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| Regiment Westelike Provinsie General Jan Smuts Regiment | |
|---|---|
 SANDF Regiment Western Cape emblem | |
| Active | 1 April 1934–1960 1974–present |
| Country | South Africa |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Mechanised infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Part of | South African Infantry Formation Army Conventional Reserve |
| Garrison/HQ | Cape Town |
| Mottos | Non Sibi Sed Patriae – "Not For Ourselves, But For Our Country" |
| March | Ich hatt' einen Kameraden |
| Anniversaries | 1 April (Regimental Day) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col. H.H. Gertse |
| Honorary Colonel | Capt. G.S. van Niekerk (Col) |
| Insignia | |
| Company level Insignia |  |
| SA Mechanised Infantry beret bar circa 1992 |  |
| Abbreviation | GJSR |
TheGeneral Jan Smuts Regiment (formerlyRegiment Westelike Provinsie) is a reservemechanised infantry regiment of theSouth African Army.
Regiment Westelike Provinsie (RWP)[1] was one of eightAfrikaner-oriented Traditional Citizen Force infantry units raised by theUnion Defence Force on 1 April 1934,[2] as part of a programme to rebuild the UDF after theGreat Depression.
While RWP was only raised in 1934, it regards itself as the successor to several small and short-lived units which were formed in the Western Cape country districts in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. They were:
No volunteer units in these districts between 1866 and 1878.
No volunteer units in these districts between 1909 and 1913.
No CF units in these districts existed between 1929 and 1934.[3][4][5]
The regiment was based in the country town ofStellenbosch, 45 kilometres (28 mi) outsideCape Town, and recruited its members from the surrounding districts of the western part of the Cape Province. At that time, Citizen Force service was voluntary.
The new Regiment lost no time in ensuring that the inner man was cared for and in 1936 the first specially bottled R.W.P brandy was produced.[6]: 60 The much honoured tradition of toasting the Regiment and dignitaries in pure, undiluted R.W.P brandy is still in use today.
TheNational Party-voting Western Cape districts generally did not support South Africa's involvement in World War II. In spite of this R.W.P was able to muster enough men who were willing to go on active service. The Regiment mobilised on 1 September 1940[7] and becameNo. 12 Armoured Car Company,South African Tank Corps.[8] After months of training in this new role,No. 12 Armoured Car Company was amalgamated withNo. 11 Armoured Car Company (RSWD)Regiment Suid Westelike Distrikte, to form5th Armoured Fighting Vehicle Regiment,South African Tank Corps.[9] The Regiment moved toEgypt in September 1941 but was disbanded on 13 October 1941 after arrival. The personnel were used as reinforcements for depleted armoured car regiments already operating in theWestern Desert with whom they participated in many of the well known battles in North Africa likeSidi Rezegh,Bir Hakeim,Gazala, andEl Alamein.
On the disbandment of theSouth African Tank Corps early in 1943, former RWP personnel were absorbed into theRoyal Natal Carbineers andImperial Light Horse and soon adapted themselves to tank warfare, serving with distinction in their new units with the6th South African Armoured Division in Italy.
The regiment was presented with a Regimental Colour by his Majesty KingGeorge VI during the visit of the royal family to South Africa on 31 March 1947. The wartime Prime Minister GenJan Smuts accepted the appointment as Colonel-In-Chief of the regiment from 17 September 1948.[10]
In 1949, RWP itself was converted to Armour, and it was renamedRegiment Onze Jan, after 19th-century Afrikaner political leaderJan Hofmeyr, in 1951. From 1952, Citizen Force recruits were chosen by ballot rather than volunteering.
During the 1950s and 1960s the Regiment was part of the part-time component ofWestern Province Command.
When the Army was re-organised for internal security duties in 1960,Regiment Onze Jan was converted back to infantry and was renamedRegiment Boland. Regiment Boland later moved toPaarl and, after the introduction ofnational service conscription (in 1968), it formed a second battalion inWorcester on 1 September 1970.
The two battalions were separated in April 1974. 1 Regiment Boland resumed the original titleRegiment Westelike Provinsie and moved to Cape Town, while 2 Regiment Boland remained in Worcester asRegiment Boland. The only remnant of their association is the similar cap-badges of the two regiments.
RWP served in theAngola campaign in 1976, and carried out several tours of duty in theBorder War inSouth West Africa. It was also deployed on internal security duties in the Townships during the 1985–90 State of Emergency.
Military service has been voluntary again since 1994.[6] 71 Motorised Brigade and 9 Division were dissolved in the late nineties and the regiment presently forms part of theSouth African Army Infantry Formation.
