{"id":91480,"date":"2025-04-10T04:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T04:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480"},"modified":"2025-07-08T07:08:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T05:08:57","slug":"military-academy-turns-75-with-series-of-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/military-academy-turns-75-with-series-of-celebrations\/","title":{"rendered":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<p>The Saldanha Military Academy commemorated its 75th Anniversary with a series of events.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The important milestone was marked from Friday 28 and Sunday 30 March.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in April 1950 under the auspices of the (then) University of Pretoria, the mission of the academy was to provide military personnel with opportunities in higher education and training. \r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The initial curriculum offerings included BA Mil and BSc Mil. Today it has expanded to accommodate the ever-evolving international military landscape.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first the academy only catered for Army and Air Force cadets. However, in December 1957 the headquarters of the Military Academy moved to Saldanha to accommodate naval students. \r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As was the case with other South African institutions in those days, the academy was an exclusive white, male institution. \r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It has since come a long way to what it is today, reflecting the full spectrum of the country&#8217;s population.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The face of the new South Africa was on full display over the weekend celebrations. The occasion started on Friday with an 8 kilometer fun run and family gathering on the sport field.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Saturday morning the community of Saldanha witnessed the Military Academy students participating in a Freedom of the City Right of Entry Parade, where they were addressed by mayoral representative Councillor Jaco Kotze. \r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He emphasised the importance of the academy as an integral part of the community and a partner the council was proud to be associated with.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was followed by an Open Day at the academy, where the community and alumni could view the facilities and obtain information on its offerings. \r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to hundreds of visitors, many of whom were former students, the new Vredenburg High School had a specific contingent of Grade 10 and 11 learners who were eager to know about possible military career opportunities.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The highlight of the weekend, no doubt, was a gala evening attended by invited guests and dignitaries. In addition to the senior staff of the academy, led by Commandant, Brigadier-General AJ de Castro and the acting Dean of the Faculty of Military Science, Dr Frankie Monama, the Guest-in-Chief was SA National Defence Force Chief of Human Resources Division, Lieutenant-General Malungisa Sitshongaye.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also present were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Stellenbosch, Prof Nico Koopman, Kotze and numerous local business partners.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The weekend events, fittingly, concluded on Sunday with a Memorial Parade and wreath-laying ceremony in honour of members of the academy who has passed on, uniformed and civilian.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>De Castro said the institution is about people, its programmes and property. He said the members who came before him and others laid the groundwork for what the institution has become.\r<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The programmes are internationally bench-marked and conform to the highest standards. The property and assets belong to the people of South Africa and it is important for the institution to be accountable to it, De Castro said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/8GalaKoopmanCHRDean_55809.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>Prof Nico Koopman (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel at Stellenbosch University), Lieutenant-General Malungisa Sitshongaye (Chief of Human Resources of the SANDF) and Dr Fankie Monama (Acting Dean of the Faculty of Military Science).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Saldanha Military Academy commemorated its 75th Anniversary with a series of events. The important milestone was marked from Friday 28 and Sunday 30 March. Established in April 1950 under [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":91481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Lieutenant-General Malungisa Sitshongaye (Chief of Human Resources of the SANDF), Brigadier General Cassie de Castro (Commandant of the Military Academy) and Charmaine de Castro.","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["NL Saldanha Military Academy_P1","NL Saldanha Military Academy_P2"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-91480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations | Weslander<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Saldanha Military Academy commemorated its 75th Anniversary with a series of events. The important milestone was marked from Friday 28 and Sunday 30 March. Established in April 1950 under [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/military-academy-turns-75-with-series-of-celebrations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Weslander\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-10T04:00:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-08T05:08:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Weslander\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Weslander\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0\"},\"headline\":\"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-10T04:00:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-08T05:08:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480\"},\"wordCount\":511,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480\",\"name\":\"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations | Weslander\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-10T04:00:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-08T05:08:57+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Lieutenant-General Malungisa Sitshongaye (Chief of Human Resources of the SANDF), Brigadier General Cassie de Castro (Commandant of the Military Academy) and Charmaine de Castro.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?p=91480#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/weslander-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/weslander-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Weslander\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/weslander_koerant\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Weslander has been the main source of reliable news for the West Coast (Weskus) for 53 years, earning the trust of generations of readers. With a strong community focus, the newspaper serves as a vital link between residents, local businesses, and public services. It\u2019s a go-to platform for hyper-local stories \u2014 the kind of news that often goes unnoticed by national outlets but plays a crucial role in everyday life. From school achievements and local heroes to municipal matters and regional developments, Weslander provides a voice to smaller communities, helping to connect people, raise awareness, and highlight the issues that matter most to them.\",\"email\":\"weslander@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"022 713 1251\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Weslander\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/author\\\/weslander\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations | Weslander","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations","og_description":"The Saldanha Military Academy commemorated its 75th Anniversary with a series of events. The important milestone was marked from Friday 28 and Sunday 30 March. Established in April 1950 under [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/military-academy-turns-75-with-series-of-celebrations\/","og_site_name":"Weslander","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/","article_published_time":"2025-04-10T04:00:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-08T05:08:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Weslander","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Weslander","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480"},"author":{"name":"Weslander","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/person\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0"},"headline":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations","datePublished":"2025-04-10T04:00:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-08T05:08:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480"},"wordCount":511,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480","name":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations | Weslander","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-10T04:00:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-08T05:08:57+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Lieutenant-General Malungisa Sitshongaye (Chief of Human Resources of the SANDF), Brigadier General Cassie de Castro (Commandant of the Military Academy) and Charmaine de Castro."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=91480#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Military Academy turns 75 with series of celebrations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/","name":"Weslander","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization","name":"Weslander","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/weslander-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/weslander-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Weslander"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/weslander_koerant\/"],"description":"Weslander has been the main source of reliable news for the West Coast (Weskus) for 53 years, earning the trust of generations of readers. With a strong community focus, the newspaper serves as a vital link between residents, local businesses, and public services. It\u2019s a go-to platform for hyper-local stories \u2014 the kind of news that often goes unnoticed by national outlets but plays a crucial role in everyday life. From school achievements and local heroes to municipal matters and regional developments, Weslander provides a voice to smaller communities, helping to connect people, raise awareness, and highlight the issues that matter most to them.","email":"weslander@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"022 713 1251","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/person\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0","name":"Weslander","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Weslander"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/author\/weslander\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/7GalaCHR_55768.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":297539,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/parade-at-military-academy\/","url_meta":{"origin":91480,"position":0},"title":"Parade at military academy","author":"Weslander","date":"4 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The parade formally marked the commencement of the 2026 academic year, which saw 67 first-year students marching, and was led by the South African Army Band from Youngsfield in Wynberg, Cape Town.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/087_13772.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/087_13772.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/087_13772.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/087_13772.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/087_13772.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50009,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/heroes-show-skill-and-ability-20231011-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":91480,"position":1},"title":"Heroes show skill and ability","author":"Weslander","date":"16 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Twenty-two boys from Saldanha were put through their paces and equipped with skills during a HERO Bootcamp.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8ba76d086d6f4d85a896a13b158c9544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8ba76d086d6f4d85a896a13b158c9544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8ba76d086d6f4d85a896a13b158c9544.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8ba76d086d6f4d85a896a13b158c9544.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8ba76d086d6f4d85a896a13b158c9544.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8ba76d086d6f4d85a896a13b158c9544.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57491,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/curamus-casual-day-workshop-at-military-academy-20220525-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":91480,"position":2},"title":"Curamus casual day workshop at Military Academy","author":"Weslander","date":"30 May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Curamus Association and Casual Day recently hosted a combined workshop at the Military Academy in Saldanha.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1ac3c0b0fc734334a766e2670011b894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1ac3c0b0fc734334a766e2670011b894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1ac3c0b0fc734334a766e2670011b894.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1ac3c0b0fc734334a766e2670011b894.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1ac3c0b0fc734334a766e2670011b894.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1ac3c0b0fc734334a766e2670011b894.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":266109,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/youth-camp-to-fight-drugs\/","url_meta":{"origin":91480,"position":3},"title":"Youth camp to fight drugs","author":"Weslander","date":"13 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Local Drug Action Committee of the Saldanha Bay Municipality's Public Safety Awareness Unit engaged in a joint youth camp at the Saldanha Bay Military Academy, coordinated by multiple stakeholders.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514489147_1142027364_33570.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514489147_1142027364_33570.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514489147_1142027364_33570.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514489147_1142027364_33570.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514489147_1142027364_33570.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50941,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/fire-strikes-20230816-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":91480,"position":4},"title":"Fire strikes","author":"Weslander","date":"21 August 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Part of the accommoda\u00adtion block at the Sal\u00addanha Military Acade\u00admy was damaged in a fire last weekend.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7251ecd7b2f0483191991d962e7bbe8e.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7251ecd7b2f0483191991d962e7bbe8e.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7251ecd7b2f0483191991d962e7bbe8e.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/7251ecd7b2f0483191991d962e7bbe8e.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46253,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/military-academy-boxers-knock-out-competition-20240703-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":91480,"position":5},"title":"Military Academy boxers \u2018knock out\u2019 competition","author":"Weslander","date":"8 July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Military Academy boxers \u2018knock out\u2019 competition","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e3761e19119841928918b23a09a68b5a.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e3761e19119841928918b23a09a68b5a.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e3761e19119841928918b23a09a68b5a.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e3761e19119841928918b23a09a68b5a.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e3761e19119841928918b23a09a68b5a.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e3761e19119841928918b23a09a68b5a.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Weslander","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91480"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=91480"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=91480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}