MEDIA RELEASE BY DEPARTMENT  OF DEFENCE: CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE ANNOUNCES THE PASSING ON OF MAJOR GENERAL (RETIRED) MONGAMELI JOHNSON TSHALI

Date of release 15 September 2011

Pretoria: Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) General Solly Shoke regrets to announce the passing on of Major General (Maj Gen) Mongameli Johnson Tshali who passed away on 07 September 2011.

Gen Tshali was born at Alexandria in Port Elizabeth on 16 October 1938 and did his primary and senior secondary school levels at Upper United Mission School and Newell High School in New Brighton respectively.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961 where he served in various capacities until his return in 1992 where he was deployed in the Eastern Cape. He was an MK commander in the following countries serving in different capacities: former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. He served as the ANC Chief Representative in Mozambique between 1975 and 1983.

In 1967-1968, Gen Tshali was the deputy commander of the Luthuli Contingent which was fighting alongside Zimbabwean People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) forces in the Wankie Sipollilo campaign.

In 1994, Maj Gen Tshali integrated into the SANDF where he obtained the same rank and served the South African Army as the project leader of Project Juggernaut which was mainly dealing with issues pertaining to discipline.

A memorial service in respect of the General will be held at Thaba Tshwane Town Hall in Pretoria on 15 September 2011, at 14:00 and a funeral with full military honours will be held at the same venue on 17 September 2011, at 08:00.

General Solly Shoke would like to send his sincerest condolences to the friends and family of the deceased.

General Tshali is survived by his two sons and a daughter.

ISSUED BY: Department of Defence
(Media Liaison Section)
Pretoria

ENQUIRIES Brigadier General Marthie Visser
082 459 1893