| 6 South African Infantry Battalion | |||||||||||||||
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6 SAI emblem
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| Active | 1 January 1962 | ||||||||||||||
| Country |  South Africa | ||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |
Republic of South Africa | ||||||||||||||
| Branch |
 South African Army | ||||||||||||||
| Type | Air assault infantry | ||||||||||||||
| Size | Battalion | ||||||||||||||
| Part of | South African Army Infantry Formation
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| Garrison/HQ | Grahamstown, Eastern Cape | ||||||||||||||
| Motto(s) | Aliis Melius | ||||||||||||||
| Engagements |
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| Commanders | |||||||||||||||
| Current commander | Lt Col Altin John Gysman | ||||||||||||||
| Insignia | |||||||||||||||
| Company level insignia |  | ||||||||||||||
| SA Motorised Infantry beret bar circa 1992 |  | ||||||||||||||
6 South African Infantry Battalion is an air assault infantry unit of the South African Army.
6 SAI was established on 1 January 1962, at Grahamstown, Eastern Cape.[1] The new training unit was housed on the property previously used by 44 Air School established by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
The battalion became operational in 1970.[1] 6 SAI took part in Operation Protea and Operation DaisyinAngola.[1]
The Unit was involved in quelling the 1984 Grahamstown riots.[2] The army had been called in to assist the South African Police who had failed to contain the situation.
The battalion has since become an air assault infantry unit specifically trained to deploy via helicopters.[1]
The battalion was deployed in April 2013 to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
In 2013, 850 members of 6 SAI were part of the United Nations (UN) Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) authorised to use lethal force to achieve peace in the DRC. 6 SAIs involvement in the FIB saw the defeat of the M23 rebel group during the Battle of Kibati and other skirmishes. The first elements moved into the DRC on 28 April 2013 and the rest following from 15 June, with all 850 South African troops ready for action by 18 June.[9][10]
Special Forces elements such as snipers were also attached to 6 SAI. When the FIB came under mortar fire, 6 SAI established an observation post at the triple towers site and engaged enemy targets up to 1400 meters. [11]
On 28 August 2014, after their return from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the battalion was honoured with a Freedom of the City parade through Grahamstown.[12]
| From | Commanding Officers - 6 SAI BN | To |
| 21 January 1962 | Cmdt S.J. Terblanche | 31 July 1963 |
| 1 August 1963 | Cmdt M.N. Horner | 19 December 1963 |
| 20 December 1963 | Cmdt H.N. Norton | 18 September 1966 |
| 19 September 1966 | Cmdt F.A. Patten | 30 November 1967 |
| 1 December 1967 | Cmdt C.J. Lloyd | 1 November 1968 |
| 2 November 1968 | Cmdt H.F.P. Riekert | 29 September 1972 |
| 30 September 1972 | Cmdt E.J.J. Nel | 11 January 1976 |
| 12 January 1976 | Cmdt G.C.MG. Fourie | 19 April 1979 |
| 20 April 1979 | Cmdt M.J. Grobler | 31 December 1981 |
| 1 January 1982 | Cmdt F. Oelschig | 18 October 1984 |
| From | Commanding Officers - 6 SAI Training Unit | To |
| 18 October 1984 | Cmdt F. Oelschig | 28 February 1986 |
| 1 March 1986 | Cmdt P. J. Stroebel | 31 December 1990 |
| From | Commanding Officers - 6 SAI BN | To |
| 1 January 1991 | Cmdt G. P. Nel | 20 December 1991 |
| 21 December 1991 | Cmdt H. D. Du Plessis | 17 December 1993 |
| 18 December 1993 | Lt Col J. Du Buisson | 8 December 1995 |
| 9 December 1995 | Lt Col E. R. Rabie | 7 July 1999 |
| 8 July 1999 | Lt Col A. P. J. Du Preez | 31 January 2008 |
| 31 August 2008 | Lt Col M.S. Gopane | 18 March 2010 |
| 18 March 2010 | Lt Col S.S. Ntsunguzi | 23 February 2012 |
| 23 February 2012 | Lt Col Altin J. Gysman | 29 January 2019 |
| 29 January 2015 | Col V.D. Maseko | 22 February 2017 |
| 22 February 2017 | Lt Col M.A. Saki | 2017 |
| 2017 | Lt Col Yandisa Gaxenia | Present |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major - 6 SAI BN | To |
| 8 January 1962 | WO1 P. J. Grove | 31 December 1963 |
| 1 January 1964 | WO1 F. P. Smit | 31 December 1964 |
| 1 January 1969 | WO1 D.J. Maritz | 16 June 1964 |
| 17 June 1974 | WO1 J. J. Gous | 31 December 1979 |
| 1 January 1980 | WO1 D. J. Oosthuizen | 31 December 1981 |
| 1 January 1982 | WO1 J. M. Goodrich | 18 October 1984 |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major - 6 SAI Training Unit | To |
| 18 October 1984 | WO1 J.M. Goodrich | 31 December 1987 |
| 1 January 1988 | WO1 W. van Onselen | 31 December 1990 |
| From | Regimental Sergeants Major - 6 SAI BN | To |
| 1 January 1991 | WO1 J.F.E. Van Zyl | 1993 |
| 1993 | WO1 W.R. Botha | 1998 |
| 1999 | WO1 C.C. Richardson | 2008 |
| 10 October 2008 | MWO C. H. "Cassie" Coetzee | Present |
|
| Black on Thatch beige, Embossed Small Helicopter with wings |
At 07h50 yesterday morning, the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) fired the opening shots of the first ever direct attack on rebel forces in UN peacekeeping history.
It was an assault that few DRC cynics thought possible. Last week, with the assistance of the United Nations's newly established Force Intervention Brigade, troops from the FARDC drove the M23 rebel faction to the Ugandan border and forced what has been effectively their total and unconditional surrender.
The SANDF soldiers … stood their ground and defended their position with great courage and determination.
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