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80-533: The Special Task Force ( STF ) is the premier police tactical unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Special Task Force handles high risk operations that fall beyond the scope of classic policing which require specialised skills. In 1967, about 2,000 members of the South African Police were deployed to guard the northern border of Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe ) to assist

160-757: A commendation from the South African Secretary for Foreign Affairs which solidified the idea of a police special forces unit. On 28 April 1975, however, a hostage siege occurred at the Israeli embassy and the Police (lacking an official counter terrorist force) could not resolve the situation. This became known as the Fox Street Siege . In 1975, the counter insurgency conflict in South-West Africa (now named Namibia ) also broke out and police and military manpower

240-463: A family dispute. The hostage negotiators and six members of the Special Task Force were deployed to the scene. During negotiations, the man continually held a knife against the throat of his fiancee and also sodomised her in the presence of her daughter. The child was also ill-treated by the man while his fiancee had to watch. A tactical release of the hostages was the only way out. One member of

320-434: A firearm and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Hostage Situation, St Albans Prison – Port Elizabeth. Twenty-two members of the Special Task Force were summoned to St Albans Prison, Port Elizabeth where approximately 105 prisoners had taken a prison warder hostage. During the night of 24–25 February 1995, after prolonged negotiations the prison warder was released after a tactical release lasting 20 seconds. One hostage taker

400-558: A large enrollment of black policemen. As the apartheid era ended, these programs were restructured to emphasise racial tolerance and respect for basic human rights. The first racially integrated intake of recruits began slowly in 1993 and integration was complete by 1995. Today there is only one Police College to train new recruits in Pretoria. The police also increased recruitment among black youth and hired international police training experts to advise them on ways to improve race relations in

480-431: A man who had been kidnapped and was being held hostage. Information at hand was that the man had been kidnapped by 3 men and was being held hostage in a Daleside, Vereeniging house. Nine members of the Special Task Force were made available for the operation and the kidnapped man was released uninjured during a tactical release. All three men were arrested without a single shot being fired. Five firearms which had been used by

560-613: A number of special units within the police, formed either to carry out a specific task or to deal with a particular area of crime. Koevoet , translated into English as 'crowbar', but officially known as the Police Counter-Insurgency Unit (COIN) or 'Operation K' was a major paramilitary police unit in South African-administered South West Africa , now the Republic of Namibia . Active during

640-559: A paramilitary hit squad, capturing political opponents of the National Party government and either "turning" or executing them. C1 was also responsible for several fatal bomb attacks against anti-apartheid activists, including members of the African National Congress . The Vlakplaas farm became the site of multiple executions of political opponents of the apartheid government. The Police Reserve, established in 1973, enabled

720-588: A planned MK sabotage mission on petrol depots at Waltloo near Mamelodi . En route, 'the Trio' realised they were being tailed by the police. In an attempt to escape, they took refuge in a branch of Volkskas Bank in Silverton, Pretoria . They held 25 civilians in the bank hostage, making a number of demands, including a meeting with State President Vorster, the release of Nelson Mandela and a man called Mange, as well as R100 000 in cash and an aircraft to fly them to Maputo. After

800-429: A police force under the authority of civilian officials , or a gendarmerie -style force under the authority of civilian officials ( interior ministry ) or a defence ministry that may have formal military status. Other government agencies, depending on the country, may establish specialized units with comparable taskings, training, and equipment, such as border guard , coast guard , customs , or corrections . In

880-711: A ratio of less than 1.5 police per 1,000 people, down from 1.67 per 1,000 people in the 1960s. Alarmed by the increased political violence and crime in the mid-1980s and by the lack of adequate police support, officials then increased the size of the police force to 93,600—a ratio of 2.7 per 1,000 people—by 1991. The police were authorised to act on behalf of other government officials when called upon. For example, in rural areas and small towns, where there may be no public prosecutor available, police personnel could institute criminal proceedings. The police could legally serve as wardens, court clerks, and messengers, as well as immigration, health, and revenue officials. In some circumstances,

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960-491: A series of negotiations, which included the police handing over food to the cadres and hostages, in the ensuing release operation, Special Task Force members killed all three cadres. Two civilians, Valerie Anderson and Anna de Klerk, were killed and many others were wounded in the shootout. General Coetzee was awarded the South African Police Star for Outstanding Service for the bravery he showed when he walked into

