| Chief of the South African National Defence Force | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the SANDF | |
 | |
| Department of Defence | |
| Reports to | Minister of Defence and Military Veterans |
| Seat | Pretoria,Gauteng |
| Nominator | President of South Africa |
| Precursor | Chief of the South African Defence Force |
| Formation | 27 April 1994 |
| First holder | GeneralGeorg Meiring |
TheChief of the South African National Defence Force is the most seniorSouth Africanmilitary officer and the professional Head of theSouth African National Defence Force (SANDF). The Chief is appointed by thePresident of South Africa.[1]: 18
The SANDF was formed in 1994 following thefirst democratic general election in South Africa and was created by an amalgamation of theAzanian People's Liberation Army (APLA),uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) as well as the existingSouth African Defence Force (SADF) structure ofArmy,Air Force,Navy, andMedical Service (which was renamedMilitary Health Service in 1998).
In terms of the South African Constitution the role of the Chief of the South African National Defence Force is to
| No. | Portrait | Chief of the SANDF | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Meiring, GeorgGeneral Georg MeiringSSAS, SD, SM, MMM, ORB (1939–2024) | 27 April 1994 | 31 May 1998 | 4 years, 34 days |  South African Army | — |
| 2 |  | Nyanda, SiphiweGeneral Siphiwe NyandaSSA, SBS, CLS, DMG, MMS, MMM (born 1950) | 1 June 1998 | 31 May 2005 | 6 years, 364 days | South African Army | — |
| 3 |  | Ngwenya, GodfreyGeneral Godfrey NgwenyaSBG, DMG, MMS, LOM (USA) (born 1950) | 1 June 2005 | 1 May 2011 | 5 years, 334 days | South African Army | — |
| 4 |  | Shoke, SollyGeneral Solly ShokeOMBG, SBS, MMS, OMS (born 1956) | 2 May 2011 | 30 May 2021 | 10 years, 28 days | South African Army | [2] |
| 5 | | Maphwanya, RudzaniGeneral Rudzani MaphwanyaSM, MMM (born 1960) | 1 June 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 179 days | South African Army | [3] |
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