The Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) was established during March 1981 from the 141 Battalion of the

South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Fo ...

(SADF). It was the defence force of

Ciskei Ciskei ( , meaning ''on this side of Great Kei River, he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Ciskei (), was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people, located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded b ...

, a

bantustan A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...

that was controlled by the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

regime of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The CDF functioned as part of the 21 Battalion based near

Lenasia Lenasia, also known as Lenz, is a Suburbs of Johannesburg, suburb south of Soweto in the Gauteng Province, Gauteng province, South Africa, originally created to house Indian South Africans, Indians. It is located in Region G of the City of Joha ...

, outside

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

Overview

In 1993 the total troop count of the CDF was 2,000. The defence expenditure for Ciskei for 1991/2 was R76,883,000 and for the period of 1993/94 it was R99,910,000.

Organisation and structure

According to Jakkie Cilliers, the CDF consisted of the following:

Headquarters

Originally located at Jong'umsobomvu (outside

King William's Town Qonce, formerly King William's Town, is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River (Eastern Cape), Buffalo River. The town is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London, South Africa, ...

), however, in 1993 the CDF's headquarters moved to the Parliament Buildings in

Bhisho Bhisho, formerly Bisho, is the capital of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. The Office of the Premier, Provincial Legislature and many other government departments are headquartered in the town. The town, three kilometres from Qonce and ...

. Jong'umsobomvu retained the following: * Logistic Depot: including general equipment, uniforms, daily maintenance, rations, fuel, etc. * Maintenance and Construction Unit * Training Centre.

One Ciskei Battalion

The battalion consisted of 900 men and were stationed at Bhisho; it consisted of: *3 companies of which 2 had Mamba mine-protected vehicles *a small support company *a large Light Workshop Troop and signals workshops which served the whole of the CDF

Two Ciskei Battalion

The battalion consisted of 700 men and was stationed at Keiskammahoek; it consisted of: *3 companies with Mamba mine-protected vehicles *a small support company.

Air Wing

Situated at Bisho Airport a.k.a. Bulembu; it consisted of: *two Short SC.7 Skyvan light transport aircraft for paratroopers and general air transport *three MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 helicopters *three

Cessna 150 The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 22-23. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. In 19 ...

light fixed wing aircraft for communication flights, etc *two Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders for personnel and freight transport *

Piper J-3 Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

There was a special forces/parachute company stationed at Bulembu, the core of a possible future parachute regiment. The Ciskei military band was also stationed at Bulembo and fell under the Air Wing for administrative purposes.

Auxiliary

The CDF's auxiliary according to Jakkie Cilliers consisted of, quote: "The CDF had semi-permanent company bases at

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

and Kama/ Whittlesea. There are also Auxiliary Services for which the CDF provided training and certain administrative functions. These Services are tasked with the protection of chiefs and headmen. These forces are controlled by structures within the Council of State. There is also a decentralised medical and signals element.

Ranks

;Officers ;Other

Equipment

The CDF was equipped for counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. The CDF had one 25 pounder field gun for ceremonial purposes and used R4/R5 assault rifles. The 7,62 mm Light Machine Gun issued was the SS-77. Other armaments included the 40 mm Multiple Grenade Launcher, 60 mm and 81 mm mortars and 7,62 mm Browning. Vehicles included Mambas, Buffels, Samil 20, seven ton Isuzu trucks and 4x4 vehicles."

Insignia

Medals

These were the medals awarded by the Ciskei authorities, primarily to members of the : * * * * * * *

Disbandment

With the end of

Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

in 1994 in South Africa, the former defence forces of the

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...

s were incorporated into the newly formed South African National Defence Force.

Flag

The Flag of Ciskei was located in the canton on a green background. On the green a large golden eagle clasped a lightning bolt.

Notes

References

{{SA Army Units