HERITAGE – facts & figures

Around the globe the Military uses the same recipe to Select their very best. You create extreme conditions and see if the individual’s mind is strong enough to function with clarity. You take only volunteers – he must want it.

Statistically less than 5% of students make the initial cycle with most falling off in the selection period. The R.S.A. SF is now just over 45 years old. By 1988 less than 480 people had qualified. This is just over 30 a year.

By 2014 – 42 years after it started it had produced just over 1 000 qualified operators of which 200 had died. That is just over 22 soldiers a year.
The Operations to date include: Seaborne raids, River based diving operations suffering crocodile attacks, HALO & HAHO Insertions, Base Attacks, Urban Assaults, Hostage Rescue, Bush Warfare missions, Conventional Combat, Small teams deployment.

The Recce’s operate on first in and last out basis. They are there to gather the data before the work and there to report back at the end. Within this, the most telling fact is as follows:
F Zeelie – 1 Recce – First person killed in the Border/Bush War.
H Carstens – 1 Recce – Last Person killed in the Border/Bush War.

The facts that define these soldiers, are presented in the blocks below. We will update the section below with Facts, Figures & Anecdotes in due course. Please visit again.