1040-506: Is a significant convergence of roles, tactics and force when employed in either an armed conflict or policing role". Aside from counterterrorism, the roles of police and military units differ in that the role of military units can result in the use of the maximum permissible force against enemy combatants while the role of police units is to use only minimal force sufficient to subdue suspected criminals, including negotiation. South African Police The South African Police ( SAP )

1120-534: Is nine months, but completing all the requisite advanced courses to become a full-fledged Special Task Force operational member may last up to three years. Highlighting the stringent selection process during the Special Task Force Training Course in 2005, 453 applications were received. When pre-selection was done, only 108 of the 453 candidates measured up to pre-selection requirements. Of the 108 who made it through pre-selection, only 42 completed

1200-546: Is open to both male and female SAPS members, female operatives undergo a separate selection course. Police tactical unit Police tactical units are dedicated units composed of personnel selected and trained in tactical skillsets to carry out the responsibilities of the unit, and in use-of-force policies, including lethal force for counterterrorism . A PTU is equipped with specialized police and military-type equipment. PTU personnel may also be trained in crisis negotiation . A police tactical unit can be part of either

1280-868: The Cape Colony , the Natal Colony , the Orange River Colony , and the Transvaal Colony in law enforcement in South Africa . Proclamation 18 formed the South African Police on 1 April 1913 with the amalgamation of the police forces of the four old colonies after the founding of the Union of South Africa in 1910. The first Commissioner of Police was Colonel Theo G Truter with 5,882 men under his command. The SAP originally policed cities and urban areas, while

1360-523: The Marikana Massacre . Protea Coin cash compound, Robertsville, western Johannesburg. At around 17:00, the Special Task Force confronted a group of 20 heavily armed cash-in-transit robbers in a foiled robbery. After the robbers were cornered and opened fire on the members of the Task Force, they returned fire killing seven and wounding nine of the robbers. None of the Task Force members were injured in

1440-593: The Namibian War of Independence from 1979 to 1989, they were held responsible for committing multiple human rights violations, and alongside the South West African Police , they were disbanded following Namibian independence in 1989, and were essentially replaced by the Special Field Force in modern-day Namibia. Formed following a need to defend the border between South Africa and Rhodesia during

1520-579: The Rhodesian Bush War , the Special Task Force was unofficially founded in 1967, and began to be trained to use advanced tactics, such as survival and bush skills, to carry out COIN operations, and drastically reduce police casualties – this unit was nicknamed 'the Bliksems '. By 1975, support for creating the Special Task Force reached the Bureau of State Security, following both the Fox Street Siege , in which

1600-524: The South African Border War , all policemen were required to complete a 6-week intensive counterinsurgency (C.O.I.N.) training at Maleoskop (now closed) in specialised weapons and "bush warfare" in preparation for their 3 months "call up". (Some volunteering and been called up more frequently.) Since 1990, South Africa also has provided training for police from Lesotho , Swaziland , Malawi and (then) Zaire . The climate of escalating violence in

1680-608: The South African Police shooting club in order to acquire R1 battle rifles . Camouflage uniforms were also unofficially acquired. Because this group, who had taken on the name of 'Bliksems', was an unofficial group within the Police Force, the normal training facilities were not accessible. A vacant area near the Baviaanspoort Correctional Services that could be used for live-fire handgun and rifle training, and which also had an urban environment with rural terrain,

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1760-972: The United States , police tactical units are known by the generic term SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team ; the term originated from the Philadelphia Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1960s. In Australia , the federal government uses the term police tactical group . The European Union uses the term special intervention unit for national counterterrorist PTUs. Police tactical units have similarities to military special forces units such as organization, selection, training, equipment, and operational methodologies. Police tactical units, similar to military units, are not gender diverse , with female members being rare. For "certain counter terrorism operations, such as hostage rescue, there

1840-558: The Israeli government stated that it would send their team but only on the sole condition that their security would be guaranteed. Gen. Mike Geldenhuys, who was the head of the South African Police Security Branch at the time, arranged for Capt. de Swardt and his 'Bliksems' to provide security for the foreign team. For this, the South African Police received much praise and attention from the international press as well as

