Bloemhof Commando

The Bloemhof Commando was originally established as a commando of the South African Republic (Transvaal)

This unit can trace its heritage to the Second Boer War, in which it fought under Commandant Tollie de Beer.

The commando had an initial strength of 737, and fought at:

• Fourteen Streams,
• Magersfontein,
• Kimberley,
• in Western Transvaal,
• Tweebosch, and
• Carter's Ridge.^[1] Together with its neighbouring commandos it was part of the force under Boer General de La Rey.

In 1901, this commando fell under the control of acting Assistant Commandant General Jan Smuts. It was reorganised with the remnants of other commandos after the Battle of Nooitgedacht.

A Commandant Tollie de Beer with the remaining 400 mounted men were instructed to continue to obstruct the Mafekeng line.^[2][3]

This commando was part of the South African Invasion of German South West Africa under the 1st Mounted Brigade led by Colonel Brits. A noteworthy engagement was the skirmishes around Husab.

The commando under Commandant Bezuidenhout was tasked to encircle the Schwarze Truppe.^[4]

Although mainly used for area protection in the Western Transvaal, this commando together with Stellaland, Kalahari, Christiana, Schweizer-Reneke and De La Rey Commandos formed a joint operational company that was deployed to the Owamboland region in South West Africa.

The unit resorted under the command of the SADF's Group 20.

At the beginning of 1979, under then commander Cmdt van Rensburg, a group of Bloemhof commando soldiers did border duty in Owamboland within a company of Group 21.

This unit, along with all other Commando units was disbanded after a decision by South African President Thabo Mbeki to disband all Commando Units.^[5][6] The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.^[7]