List of South African military chiefs

The following is a list of South African military chiefs. From 1958 until the first post-apartheid election in 1994, the present-day South African National Defence Force was known as the South African Defence Force. From 1912 to 1958, the military was known as the Union Defence Force.

Head of the Defence Force
The Defence Force consists of the South African Army, South African Air Force, South African Navy, and South African Medical Service (which was renamed South African Military Health Service in 1998). The Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is the senior military commander and the chiefs of the four service arms report to him. the Chief of the SANDF is Gen. Solly Shoke SBS MMS.

Chief of the Union Defence Force
The Union Defence Force (UDF) consisted initially of land forces. An aviation corps was formed in 1915 and replaced by the South African Air Force in 1920. A naval branch was added in 1922, and the South African Division of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was incorporated into it in 1942.

In 1951, the defence forces were reorganised into three distinct combat services: the South African Army, the South African Air Force, and the South African Navy. The organisation was renamed "South African Defence Force" in 1958.

The UDF had no overall commander for the first nine and a half years. From January 1922, the Chief of the General Staff, previously responsible only for the Defence Headquarters staff, was the executive commander of the UDF. The title was changed to 'Commandant General UDF' in September 1956.

Chief of the SADF
The UDF was renamed 'South African Defence Force' in November 1958. The Commandant General's title was then changed to 'Commandant General SADF'. It was changed to 'Chief of the SADF' in July 1973. After South Africa's first democratic elections the South African Defence Force became the South African National Defence Force.

Chief of the SANDF
The SADF amalgamated with the Azanian People's Liberation Army, Umkhonto we Sizwe, and the homeland defence forces to form the South African National Defence Force in 1994. The SANDF was based on the existing SADF structure of South African Army, South African Air Force, South African Navy, and South African Medical Service (which was renamed South African Military Health Service in 1998).

Chief of the Army
The Chief of the South African Army is the professional head of the Army. There was no separate army commander until 1948. The post was called 'Director-General of Land Forces' 1948–51 and 'Army Chief of Staff' 1951–66, and has been 'Chief of the Army since 1966.

Chief of the Air Force
The Chief of the South African Air Force is the professional head of the Air Force. The post was called 'Director of Air Services' 1920–33, 'Director of Air & Technical Services' 1937–39, 'Director-General of Air Services' 1939–41, 'Director-General of the Air Force' 1941–51, and 'Air Chief of Staff' 1951–66, and has been 'Chief of the Air Force' since 1966.

Chief of the Navy
The Chief of the South African Navy is the professional head of the Navy. The post was called 'Officer Commanding South African Naval Service' 1922–32, 'Director, Seaward Defence Force' 1940–42, 'Director, South African Naval Forces' 1942–51, 'Naval & Marine Chief of Staff' 1951–55, and 'Naval Chief of Staff' 1955–66, and has been 'Chief of the Navy' since 1966.

Surgeon General
The Surgeon General is the Chief of the South African Military Health Service.

SADF (before 1994)
The South African Defence Force consisted initially of land forces and a division of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). An aviation corps was formed in 1915 and replaced by the South African Air Force in 1920. A naval branch was added in 1922, and the RNVR was incorporated into it in 1942.

In 1951, the defence forces were reorganised into three distinct combat services: the South African Army, the South African Air Force, and the South African Navy. The organisation was renamed "South African Defence Force" in 1958. In 1968, their medical branches were pooled to form the South African Medical Service, which was given the status of a combat service in 1979.

Chief of the SADF
(There was no overall commander from 1912 to 1922).


 * Maj Gen Andries Brink DTD DSO (1922–1933)
 * Gen Sir Pierre van Ryneveld KBE CB DSO MC (1933–1949)
 * Lt Gen Leonard Beyers (1949–1950)
 * Lt Gen Christiaan du Toit DSO (1950–1956)
 * Gen Hendrik Klopper DSO (1956–1958)
 * Gen Stephen Melville SSA OBE (1958–1960)
 * Gen Pieter Grobbelaar SSA DSO (1961–1965)
 * Gen Rudolph Hiemstra SSA SM (1965–1972)
 * Adm Hugo Biermann SSA SD OBE (1972–1976)
 * Gen Magnus Malan SSA SD SM (1976–1980)
 * Gen Constand Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM (1980–1985)
 * Gen Johannes Geldenhuys SSA SD SOE SM (1985–1990)
 * Gen Andreas Liebenberg SSA SD SOE SM MMM (1990–1993)
 * Gen Georg Meiring SSAS SD SM MMM (1993–1994)

Chief of the Army
(There was no separate army commander until 1948).


 * Brig Christiaan du Toit DSO (1948–1950)
 * Brig Hendrik Klopper DSO (1950–1953)
 * Maj Gen Pieter Grobbelaar DSO (1953–1958)
 * Maj Gen Nick Bierman CBE (1958–1959)
 * Maj Gen Sybrand Engelbrecht SM (1959–1963)
 * Maj Gen Petrus Jacobs SSA SM (1963–1965)
 * Lt Gen Charles 'Pop' Fraser SM (1966–1967)
 * Lt Gen Willem Louw SM (1967–1973)
 * Lt Gen Magnus Malan SSA SM (1973–1976)
 * Lt Gen Constand Viljoen SSA SM (1976–1980)
 * Lt Gen Johannes Geldenhuys SSA SD SM (1980–1985)
 * Lt Gen Andreas Liebenberg SSAS SD (1985–1990)
 * Lt Gen Georg Meiring SSAS SD SM MMM (1990–1993)
 * Lt Gen Hattingh Pretorius SD SM MMM (1993–1994)

Chief of the Air Force

 * Col Sir Pierre van Ryneveld KBE DSO MC (1920–1937)
 * Col Frederick Hoare CBE (1937)
 * Lt Col Hector Daniel MC AFC (1937–1939)
 * Col John Holthouse OBE (1939–1940)
 * Maj Gen Christoffel Venter CB DFC (1940–1945)
 * Brig Harold Willmott CBE (1945–1946)
 * Brig James 'Jimmy' Durrant CB DFC (1946–1951)
 * Brig Harold Willmott CBE (1951–1954)
 * Brig Stephen Melville OBE (1954–1956)
 * Maj Gen Barend Viljoen SSA OBE (1956–1965)
 * Lt Gen Henry "Kalfie" Martin SM CBE DFC (1965–1967)
 * Lt Gen Jacobus Verster SSA SM (1967–1975)
 * Lt Gen Robert 'Bob' Rogers SSA SM DSO DFC (1975–1979)
 * Lt Gen Michal Muller SSAS SD (1979–1984)
 * Lt Gen Denis Earp SSA SD SM (1984–1988)
 * Lt Gen Jan van Loggerenberg SSAS SD SOE SM (1988–1991)
 * Lt Gen James Kriel SSAS SD SM MMM (1991–1994)

Chief of the Navy

 * Cdr Norman Rankin (1922–1928)
 * Cdr R.P. Fitzgerald (1928–1932)
 * Vacant (1933–1939)
 * R Adm Guy Hallifax CMG (1940–1941)
 * Cdre James Dalgleish CBE (1941–1946)
 * Cdre Frederick Dean OBE (1946–1951)
 * Brig Pieter de Waal CB CMG (1951–1952)