Signed CSW 2021 Version (Nov 2022)

RESTRICTED i
CONVENTIONS OF SERVICE WRITING
1. This document is the property of the Department of Defence (DOD) and is issued only
to those members who need it in the execution of their official duties. Any person who finds
an abandoned copy of this document is requested to hand it in at the nearest South African
National Defence Force (SANDF) unit or South African Police Service (SAPS) station for
despatch to the Chief of the South African National Defence Force (C SANDF), Private Bag
X319, Pretoria, 0001 together with particulars of the circumstances in which it was found.
2. The unauthorised withholding or destruction of this document is an infringement in

terms of the Protection of Information Act, 1982 (Act 84 of 1982).
NOTE: The information contained in this document may not be communicated directly or indirectly
to the press or to any unauthorised person.
3. The manual, Conventions of Service Writing (CSW), has been reviewed and the 2021
edition has been approved by the Secretary for Defence (Sec Def) and C SANDF for
promulgation throughout the DOD.
4. This manual serves as a basis for standardising service writing as prescribed for staff
work and correspondence in English.
5. This edition supersedes all previous editions. No other edition may be used and all
obsolete copies must be destroyed.
6. Proposed changes and amendments are to be forwarded via the normal chain of
command to
Department of Defence
Human Resource Division
Human Resource Development
Directorate Language Services
Private Bag X159
Pretoria
0001
7. Page-by-page mustering must be carried out on first receipt and on the insertion of a
change.
CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

Year: 2021
ii RESTRICTED
RECORD OF AMENDMENTS
1. The general arrangement of the content within the chapters has been reviewed and adjusted
accordingly.
2. Additional examples of government branding have been added.
3. Guidelines addressing PowerPoint presentations have been added to Chapter 2.
4. Step-by-step guidelines have been included which will assist the user in setting up a
document in Microsoft Word correctly in accordance with the CSW.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page No
FRONT PAGE MATTER

Approval Sheet i
Record of Amendments ii
Table of Contents iii
1 STANDARD WRITING PRINCIPLES
Service Writing 1-1

Introduction 1-1
Aim 1-1
Application 1-1
Characteristics of Service Writing 1-1
Golden Rules of Service Writing 1-2
Effective Writing Style 1-3
Parts of Speech 1-4
Tenses 1-5
Service Writing Principles 1-5
Special Usages 1-5
Use of the Terms ‘General Officer Commanding’, ‘Officer 1-6
Commanding’, Commanding Officer’, ‘Commandant’ and
‘Commander’
Naval Ranks 1-6
Capital Letters 1-7
Style and Punctuation 1-8
Numbers and Measurements 1-12
Date and Time 1-13
Description of Locations and Areas 1-14
Description of Formations, Units and Detachments 1-17
Task Force Numbers (SAN) 1-17
Task Designations (SAN) 1-17
Appendices and Annexures
Appendix A: Abbreviations 1A-1
Annexure 1: Military Ranks/Public Service Act Titles 1A1-1
Annexure 2: Table of Precedence of Orders, Decorations 1A2-1
and Medals (with Post-nominal Letters) in
the DOD
Annexure 3: List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 1A3-1
Prescribed for Common use in the DOD
Appendix B: English Tenses 1B-1
Appendix C: System of Numbering Days and Hours 1C-1
2 STANDARD LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Standard Layout 2-1

Introduction 2-1
Government Branding 2-1
Margins 2-3
Font Type and Point Size 2-4
Justification 2-4
Italics 2-4

Year: 2021
iv RESTRICTED
Chapter Page No
Tab Settings 2-4

Spacing 2-4
Bold Typeface 2-4
Headers and Footers 2-5
Page Numbering 2-5
Security Classifications 2-6
Copy Number 2-7
File Reference 2-7
Address Block 2-8
Addressing an Envelope 2-9
Headings 2-9
Layout and Numbering of Paragraphs 2-11
Marking of Drafts 2-11
Tabular Layout 2-12
Signature Block 2-13
Signing of Correspondence 2-14
Distribution Block 2-17
Supplementary Documents 2-20
Appendices 2-20
Annexures 2-22
Enclosures 2-23
Referencing and Noting 2-24
Identifying References 2-24
Noting Additional Information 2-26
Source Referencing 2-28
Plagiarism 2-28
In-text Referencing 2-28
Source References 2-30
Basic Layout of PowerPoint Slides 2-31
Presentation as Verbal Communication 2-31
Preparing for a Verbal Presentation 2-31
Design Layout of PowerPoint Slides 2-35
Cardinal Virtues of Verbal Presentations 2-36
Setting up a Word Document 2-37
Appendix A: Examples of Government Branding 2A-1
Appendix B: Basic Layout and Spacing 2B-1
Appendix C: Format of a Tabular Layout 2C-1
Annexure 1: Tabular Layout without Table Numbers 2C1-1
Annexure 2: Tabular Layout with Table Numbers 2C2-1
Appendix D: Harvard Method of Referencing 2D-1
Annexure 1: Example of a Bibliography 2D1-1
Appendix E: Example of Flags and Side Flags Layout 2E-1
Appendix F: Layout of a Slide Show for a Presentation 2F-1
Appendix G: Computer Set-up Procedures 2G-1
3 ROUTINE CORRESPONDENCE
Introduction 3-1
Elements of Layout 3-1
Types of Correspondence 3-2
Memorandum 3-2
Routine Letter 3-3

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED v
Chapter Page No
Formal Letter 3-3

Demi-official Letter 3-4
Facsimile Cover Sheet 3-5
Lotus Notes and E-mail 3-5
Protocol in Correspondence 3-6
General 3-6
Formal Invitations and Replies 3-6
Appendix A: Official Table of Precedence 3A-1
Appendix B: Layout of Comments Block 3B-1
Appendix C: Layout of a Memorandum 3C-1
Appendix D: Layout of a Routine Letter 3D-1
Annexure 1: Routine Letter Addressed to a Single 3D1-1
Recipient
Annexure 2: Routine Letter Addressed to Single or 3D2-1
Multiple Recipients
Appendix E: Layout of Formal Letters 3E-1
Annexure 1: Layout of a Formal Letter (Internal) 3E1-1
Annexure 2: Layout of a Formal Letter (External) 3E2-1
Appendix F: Layout of a Demi-official Letter 3F-1
Appendix G: Layout of a Facsimile Cover Sheet 3G-1
Appendix H: Layout of Lotus Notes and E-mail 3H-1
Appendix I: Examples of Formal Invitations 3I-1
Annexure 1: Example of a Covering Letter to C SANDF 3I1-1
iro Formal Invitations to the President and
Other Dignitaries
Annexure 2: Example of a Covering Letter from 3I2-1
C SANDF to MOD&MV iro Invitations to the
President and Other Dignitaries
Annexure 3: Examples of Invitation Letters to the 3I3-1
Annexure 4: Invitations Sent by Facsimile/E-mail 3I4-1
Annexure 5: Examples of Formal Invitations 3I5-1
Appendix J: Examples of Replies to Invitations 3J-1
4 AGENDAS AND MINUTES OF MEETINGS
Introduction to Meetings 4-1

