The General Officer Commanding, South Africa (SA) Army Infantry Formation, Major General Patrick Njabulo Dube, has assured junior officers at the school of infantry that no form of sexual exploitation or oppression will be allowed at the training centres.
Dube who was speaking when he visited the Junior Infantry Non-Commissioned Officers Course and Non-Commissioned Officers Formative Course at one of the SA Army Infantry Formation’s Centers of Excellence, Infantry School in the Western Cape, further urged the personnel to make the best use of the opportunity.
He stated that the purpose of the visit was to reaffirm, realign, and carry out the SA Army’s theme which seeks to define and refine command and leadership as a critical success factor for the restoration of the dignity of the SA Army to its rightful glory.
“The Infantry is the largest Corp within the SA Army. In order to adjust with current realities viz, termination of services, career development and progression and other human resource management matters, the SA Army Infantry Formation needs to continuously move with time. Therefore, training, development and education cannot cease, SA Army Infantry members should continuously empower themselves.
“The SA Army Infantry Formation has a mandate which evolves around preparing and providing combat-ready forces on behalf of the Chief of the SA Army. This mandate does not cease to exist in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SA Army Infantry Formation should continue to deliver on its Mandate.
“Members should know that the skills that they are going to acquire at Infantry School have been proven in a number of areas in both internal and external operations. The General Officer Commanding encouraged the members to use the opportunity afforded to them even in the midst of inadequate resources.
“We have zero tolerance campaign emanating from the Ministerial Task Team that deals with sexual exploitation and abuse within the workplace. The stance of the defence is that no soldier is to abuse any soldier, no sexual favours, and no to victimisation,” he said.
The General Officer Commanding also encouraged members to bring to the attention of the authorities should any issue of this nature occur at any given space and time.
He further extended his gratitude to the instructors and the learners on the Course for their unwavering dedication and commitment.