SANDF launches landmark Joint Basic Military Training for 11 000 new recruits
Date: 15 August 2025
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) will this month boost its personnel by 11 000 in a major Military Skills Development System (MSDS) intake to put more – trained – boots on the ground.
An instruction (52/2025) by South Africa’s senior soldier, General Rudzani Maphwanya, signed 1 July, deals with “presentation of Joint Basic Military Training (JBMT) for MSDS”.
This is a first in that it recruits 10 000 members to the four SANDF services as well as 1 000 for Reserve Force service, with the new members to all go through basic military training (BMT) at one venue – 3 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion in Kimberley.
Previously MSDS recruits underwent basic military training at the service they were assigned, with the SA Army topping the list at 1 591 for this year’s January intake. The maritime service was boosted by 460 MSDS recruits with the SA Air Force (SAAF) adding 337 and the SA Military Health Service 150 this year. On completion of service-specific BMT, a number of MSDS recruits moved to Defence Intelligence as well as the Military Police, Logistics and other specialist divisions.
Explaining the imminent call-up of 11 000 new recruits, Maphwanya writes that the SANDF exit mechanism, together with normal attrition, is seeing an annual turnover of approximately 2 000 personnel. “The time it takes to have soldiers ready to deploy on operations makes it necessary to consider a more efficient system of young, agile and holistically trained individuals for the SANDF.”
“The aim of the intakes is to increase the force levels for the purposes of conducting successful military operations, as mandated, over the [three-year] Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period. The SANDF must develop a universal soldier that can operate in the current battle space, enhance interoperability in the SANDF and to have soldiers that are fit for purpose.”
The August 2025 intake will be an extension of the January 2025 intake, Maphwanya explained. “The purpose of the JBMT and combat readiness training is to develop and prepare the recruits of the aforementioned intake to deploy and function as fully-fledged members of any deploying formation and unit, prior to them returning to their respective services to proceed with their specialised and corps training.”
The Chief of the SANDF stated that in an era marked by complex and multidimensional security challenges, the need for “a cohesive and interoperable defence force has never been more critical.” Joint Basic Military Training will “significantly enhance” the SANDF’s operational effectiveness and strategic capabilities.
Training of MSDS recruits will take place from 25 August to 21 May 2026. “To enhance vigilance and responsiveness in border security, JBMT recruits will deploy for six months under all deployed battalions and companies on the Republic of South Africa (RSA) borderlines. With their physical fitness and agility, they can maintain high levels of vigilance and respond quickly to any security threats or breaches along the borders,” Maphwanya’s instruction states.
Recruits will deploy on internal operations from 5 June 2026 to 5 February 2027. Maphwanya lists potential internal deployments as operations Corona (border safeguarding), Chariot (disaster relief and humanitarian assistance) and Prosper (safety and security).
After this period, recruits will be handed over to difference services and divisions by March 2027. Service-specific training will take place between 9 March 2027 and 1 August 2027.
Armscor has been tasked to source “various equipment” for the JBMT intake by way of tender ELWS/2025/45 issued on 4 August with a closing date of 18 August. Detailed tender information is not disclosed unless to a bona fide bidder with some, mostly electronics, projectors, microphones and smart screens, listed in the Maphwanya instruction as needing to be acquired.
Republished with permission of defenceWeb
