The local military base will host the annual SANDF Parachuting Championships from 13 to 18 December. This is the first time that 6SAI Battalion will host the champs and Officer Commanding of 6SAI, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Gopane is excited about the event.
The local military base will host the annual SANDF Parachuting Championships from 13 to 18 December. This is the first time that 6SAI Battalion will host the champs and Officer Commanding of 6SAI, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Gopane is excited about the event.
Gopane will form part of the local six member team taking part in the champs, and it will be the ninth time he will compete in the champs.
Gopane said he has not trained much for this year’s champs, as he was away with his members in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for most of the year, and is currently training with the soldiers for a training course in February next year.
When he does find time to train, he and his team members train with Joos Vos of Eastern Province Skydiving.
Gopane says the 6SAI is looking forward to hosting soldiers from across the country and he hopes they will be able to enhance their parachuting skills in the different weather patterns as to what many are used to.
Among the activities making up the competition are accuracy landing, where there will be a large mat placed on the military base sports field and competitors will try and land in the centre block.
There will also be formation skydiving which involves random maneuvers. Gopane said organisers of the champs are expecting about 80 competitors to take part.
