AFB Makhado exercises the right to the Freedom of the City

The right to fly overhead at low level over a city and to march with bayonets drawn is one of the most time-honoured traditions that can bestowed upon an air force base. Saturday the 27th of August 2005 was just such an occasion for AFB Makhado. What made it an especially important occasion for Makhado, is that within its Municipal remit, Makhado has an force base – but not just any air force base. AFB Makhado is the South African Air Force’s assigned Combat Operations base. The logo inscribed below the Base Emblem is CASTRUM BOREALIS, which translated from Latin, means the Northern Fortress or Protector of the North. More importantly, it is the home of the South African Air Force’s fighter forces that are assigned the critically important role of protecting the sovereignty of the South African airspace.

AFB Makhado, due to its strategic location near the northern border of our country, was originally established in 1987 as a forward air base to protect the country’s northern borders from aerial incursion and was named after the town of Louis Trichardt. But with the change of the name of Louis Trichardt town to Makhado, the Air Force Board, in 2003, decided that in the spirit of collaboration and co-operation with the citizens of the Limpopo Province, to change the name of the Air Force Base, to AFB Makhado. Makhado was the famous Venda King that reigned over this area between 1840 and 1860 and history records that he was a strong and courageous fighter, makes it all the more appropriate therefore that the South African Air Force has made the decision to co-locate all it’s fighters at this base.

Over the last eighteen years, the personnel of AFB Makhado have contributed significantly to developments within the Makhado region, more particularly, Disaster Management, Fire Fighting, Support to the South African Police Services, Medical support to vehicle accidents and natural disasters, the Agricultural Show and much more. The personnel of AFB MKD and their families have also brought knowledge, learning and sporting skills to the City of Makhado.

The location of AFB Makhado within the greater Makhado Municipal area brought with it a significant injection into the local economy and created jobs for several hundred people from within the Vhembe District. The overhead costs of maintaining and running an air force base with so many hundreds of personnel, runs into more than one hundred million Rands per year. One must also not forget that the technologies applied at AFB Makhado are some of the most modern in the world and certainly the most modern in Africa – in fact, unless you have visited the base, it is difficult to really understand just how technologically blessed AFB Makhado actually is.

At a strategic level, the South African government has acknowledged the importance of the Limpopo Province by co-locating the new Strategic Defence Package aircraft, Hawk and Gripen in the Limpopo Province. This multi-billion contract will indeed enhance economic growth in the region. There is no other province in the country that has had this honour bestowed upon it.

On a lighter note, in true African tradition, the Makhado region has a strong connection with wild life, and in particular, with two of the most dynamic animals of the ‘big-cat’ family. On the one hand, AFB Makhado is the home of 2 Squadron, the Flying Cheetahs who have the honour to protect our air space, while within the greater Makhado area, we also have the Black Leopards football team, defending our region’s honour in the Professional Football League. Finally, not to be forgotten is that the Mayor is not only the Mayor of Makhado, but also of the air force’s No 2 Fighter Squadron, the Flying Cheetahs that flew low over the city during the parade.

And so it came to pass, AFB Makhado exercised the right to the Freedom of the City and to protect the sovereignty of South African airspace from within the Makhado municipal region. Maj Gen Dert, as the Chief of the Air Force’s representative, supported the Mayor of Makhado, Mr Nkazuna on the podium group. As an air force base, AFB Makhado will continue to build on the strong alliance with the Makhado Municipality as we join in helping to create a better future for all our people.