THE headquarters of the Infantry School in Oudtshoorn is now known as The Kremlin, but not everybody is happy with this new name.
According to Lt Mmata Raphala, the PRO at the Infantry School, a few historical facts were taken into consideration before renaming the headquarters.
The new name of the headquarters of the Infantry School is now The Kremlin. Not everyone is pleased with the name change.
The Infantry School opened its doors in Oudtshoorn on 1 January 1964. In those days only young white males were recruited to undergo military training.
To most South Africans of the 1980′s the Soviet Union represented everything that was evil and bad about the world: autocracy, suffering and a total lack of free will – everything that the conscript experienced at the Infantry School at that time. With typical soldier humour the headquarters of the Infantry School became referred to as “The Kremlin”, with reference to all the suffering they were undergoing.
In November 2011 a decision was taken to rename the Infantry School’s headquarters to The Kremlin as a sign of respect to all the national servicemen who had passed through the gates of the Infantry School.
It also reflects the great sense of awe toward those soldiers who spent a good part of their youth undergoing training to protect what they regarded as their own.
The unit conference room has been named the Central Committee, which was the organisation of people who played the leading role in the Kremlin.
In the mean time Die Hoorn has received telephone calls from readers complaining about the new name. According to the calls residents as well as some employees of the Infantry School are angry about the name change and plan to take further steps.
Perhaps the Infantry School should consider the 60 Million people murdered, disappeared and banished to freezing and starvation in Siberia and the Gulags by successive regimes in the REAL Kremlin, before they play silly games with names?
Is this really the impression of the SANDF “management style” they wish to project?
Thoughtless and opportunistic I say!
Ek was in 1978 ‘n troep by die Infanterieskool gewees. Toe reeds is na die Hoofkwartier as die Kremlin verwys. M.a.w. ‘n naam wat gegee is deur oud SA Weermag-bevelskaders van die Infanterieskool. Die naam het so oorgegaan van bevelvoerder tot bevelvoerder, tot waar dit vandag is. So, ek weet nie wat die probleem is nie. Niemand het 20/30 jaar gelede ‘n probleem gehad nie. Die benaming word nou net vergestalt teen die gebou.
Dit het niks uit te waai met die huidige politiek of bevelvoerders se voorkeure of om ‘n “statement” te maak nie.
Ek was ook vanaf 1990 tot 1995 by 8 SAI BN in Upington gewees en die oggend-konferensie is ook Kremlin genoem.
So die mense wat ongelukkig is moet bietjie “chill”.
Let us just be certain that the residents who are complaining about the name change at the Infantry school are also complaining about “Verwoerdplein”, “Seppie Greef” building and the streets and sports facilities named after Arnold de Jager and Michael Schultz.
Kan hulle nie maar die Infanterieskool se naam ook verander nie? “School of Circus” of so iets…