Arrangements and Agenda 4-2
Meeting Procedure and Minute Taking 4-3
Drafting of Minutes 4-4
Drafting of Confirmatory Notes 4-5
Appendix A: Example of a Constitution for a Meeting 4A-1
Appendix B: Layout of an Agenda 4B-1
Annexure 1: Layout of an Agenda in Listed Format 4B1-1
Annexure 2: Layout of an Agenda in Tabular Format 4B2-1
Appendix C: Placing of Items on an Agenda 4C-1
Appendix D: Layout of Minutes of a Meeting 4D-1
Appendix E: Example of Confirmatory Notes 4E-1

Year: 2021
vi RESTRICTED
Chapter Page No
5 SPECIALISED DOCUMENTATION
Introduction 5-1
Summaries 5-1
Nature of a Summary 5-1
Reading Summary (With or Without Opinion) 5-2
Executive Summary or Abstract 5-3
Précis 5-4
Written and Oral Reports 5-6
Nature of a Report 5-6
Read and Comment/Give Input Report 5-9
Submission 5-10
Brief 5-10
Staff Paper 5-12
Appreciation (Non-operational) 5-13
Pro Forma Reports 5-13
Statement 5-13
Affidavit 5-13
Citation 5-14
Board of Inquiry 5-16
Cabinet Memoranda, Questions in the National Assembly, in 5-18
Parliament and Posed by the Portfolio Committee on Defence
Cabinet Memoranda 5-18
Questions to the National Assembly 5-24
Questions in Parliament and Questions Posed by the Portfolio 5-24
Committee on Defence
Appendix A: Example of how to Write a Reading Summary 5A-1
Appendix B: Example of a Précis 5B-1
Appendix C: Layout of a Submission 5C-1
Appendix D: Layout of a Written and Verbal Brief 5D-1
Annexure 1: Layout of a Written Brief 5D1-1
Annexure 2: Layout of Verbal Decision Brief 5D2-1
Appendix E: Layout of a Staff Paper 5E-1
Appendix F: Statement Pro Forma 5F-1
Appendix G: Affidavit/Solemn Statement Pro Forma 5G-1
Appendix H: Citation Pro Forma 5H-1
Appendix I: Convening Order for a Board of Inquiry Pro 5I-1
Forma
Appendix J: Legal Terminology 5J-1
Appendix K: Layout of a Cabinet Memorandum 5K-1
Appendix L: Layout of a Response to Questions in the 5L-1
National Assembly
6 HANDLING AND DRAFTING OF SIGNAL MESSAGES
Purpose 6-1
Writing Conventions for Signals 6-1
Signal Writing Terminology 6-1
Drafter’s Responsibilities 6-2
Releasing Officer Responsibilities 6-2
Instructions for Completing the Signal Form 6-3
Instructions for Drafting the Text of a Signal Message 6-7

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED vii
Chapter Page No
Instructions for Signing and Filling the Bottom Blocks 6-11

Acknowledgment of Receipt 6-12
Cancellation of a Signal Message 6-12
Amendments 6-12
Minimising Signal Traffic in an Emergency 6-12
Appendices
Appendix A: Layout of a Signal Message 6A-1
Appendix B: Degrees of Precedence 6B-1
Appendix C: Phonetic Alphabet 6C-1
Appendix D: International Time Zones 6D-1
Appendix E: Abbreviations Relating to Signal Messages 6E-1
7 APPRECIATIONS
Introduction 7-1
Appreciation Process 7-2
Informal Appreciation (Abridged Version) 7-3
Reappreciation 7-3
Revision 7-3
Conclusion 7-3
Commander’s Appreciation at the Operational Level of War 7-4
Introduction 7-4
Essence of the Commander’s Appreciation at the Operational Level 7-4
Broad Layout of the Commander’s Appreciation 7-5
Point Paper 7-6
Position Paper 7-7
Appendices
Appendix A: Layout of a Formal Army Appreciation 7A-1
Appendix B: Layout of a Formal Air Force Appreciation 7B-1
Appendix C: Layout of a Formal Naval Appreciation 7C-1
Appendix D: Layout of a Formal SAMHS Appreciation 7D-1
Appendix E: Layout of a Point Paper 7E-1
Appendix F: Layout of a Position Paper 7F-1
8 PLANS, ORDERS, INSTRUCTIONS AND DIRECTIVES
Plans 8-1
Introduction 8-1
Application of Plans 8-1
Types of Plans 8-2
Elements of a Plan 8-2
Execution 8-4
Support Plans 8-4
Hierarchy of Documents in the Environment of Operational Orders 8-4
and Instructions
Instructions 8-5
Definition 8-5
General 8-5
Operational Instructions 8-5
Administrative Instructions 8-6

Year: 2021
viii RESTRICTED
Chapter Page No
Orders 8-6
Definition 8-6
General 8-6
Characteristics of Orders 8-6
Types of Orders 8-7
Directives 8-10
Definition 8-10
Command Directives 8-10
Policy Directives 8-11
Planning Directives 8-12
Layout of Directives 8-12
Addendum vs Amendment 8-12
Addendum 8-12
Amendment 8-13
Appendices
Appendix A: Layout of an Operational Instruction 8A-1
Appendix B: Example of a Warning Order 8B-1
Appendix C: Layout of an Operational Order 8C-1
Appendix D: Example of a Fragmentary Order 8D-1
Appendix E: Example of a Policy Directive 8E-1
Appendix F: Example of a Unit Order (Part 1) 8F-1
Appendix G: Example of a Unit Order (Part 2) 8G-1

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-1
CHAPTER 1: STANDARD WRITING PRINCIPLES
Appendix A: Abbreviations
B: English Tenses
C: System of Numbering Days and Hours
SERVICE WRITING
INTRODUCTION
1. This manual has been produced by the Department of Defence (DOD) to endorse
standardisation of service writing. Such standardisation helps to promote economy in training,
flexibility in staff employment and more efficient staff work. This manual contains a number of rules
to be applied by the personnel employed in the DOD at all levels and provides guidance on the
preparation of documents.
AIM
2. The aim of this manual is to lay down rules pertaining to the preparation and layout of all
service writing and to standardise staff work.
APPLICATION
3. ‘Service writing’ applies to all forms of writing in the DOD.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICE WRITING
4. Service writing must conform to the normal rules of writing, but above all demands the
following:
a. Accuracy. The facts stated and the wording must be accurate. Opinions and
deductions must be easily distinguishable from facts.
b. Conciseness/Brevity. Ideas must be stated fully and completely in as few words as

possible, without sacrificing clarity, completeness or style.
c. Clarity. Service writing must be intelligible, logical and unambiguous. It must be

phrased and set out in such a manner that it will be readily understood at a first
reading.
d. Relevance. ‘Relevance’ refers to the exclusion of any irrelevant words, phrases or

ideas and the inclusion of all essentials. The test should be: if this is omitted, will the
argument be affected?
e. Logic. Sentences and paragraphs must follow one another in a logical sequence and
must have a direct bearing on the subject of the document.
f. Consistency. The overall appearance of the presentation and content of a document

must be consistent. This includes word choice, specific terms, use of abbreviations,
dates, times and general layout of the document.

