Katberg Commando

Katberg Commando was a light infantry regiment of the South [African Army]. It formed part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve.

History

Origin

The Winterberg Commando was founded in Adelaide in 1948 and this unit is considered a development of that unit.

Operations

With the SADF

The units area of responsibility was significantly large on the outset, and two further commandos namely Katberg and Midland Commandos were developed.
During this era, the unit was mainly used for area force protection, search and cordones as well as stock theft control assistance to the local police.
Katberg Commando was again reincorporated with the Winterberg Commando in 1979.

Amalgamation

With the independence of Ciskei, the previous Katberg Commando area was incorporated with the new Homelands territory.

With the SANDF

Disbandment

All other Commando units was disbanded after a decision by South African President Thabo Mbeki to disband all Commando Units. The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.