In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.[11] Regiment Westelike Provinsie was renamedGeneral Jan Smuts Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.[12]
Jan Smuts, the regiment's honorific, was chosen because Smuts wasColonel-in-Chief of the then Regiment Westelike Provinsie from 1948 until his death. Having served in the Boer War and in both World Wars, the latter of as part of what is now today the SANDF, he was promoted Field Marshal in 1941.
In 1983, RWP adopted the Dutch spelling of "Provincie" because it regards itself as the successor to several short-lived volunteer units which existed in theStellenbosch andPaarl and neighbouring districts in the 19th century, when Dutch, rather thanAfrikaans, was the prevailing language in those areas. (See below for a list of those units.)
R.W.P has been granted theFreedom of the following Cities:[6]: 65
These honours mean that the Regiment may march on foot or mechanised with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed through the streets of Cape Town or any of the Overstrand towns, namely Hermanus, Rooi Els, Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay, Kleinmond, Fisherhaven, Hawston, Onrus, Sandbaai, Stanford, Gansbaai, Uilenskraal Mond, Franskraal, Pearly Beach and Baardskeerdersbos.
| From | Colonel-In-Chief | To |
| 1948 | Field Marshal the Right Hon.J.C. Smuts,PC OM CH ED KC FRS | 1950 |
| From | Honorary Colonels | To |
| 10 July 1934 | MajorP. J. Roos (Col) | 22 September 1948 |
| 26 September 1960 | Capt. W. N. Naude (Col) | 24 February 1969 |
| 30 October 1982 | Councillor M. J. van Zyl (Col) | 30 November 1997 |
| 1 December 1997 | Capt. G. S. van Niekerk (Col) | Present |
| From | Commanding Officers | To |
| 31 May 1934 | Lt Col. J. H. WichtCM | 1 October 1939 |
| 1 September 1939 | Lt Col. G. C. G. Werdmuller | 6 September 1939 |
| 7 September 1939 | Lt Col. C. J. Lemmer | 8 December 1939 |
| 9 December 1939 | Major. M. Versveld | 13 January 1940 |
| 14 January 1940 | Lt Col. C. J. Lemmer | 31 August 1940 |
| 1 September 1940 | Lt Col. H. S. G. Taylor | 31 December 1941 |
| 1 February 1946 | Lt Col. L. Verwoerd | 30 June 1947 |
| 1 July 1947 | Major. G. W. KrigeMC | 30 September 1947 |
| 1 October 1947 | Lt Col. L. Verwoerd | 21 April 1948 |
| 22 April 1948 | Major. G. W. KrigeMC | 11 February 1951 |
| 12 February 1951 | Cmdt. W. S. Malan | 6 January 1956 |
| 7 January 1956 | Cmdt. F. C. de Goede | 6 February 1961 |
| 7 February 1961 | Cmdt. D. I. MoodieSM JCD | 29 February 1968 |
| 22 July 1968 | Cmdt. J. Kruger | 31 July 1971 |
| 1 August 1971 | Cmdt. E. J. J. Nel | 6 June 1972 |
| 7 June 1972 | Cmdt. A. A. RossouwJCD | 25 March 1976 |
| 26 March 1976 | Cmdt. A. W. BesterSD SM MMM JCD | 01 01 1900[a] |
| 1 January 1982 | Cmdt. G. W. BoshoffSD SM MMM JCD | 31 March 1987 |
| 1 April 1987 | Cmdt. D. J. HoltzhausenSM MMM JCD | 2 April 1992 |
| 3 April 1992 | Lt Col. A. A. DuminyMMM JCD | 1 April 1999 |
| 2 April 1999 | Lt Col. D. H. SaaymanMMM JCD | 1 April 2000 |
| 2 April 2000 | Lt Col. J. J. VisserMMM JCD | 1 April 2005 |
| 2 April 2005 | Lt Col. S. E. Pierce | 18 August 2012 |
| 19 August 2012 | Lt Col. H. H. Gertse | Present |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major | To |
| 1934 | WO1 SH Joubert | 1938 |
| 1939 | WO1 SW Burger | 1945 |
| 1946 | WO1 F Ferreira | 1952 |
| 1952 | WO1 R du Toit | 1955 |
| 1955 | WO1 M Louw | 1956 |
| 1957 | WO1 IM van Rooyen | 1964 |
| 1965 | WO1 L Liebenberg | 1968 |
| 1969 | WO1 H du Toit | 1972 |
| 1972 | WO1 PF de Bruyn | 1983 |
| 1983 | WO1 MP Eagar | 1985 |
| 1985 | WO1 WP van Rhyn | 1992 |
| 1992 | WO1 DR Oosthuizen | 1992 |
| 1992 | WO1 ND van der Walt | 2001 |
| 2001 | WO1 JM Cupido | 2005 |
| 2005 | WO1 T Jordaan | 2005 |
| 2006 | WO1 A Wakies | Present |
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