SAPS sky diver dies during practice

Ambushed
Protect And Serve - Not Die

My four brave buddies in BLUE
Today the Country salutes you
You were all an inspirational light
Keeping your mission and zest bright
Little did you ever know
What seeds of evil against you could sew

On Sunday 25th Junes 2006 you were on duty
Little knowing what was expected of you
To come up against the trained forced of evil
Lead to your fate by Lucifer, the Devil
You were outnumbered, outgunned and slain
Like pigs going to their slaughter

Out numbered, not once, out spirited
You stood your ground like heroes
You carried your cross like disciples
You paid the supreme price with your flesh
You have all earned a place in heaven
While your enemy will languish in HELL!

Copyright (c)2006 William Ernest Cox

SAPS sky diver dies during practice


The parachutist from the Police Task Force, Constable Luthando Sonjani (31), who died after something went wrong with his parachute and he fell to the ground. SAPS Sky diver from the Police task force was whip lashed to the ground by a gust of wind - and died five hours later at Midmed hospital.

02 August 2012 | Daleen Naude

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An SAPS sky diver died shortly after an accident during practice training of the Police Task Force at the Middelburg Airfield.

Provincial Media Spokesperson Colonel Leonard Hlathi, confirmed that a member of the Task Force fell during the training session on Monday.

According to him “something went wrong with his parachute and he fell on the ground at the Middelburg Airfield.”

According to a reliable source it is suspected that a gust wind caught his chute and he was whip-lashed to the ground.

When paramedics arrived at the scene he was in cardiac arrest. They resuscitated him for 20 minutes until he started breathing again - but five hours later he was confirmed dead at the Midmed Hospital.

He had massive head and chest injuries and various fractures.

Colonel Hlathi stated that the deceased was stationed in Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape).

The matter is still being investigated.

• Shortly before the newspaper was printed, the Observer learned that the deceased name is Constable Luthando Sonjani (31).
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History:


After a hostage siege at the Israeli embassy on 28 April 1975 which became known as the Fox Street Siege the South African government decided to establish a special police unit to deal with situations such as hostage situations.

In 1976 the Task force was activated. The Task Force falls under operational control of the Division: Operational Response Services and is responsible for dealing with all high-risk operations, such as hostage situations on land, sea and air, including rescue-related operations.

Recruitment and trainingProspective members have to be at least 21 years old and must have served at least two years in the South African Police Service. The volunteer must also show certain personal traits such as maturity, leadership skills, and sound judgment. All Task Force applicants are volunteers and have to comply with stringent physical requirements before being admitted to the basic training and selection course. The basic training course is twenty-six weeks long and includes weapons, rural and urban combat as well as basic parachute training courses. Compulsory advanced courses include special skills such as diving, VIP protection, explosives and medical training. The total initial training period is nine months, but completing all the requisite advanced courses to become a full-fledged Special Task Force operational member may last up to three years.

Although membership of the Special Task Force open to both male and female SAPS members, female operatives undergo a separate selection course.

CurrentI n 2004 it was reported that the SAPS STF may have lost nearly 60 percent of its active members to private companies recruiting security personnel to work in Iraq.
As of 2004 with the implementation of affirmative action policy and a special course for females, the STF welcomed their first female operators in it's ranks.

As of 2010 there are now more members as there are more passes in training and equipment has been updated because of 2010 FIFA World Cup. Also top officers of the unit were sent to the United States to brush up on their crisis response skills


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History


Elite South African Police Officers Attend Special Forces Training in the United States
September 27, 2010

PRETORIA – A group of elite South African police officers are currently in the United States on a special training course on Crisis Response Training. This five-week Crisis Response Training (CRT) training provides elite tactical officers with the skills required to resolve high risk confrontations with criminals and possible terror situations, using a variety of options and with the focus of use of the minimum force necessary to protect human life.

In this training, these elite officers receive hands-on outdoor firearms training, raid and assault simulations, and other standard crisis response skills for use in an urban environment. This course concluded with a series of practical exercises that require participants to form tactical teams and respond to given scenarios.

“This training represents a continuation of the U.S. government’s commitment to partnership with South Africa,” Charge d’Affaires Helen La Lime said. “Our partnership with the SAPS is robust, and this training reflects our solid bilateral relationship. We look forward to pursuing more partnership opportunities.”

SAPS Special Task Force Commander Brigadier Lucky Mkhwanazi said, “This training recognizes the caliber of our elite Specail Task Force officers, and also the solid relationship in law enforcement South Africa has with the United States.”

Launched in 1983, and introduced in South Africa in 1999, the State Department’s Antiterrorism Assistance Program (ATA) has provided training and equipment to foreign law enforcement and security organizations to enhance capabilities and capacity to detect, deter, counter, and investigate terrorist activities. Since its inception, ATA has trained and assisted more than 100,000 foreign law enforcement personnel from 160 countries.


For more information:
South African Police Service: Senior Superintendent Vish Naidoo: 082-567-4153 | naidoov@saps.org.za
U.S. Embassy Pretoria: Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau: 012-431-4217 | 079-111-8280 | trudeauek@state.gov

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History


Service excellence

Publish date: 20 Feb 2007
Province: Head Office
Heading: Golden Wings And Badges For 46 Takies
Photograph:
Forty-six SAPS members received their operational wings and badges.
Story: It takes dedication, courage, passion and a healthy body to become a member of this combat-ready unit. They operate nationally and are called upon when situations become unbearable. They can handle any situation. They are called the Special Task Force.

Forty-six SAPS members received their operational wings and badges in December 2006. Of them, nine successfully completed both their nine months' training and the two years' practical training. The other 26 members have completed their nine months' training and must still complete their practical training in the next two years. These members will be deployed in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

An operator's badge means that a Special Task Force member has fully completed the Special Task Force selection, has undergone two years' operational service at the unit and has successfully completed all the prescribed courses within the discipline. The wings refer to the parachute wings which are issued to a member of the SAPS who has successfully completed the Special Task Force and Parachute Wings course. This course consists of static jumps, jumps with equipment, free-fall jumps, free-fall jumps with equipment and other physical training within the discipline. The training lasts up to nine months.

South Africa is the only country on the continent which offers this special kind of training. The SAPS also trains countries such as Oman and France. SAPS Task Force members are also sent to international countries for training. The Takies participate in international events, in the tactical assessments and competitions. The Special Task Force is considered to be one of the best in the world.

SAPS rank: Warrant Officer
Surname & Initial: G. Kubayi
Telephone No: (012) 393 4387