The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has called on members of its reserve forces, who have not yet been mobilised or put on alert for call-up, to contact their units to confirm their availability. This applies to reservists for all four branches of the SANDF – the South African Army, the South African Air Force, the South African Navy and the South African Military Health Service.
According to the SANDF statement, “a large number” of reservists have already been called up to help secure the border, support the South African Police Service and assist the Department of Health. Furthermore, a number of reserve units and individuals have been put on 24-hour standby for mobilisation.
Reservists with certain specialised skills are being asked to volunteer their services. These include health care personnel, particularly doctors and nurses; qualified technical and mechanical engineers; qualified mechanics; pilots or others with aviation experience; qualified chefs; and qualified seamstresses.
Volunteers should contact and provide essential information to their provincial Defence Reserves offices. The required information is Force Number, Rank, first name, surname, identity number, Corps, their nearest town or city, and the nature of their scarce qualification or skill.
“The SA National Defence Force would like to thank the members of the Reserve Force for their willingness to serve, and for the significant contribution they are making,” concluded the SANDF statement. The mobilisation is part of the national campaign to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.