Regiment Vaalrivier was established on 1 January 1960 as one of the Afrikaans medium anti-aircraft units.

[1] Regiment Vaalrivier provided air defence in the Border War from 1976 to 1984 as part of 7 South African Infantry Division.

Regiment Vaalrivier was initially armed with 35mm Oerlikon and 40mm Bofors units.

Regiment Vaalrivier moved to Apex Base in Brakpan in 2008, but eventually was transferred to Kimberley.

In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.