Jerry Masisi Explained

Jerry Masisi
Office:SA Adjutant Defence Attaché to France
Term Start:2005
Term End:2008
Appointer:Thabo Mbeki
Siphiwe Nyanda
Office1:ANC Regional Political Committee Chairman in Angola
Term Start1:1988
Term End1:1991
Predecessor1:January Masilela (as Politico-Military Council Chairman)
Successor1:Godfrey Ngwenya (as Ambassador to Angola in 2011)
Birth Date:1958 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Soweto, South Africa
Allegiance: ANC
Spouse:Brigadier General Patience Masisi
Children:3
Occupation:Guerilla fighter, military diplomat, politician

Philemon Jerry Masisi, (born 26 December 1958) is a retired South African General, military commander and an MK guerilla. He joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress, and served in multiple roles while fighting against the South African government from the 1970s. He transferred to the South African National Defence Force after MK was incorporated into it in 1998, and has served as a Defence Attaché in Paris, France from 2005 to 2008 before being the commanding officer of the 8 Medical Battalion Group, from 2008 to 2011. He was responsible for the operation that assisted hospitals with medical assistance during the 2010 health sector strike.[1] He was subsequently promoted to Brigadier General, assuming the position of Director Military Health Human Resources.

Early life and education

General Masisi attended primary school in Soweto and relocated to Rustenburg in 1974, to attend high school. He eventually completed his high school in Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College. Other academic qualifications include an Honours Degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Maiduguri, a Master's degree in Conflict, Peace and Security from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and a PhD Session Certificate in Diplomacy from Centre d'Etudes Diplomatiques et Stratégiques (CEDS).

Military career

Honorific Prefix:Brigadier General
Jerry Masisi
Honorific Suffix:(Ret)
Nickname:Jerry
Birth Date:26 December 1958
Branch:SAMHS
Umkhonto we Sizwe Special Operations
Commands:

Masisi joined the African National Congress (ANC) in the 1970s and was involved in its underground activities. In the 1980s, he served as an MK political commissar during the liberation struggle against the South African government. He obtained his military training in Ethiopia and received an advanced ranger commando training, alongside a detachment of SWAPO guerillas. During this time, he commanded Operation LOCUST APRIL 14, which was a conclusive operation for the training which he received. According to the ANC, this detachment of guerillas was supposed to infiltrate South Africa and be the first combat operatives to initiate Operation Vula. He served as a political instructor, specialising in politics and the Marxism-Leninism philosophy and was elected as the Chairperson of the Regional Political Committee (RPC) of the ANC in Angola in the mid-1980s and attended the ANC Military Seminar, which laid the foundations for Operation Vula.[2] In 1991, he left Angola to study in Nigeria

In 1997, Masisi returned to South Africa and joined the South African National Defence Force in 1998. Although his proposed rank of integration was Brigadier General, as he had fulfilled all criteria to integrate with the rank, he integrated with the rank of Colonel. From 1999 to 2004, he served in multiple senior positions in the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS), serving as from 1999 to 2000, from 2001 to 2004 and briefly served as in an acting capacity.In 2003, he completed the (ENSP), whilst preparing for external deployment.In 2005, he was appointed as the to the South African Embassy in Paris, with shuttle accreditation to Belgium and the Netherlands. During his tenure, he attended many AFRICOM conferences and greatly improved military relations, with regard to military and military health services between France and South Africa.[3]

When his tour of duty ended in 2008, he was appointed as the Commander of the 8 Medical Battalion Group, a unit that specialises in military health field operations, and is closely linked with the 7 Medical Battalion Group.[4] In 2010, Masisi was promoted to the substantive rank of Brigadier General, in the post of, a post that oversees the career management of the entire strength of the SAMHS, whilst under the command of Vejaynand Ramlakan, who was a close friend and colleague.[5] In 2014, he was transferred to the of the Department of Defence (DOD) and served as the leader of, which probes into the auditing of management structures within the DOD. He quietly retired in 2016.[6]

Honours and awards

Military ranks

During his military career, Masisi attained the following ranks:

YearMilitary rank
1998Proposed Rank: Brigadier
(after careful consideration, he was appointed as a colonel)
2011

Medals

During his military career, General Masisi was awarded the following medals:

He has not yet been awarded the following

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Govt attempts to blunt strike's effect . News24 . News24 . 13 June 2020.
  2. A Marxist Journal of South African Studies . Searchlight South Africa . 2 . 13 June 2020 . Clio Publications . 0954-3384.
  3. Moeketsi. Maj P.I. . 90th Commemoration of The Battle of Deville Wood . SA Soldier. September 2004. 13. 9. 26. 10 Jun 2020. 1609-5014.
  4. Book: The Fourth Dimension - The Untold Story of Military Health in South Africa . 2009 . Department of Defence of South Africa . 1919938052 . 771 . 1 . 13 Jun 2020.
  5. Web site: Dube . Boitumelo Joyce . The effectiveness of the PMS used for middle-level managers in the SAMHS HQ within Gauteng Province . Faculty of Management, University of Witwatersrand . 13 Jun 2020 . 155 . 2014. handle/10539/13602.
  6. Web site: Senior Military Promotions. Defenceweb.co.za . 2010-11-04 . 2020-06-08.