| Eastern Province Command | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1959-c. 2000 |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Type | Command |
| Headquarters | Port Elizabeth |
Eastern Province Command was acommand of theSouth African Army.
In 1939, South Africa was originally divided under the Union Defence Force into 9 military districts.[1] At the time, the command was headquartered atEast London and comprised2nd Infantry Brigade and 5 and 6 Batteries of the Permanent Garrison Artillery.[2]
Under the SADF, Northern Transvaal Command was originally split into an eastern and western sector while Northern Cape had to be created from scratch. The Southern Cape Command was merged with Western Cape. The Officers commanding the new Commands were usually Brigadiers all units in those areas fell under them as far as training, housing, administration, discipline and counter insurgency was concerned.
In 1980, Eastern Province Command and6 SAI engaged in Operation Rain, which was support to theTranskei during a regional drought that lasted until 1981.[3]
In the early 1980s the command's units were reported to include6 South African Infantry Battalion (Grahamstown), 84 Technical Stores Depot (Grahamstown);11 Commando (Kimberley);East Cape Province Commando (Kimberley);Port Elizabeth Commando (Kimberley); and theDanie Theron Combat School (Kimberley).
Before the reintegration of theTranskei Defence Force, a number of seniorTranskei officers had undergone staff courses inIndia. These included the head of the Transkei Defence Force, BrigadierT.T. Matanzima, who later on became head of the Eastern Province Command.[4]
The command was redesignated asArmy Support Base Eastern Cape (ASB EC), currently commanded by Colonel N.A. Ndou.[5] The Support Base was established in April 2000, after the closing down of the Eastern Province Command.[5]
| From | Commanding Officers | To |
| 1968 | BrigadierJack Dutton[7] | 1973 |
| 1 January 1983 | BrigadierJoffel van der Westhuizen[7][8] | January 1987 |
| January 1987 | BrigadierWessel Kritzinger[7] | March 1990 |
| April 1990 | BrigadierToon Slabbert[7] | April 1996 |
| 1996 | Maj GenThemba Matanzima[9] | 18 October 2025 |
South African Army Order of Battle 1940
 | ThisSouth African military article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |