Andersen again asked to stay on as Reserve Force Chief

Major General Roy Andersen, who should have handed over responsibilities as Chief: SANDF Reserves at the end of May to a successor is, in his own words, “staying on a bit longer”. This is after being asked – again - by Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), General Solly Shoke, to keep on contributing as the country’s most senior Reserve Force officer. He has held this position since October 2003 when he was promoted to major general as Reserve Force chief. He would not give an indication of exactly how long “a bit longer” was going to be. Andersen last year told defenceWeb he had been asked by Shoke to stay on for another year when his retirement from uniformed service was imminent. Among others the country’s top soldier wanted the Defence Reserves chief to carry on as a trustee of the Education Trust set up by Shoke to assist the dependents of soldiers killed or seriously injured while on duty. This trust has this year made available 68 bursaries – nine more than planned for – at a value of more than R1.1 million.