{"id":850110,"date":"2026-02-06T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=850110"},"modified":"2026-02-06T17:55:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:55:24","slug":"prestigious-south-african-military-base-is-now-a-run-down-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/850110\/prestigious-south-african-military-base-is-now-a-run-down-mess\/","title":{"rendered":"Prestigious South African military base is now a run-down mess"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thaba Tshwane, formerly known as Voortrekkerhoogte, has become so run-down that parliamentarians have sounded the alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thaba Tshwane is a major military base and area located in Pretoria, Gauteng, which serves as a crucial hub for the South African National Defence Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It carries deep historical significance, having undergone several name changes that reflect South Africa’s political shifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was established by the British after the Anglo-Boer War and was known as Roberts Heights from 1905 to 1939.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has accommodated several high-ranking defence force officers since its founding, including Sir Pierre van Ryneveld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nearby block house, which is included in the proclamation, dates from the South African War and is an example of a structure that was commonplace in 1902.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1939, the government of the Union of South Africa renamed it Voortrekkerhoogte, following the start of construction of the nearby Voortrekker Monument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a time of growing Afrikaner Nationalism, and the name change represented the strong link to the pioneering Afrikaner Voortrekkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 19 May 1998, following the end of apartheid and the establishment of a new democratic government, it was renamed Thaba Tshwane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It houses several vital military institutions, including the South African Army College, based in the South African Garrison Institute, and 1 Military Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also home to the Military Police School, the National Ceremonial Guard and Band, and the Steve Biko Artillery Regiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thaba Tshwane and New Military Cemeteries and the SADF Wall of Remembrance are also linked to the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, it remains a high-security military zone. While it is an active operational area, certain parts are historically significant to visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military base is now a run-down mess<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In March and April 2025, the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) conducted a joint oversight visit to parts of Thaba Tshwane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee on Defence was joined by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What they saw was severe neglect, mismanagement, and a lack of progress in maintaining military infrastructure and housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key findings included issues with illegal occupation, subletting, and poor conditions at military accommodations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One representative said the so-called \u2018brown blocks\u2019 flats in the area stand as a glaring testament to years of neglect and mismanagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese accommodations are not merely sub-standard. They are unfit for human habitation and pose a danger to all who reside within them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the buildings are riddled with defects and are in such a dreadfully dilapidated state that they could implode at any moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the first time the deterioration of Thaba Tshwane has made headlines. In 2011, former Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu sounded the alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following her concerns, a street-cleaning campaign was held in Thaba Tshwane, which included maintenance and general cleaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this had little impact on the long-term deterioration of the once-prestigious Thaba Tshwane area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This deterioration included illegal shebeens opening in the military base, subletting of rooms in military houses, and increased crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha, the Chief of the South African Army, has big plans to turn the area around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wanted to see soldiers given dignity at their home base, Thaba Tshwane, known for decent housing and functional facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His plans included infrastructure rejuvenation and professional discipline, with better security to prevent civilian encroachment and illegal occupation of military land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plans also wanted to stop drug dealing, prostitution, armed robberies, illegal taverns, subletting, and illegal occupation of military houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BusinessTech visits Thaba Tshwane<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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BusinessTech visited Thaba Tshwane in February 2026 to see whether the interventions and oversight visit made a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although we could assess only public areas at the Thaba Tshwane military base, there were clear signs of deterioration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were weeds on the sidewalks, the roads were full of potholes, and there were many buildings which were run down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many houses were clearly neglected, and there was rubbish dumped in one of the areas which we visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thaba Tshwane did not resemble the once-proud military base which once housed and hosted many top army leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, it looked like a neglected and deteriorating town which was in desperate need of attention and rejuvenation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photos of the Thaba Tshwane area<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thaba Tshwane, formerly known as Voortrekkerhoogte, has become so run-down that parliamentarians have sounded the alarm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":850111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[24692,24691,20428,24689,24690],"class_list":["post-850110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-pierre-van-ryneveld","tag-roberts-heights","tag-south-african-national-defence-force","tag-thaba-tshwane","tag-voortrekkerhoogte"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850110"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":850134,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850110\/revisions\/850134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}