President Ramaphosa to address the Armed Forces Day celebrations

The Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), President Cyril Ramaphosa, will today, Sunday,   21 February 2021, officiate the Armed Forces Day celebrations to be held at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape.
 
The ceremony will commence with a devotion. The President will then lay a wreath at the Mendi Memorial and observe a flypast by the South     African Air Force before he delivers the keynote  address.

Armed Forces Day is held annually on 21 February to commemorate the sinking of the SS Mendi steamship on 21 February 1917.
 
The Sinking of the SS Mendi is deemed one of South Africa’s worst tragedies of the First World War (1914-1918). A total of 616 black South African troops died when the SS Mendi steamship sank on its way to France.

Armed Forces Day seeks to expand public understanding of the role of the SANDF in the life of the nation.
 
A pool arrangement will be in place for coverage
.
 
Media enquiries: Tyrone Seale: Acting Spokesperson to the President
 
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria