Anti-Aircraft School, renamed the Air Defence Artillery School and 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment. This happened under the leadership of Colonel C.R. Lindsay and Warrant Officer Class 1 (RSM) P.A. Kruger. With effect from 1 January 2015, Col G.S. Hlongwa was promoted to

1881-789: The Transvaal, under a system known as Inboekstelsel , Boers carried out raids to capture children and forced them into indentured labour. During the South African War , the region was the site of notable battles. When the National Party came to power in 1948, their policy of apartheid intensified the segregation that had defined communities in the Transvaal . Under a policy of forced removals, Black South Africans were evicted from areas reserved for white people and moved into homelands, including KaNgwane , KwaNdebele , Lebowa and Gazankulu . As

1938-499: The Zimbabwe border for patrols. In July 2011, a radar unit from 10th Anti-Aircraft Regiment was deployed to Juba , South Sudan to support the South African Air Force 's airspace management and air traffic control mission during that country's independence celebrations. The IISS Military Balance 2020 says South Africa has a single active air defence artillery regiment, and five reserve regiments (p.501). The SA Air Defence Artillery

1995-458: The amalgamation of the two units under the title: Artillery Air Defence School/10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment . The regiment transferred to Kimberley at the end of 1990. The “marriage” with AADS came to an end on 31 March 1999 when the two units again became independent entities. [REDACTED] The Formation uses the following equipment, among others: Four Thutlwa systems were ordered in 1996 under Project Bioskoop and delivered by 2006. The Thutlwa

2052-434: The apartheid regime implemented oppressive policies that defined almost every aspect of life, activists responded with resistance. In 1959, the small town of Bethal on what is now the Mpumalanga highveld was the center of the anti-apartheid consumer potato boycott in response to the working conditions Black South African labourers faced on farms in the area. The region was influenced by dynamics in exile and elsewhere in

2109-518: The country, for instance Black Consciousness , the Sharpeville Massacre and the 1976 Soweto Uprisings . In the 1980s, under intense repression, youth and labour organizations moblized against the government and townships and Bantustans erupted in political unrest and violence. In 1986, an avoidable disaster killed 177 mine workers in Kinross Mine in the region's highveld. The response to

2166-513: The disaster by the National Union of Mineworkers was a key point in the South African labour struggle. By the late 1980s, the intensity of resistance across South Africa (including areas like Mpumalanga, which hadn't previously been seen as key areas of resistance) combined with economic factors and international pressure was strong enough to end apartheid. On 27 April 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections , Mpumalanga province

2223-725: The drier Highveld region, with its cold winters, and the hot, humid Lowveld allow for a variety of agricultural activities. Mpumalanga has been an important supplier of fruit and vegetables for local and international markets for decades. A history of dispossession mean that farming land is largely white owned, although policies of land redistribution era aim to address this. Crops include maize, wheat, sorghum , barley , sunflower seed , soybeans , macadamias , groundnuts, sugar cane, vegetables, coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, citrus , subtropical and deciduous fruit. Natural grazing covers approximately 14% of Mpumalanga. The main products are beef, mutton , wool , poultry and dairy. Farming in

2280-470: The fact that it was obviously a reconstruction of 10 Anti-Aircraft Battery. Its headquarters was at Youngsfield in Cape Town, where the Artillery Air Defence School had been established from the same date. 13 October 2007: An Oerlikon GDF Mk.5 35 mm anti-aircraft twin-barrelled gun malfunctioned, spraying hundreds of high-explosive 0,5 kg 35mm cannon shells around the five-gun firing position. By

2337-424: The legislature. Elected every five years, the premier of Mpumalanga is the head of government in the province. Since 2024 Mandla Ndlovu has held the office of premier. Mpumalanga Province is divided into three district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 18 local municipalities : 68% of land area in the province is used by agriculture. The climatic contrasts between

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2394-489: The modernisation of this system, which will include logistics and training services scheduled for completion by 2017. The company is represented in South Africa by Rheinmetall Denel Munitions, with State owned Denel, a 49% shareholder. The contract will see Oerlikon Skyshield fire control systems being supplied. A number of these guns will be retrofitted with upgrade kits to accommodate Rheinmetall’s state-of-the-art Ahead airburst ammunition. The Skyshield technology will enable

2451-453: The most precipitation , with all other areas being moderately well-watered by mostly-summer thunderstorms . The Highveld often experiences considerable freezing, while the Lowveld is mostly frost-free. Winter rainfall is rare, except for some drizzle on the escarpment . The differences in climate are demonstrated by comparing the capital, Mbombela , which is in the Lowveld, with Belfast , which

2508-538: The oldest rocks on earth have been found in the Barberton area; these ancient greenstones and metamorphosed granites form the Crocodile River Mountains in the southeast of the province. The Lowveld is underlaid by African Cratonic Basement rocks of ages in excess of 2 billion years. The Highveld is mostly Karoo Sequence sedimentary rock of a younger, Carboniferous to Permian age. Mpumalanga