Year: 2021
1-2 RESTRICTED
GOLDEN RULES OF SERVICE WRITING
5. The following rules serve as a guide to effective service writing:
a. Produce researched information based on objective and accurate facts.

Check all facts, figures, dates, titles, initials, spelling of names and post-nominal
letters, where applicable.
b. Always strive for accuracy, conciseness, relevance and clarity. Use direct expressions
and avoid unnecessary (redundant) words and phrases. Use the correct word to avoid
ambiguity.
c. Punctuate sentences correctly to enhance meaning.
d. Avoid flowery language (using too many complicated words or phrases in an attempt to
sound eloquent) or too many adjectives and adverbs. Use short sentences and simple,
familiar language that can be understood by everybody. Avoid the use of unnecessary
words. The use of an alternative term (synonym) for a concept already defined should
be avoided.
e. Always refer to the source or original report with due acknowledgement (bibliography or
reference). Do not engage in plagiarism or copyright violation. The definition of
plagiarism is using someone else’s words, ideas or work and pretending they are your
own, which is unethical. All sources of information must be acknowledged.
f. When writing, use the five Ws and one H in a logical order, where applicable:
i. Who? Who is involved and who must take action?
ii. What? The actions that must be taken.
iii. Where? Where the actions must take place.
iv. When? Any applicable timings and dates.
v. Why? The reasons for the actions that must be carried out (be specific).
vi. How? How must the actions be carried out and what thereafter? (Where
applicable.)
g. The introduction must always be brief and logical. It must provide insight into the
content and arguments that are about to follow in the document.
h. Use the active voice, unless there is a specific need to use the passive voice, eg ‘He
did the work’ (active), ‘The work was done by him’ (passive).
i. Use the definite article ‘the’ to precede a noun when referring to a specific or known
instance, eg ‘the chairperson of the Military Command Council’.
j. Avoid superfluous words that repeat what the abbreviated word stands for, eg ‘Public
Service Act personnel (PSAP)’ and not ‘PSAP personnel’, ‘human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV)’ and not ‘HIV virus’.
k. Use words in full and avoid contractions, eg ‘was not’ instead of ‘wasn’t’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-3
l. Use gender-neutral words, eg ‘chairperson’ or ‘chair’ instead of ‘chairman’ and

‘spokesperson’ instead of ‘spokesman’. Language in documents must be gender-
neutral, ie include male and female where either may be applicable, eg ‘The officer
commanding must ensure that his or her instructions are clear’.
m. Use abbreviations that are likely to be easily understood. Write them out in full the first
time they are used and include the abbreviation in brackets, eg ‘Department of Defence
(DOD)’. Thereafter, only use the abbreviation in the rest of the document. Refer to
Appendix A for guidelines on the use of abbreviations.
n. Avoid beginning a sentence with a numeral. Either spell out the number or reword the
sentence to move the number from the beginning of the sentence. However, when
using a list, the following format may be used:
i. 1 x vehicle. (Not capitalised because vehicle is a common noun.)
ii. 3 x lieutenants.
iii. 5 x corporals.
iv. 10 x Mambas. (Capitalised because Mamba is a proper noun.)
o. Always double-check spelling and punctuation. Use the English (UK) or English (SA)
and not English (US) spell checker and the Oxford Dictionary of English when in doubt,
eg ‘defence’ instead of ‘defense’, ‘organisation’ instead of ‘organization’, ‘honour’
instead of ‘honor’.
p. Using ‘S’ vs ‘Z’. In words where either of these may be used, ‘s’ should be used, eg
‘organise’, ‘utilise’, ‘realise’, ‘criticise’, ‘jeopardise’, ‘generalise’.
q. When writing, the sense must be positive rather than negative, ie do not be subjective
or rude.
EFFECTIVE WRITING STYLE
6. Style. To convey an idea or to justify a course of action, arguments in service writing must be
based on facts presented in a logical order. Simplicity is essential. Good style precludes the use of
rhetorical phrases and demands a simple and straightforward word order. Short words, short
sentences and short paragraphs should always be used where possible.
7. The service writing set out in this manual will assist writers in preparing written work.
However, there are no shortcuts to a simple writing style and cognisance must be taken of the
following:
a. Plan before Writing. Plan what you want to say before you write by considering the
following:
i. Who am I writing for?
ii. Why am I writing?
iii. What is the most important point?

Year: 2021
1-4 RESTRICTED
b. Consider the Reader. Imagine you are the reader. Do not assume the reader will
understand what you are trying to communicate. Readers must be guided through the
information given and what is relevant must be pointed out to them (refer to paragraph
5.f).
c. Use Plain Words. Use simple language, but this does not mean you should use slang,
bad grammar, clichés or poor English.
d. Use Informative Headings. The topic must complement the content of the text and
headings must be short and concise (not longer than two lines).
e. Active Voice. Use the active voice as much as possible in preference to the passive
voice, ie it is better to say ‘The Chief of the Army decided …’ than ‘It was decided by
the Chief of the Army …’.
f. Well-constructed Sentences and Paragraphs. Express your thoughts in logical, well-

constructed sentences and paragraphs. Remember, grammatically a sentence is made
up of a subject (noun construction) and a predicate (verb construction).
g. Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling. Check your punctuation, grammar and spelling as
all these can affect the meaning.
h. Proofread the Document. Check the correctness of your work. If possible, let someone
else check it too.
PARTS OF SPEECH
8. Noun. A noun is a word that names a person, place or thing. Nouns are divided into common
nouns and proper nouns as follows:
a. Common Nouns. Common nouns name any one of a class of person, place or thing, eg
‘soldier’, ‘city’, ‘pistol’, ‘mountain’, ‘unit’.
b. Proper Nouns. Proper nouns name a specific person, place or thing. The initial letter(s)
of proper nouns are always capitalised, eg ‘Pte Benjamin’, ‘Johannesburg’, ‘Beretta’,
‘Table Mountain’, ‘SA Army Headquarters Unit’.
9. Pronoun. A word used in place of a noun to refer to a person or thing without giving a name,
eg ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘them’, ‘it’.
10. Adjective. A word used to describe a noun or pronoun, eg ‘old’, ‘big’, ‘beautiful’.
11. Verb
a. A verb is a word used to describe action or existence, eg ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘was’, ‘kicked’, ‘run’.
b. Infinitive. An infinitive is a verb preceded by ‘to’, as in ‘to like’. Avoid splitting infinitives,
eg ‘he seems to really like it’. Rather write ‘he really seems to like it’.
12. Adverb. A word used to modify or tell you more about the verb, eg ‘faster’, ‘slowly’.
13. Preposition. A preposition is a word such as ‘after’, ‘in’, ‘to’, ‘on’, ‘with’, ‘under’, ‘above’ and
‘at’. Prepositions tell us where or when something is in relation to something else, indicating