1920-461: The Police. On 21 March 1960, SAP officers in the Transvaal township of Sharpeville opened fire on a large anti-apartheid protest outside of the local police station, killing 69 demonstrators and injuring 180 others. Police reports from the time of the massacre claimed that panicking officers spontaneously fired into an increasingly violent crowd; however, other sources claim that the demonstration

2000-563: The Preparation and Condition (PREPCON) phase, and only 20 candidates managed to complete the Vasbyt phase. The recruits who did not pass the PREPCON phase admitted that their failure to do so was due to insufficient preparation for the course because they had thought that STF's standards have been lowered. Members of the unit have visited foreign units of a similar role on several occasions, to ensure that

2080-520: The Rhodesian security forces as guerrilla attacks became more frequent during the Rhodesian Bush War . These police members proved to be ill-equipped and ineffective at dealing with guerrilla warfare and terrorism. As a result of these events the Security Branch of the Police began to envision a special police unit to deal with high-risk situations such as hostage situations . Captain J.J. de Swardt of

2160-565: The SAP operated to quell civil unrest amongst the country's disenfranchised non-white majority. During emergencies they were assisted by the military. Beyond the conventional police functions of upholding order and solving crime, the SAP employed counterinsurgency and intimidation tactics against anti-apartheid activists and critics of the white minority government . From 1961 to 1990, a total of 67 people died in South African Police detention from hanging and torture as well as natural causes as claimed by

2240-571: The SAP took over the South West African Police and became responsible for policing South West Africa, which was under South African administration at that time. Police officials often called on the army for support in emergencies. In turn, one SAP brigade served with the 2nd Infantry Division of the South African Army in North Africa during World War II . After the war, the South African Police joined INTERPOL on 1 January 1948. When

2320-451: The SAPS were wounded. 19 members of the Special Task Force were deployed. During the release of the hostages, the three robbers were wounded and arrested. No members of the public were injured. The Jeppestown Massacre, Jeppestown , central Johannesburg. After a robbery, 23 robbers were followed by a police helicopter to a safe house. Four SAPS members were murdered and eight robbers were killed in

2400-610: The Security Branch of the Police as well as Sergeant Roelf de Plooy (a counter insurgency (COIN) instructor), both veterans of the deployments in Rhodesia against Zimbabwe African National Union rebels, began a grass roots attempt to form a group of police representatives with a shared vision of formalising a police-based special forces unit. They began to train candidate police officers in survival and bush skills to execute high-risk COIN operations and drastically reduce friendly fatalities. The members of this ragtag group were required to join

2480-587: The South African Mounted Riflemen, a branch of the Union Defence Force , enforced the state's writ in rural areas. During World War I , the SAP took over the Riflemen's jurisdiction, and most Riflemen personnel were transferred to the SAP by the end of the 1910s. By 1926, the South African Mounted Riflemen were disbanded and their duties were taken over by the South African Police. In 1939,

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2560-676: The South African Police Service. The volunteer must also show certain traits such as: Applicants for a career in the Special Task Force must be: All Task Force applicants are volunteers and have to comply with stringent physical requirements before being admitted to the basic training and selection course. The basic training course is twenty-six weeks long and includes weapons, rural and urban combat as well as basic parachute training courses. Compulsory advanced courses include special skills such as diving , VIP protection, explosives and medical training. The initial training period

2640-402: The South African Police and proposed the structure, command and control plans for the Special Task Force. Then finally on 1 February 1976 Lt. Gen. Mike Geldenhuys officially authorised the creation of the Special Task Force. Col. Dries Verwey was appointed as the first commanding officer (CO) of the Special Task Force and Capt. J.J. de Swardt and the core group of the 'Bliksems' were transferred to

2720-479: The Special Task Force as instructors. During the first phase of selection the unit received 113 applications, yet only 38 were accepted including 4 reserve members including one medic. After Gen. Mike Geldenhuys was appointed as the Commissioner of the South African Police in 1978, he transferred command and control of the Special Task Force from the Security Branch of the SAP over to Counter Insurgency (COIN) under

