South African Air Force Marks 106 Years of Service with Prestige Day Parade
- Garth Calitz
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Garth Calitz
Photos by Garth Calitz and Trevor Cohen
The South African Air Force (SAAF) marked its 106th anniversary with a traditional Prestige Day Parade at Air Force Base (AFB) Swartkop, reaffirming its enduring legacy as one of the world’s oldest independent air forces and underscoring its continued relevance in a challenging operational and fiscal environment.
Held at the historic Swartkop Air Force Base (recently renamed Air Force Mobile Deployment Wing), widely regarded as the spiritual home of South African military aviation, the parade brought together serving members, veterans, senior defence leadership and a handful of foreign military attachés to commemorate more than a century of air power service to the nation. Established on 1 February 1920, the SAAF remains the second-oldest independent air force in the world.
The Prestige Day Parade and the Prestige Awards evening, held the previous evening, are the cornerstone events on the SAAF calendar. This year, as in the past few years, the parade was conducted against the backdrop of evolving regional security demands and ongoing relentless efforts to sustain operational capability under a massively constrained budget.
AFB Swartkop itself provided a fitting venue. As the oldest continually operational air base in the world, it has witnessed nearly every chapter of the SAAF’s history, from the early biplane era through jet age operations and into the current generation of rotary and fixed-wing platforms. The base also houses the South African Air Force Museum, reinforcing the strong connection between past achievements and present-day service.
The Chief of the Air Force, LtGen Wiseman Mbambo, was the Revue Officer for the parade and arrived at the podium at exactly 10:00 to acknowledge the general salute accompanied by a spectacular flypast performed by one of the two servicable Hurcules C130s from 28 Squadron.
LtGen Mbambo used the occasion to emphasise the professionalism of SAAF personnel and the importance of sustaining air power as a national strategic asset. In addresses delivered during the parade, Mbambo highlighted the Air Force’s adaptability and its ongoing resolve to continue fulfilling its constitutional mandate despite ageing platforms, limited resources and ongoing operational expectations.
In a refreshing departure from the norm, Gen Mbambo made a very notable effort to acknowledge the long and distinguished history of the SAAF. “Our beloved country, South Africa, has a history and the SAAF history is also intertwined with our country’s history. The approach to any history directs that it is a complete set of pages which covers every aspect of the evolution of that organisation, country or people. Our country’s history cannot have missing pages, which are removed or changed because of the whims of other people. The history of a country, or anything with missing or distorted pages, is not history at all. It is absolutely critical to understand that for any history to have its meaning and value to society and future generations, it must be preserved as it is, indicating the good and the bad, failures and successes. Therefore, it is important for us to guard our heritage and history of our country from any form of manipulation. Similarly, the SAAF history must be complete, lacking nothing with regard to where we come from. We have been here since 1 February 1920 and we are becoming 106 years of age in a few days from today. We have come a long way, and as we continue to serve in the SAAF, we are continuing with the storyline which must be captured and preserved continuously.”
The SAAF Prestige Base of the Year announcement, now a feature of the Prestige Day Parade in recent years, followed the main awards ceremony at the SAAF Prestige Gala dinner the night before. AFB Overberg, AFB Ysterplaat, and AFB Langebaanweg were recognised as the top three performers of the year, with AFB Overberg being awarded the title of Air Force Base of the Year.
After the inspection of the parade by the revue officer and a march past, the parade was closed off with a mass flypast. Aircraft participation, a traditional highlight of Prestige Day events, was necessarily modest, reflecting the realities of fleet availability and serviceability. Nonetheless, the aircraft on display symbolised the Air Force’s core capabilities and the skill of the crews who operate them under demanding conditions.
The mass flypast was led by a helicopter formation consisting of a BK117 and two Rooivalk Attack Helicopters follwed by a Kingair and two Cessna Caravans. A Hurcules C130, flanked by four Pilatus PC-7 Mk II Astras, was followed by a Dassault Falcon 50, a Falcon 900 and three BAE Hawk Mk 120s. One of the Hawks then broke off for a breathtaking solo display performed by Major Lee-roy "Shinobi" Goosen.
As the Air Force enters its 107th year, the Prestige Day Parade highlighted both pride and realism. Pride in a long and distinguished history and realism about the challenges that lie ahead. Modernisation requirements, fleet renewal, skills retention and sustainable funding remain pressing issues but the parade made clear that the foundation of the SAAF, its people, remains strong.