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-5
direction, time, location and spatial relationships, eg ‘Capt Smith is in a meeting at the moment’, ‘At
the meeting, it was decided that …’.
14. Conjunction. A word used to join words or groups of words, eg ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘although’, ‘while’
and ‘either … or’.
15. Article. The definite article ‘the’ precedes a noun and is used to define something in
particular. The indefinite articles ‘a’ or ‘an’ define things in general. Use ‘a’ before a consonant
sound, eg ‘a lovely day’, ‘a union’, and ‘an’ before a vowel sound, eg ‘an ear’, ‘an heir’.
TENSES
16. There are three main tenses in English, namely the past, present and future. Refer to
Appendix B for the proper use of tenses.
SERVICE WRITING PRINCIPLES
SPECIAL USAGES
17. Orders, Instructions and Intentions. Certain verb forms are used to convey orders and
instructions and to express intentions:
a. ‘Is To’ or ‘Are To’. The words ‘is to’ or ‘are to’ are used to convey a direct order.
b. ‘Should’. The word ‘should’ is used in directives or instructions to express

requirements, leaving a measure of discretion to the recipient.
c. ‘To ...’ (Infinitive). The infinitive form of verbs is used to express an aim, mission or
intention, eg ‘to safeguard SA merchant ships in ... from ...’.
d. ‘Must’. The word ‘must’ expresses a form of obligation or compulsion in the present
tense and is used to convey a direct order. In line with the use of plain English in new
legislation, ‘must’ is used in a prescriptive sense, eg ‘all personnel must adhere to this
instruction’.
18. Specific Meanings. The following words have specific meanings in the DOD:
a. ‘Intend’. ‘Intend’ is used to refer to a course of action that will be taken unless
countermanded by a higher authority.
b. ‘Propose’. ‘Propose’ is used, particularly in signals, to suggest a course of action that

will be taken only if approved by a higher authority.
c. ‘Will’. ‘Will’ is used to express the simple future tense or to convey intention.
d. ‘Shall’. ‘Shall’ is normally used in legal and semi-legal documents.
e. ‘Request’. When used by a senior to a junior, ‘request’ is a polite form of conveying an

order; otherwise its meaning accords with general usage.

Year: 2021
1-6 RESTRICTED
USE OF THE TERMS ‘GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING’, ‘OFFICER COMMANDING’,

‘COMMANDING OFFICER’, ‘COMMANDANT’ AND ‘COMMANDER’
19. General Officer Commanding and Flag Officer Commanding. The term ‘general officer
commanding (GOC)’ followed by the name of the force commanded by him or her is applied to
command appointments held by general officers, eg ‘GOC Trg Comd’. The equivalent term in the
SA Navy (SAN) is ‘flag officer commanding (FOC)’. The plural form of these terms is ‘general
officers commanding (GOCs)’ and ‘flag officers commanding (FOCs)’, eg ‘GOCs SA Army Inf and
Sup Fmns”.
20. Officer Commanding, Commanding Officer, Commander and Commandant. The term ‘officer
commanding (OC)’ is applied to all officers holding command appointments and is used as
indicated below:
a. ‘Officer commanding’ or ‘OC’ is used to indicate a specific command appointment at

unit level and should always be followed by the division, command, group, flotilla,
formation or unit under the direct command of a specific officer, eg ‘the Officer
Commanding Air Force Base Durban’, ‘the OC 3 SAI Bn’. The plural form is ‘officers
commanding (OCs), eg OCs AFB Dbn and 3 SAI Bn’.
b. If the full title is not used, ie when the unit etc commanded by this officer is not
mentioned, the correct usage would be ‘the commanding officer (CO)’. The plural form
is 'commanding officers (COs)'. Note that 'CO' and 'COs' may also refer to 'candidate
officer' and 'candidate officers' . Therefore, circumspection is required in the use of this
abbreviation. Also note that the term 'commander (cdr)' is officially applied to the
commanding officer of a unit; hence, there are company commanders (coy cdrs),
battalion commanders (bn cdrs), brigade commanders (bde cdrs), squadron
commanders (sqn cdrs), group commanders (gp cdrs), wing commanders (wing cdrs),
etc.
c. Traditionally, the officer commanding at certain training institutions is referred to as the

‘commandant (cmdt)’, eg ‘Cmdt Mil Acad’. The plural form is 'commandants (cmdts)',
eg 'Cmdts Mil Acad and Army College'
NOTE: No punctuation marks are used in the title, eg ‘the Officer Commanding Air Force Base
Durban’.
21. Commander. The term ‘commander (cdr)’ is applied in a general sense, eg ‘the unit
commander must ensure that ...’. It is also used as indicated below:
a. A senior rank in the SAN which is equivalent to a lieutenant colonel in the other
services.
b. A member of the SANDF placed in command of a joint task force, group, etc.
c. Officers or non-commissioned officers in command of
i. subunits (companies and equivalents), eg ‘company commander’, ‘squadron

commander’; or
ii. sub-subunits (platoons and equivalents), eg ‘platoon commander’, ‘flight

commander’ or ‘section commander’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-7
NAVAL RANKS
22. In correspondence from the SAN to other services and divisions and vice versa, as well as to
outside institutions, the naval ranks ‘lieutenant’ and ‘captain’, which are senior to the ranks with
similar designations in the SA Army, SA Air Force (SAAF) and SA Military Health Service
(SAMHS), are distinguished by the addition of the abbreviation ‘SAN’ in brackets after the rank, eg
‘Capt (SAN) S. Patel’ or ‘Lt (SAN) P. Naidoo’.
23. This convention does not apply to internal SAN correspondence. To prevent confusion in
internal SAN correspondence, officers of the SA Army, SAAF and SAMHS (captains and
lieutenants) should be indicated, eg ‘Capt (SA Army)’, Lt (SAAF), Capt (SAMHS).
CAPITAL LETTERS
24. Capital letters are used for every letter of the following:
a. Security classifications, when used as security markings on documents.
b. Subject headings or titles, main headings, group headings and the heading NOTE.
c. The reference block on supplementary documents.
d. Signature blocks, including the initials of the originator and typist.
e. Certain abbreviations as indicated in approved lists of abbreviations, the Oxford and

technical dictionaries, the Military Dictionary, etc.
f. Post-nominal Letters. The post-nominal letters for orders, decorations and medals are
written in capital letters, since they are initialisms. Initialisms are abbreviations formed
from the initial letters of words and each letter is pronounced individually, eg 'MMM'.
(Note that acronyms are pronounced as single words and may be written either in
capital [uppercase] letters or small [lowercase] letters [but with an initial capital letter],
eg 'COVID' or 'Covid'.) See Annexure 2 to Appendix A to Chapter 1 for post-nominal
letters.
g. Proper names, place names and nicknames, when used in handwritten operational
writing in the field.
h. The name of a code, operation (op), training exercise (ex) and project (proj), eg Op
BOLEAS’, ‘Ex THUNDER CHARIOT’ and ‘Proj COPERNICUS’.
NOTE: operation (op), operations (ops)
i. The names and classes of SA ships (SAS), eg ‘SAS AMATOLA’.
j. Signal messages.
25. Capital letters are used for the initial letter of the opening word of a sentence and for the
initial letters of the following:
a. Proper nouns, names of geographical areas and place names.
b. The key words in paragraph and subdivision headings and in the titles of
supplementary documents and references listed in the parent document.

