111 Battalion

January 2015 111 Battalion SADF 111 SA Battalion emblem.png 200 111 Battalion emblem 1980–1994 South Africa 1928 South Africa 1981 Motorised infantry South African Army Infantry Corps New Amsterdam Luec Doctrinae Light of Knowledge Buffel APC, Samil 20 200px Company level insignia thumb|SA Motorised Infantry beret bar SA Motorised Infantry beret bar circa 1992 111 Battalion was a motorised infantry unit of the South African Army. History Origin of the black battalions By the late 1970s the South African government had abandoned its opposition to arming black soldiers.http://sabctrc.saha.org.za/reports/volume2/chapter5/subsection9.htm Truth Commission - Special Report - TRC Final Report - Volume 2, Section 1, Chapter In early 1979, the government also approved a plan to form a number of regional African battalions, each with a particular ethnic identity, which would either serve in their respective homelands or under regional SADF commands. thumb|right|300px|Location of the 100 Battalions in relation to their respective homelands The Swazi Battalion This policy led to the formation of 111 Battalion for Swazis. 111 Battalion was raised in 1980 at Amsterdam, Mpumalanga on the Swaziland Border in the then Eastern Transvaal where a purpose built base was developed for it.Nöthling C. J. Steyn L. The Role of Non-Whites in the South African Defence Force Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies 1986 16 2 10.5787/16-2-457 4754 https://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/457/484 free Troops for 111 SA Battalion were recruited from the self-governing territory of KaNgwane, where the SADF itself maintained a base.Matloa Abbey Oupa February 2015 The formation of the SANDF: Integration experiences of former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei Defence Force Members https://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/18829/dissertation_Matloa_AO.pdf University of South Africa Higher Command 111 Battalion resorted under the command of Eastern Transvaal Command based in Nelspruit. Operational Deployment The battalion was responsible for patrolling the border between Swaziland and South Africa. Disbandment 111 Battalion was disbanded around 1999. Insignia The badge was designed to represent the head ring and plumes of the Swazi King upon crossed assegais. center|thumb|600px|SADF era 111 Battalion insignia Notes Peled, A. A question of Loyalty Military Manpower Policy in Multiethinic States, Cornell University Press, 1998, 0-8014-3239-1 Chapter 2: South Africa: From Exclusion to Inclusion References 2 South Africa Category:Infantry battalions of South Africa Category:Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War Category:Military units and formations established in 1980 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1994