Sergeant Major of the South African Air Force
Incumbent
Matinatima Klaas Mofomme
since 31 May 2022
 South African Air Force
TypeSenior enlisted advisor
Reports toChief of the Air Force
FormationDecember 1979
First holderWO1 A. C. Symonds

The sergeant major of the South African Air Force is the most senior warrant officer. The post was created in 1979. It is a singular appointment, held by only one person at any time. The sergeant major of the Air Force reports to the chief of the Air Force and is responsible for maintaining discipline.

Rank and insignia

See also: South African military ranks

Before 2008, all sergeant majors of the Air Force were warrant officer class 1, with appointment to the position of sergeant major. In 2008, the SANDF expanded the warrant officer ranks and the sergeant major of the Air Force now holds the rank of senior chief warrant officer.[1]

Before 2002, the sergeant major of the Air Force had a unique rank insignia, consisting of a warrant officer class 1 insignia with the South African Air Force badge above it. Following the warrant officer rank redesign, the sergeant major of the Air Force does not have a unique rank insignia.

List of officeholders

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 WO1
A. C. Symonds 		December 1979 September 1981 1 year, 9 months [2][better source needed]
2 WO1
Barry Kemp 		1 October 1981 January 1988 6 years, 3 months [2][better source needed]
3 WO1
S. G. Oberholzer 		February 1988 October 1990 2 years, 8 months [2][better source needed]
4 WO1
S. J. Mountjoy 		November 1990 January 1994 3 years, 2 months [2][better source needed]
5 WO1
Cor Nortje 		February 1994 February 2000 6 years [3]
6 WO1
Paul Nel 		March 2000 30 October 2002 2 years, 7 months [3]
7 SCWO
S. J. Du Preez 		1 November 2002 October 2008 5 years, 11 months [3]
8 SCWO
Lefu Daniel Tshabalala 		October 2008 November 2018 10 years, 1 month [4]
9 SCWO
Colin Stanton-Jones 		1 December 2018 May 2022 5 years, 3 months [5][failed verification]
9 SCWO
Matinatima Klaas Mofomme 		31 May 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 9 months [6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fact file: Comparative military and civil service grades". 15 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Kemp, Neville. unpublised manuscript.
  3. ^ a b c "SA Soldier Transformation Edition" (PDF). SA Soldier. 21 (11): 30. December 2014.
  4. ^ Ramaboea, Lebogang. "SAAF inaugurates new SMAF". South African Air Force. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  5. ^ "New commander for 515 Squadron". 12 March 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  6. ^ SA National Defence Force [@SANDF_ZA] (2 June 2022). "Senior Chief Warrant Officer Matinatima Klaas Mofomme took over the reins as the Warrant Officer of the SA Air Force in a colourful military parade held at Swartkop West in Pretoria on 31 May 2022" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022 – via Twitter.


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