Chief of The Army
The Chief of the South African Army is the professional head of the Army. There was no separate army commander until 1948. The post was called 'Director-General of Land Forces' 1948-51 and 'Army Chief of Staff' 1951-66, and has been 'Chief of the Army since 1966.
| Name | Start of term | End of term |
|---|---|---|
| Brig Christiaan du Toit DSO | 10 November 1948 | 15 March 1950 |
| Brig Hendrik Klopper DSO | 16 March 1950 | 30 April 1953 |
| Maj Gen Pieter Grobbelaar DSO | 1 May 1953 | 24 September 1958 |
| Maj Gen Nick Bierman CBE | 25 September 1958 | 31 October 1959 |
| Maj Gen Sybrand Engelbrecht SM | 1 November 1959 | 3 March 1963 |
| Maj Gen Petrus Jacobs SSA SM | 4 March 1963 | 31 December 1965 |
| Lt Gen Charles 'Pop' Fraser SSA SM | 1 October 1966 | 30 November 1967 |
| Lt Gen Willem Louw SM | 1 December 1967 | 30 June 1973 |
| Lt Gen Magnus Malan SSA SM | 1 July 1973 | 31 August 1976 |
| Lt Gen Constand Viljoen SSA SM | 1 September 1976 | 6 October 1980 |
| Lt Gen Johannes Geldenhuys SSA SD SM | 7 October 1980 | 30 October 1985 |
| Lt Gen Andreas Liebenberg SSAS SD | 1 November 1985 | 28 February 1990 |
| Lt Gen Georg Meiring SSAS SD SM MMM | 1 March 1990 | 31 October 1993 |
| Lt Gen Hattingh Pretorius SD SM MMM | 1 November 1993 | 31 December 1994 |
| Lt Gen Reginald Otto SD SM MMM | 1 January 1995 | 30 June 1998 |
| Lt Gen Gilbert Ramano SSAS SD MMS MMM MMB | 1 July 1998 | 31 May 2004 |
| Lt Gen Solly Shoke SBS MMS | 1 June 2004 | 1 May 2011 |
| Lt Gen Vusumuzi Masondo MMM | 1 October 2011 | present |
Read more about this topic: List Of South African Military Chiefs
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