2800-538: The Special Task Force assisted the Brixton Murder and Robbery Unit in recovering a corpse from the Selby mineshaft, Johannesburg. The corpse was found at a depth of 141 meters. Obstructions, bad construction and the threat of toxic gases created additional hazards. Two members of the Special Task Force were individually lowered into the shaft, but were forced to return to the surface owing to respiratory difficulties. One member

2880-416: The Special Task Force was employed as a sniper and during the tactical release of the hostages, the man was fatally wounded. A firearm was found in the room where the man had held the woman and child hostage. Kidnapping and Hostage Situation, Vereeniging . The Intelligence Service and CID of Secunda and Vereeniging requested the assistance of the Special Task Force in an operation to locate the whereabouts of

2960-548: The Special Task Force were deployed to the Nduma area in the Kruger National Park where they established observation posts. The operation was successful and three Mozambicans were traced and arrested. The members seized 30 AK-47 rifles and three SAM-7 ground-to-air missiles. Hostage Situation and Attempted Suicide at Telkom Offices, Pretoria . A man armed with a firearm and was upset about the non-payment of his salary, entered

3040-497: The Special Task Force. Arrest of Weapon Smugglers at Nduma. Weapons were regularly smuggled from Mozambique to South Africa via the Kruger National Park which borders on Mozambique. The Organized Crime Unit and Firearm Tracing Unit requested the Special Task Force to be of assistance by way of observation duties of specified areas which had been identified by informers as areas which the smugglers readily use. Ten members of

3120-469: The Telkom Distribution offices where he worked and took a number of people hostage. The hostage negotiators and 21 members of the Special Task Force were deployed to the scene. After prolonged negotiations, all the hostages were released but the man refused to surrender and threatened to take his own life. The Special Task Force were still in position and ready to take action while the negotiations with

3200-477: The attackers hijacked the farmers' vehicle. His son-in-law managed to escape by diving out of the moving vehicle. Police chased after the vehicle at about 14:00, but the hijackers refused to hand themselves over and negotiations were carried out by the police hostage negotiator at about 16:00. The Special Task Force arrived on the scene between 17:00 and 18:00. At about 7:00 Special Task Force snipers shot and killed both attackers. The hostage only had minor injuries and

3280-406: The bank, unarmed, to negotiate with the cadres. Laingsburg flood disaster. The Special Task Force lead the search and rescue operations. Forty-seven bodies were recovered in five days. The Special Task Force also rendered disaster relief assistance to the local population. Hostage situation, Goedemoed Prison. Using sharpened objects, 22 prisoners attacked the prison warders at Goedemoed Prison in

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3360-423: The building and incapacitated the captor with 2 shots. The hostage was not hurt. Hijacked Fokker F-28 at Jan Smuts International Airport. A Fokker F-28 airliner of Royal Swazi Airlines with 21 passengers on board was hijacked and diverted to Jan Smuts Airport , near Johannesburg. The SAPS Special Task Force was summoned to the scene and 22 members were dispatched to the airport to contain the situation and release

3440-584: The city center to assist with a rescue operation. A building with a number of floors was on fire and personnel working in the building above the floors which were on fire, were trapped. Members of the Special Task Force, SAPS Air Wing and SA Air Force using helicopters rescued people from the top of the building. Other members used roping equipment to evacuate the trapped people to safety. Only a small number of people were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. Hostage Situation Bella Vista, Johannesburg. A man took his fiancee and her little daughter hostage after

3520-534: The command of Major General Vic Verster. The divisional commander was Colonel Bert Wandrag with operational command under Major JJ de Swardt. Source: The Special Task Force uses a wide variety of arms and assorted equipment: Pistols Sub-Machine Guns Assault rifles Sniper rifles Shotguns Machine guns Grenade launcher Grenades Other equipment Vehicles Aircraft Three MK Cadres – Stephen Mafoko, Humphrey Makhubo and Wilfred Madela – were allegedly on their way to carry out

3600-481: The conservative National Party edged out liberal opponents in South Africa's elections in 1948, the new government enacted legislation strengthening the relationship between the police and the military. The police were heavily armed after that, especially when facing unruly or hostile crowds. The Police Act (No. 7) of 1958 broadened the mission of the SAP beyond conventional police functions, such as maintaining law and order and investigating and preventing crime and gave