Year: 2021
1-8 RESTRICTED
c. Each separate key word of the title of a specific squadron, unit or appointment, eg ‘Air
Force Base Waterkloof’, ‘Cape Town Highlanders’ and ‘Chief of the Navy’.
d. Those abbreviations that are shown with initial capitals in the Military Dictionary and
manuals on abbreviations, eg ‘Human Resources Support Satellite (HR Sup Sat)’ and
‘1 Military Hospital (1 Mil Hosp)’.
NOTE: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the usual term is ‘human resources’, whether
the phrase is used as a noun or adjective.
e. Military ranks, when linked to a specific name, eg ‘Lt Col Smith’, ‘F Sgt Vorster’, ‘AB
Naidoo’. When ranks are referred to in general, capital letters are not used, eg ‘all the
corporals and sergeants will report to the parade ground ...’.
STYLE AND PUNCTUATION
26. Style. Effective writing style as described in paragraphs 6 and 7 is used in service writing. In
addition, the following rules apply:
a. Introductory Sentences and Clauses. Introductory sentences to subparagraphs and

further subdivisions may
i. consist of complete sentences, in which case a colon (:) follows the sentence and
each subdivision that follows commences with a capital letter and ends with a full
stop (refer to paragraph 25); or
ii. be phrases or clauses (as in this subparagraph).
NOTE: Here no punctuation follows the introductory clause. The subdivisions begin with lower
case letters and all the subdivisions, except the last, end with a semicolon (;). The words ‘and’ or
‘or’ may follow the semicolon of the second last subdivision.
b. References to Headings. Pronouns (eg ‘it’ and ‘this’) must not be used in the opening
sentence of a paragraph or subdivision to refer to the subject named in the heading. In
the following two examples, the first is correct, the second is incorrect:
i. Headings. Headings may be used for paragraphs and subparagraphs.

(Correct.)
ii. Headings. These may be used for paragraphs and subparagraphs.

(Incorrect.)
27. Punctuation. Standard punctuation is used in service writing, ie colon (:), semicolon (;),
comma (,), full stop (.), quotation marks (“ ”), etc. In addition, the following rules apply:
a. Full Stops. Full stops are used in the following cases:
i. After a complete sentence.
ii. After paragraph, subparagraph and sub-subparagraph numbers and letters

(except for the numbering in the Ser No column of a table).
iii. After paragraph and subdivision headings when text follows on the same line.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-9
iv. In paragraph references to separate the constituent parts, but not after the last or
only element of a reference, unless the reference occurs at the end of a
sentence, eg ‘paragraph 38.b’.
v. After each initial in a person’s name.
vi. When lists are used, full stops are placed at the end of each entry, eg:
(1) 94774319PE 2 Lt Z.A. Baloyi.
(2) 94333465PE F Sgt G.F. Bafadi.
NOTE: In service writing, full stops are not used with abbreviations, except at the end of a
sentence.
b. Colon. A colon is used in the following cases:
i. To introduce a list or a succession of subdivisions, when the introductory

sentence is a full sentence. Normally this sentence would contain the words
‘following’ or ‘as follows’. (See the beginning of this paragraph.)
ii. To introduce a direct quotation.
iii. After NOTE (see the NOTE above).
iv. To separate information in the left-hand side address block/signature block.
c. Hyphen
i. The hyphen is used as a word separation sign at the end of a line. When
syllables of a word need to be separated, the hyphen cannot merely be inserted
anywhere in the word. Hyphens must be inserted between the root elements
(morphemes) of words (eg ‘writ-ing’ not ‘wri-ting’ and ‘diction-ary’ not ‘dict-
ionary’). If there is doubt about how a word is divided, a dictionary will provide
such information at the relevant entry.
ii. A hyphen is also used to connect two concepts that are intimately related, usually
words that function together to form a single concept or work together as a joint
modifier, eg ‘roll-call’, ‘toll-free’, ‘two-thirds’, ‘combat-ready troops’.
iii. Use hyphens (-) to make
(1) e-words, eg ‘e-mail’, ‘e-commerce’;
(2) compound nouns where two or more nouns are joined, eg ‘buy-out’, ‘cross-
reference’;
(3) compound adjectives (where two or more adjectives are joined) only where
the noun it describes follows it, eg ‘cost-effective’, ‘well-chosen’, ’‘old-
fashioned uniforms’, ‘anti-aircraft artillery’;
(4) compound nouns formed from a letter, symbol or number and a noun, eg
‘M-vehicle’ (M-veh), ‘A-echelon’ (A-ech), ‘H-hour’, ‘3-man tent’, ‘5-hour
drive’; and

Year: 2021
1-10 RESTRICTED
(5) nouns formed with prefixes or suffixes, eg ‘pro-life’, ‘non-smoker’, ‘non-

operational’, ‘business-like’, ‘mayor-elect’.
NOTE: The hyphen is made by pressing the hyphen (-)/underscore (_) key to the right of the
zero (0) on the keyboard.
d. En Dash
i. The en dash means quite simply ‘to’ or ‘through’. It is slightly longer than the
hyphen and the length of the letter ‘N’.
ii. An en dash connects concepts that are related to each other by distance, thus it
is used to indicate inclusive dates and numbers that designate a range where
otherwise the word ‘to’ or ‘through’ may have been used, eg:
(1) We submitted chapters 10–12 well after midnight.
(2) The job is suitable for people who already have some experience in
marketing and the ideal candidate will be aged 30–40.
(3) The May–Sep issue of the magazine.
(4) The instructions were written on pages 33–47.
iii. If a span or range is introduced with the word ‘between’, do not use the en dash.
Instead, use the word ‘and’ between the numbers, eg:
(1) ‘I will be on leave between 1 October and 1 December’, not ‘I will be on

leave between 1 October–1 December’.
(2) ‘I will be at the office between 07:45 and 16:15’, not ‘I will be at the office
between 07:45–16:15’.
iv. An en dash is used to indicate relationships of conflict, connection or direction,

