MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) - The right to fly overhead at a low level and to march through the town with bayonets drawn is one of the most time-honoured traditions that can be bestowed upon an air force base.

Saturday, August 27, was just such an occasion for AFB Makhado when they exercised their right to the freedom of the town.

AFB Makhado is one of the South African air bases assigned to combat operations. The logo inscribed below the base emblem is Castrum Borealis, which is translated from the Latin as the Northern Fortress or Protector of the North.

AFB Makhado is also the home of the South African Air Force’s fighter forces that are assigned to protect the sovereignty of our airspace. It is strategically located near the northern border of the country, and was originally established in 1987 to be used as a forward air base to protect our country’s northern borders from aerial incursions. The base was named after the town Louis Trichardt, but with the name change of Louis Trichardt town to Makhado, the Air Force Board, in 2003, decided, in the spirit of collaboration and co-operation with the citizens of the Limpopo Province, to change the name of the AFB to Makhado.

The personnel of AFB Makhado have contributed significantly to the development within the Makhado region like disaster management, fire fighting, support to the SAPS and medical assistance, over the last 18 years. The personnel and their families have also brought knowledge, learning and sporting skills to the town. The base’s location within the Makhado Municipal area also brought a significant injection into the local economy and created jobs for hundreds of people throughout the Vhembe District. The overhead costs of running and maintaining an air force base with such huge number of personnel, add up to more than R100 000 000 per year. Acknowledging the strategic importance of the base, the government co-located the new defence package of the Hawk and Gripen aircraft to the Limpopo Province, which is the only province with this honour bestowed upon it.