Commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the Battle of Mutale River

24 March 2022

Department of Military Veterans (DMV) in partnership with the South African National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA) and various stakeholders will host events to commemorate the Battle of Mutale River which occurred on the 28th March 1988 when a nine-person Mkhonto We Sizwe (MK) unit tasked with infiltrating the rural areas of the then-Venda homeland in Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo), crossed from Zimbabwe into South Africa on 25 March 1988.

On the morning of 28 March 1988 a battle ensured between the then Venda Defence Force (VDF) and the nine person MK unit at the Mutale River. The VDF called for reinforcements from the then South African Defence Force (SADF) and helicopter gunships were deployed which ended in the demise of five of the nine MK guerrillas.The Battle of Mutale constitutes one of the many heroic battles that MK fought against the Apartheid forces during its 60 year history.

Amongst key events that will be held in commemoration of the Battle of Mutale are, a memorial lecture will on the 27th of March 2022 at Soweto, Mdeni Secondary School. The memorial lecture will be followed by a wreath laying ceremony on the 28 March 2022 at Tembisa (Imfihweni) Cemetery at 09h00am.