Some have claimed the use of the word "corvette" was a political decision made by the South African government to ease criticism of the procurement of the vessels.

SAS Isandlwana was built at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyards in Kiel, Germany, and she arrived in South Africa on 25 February 2004.

[3] In 2007, SAS Isandlwana took part in the Atlasur Exercise in cooperation with the fleets of Brazil and Chile.

Mhlana, Deputy Chief of the Navy in May 2023, Isandlwana had been scheduled for a refit in both 2012 and 2018 but no work had been done to date.

In this case the famous Battle of Isandlwana between the Zulu nation and the British Empire, at the beginning of the Anglo-Zulu War.