The Formation was established in April 1999 and mandated to provide, maintain and sustain landward common training to the SA Army.

[1] The Dutch East India Company in 1786 established a training centre in South Africa for military cadets, from the local population.

However, the school did not reach the stage where it functioned properly, owing to the financial difficulties and eventual collapse of the Dutch East India Company.

The report added that the institution ".At first the only branches of the College which were in existence were: The S.A. Military School was established on 1 July 1912 at the Old Presidency in Bloemfontein.

As a result, the various training establishments in the Bloemfontein area were transferred to Tempe on 1 January 1914 and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel P. C. B. Skinner.

It was composed of: Following the outbreak of the First World War, the establishment at Tempe was closed and the staff transferred to the mobilisation camp at Potchefstroom early in 1915.

In 1920, the College was re-established in the now familiar stone building at Roberts Heights (now Thaba Tshwane) and designated the South African Military School.

This policy of combined training resulted in the appearance among South African officers of individuals who sported both spurs (horse gunners) and wings.

Major-General H. B. Klopper, DSO, Inspector General, and Brigadier P. H. Grobbelaar, uso, Army Chief-of-Staff, were on the saluting base with the Minister of Justice.

The College badge, a wildebeest, is embroidered on a blue background on the white hand of the Colour and is encircled by two laurels of pink proteas with green leaves.

The BMT programme consists of 600 40-minute instructional periods, allocated to Fitness, Drill, Combat skills, Musketry, Shooting Exercises, Fieldcraft, Map Reading, Command Information, Political Science, SANDF & SA Army organisation, "Know your Enemy", Military Security, Chaplain's periods, Regimental duties, Standing Orders, Loss control, Guards and sentries, Military law, Hygiene, Buddy Aid, Conditioning training, Combat PT, Recreational PT, Parade drill, Compliments and saluting, Musketry and Weapons drill, Field exercises and route marches, as well as Basic mine awareness.

Also focussed on is the use of a compass, orientating by using the sun and stars; camouflage and concealment – both of the individual and of fighting positions and bivouacs; stalking; observation and judging distance: all of this by day and night.

A recruit is expected to walk up a specially laid-out path and identify and engage a variety of targets concealed along the way – using lessons drawn from fieldcraft.

Musketry training includes work on the shooting range and along the "bush lane", but is preceded by many hours mastering the maintenance and cleaning of the R4 service rifle.

Fitness is a basic requirement for soldiering, in addition to conditioning training and combat PT, usually conducted in uniform and boots, with an R4; recruits are also exposed to ever-longer route marches.

By the end of basic training, the recruit should be able to complete a 25 km route march, bearing a rifle and 25 kg pack, in four-and-a-half hours.

A rifleman is introduced to the art of patrolling and laying ambushes – skills equally useful on the conventional battlefield as during counterinsurgency campaigns and for peace support.

JSCSP is a 44 – week residential programme, held at the South Africa National War College, is aimed at preparing selected officers for senior appointments at the operational level of war by developing their command, staff, and analytical skills through broadening their professional understanding of joint and multinational operations, defence management and the wider aspects of the conflict.