eg:
(1) A liberal–conservative debate.
(2) A Pretoria–Johannesburg train ticket.
(3) The company will deploy to the South Africa–Zimbabwe border.
(4) The road runs east–west.
NOTE: The en dash can be made in Microsoft Word by pressing the CTRL key + the minus sign -
located on the number pad (on the right side of the keyboard). Another way to form the en dash is
to hold down the ALT key while typing 0150 on the number pad, ie Ctrl+Num- or Alt+0150.
e. Brackets
i. Single Brackets. Single brackets are used within a text to enclose an explanation
or further detail relating to that subject. When brackets are used, the full stop is
used as follows:
(1) ‘The OC will arrange the reception (if 80% of the officers can attend).’ The
full stop is placed outside the bracket because the sentence continues
inside the brackets.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-11
(2) ‘The OC will arrange the reception. (Eighty percent of the officers will be
attending.)’ The full stop is inside the bracket because there is a new
sentence inside the brackets.
ii. Double Brackets. When it is necessary to enclose specific text already within
brackets in its own brackets, then square brackets ([ ]) are used, eg ‘The OC will
arrange the reception. (Eighty percent [80%] of the officers will be attending.)’
f. Forward Slash. Forward slashes are used to indicate the word ‘or’ and as a date
separator, eg ‘his/her’ and ‘FY 2019/20’.
g. Apostrophes. The following are examples where apostrophes are used:
i. Possession
(1) With singular nouns that do not end in ‘s’, eg ‘the OC’s vehicle’, ‘the major’s
office’.
(2) With singular nouns already ending in ‘s’, eg ‘the mess’s new equipment’.
(3) With plural nouns, only an apostrophe is added, eg ‘all the OCs’ vehicles’.
ii. Contractions. Contraction is when a word or phrase has been shortened by

dropping one or more letters, eg it’s (it is), doesn’t (does not). Do not use
contractions in official documents.
NOTE: Do not confuse ‘it’s’ (it is) and ‘its’ (indicating possession).
h. Space. In writing, a space is a blank area that separates words, sentences and other
written or printed characters. The following is applicable:
i. Spacing Before and After Punctuation
(1) In a document, one space is left open after a full stop, comma, semicolon,
colon, exclamation mark or question mark.
(2) A space is not left open before punctuation, except in the case of brackets.
(3) A space is left open before and after an ellipsis, eg ‘either … or’.
(4) There are no spaces before or after a forward slash, hyphen or en dash, eg
‘rank/title’, ‘vice-president’, ‘page 45–62’.
ii. Non-breaking Spaces. Non-breaking spaces are used to keep two words or a
complete phrase, eg ‘18 May 2015’, on one line.
NOTE 1: A non-breaking space can be inserted by pressing ‘Shift’, ‘Ctrl’, ‘Space Bar’
simultaneously as follows: 18 (press ‘Shift’, ‘Ctrl’ and ‘Space Bar’) May (press ‘Shift’, ‘Ctrl’ and
‘Space bar’) 2015. This method removes large spaces between words when the text is fully
justified.
NOTE 2: A non-breaking space can also be created by placing the cursor in front of the first letter
of the phrase. Click on ‘Insert’ in the toolbar, select ‘Break’ on the pull-down menu and then select
‘Text Wrapping Break’.

Year: 2021
1-12 RESTRICTED
NOTE 3: To keep a figure or an amount or a phrase together in the same line, move the cursor to
the end of the line and click on ‘Shift’ and ‘Enter’ simultaneously.
NUMBERS AND MEASUREMENTS
28. In English, the general rule is to spell out numbers from one to nine and to use Arabic
numerals for all numbers from 10 upwards. There are exceptions, such as when a number begins
a sentence, eg
Incorrect: 20 learners earned distinctions.
Correct: Twenty learners earned distinctions.
However, when dealing with large numbers, try to rephrase the sentence, eg
Incorrect: Five-thousand seven-hundred members attended the parade.
Better: A total of 5 700 members attended the parade.
29. In service writing, specifically when making lists and when no possibility of confusion exists,
all numbers may be written in numerals, eg
In a List
1. The following equipment is required:
a. 9 x 10-ton trucks.
b. 15 x rifles.
c. 3 x tents.
d. 27 x 45-litre containers.
In a Sentence
Avoid: 71 people were rescued by the helicopter crew. (Note that the word following the
number starts with a lower-case letter.)
Write the number in full: Seventy-one people were rescued by the helicopter crew. √
Reword: The helicopter crew rescued 71 people. √
30. When numbers are used to indicate dimension or calibre, eg ‘9 mm round’, or when they
form part of the title of a squadron or unit, eg ‘44 Squadron’, they are written in numerals.
31. If adjacent numbers indicate quantity and dimension, the first number is written in words, eg
‘twelve 10-ton trucks’ or the adjacent numbers are separated by a multiplication sign, eg ‘12 x 10-
ton trucks’.
32. The writing principles illustrated in the following examples must be applied throughout:
a. 50,67 litres (l); 1 050 kilometres per hour (km/h); 1 000 000,75 cubic centimetres (cm³).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-13
b. R33.50; R3 000.90; R33 000 000.50; Rm3,75; Rb1,2. There is no space between the R
and the amount.
NOTE: One million rand is written as R1 000 000 or Rm1 or R1 million and one billion rand as
R1 000 000 000 000 or Rb1 or R1 billion. When a number is at the end of a line, adjust the spacing
or use a non-breaking space to ensure that the whole number (including Rand [R]) is on one line.
33. Handwritten Cheques. Handwritten warrant vouchers must be written without the commas
and without spaces, ie R10000-00.
34. Vehicle Registration Numbers. Follow the spacing conventions used on the number plate, eg
BLY 520 M.
35. Units of Measurement. The following principles govern the selection and application of units
of length, distance and volume in general use:
a. Distances and lengths of less than one kilometre, but more than one metre, must be
expressed in metres and fractions of metres, eg 702,2 m.
b. Lengths of less than one metre, but more than a millimetre, must be expressed in
millimetres and fractions of millimetres, eg 733,5 mm.
c. Volumes are expressed in millilitres and litres, eg 1 000 ml or 1 l.
d. Exceptions. The following are exceptions to the above principles:
i. Measurements on drawings should be indicated in millimetres throughout. When

it is necessary, in exceptional cases, to indicate a specific measurement in
another unit, the unit concerned must be indicated clearly. Whichever
measurements are used must be used consistently throughout the drawing.
ii. Body and textile measurements are expressed in centimetres, eg 183 cm.
iii. The capacity of motor engine cylinders is indicated in cubic centimetres, eg

