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Military Academy Celebrates Centenary with Stellenbosch University
Author: Maj Engela Meintjes
Published: 24/04/2018

The Military Academy participated in Stellenbosch University's Centenary celebrations on Saturday, March 2018. 

The day started with a commemorative march from Luckhoff, through the streets of Stellenbosch, by members of the Military Academy and residents of Stellenbosch, whilst the SA Navy band entertained the crowd.  The march was to acknowledge residents who had suffered during the forced evictions of the families living on “Die Vlakte".

Directly after the march, the Military Academy held a flag hoisting parade at Coetzenburg Stadium, where the parade was addressed by Lieutenant General Norman Yengeni (Chief Human Resources, representing the Chief of the SANDF, General Solly Shoke).  Lt Gen Yengeni highlighted that the Military Academy prides itself on being part of the university for the past 63 years - when the Military Academy moved from Pretoria to Saldanha during 1953 and when the first military students started attending classes at Stellenbosch at the beginning of 1955, when the Military Academy resorted under the trusteeship of Stellenbosch University. 

An important milestone was reached in January 1961 when the Academy became a faculty in its own right - the Faculty of Military Science of Stellenbosch University. In the same year the very first Agreement of Collaboration was signed between the Department of Defence and the Stellenbosch University. 

Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, also addressed the parade and spectators, before it concluded.  He highlighted during his speech that the university commits itself unconditionally to the ideal of being an inclusive world class university in and for Africa. He also said that the South African National Defence Force, through the Military Academy is their valued partner in this regard and that the university is the preferred provider for accredited higher education in military science for members of the SANDF.   He emphasized that the partnership between the two entities lays the strongest possible academic foundation for a professional military education.