3680-475: The early 1980s, police units were integrated, but most police recruits had been trained in single-race classes, sometimes in institutions designated for one racial group. For example, most black police personnel had trained at Hammanskraal, near Pretoria; most whites, in Pretoria; most coloureds, Bishop Lavis, near Cape Town; and Asians at Chatsworth, near Durban. During the late 1980s, the Hammanskraal college saw

3760-437: The early 1990s often posed even greater challenges to the police than they had faced in the 1980s, as violence shifted from anti-government activity to a mosaic of political rivalries and factional clashes. At the same time, many South Africans feared that the police were causing some of the criminal and political violence, and they demanded immediate changes in the police force to mark the end of apartheid-era injustices. To meet

3840-548: The entire country in 1983. Among the SAP's spies during the apartheid era was the infamous Craig Williamson and his best-known female recruit Olivia Forsyth . The SAP relinquished its responsibility for South West Africa in 1981. It took over the South African Railways Police Force in 1986 . The following people have served as the Commissioner of the South African Police: There were

3920-534: The force absorbed the police forces of Bophuthatswana , Ciskei , Gazankulu , KaNgwane , KwaNdebele . KwaZulu , Lebowa , QwaQwa , Transkei , and Venda , and was renamed the South African Police Service . Policemen and women were eligible for a number of awards. These included: The SAP was eligible for the British King's Police Medal , which was awarded annually throughout the British Empire . This

4000-554: The government merged the formerly dreaded Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the police Security Branch to form a Crime Combatting and Investigation (CCI) Division. The new CCI, with responsibility for reversing the rising crime rate, combined the intelligence and operational resources of the security police with the anticrime capabilities of the CID. Minister of Law and Order Hernus Kriel in 1991 also appointed an ombudsman to investigate allegations of police misconduct. He increased

4080-413: The government to recall former police personnel for active duty for thirty to ninety days each year, and for additional service in times of emergency. Another reserve (volunteer) force was established in 1966, consisting of unpaid, mostly White civilians willing to perform limited police duties. A youth wing of this reserve force reported that it had inducted almost 3,000 students and young people to assist

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4160-499: The hostage taker. The baby was safely released without any injuries. Hostage Situation Nandos, Johannesburg. Three robbers trying to rob Nandos on the corner of Cromhout and Kimberley Streets, Johannesburg were cornered by members of the SAPS Johannesburg after being alerted by members of the public. The robbers took the employees of Nandos hostage. A gun-battle between the robbers and the SAPS took place during which two members of

4240-465: The hostage takers were seized. Hostage Situation Hollywood Café, Sunnyside. A man fleeing from the SAPS on 6 August 1995, took a woman hostage in the Hollywood Café, Esselen Street, Sunnyside. The Special Task Force was summoned to the scene by Radio Control, after which the hostage taker was arrested and the hostage tactically released. The man was found guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping, pointing of

4320-436: The hostages. After being informed by the psychologist on the scene that the hijacker was emotionally unstable and irrational and a threat to the hostages, the Special Task Force was given the command to recapture the aircraft and to release the hostages. The hijacker was wounded in the head during the storming of the aircraft. A hostage was wounded in the shoulder and the pilot in the leg. No casualties were sustained by members of

4400-402: The man continued. While the negotiations were taking place, the man decided, without warning, to move to another office. The man was overwhelmed in the passage after his attention had been drawn by a stun grenade and he was disarmed. Neither the man nor the people who disarmed him were injured in the incident. Rescue Operation SALU Building, Pretoria. 28 members of the Special Task Force raced to

4480-438: The most turbulent townships. Even with training courses extended to three months, their often brutal and inept performance contributed to the growing hostility between the police and the public by the late 1980s. Although the mission of the SAP grew well beyond conventional policing responsibilities during the 1970s, the size of the police force declined relative to population. In 1981 the police force of roughly 48,991 represented

4560-609: The negotiator (warder) and the Reaction Unit of Bloemfontein . The two prisoners who held the warder hostage, were wounded, one of them fatally. The Bus Capture at Lesotho . The Pope visited Maseru on the above date. Four members of the Lesotho Freedom Alliance hijacked a bus transporting 74 passengers at the British Embassy. The SAPS Special Task Force was called in to assist in the matter. When negotiations failed,