1 499 cm3.
e. The same principles apply to the prefixes ‘kilo-’ (factor one thousand) and ‘milli-’ (factor
one thousandth) for mass, electric current strength, thermodynamic temperature and
light intensity.
NOTE 1: A space is left between the figure and the symbol, eg 5 m; 5 g, 5 V and 5 l.
NOTE 2: There is no space between the following figures and symbols: 5° (latitude, longitude or
angles), 5' (minutes or feet), 5" (seconds or inches), 5°C (temperature) and 5% (percentage).
DATE AND TIME
36. Date
a. The date is written out in full in the address block of all types of letters, memoranda,
agendas, minutes, submissions, etc, as well as in staff papers, précis and briefs and
when the date appears below the signature block, eg 1 October 2018.
b. The month and year are abbreviated in operational documents (eg operational order),
and may be abbreviated in non-operational documents (eg memoranda, routine letters,

Year: 2021
1-14 RESTRICTED
minutes) in the body of the document (excluding the date in the address block), eg
1 Oct 18. Be consistent in the use of the format of dates throughout the document.
c. An alternative method of abbreviating the date, which must be used only if space is
limited (eg forms and in tables), is dd/mm/yy, eg 31/03/18 or 31-03-18.
NOTE: In service writing, dates must be written as follows: 20 June 2018 and not 20th June 2018
or 20 of June 2018.
37. Time. Time is indicated by the use of the four-figure group denoting the hour and minutes
past the hour, separated by a colon (:), eg 10:15 for a quarter past ten.
38. Combination of Time and Date
a. Time and Date. If time and date are combined, they are divided by a preposition, eg
14:30 on 24 Jan 18. The time is written first and then the date.
b. Date-time Group (DTG). In operational writing (ie not minutes, agendas or day-to-day
correspondence), the date (day of the month) is followed by the time and international
time zone letter, as prescribed in Chapters 6 and 8, eg 051100B Jan 18. (See
Chapter 6 for the international time zones.)
39. Financial Year (FY). A financial year is abbreviated as FY 2018/19.
40. Date and Time in Relation to Operations
a. A night is described by both the dates over which it extends, eg night 29/30 Sep, night
30 Sep/1 Oct or night D-1/D-Day.
b. The term ‘midnight’ is not used. When it is necessary to refer to midnight, it should be
preceded by the date. Thus, 160000B Apr 18 stands for midnight 15/16 April 2018. In
programmes for exercises at sea, day ends at 23:59 and starts at 00:01.
NOTE: Do not write 152400B Apr 18 for midnight 15/16 April 2018. 00:00 is used internationally to
refer to midnight.
c. The system of numbering days and hours relative to a given operation is explained in
Appendix C to this chapter.
DESCRIPTION OF LOCATIONS AND AREAS
41. Locations and Points. There are six ways of identifying position, namely:
a. Latitude and Longitude
i. Lines of latitude and longitude crisscross to form a grid. The location of any point
on the surface of the earth can be described by these two coordinates.
ii. Lines of latitude are imaginary lines on the earth’s surface parallel with the
equator that are expressed in angular measurements measured from the centre
of the earth on the equator plane to the north and the south.
iii. Longitude lines are the angular distance of a place East or West of the Prime
Meridian (Greenwich Meridian 0̊ line).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-15
b. Grid References, Preceded (Where Necessary) by the Universal Transverse Mercator

(UTM) Grid
i. The UTM grid has been designed to cover that part of the world between latitude
84°N and latitude 80°S, and, as its name implies, is imposed on the Transverse
Mercator projection.
ii. This rectangular coordinate system is metric, incorporating the metre as its basic
unit of measurement. UTM also uses the Transverse Mercator projection system
to model the earth's spherical surface onto a two dimensional plane.
iii. The UTM system divides the world's surface into 60 x 6° longitude wide zones
that run north–south.
c. Place Names, Together With Their Latitude and Longitude Positions or Grid
References When a Place is Mentioned for the First Time
i. Absolute location describes the location of a place based on a fixed point on

earth.
ii. The most common way is to identify the location using coordinates such as
latitudes and longitudes.
iii. Lines of longitude and latitude crisscross the earth.
d. Bearing and Distance from an Identifiable Point of Reference
i. In navigation, bearing is the horizontal angle between the direction of an object

and another object, or between it and that of true north.
ii. Like the shortest-distance problem, the bearing between two points on the globe
is calculated using the great circle arc that connects them.
iii. With the exception of lines of latitude and longitude, great circle arcs do not follow
a constant direction relative to true north and this means that, as one
travels along the arc, the heading will vary.
e. Geographical Reference (GEOREF) System
i. This system is a worldwide position reference system used primarily by the

United States Air Force. It may be used with any map or chart that has latitude
and longitude printed on it.
ii. Instructions for using GEOREF data are printed in blue and are found in the
margin of aeronautical charts. This system is based on a division of the earth's
surface into quadrangles of latitude and longitude having a systematic
identification code.
iii. It is a method of expressing latitude and longitude in a form suitable for rapid
reporting and plotting. The GEOREF system uses an identification code that has
three main divisions.

Year: 2021
1-16 RESTRICTED
f. Global Positioning System (GPS)
i. The GPS is based on satellite ranging. Each satellite transmits a signal

superimposed on a microwave carrier signal, which is picked up by the receiver.
ii. The receiver figures the user’s position on earth by measuring the distance from
this group of satellites in space to the user’s location.
iii. The GPS system is an effective and time-saving aid that is available to enhance
accurate map work and navigation.
42. Ground Locations, Areas and Boundaries
a. Names of Places and Physical Features. When the names of places and physical
features are referred to, they must be spelt exactly as on the map in use.
b. Roads, Tracks and Railways
i. Roads, tracks and railways are described by the names of places located on
them.
ii. The word ‘road’, ‘track’ or ‘railway’ must precede, not follow, a place name, eg
road Potchefstroom–Pretoria.
c. Riverbanks. Riverbanks are described as to the ‘right’ or ‘left’ as viewed by an observer

facing downstream or, if this cannot be done, by using the cardinal points of the
compass, eg the northern riverbank.
d. Routes. When movement is involved, a route is described by the sequence of points on

the route, named in the order and according to the direction of the movement and
separated by en dashes, eg Pretoria–Johannesburg–Heidelberg.
e. Areas. An area is described by specifying the northernmost point first, and thereafter
specifying the remaining points in clockwise order.
f. Positions. Positions are described from left to right and from front to rear, as viewed by
an observer facing the enemy. (To avoid confusion, the cardinal points of the compass
may be used to describe the flanks.)
g. Boundaries
i. Boundaries are specified with reference to easily distinguishable physical

