| Orange Free State Command | |
|---|---|
| Bloemfontein,South Africa | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Command (military formation) |
| Site history | |
| Events | 1933–1999 |
Orange Free State Command was acommand of theSouth African Army, active fromc. 1933 toc. 1999. Its headquarters was atBloemfontein, seemingly for a period at the Tempe airfield, later to become theTempe Military Base.
The command was originally Military District No. 4, formed in 1926. In 1933–1934 it became Orange Free State Command, and then may have become Central Command around 1939. 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 were concerned.[citation needed]
Dan Pienaar served as officer commanding from 4 January 1935 to January 1937, before being transferred to take command of theRoberts' Heights and Transvaal Command atVoortrekkerhoogte which he commanded from 17 October 1938 to May 1940.[1]
On 3 September 1939 the command included the4th Infantry Brigade (includingRegiment President Steyn, RLW,Regiment de Wet, and 4 Field Company SAEC, a pioneer battalion, and an artillery regiment, theOrange Free State Field Artillery (O.V.S. Veld Artillerie inAfrikaans).[2] The OVSVA may have later become the Orange Free State Artillery, and later, in turn, 6 Field RegimentSouth African Artillery.[3]
In 1959 the Command was renamed back to Orange Free State Command. Later BrigPieter Grobbelaar commanded. In April 197844 Parachute Brigade was formed within its command boundaries and BrigadierM. J. du Plessis, OC OFS Command, took over as the brigade commander.
In 1984 the command was reported to include:[4]
Around 199144 Parachute Brigade was subordinated to OFS Command.McGill Alexander writes that: "... The status ofbeing an independent formation consequently disappeared, and from being directly under command of Chief of the Army [44 Parachute Brigade] fell into the position of having three bosses: the Officer Commanding Rapid Deployment Force for conventional operations and exercises, Director of Operations at Army HQ for routine and unscheduled deployments inside the country and the Officer Commanding OFSCommand for everything else."[5]: 71
BrigadierReginald Otto served as officer commanding OFS Command, and later becameChief of the South African Army.
On 7 October 1999, the actingGeneral Officer Commanding OFS Command, Brigadier General Hans Heinze, denied the existence of racial tensions atTempe Military Base.[6]
| From | Commanding Officers | To |
| 4 January 1935 | Maj GenDan PienaarCB DSO & two bars | January 1937 |
| ? | Brigadier Willie Meyer | 1988?[7] |
| 1988? | BrigadierReginald Otto | 1992[8] |
| 1992 | BrigadierAndré Bestbier | 1995[8] |
| 1995 | BrigadierMos Grobler | 22 October 2025[9] |
| c. 1960 | BrigadierPieter Grobbelaar | 22 October 2025 |
| 22 October 2025 | BrigadierM. J. du Plessis | c. 1978 |
| From | Command Sgts Major | To |