4640-408: The new challenges, the 91,000 active police personnel in 1991, including administrative and support personnel, were increased to more than 110,000 by 1993 and 140,000 by 1995. Throughout this time, police reserves numbered at least 37,000. In 1996 the combined active and reserve police represented a police-to-population ratio of almost 4.0 per 1,000. As part of the overall reorganisation of the police,

4720-605: The police during the late 1980s. The police increased the use of part-time, specialised personnel – such as the special constables (called kitskonstabels (instant constables) in Afrikaans ) – to help quell the growing violence in the 1980s. In 1987, for example, the police recruited almost 9,000 kitskonstabels and gave them an intensive six-week training course. Most of these constables were Blacks and Coloreds . These "instant" police assistants were then armed with non-lethal weapons and assigned to areas of unrest, which were often

4800-415: The police extraordinary powers to quell unrest and to conduct counterinsurgency activities. The Police Amendment Act (No. 70) of 1965 empowered the police to search without warrant any person, receptacle, vehicle, aircraft, or premise within one mile of any national border and to seize anything found during such a search. This search-and-seize zone was extended to within eight miles of any border in 1979 and to

4880-419: The police were also authorised to serve as vehicle inspectors, postal agents, and local court personnel. After President Frederik Willem de Klerk lifted the ban on black political organisations and released leading dissidents from prison in 1990, he met with the police and ordered them help end apartheid, to demonstrate greater political tolerance, and to improve their standing in black communities. Through

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4960-590: The police were unable to deal with a hostage crisis at the Israeli embassy in Johannesburg, and the outbreak of the conflict in South West Africa, stretching the demand of COIN operatives. Finally, authorization of creating the Specialist Task Force was given, following multiple recommendations, and the issues described beforehand. This unit is still in action in modern-day South Africa. Formed in 1992 in

5040-732: The recruitment of black police personnel, formed a civilian riot-control unit that was separate from the SAP but worked with it, developed a code of police conduct agreed upon by a number of political parties and communities, and substantially increased police training facilities. In 1992 Kriel began restructuring the SAP into a three-tiered force consisting of a national police, primarily responsible for internal security and for serious crime; autonomous regional forces, responsible for crime prevention and for matters of general law and order; and municipal police, responsible for local law enforcement and for minor criminal matters. He also established police/community forums in almost every police station. In 1995,

5120-420: The run-up to the 1994 South African election following the end of Apartheid, 'Division: Internal Stability' were tasked with the important role of combating violence in the turbulent years leading up to and after the elections. The unit consisted of 41 divisions, and proved invaluable to preventing potentially thousands of killings during major political violence. During South Africa's rule under apartheid ,

5200-404: The service. The basic police training regimen includes courses in criminal investigation procedures, self-defense, musketry, tactical weapons training, drills, inspections, public relations and law. Specialized courses include crowd and riot control, detective skills, horsemanship and veterinary training, and advanced-level management skills. Their basic training lasted 6 months. During the time of

5280-540: The shootout. The Special Task Force was deployed to provide additional security when about 91 heads of state and leaders attended the state memorial service of Nelson Mandela and his funeral after he died on 5 December 2013. Eight suspected ATM bombers were killed in a shoot-out when Special Task Force officers intercepted them as they were travelling to Howick. No Special Task Force members were injured. Prospective members have to be under 32 years old and must have served at least two years in operational policing in

5360-458: The siege before the remaining 15 gang members surrendered. Members of the Special Task Force were deployed to assist the SAPS in ending the siege. Special Task Force snipers ended a 20-hour-long hostage situation at a farm outside Petrusburg in the Free State when two armed attackers took a farmer hostage when he and his son-in-law confronted them, after they had robbed another farmer. Thereafter

5440-406: The southern Free State. One of the warders failed to escape and was taken hostage in a cell. The hostage was stabbed twice in the neck while one of the warders was trying to negotiate with the prisoners. The SAPS Special Task Force was called in to assist in the matter. Nine members of the Special Task Force were flown to Goedemoed Prison. The Special Task Force freed the hostage with the assistance of

