State Presidents Guard

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State President‘s Guard
Staatspresident Wag Eenheid
StatesPresidentsGuard Guardsman.jpg
State's Presidents Guard Guardsman in full dress
Active1967-1990
Country South Africa
AllegiancePresident of South Africa
Branch South African Army
TypeHonour Guards
RoleCeremonial Duties
Garrison/HQPretoria
Motto(s)Vires
State's Presidents Guard Information

The State President's Guard[1] (Afrikaans: Staatspresident Wag Eenheid) was the previous name of the National Ceremonial Guard, a guard unit for the South African State President and guard of honour at ceremonial occasions.

History[]

Up to, and including State President Charles Robberts Swart's term of office, no permanent Guard existed. On his retirement from office on 31 May 1967, plans were made for the Guard to appear in public for the first time. The unit was established officially on 1 May 1967 and an effort was made to train the specially selected servicemen who would form this guard of honour. Special uniforms were manufactured.[2]: 5  Due to the State President elect's illness, the Guard could only make its first public appearance eight months later at his State funeral.[2]: 5 

President P. W. Botha changed the name of the unit to the "State President's Unit" in 1983, and later 1994,the ceremonial uniform was changed to the regular service uniform used by the rest of the defense forces.[3] It has been through some changes of name as well as being temporarily disbanded ahead of negotiations that led to the first democratic elections in 1994 and is now called the National Ceremonial Guard (NCG).[4]

Function[]

The most important ceremonial function of the State President's Guard was that of guard of honour. Appearances of the Guard in this capacity included the following:

SADF State President's Guard Commemorative Letter.
  • the inauguration of State Presidents;
  • visits from foreign heads of State, as well as other eminent foreign visitors;
  • performances at the state funerals of State Presidents and at certain other military funerals.

Regular performances also took place at occasions when foreign ambassadors presented their credentials to the State President. Other appearances were when national states officially gain independence. In addition, the Guard also performed at the official arrival and departure of the State President from various cities, especially those cities in which his official residences were situated.

The Unit was also responsible for a weekly changing of the guard parade on Fridays at Tuynhuys in Cape Town while Parliament was in session. At the end of each month, a retreat ceremony was held by the Unit at a public venue. Similar parades were held at the Castle, the Parade in Cape Town and at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

General Constand Viljoen and P.W. Botha inspects the guard of honour

Insignia[]

  • SADF State Presidents Guard ceremonial cap badge, also the arms of State President

  • The State President's Unit was disbanded in 1990. This beret badge was used by SANDF post 1994 in large parades to ensure uniformity.

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 16, Nr 5, 1986. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za
  2. ^ a b Wilken, Neels (July 1977). "Guard turns 10". Panorama. Information Service of South Africa. 22 (7) – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "The unit was formed in 1967, at the request of outgoing state president Swart. It was called the State President's Guard, and it wore the plumed shako with the presidential emblem (the national coat of arms with the letters SP above). President Botha changed the name to "State President's Unit" in 1983, and later 1987, the ceremonial uniform was changed to ordinary service dress, with a "pith helmet" as headdress. This was in preference to a new full dress uniform which had been designed: it consisted of a Brown tunic with orange facings, white trousers, and a white Pith helmet President Mandela disbanded the unit. In the late 1990s, in its present form, it became known as the "National Ceremonial Guard"". 15 March 2018.
  4. ^ "The National Ceremonial Guard – not only a precision drill showcase". 16 August 2017.
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