2565-632: The process has been marked by corruption, controversy and has been seen as inadequate to address the extent of apartheid spatial planning. In 2001, 1,270 hectares of the Boomplaats farm near Mashishing was the first farm in South Africa to be expropriated. The Drakensberg escarpment divides Mpumalanga into a westerly half consisting mainly of high-altitude grassland called the Highveld and an eastern half situated in low-altitude subtropical Lowveld / Bushveld , mostly savanna habitat. The southern half of

2622-430: The province is driven by both a combination of seasonal , permanent and temporary labourers. Conditions on farms vary widely but seasonal and temporary workers, many of whom are migrant workers from nearby Mozambique , face intense insecurity. Forestry is extensive around Sabie and Graskop . Located near the forests, Ngodwana is the site of one of South Africa's largest paper mills ( Sappi ). Extensive mining

2679-481: The rank of Brigadier General in the post of GOC ADA Formation, taking over from Brig Gen Mbuli who has been promoted to Maj Gen and appointed to the post of Chief Director Defense Acquisition Material . In 2014, it was reported that a history of air defence in South Africa was in the process of being compiled. This history was to be authored by Colonel (Rtd) Lionel Crook in conjunction with the SA Army Reserves and

2736-465: The region, spreading Christianity and European values. Just as the region had been a center for trade in the precolonial era, in the colonial era, the Eastern Transvaal region became an important thoroughfare for trade between Johannesburg and Delagoa Bay (now Maputo ). Gold mining around areas like Pilgrims Rest and Barberton and farming were the main forms of economic activity. On farms in

2793-464: The respect of both friend and foe with their courageous actions. From the first Anti-Aircraft unit in 1939, Cape Town was no doubt the home of the Anti-Aircraft gunner. On 1 January 1962 the wartime concept of a training regiment was realised with the establishment of 10 Anti-Aircraft Battery. This was the forerunner of 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment , which was established on 1 February 1968 together with

2850-432: The southernmost centre of South Africa, lost out on valuable experience by not being able to regularly participate in integrated training with other South African Defence force fighting units. It was then decided to move the unit to Kimberley, and at the end of 1990, the whole unit with its personnel and equipment moved to Kimberley. The Army's reorganisation after the creation of the new South African National Defence Force,

2907-496: The time the gun had emptied its dual 250-round magazines, nine soldiers were dead and eleven injured. The accident occurred just before 9 am, when a battery from 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment began a live-fire exercise at the Army Combat Training Centre at Lohatlha as part of the SANDF's Exercise Seboka. 10 AA Regiment participated in the first live firing of Starstreak missiles on African soil. This firing took place at

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2964-518: The visit was to welcome the company and to consider command and control aspects as the unit is co-located with other Operation NOTLELA elements. 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment has used the following equipment throughout its history: 11 Field Postal Unit This South African military article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mpumalanga 26°S 30°E  /  26°S 30°E  / -26; 30 Mpumalanga ( / ə m ˌ p uː m ə ˈ l ɑː ŋ ɡ ə / )

3021-658: Was 102 Battery under command of Major L. Puckree. After 6 months, 101 Battery relieved them in Burundi under the command of Major S.G. Hlongwa. 103 Battery relieved 101 Battery in Burundi. After 18 months of external deployment the Regiment went back to its normal activities. January 1999, different batteries within the Air Defence Artillery were deployed at Macadamia in Mpumalanga , Lesotho border and KwaZulu Natal. In 2006, Air Defence Artillery sent two Batteries to Pondrift on

3078-583: Was formed. It was originally called the "Eastern Transvaal" province, but the name was later changed to Mpumalanga on 24 August 1995. The liberation movement turned leading party, the African National Congress (ANC) came into power in Mpumalanga after white minority rule ended. A program of land redistribution , aimed at granting land back to the black communities who were forcibly moved during apartheid, had redistributed tens of thousands of hectares to these communities and their descendants. However,

3135-606: Was lengthy. Corps were restructured with Regular and Reserve Regiments under command. The so-called “Type Formations” were established which assumed responsibility for the provisioning of combat-ready forces to be employed under the direction of Joint Operations Division . In 1997, the 7th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment , active since the 1960s, was disestablished. Regiment Overvaal (ROV) was established on 1 April 1969 as an Afrikaans Anti-Aircraft Regiment based on Vereeniging Military Base in Vereeniging . P Battery of Regiment Vaalrivier

3192-582: Was listed with six regiments circa 2010. There is one active air defence regiment, 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the school, and five reserve regiments. The Anti-Aircraft Training Centre was appointed and established as a unit of the Permanent Force on 1 October 1955, but became the Air Defence Artillery School in February 1968. 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment ( Kimberley ) was established as 10 Anti-Aircraft Battery SAA (AA) with effect 1 January 1962 as

3249-566: Was transferred on 1 October 1969 to form 8th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (8LLA). The name changed from 8LLA to ROV on 27 April 1993. The regiment was disestablished in 1997. The South African Gunner publication states that during 1999, the Directorate Anti-Aircraft became the South African Air Defence Artillery Formation, with a colonel as officer commanding. Later a Brigadier General was appointed as

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