5520-494: The structure and procedures of the unit is in line with international training courses, and to keep up with changes in training and other specialized fields. According to the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the recipients of the "National Diploma: South African Special Forces Operations" qualification (Qualification ID: 48879) will be able to: Although membership of the Special Task Force

5600-529: The team were Bill du Toit (an ex-special forces soldier) who specialised in terror tactics, Mr K. Lucy who was an expert in rope work and abseiling, Mr T. Segala who had an extensive knowledge of booby traps and Improvised explosive devices , Gary Magnusson and Hannes Smit who were experienced civilian skydivers and Major Jakkals de Jager who was a paratrooper in the SADF. In 1973, during the South African Games,

5680-501: The terrorists began shooting at the bystanders in the British Consulate. They then attempted to use the bus to ram through the embassy gates. The Special Task Force stormed the bus, killing three terrorists and capturing one. They disarmed an improvised booby trap (explosive device). 17 hostages who were injured by hostile gunfire were stabilised by Special Task Force medics. Body recovery at Selby Mine, Johannesburg . Two members of

5760-464: The vicinity. The snipers observed that the man held the baby in front of him with a knife to its throat all the time. The hostage taker only moved a curtain occasionally to see what was going on outside, but never let go of the baby. Negotiations which had lasted a long time did not succeed and it was decided on a tactical release of the baby by members of the Special Task Force. During the tactical release, both snipers fired simultaneously, fatally wounding

5840-506: Was discontinued in 1933, because South Africa had become independent as a member of the new British Commonwealth , and it was replaced in 1937 by a special South African issue of the medal. From 1923, the SAP also had its own long service medal, which doubled as a medal for gallantry. The medals available to the SAP between 1923 and 1963 were thus: Until 1952, they were incorporated into the British honours system. Thereafter they formed part of

5920-543: Was eventually found by Col. van der Merwe. Capt. J.J. de Swardt then proceeded to hire instructors from Hunter Group of the South African Defence Force (SADF) such as martial arts specialist, Joe Grant Grierson. Training was based around weapons handling, rural patrol formations and tactics, ambushes and skirmishes and was based on military protocol. Rock climbing, rope access, rescue work, skydiving and parachute training also occurred later on. Other instructors of

6000-417: Was fatally wounded. One injured and the other prisoners were arrested. The hostage was released without injuries. Two firearms and a M26 hand grenade were seized after the operation. Hostage Situation 34 Baccus Street, Irene . On 12 August 1996, a man took a year old baby hostage at 34 Baccus Street, Irene. The Special Task Force deployed 21 members to the scene. During negotiations, snipers were deployed in

6080-519: Was given oxygen apparatus and lowered down the shaft again. After securing the corpse to a rope, he was hoisted to the surface. Both members were awarded the South African Police Cross for Bravery for their unselfish deed. Hostage situation in Walmer, Port Elizabeth . An ex-defence force member took a woman hostage and held her at gunpoint. As negotiations failed, the Special Task Force entered

6160-542: Was now stretched between two COIN campaigns. The South African Police was forced to withdraw from the South-West African border as well as from Rhodesia and earned the Battle Honour Rhodesia. In 1975, the Bureau of State Security supported the creation of the unit and on 6 June 1975, Brigadier Vic Verster wrote an official recommendation from the South African Police Security Branch to the Commissioner of

6240-471: Was peaceful in the moment leading up to the shooting. Evidence given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1998 suggested "a degree of deliberation in the decision to open fire" by the police. In 1983, the SAP formed C1, a counterinsurgency unit commanded by police colonel and former Koevoet operator Eugene de Kock . C1 was run out of a secluded farmhouse called Vlakplaas until 1992. It functioned as

6320-563: Was taken to the hospital. Marikana Miners Strike, Rustenburg. Members of the Special Task Force were deployed to the Lonmin owned mine in the Marikana area after two police officials, two security guards and four miners were murdered by striking miners between 12 and 14 August. On 16 August, after storming police forces with traditional weapons and small arms, 34 miners were shot dead by SAPS members and another 78 miners were injured. This became known as

6400-400: Was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the de facto police force in the territory of South West Africa ( Namibia ) from 1939 to 1981. After South Africa's transition to majority rule in 1994, the SAP was reorganised into the South African Police Service (SAPS). The South African Police were the successors to the police forces of

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