features, in the sequence in which they occur on the ground. Such physical
features are described from rear to front during an advance and from front to rear
during defence and withdrawal.
ii. If the physical features are virtually parallel to the front, they are described from
left to right, as viewed by an observer facing the enemy.
iii. When boundaries between units and squadrons are described, the words
‘inclusive’ and ‘exclusive’ must be written before the place to which they refer.
The description must state to which unit or squadron a feature is inclusive or
exclusive.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1-17
DESCRIPTION OF FORMATIONS, UNITS AND DETACHMENTS
43. The names of specific formations and units are normally written in abbreviated form.
Identifying numbers are written in Arabic numerals before the description, eg:
a. HQ 46 SA Bde for Headquarters 46 SA Brigade.
b. 21 Sqn for 21 Squadron.
c. 7 Med Bn Gp for 7 Medical Battalion Group.
44. Quantitative numbers of formations, units and detachments are indicated as follows:
a. Two flights or 2 x flights.
b. Three brigades or 3 x brigades.
c. Three squadrons or 3 x squadrons.
45. A squadron or unit from which a portion is excluded is described as in the following example:
44 Parachute Regiment minus or 44 Para Regt (-).
TASK FORCE NUMBERS (SAN)
46. A fleet commander is allocated a block of whole numbers, which he or she assigns as task
force numbers in accordance with his or her needs.
TASK DESIGNATIONS (SAN)
47. A fleet commander allocates units to specific task forces, but leaves the subdivision of the
task force into task groups, task units and task elements to the task force commander (TFC) and
his or her subordinate commanders.
48. The system of task designation is described as follows:
a. Task Groups. A task force may be divided into as many as 10 task groups, designated
by adding .0 through .9 to the task force number, eg Task Force 36 may comprise Task
Groups 36.0, 36.1, 36.2 and so on up to and including 36.9. In the series, 36
designates the task force and .0 through .9 the task groups.
b. Task Units. A task group may be divided into as many as 10 task units, designated by
adding .0 through .9 to the task group number, eg task units formed from Task Group
36.1 are 36.1.0, 36.1.1, 36.1.2, etc.
c. Task Elements
i. Task elements subordinate to task units are only organised when the complexity
of the task assigned is such as to require an additional echelon of command for
the accomplishment of assigned tasks.
ii. Subdivision into task elements should be limited to the minimum required by
essential operational tasks.

Year: 2021
1-18 RESTRICTED
iii. A task unit may be divided into as many as 10 task elements, designated by
adding .0 through .9 to the task unit number, eg task elements formed from Task
Unit 36.1.2 are 36.1.2.0 and 36.1.2.1.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 1
ABBREVIATIONS
Annexure 1: Military Ranks/Public Service Act Titles

2: Table of Precedence of Orders, Decorations and Medals (with Post-nominal
Letters) in the DOD
3: List of Abbreviations and Acronyms Prescribed for Common use in the DOD
1. The aim of abbreviations is to save space in documents.
2. Abbreviations come in different varieties. Abbreviations can be a shortened form of a word,

whereas acronyms and initialisms are formed by combining the first letters of a longer word or
phrase. Typically
a. acronyms are written in capital letters without full stops and are pronounced as they are
spelt, eg ‘AWOL’, ‘NATO’. Acronyms of four or more letters may use upper and lower
case, eg ‘Nasa, ‘Aids’, ‘Interpol’; and
b. initialisms are written in capital letters without full stops and are pronounced as a series
of letters, eg ‘CSW’, ‘ETD’.
3. Abbreviations may be used in all forms of correspondence and documentation within the
DOD, especially where the word/term appears repeatedly in the correspondence or document.
Where abbreviations are used, they should be placed in brackets and be preceded by the full
word/term the first time that they appear, eg administration (admin), beyond economical repair
(BER). The originator of a document must be consistent in the use of abbreviations. As soon as a
word has been abbreviated, the abbreviation must be used whenever that word is repeated in the
same document.
4. Prescribed Military Abbreviations. Only prescribed military abbreviations may be used. (Refer
to the approved CSW abbreviations and other official abbreviation lists under ‘Dictionaries’ on the
DOD Intranet.)
5. Civilian Abbreviations. Acknowledged civilian abbreviations as contained in the Oxford

English Dictionary may always be used in service writing. In such cases, customary punctuation is
omitted, unless it is demanded or required by the construction of the sentence or for the sake of
clarity. Where a military abbreviation differs from the acknowledged civilian abbreviation for the
same word, the military abbreviation will take precedence over the civilian one, eg ‘Sep’ not ‘Sept’,
‘comm’ not ‘com’.
NOTE: In operational writing, eg operational, administrative and warning orders and appreciations,
official abbreviations are normally not preceded by the full word/term.
6. Use of Abbreviations. In operational writing, maximum use should be made of the prescribed
abbreviations. In non-operational writing, eg DOD correspondence and minutes of a conference,
the use of abbreviations is optional, except in the cases given below:
a. Common Use. Common abbreviations, for example, eg, ie, etc, kg, m, km/h and kts
may be used. However, unless they occur at the end of a sentence, they are written
without full stops.

Year: 2021
1A-2 RESTRICTED
b. Decorations. When written after a person’s name, decorations are abbreviated, eg:
i. Southern Cross Medal – SM.
ii. Star for Bravery in Silver – SBS.
iii. iPhrothiya yeBhronzi – PB.
c. Military Ranks. Military ranks are abbreviated when they refer to a particular person,
eg:
i. Lt Col B. Smit.
ii. S Sgt M. Matoka.
d. Units and Formations. Titles of particular formations, units and subunits are
abbreviated, eg:
i. SA Army Artillery Formation – SA Army Arty Fmn.
ii. SA Air Force Headquarters Unit – SAAF HQ Unit.
iii. Headquarters 43 SA Brigade – HQ 43 SA Bde.
iv. Mobile Military Health Formation - Mob MH Fmn.
e. Appointments. Titles of particular appointments are abbreviated, eg:
i. Chief Army Force Preparation - C Army F Prep.
ii. Chief Force Development and Support - CFDS.
iii. Company Sergeant Major B Company - CSM B Coy.
7. Restrictions in the Use of Military Abbreviations. Purely military abbreviations, including rank
abbreviations, may not be used in correspondence with outside persons/organisations or other
government departments. In such correspondence, words must be written out in full.
8. Composition of Abbreviations. The following rules apply when composing abbreviations:
a. A term that consists of more than one word may have its own acknowledged
abbreviation or acronym, eg ‘higher order user system (HOUS)’. Abbreviations for
terms and groups of words that do not appear in the official list of approved
abbreviations are constructed from already approved abbreviations, eg ‘parachute
battalion (para bn)’ and ‘Chief of Joint Operations (CJ Ops)’.
b. The separate components of recognised abbreviations may not be assigned

independent meanings, unless a component has an authorised, independent meaning.
For example, it would be incorrect to use the ‘B’ in ‘B rep’ for base repair to indicate
‘base’.
c. In certain cases, hyphens are used between abbreviations or between abbreviations

and unabbreviated words. This rule also applies to number, letter and symbol
compounds, eg ‘size-5 shoe’, ‘M-vehicle’ and ‘$-value’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A-3
d. In some cases, the abbreviated part of a compound term or where words such as ‘of
the’ are omitted from a phrase, is separated by a space, eg ‘anti-tank (A tk)’, ‘Chief of
the South African National Defence Force (C SANDF)’.
e. Any composite noun can be abbreviated by abbreviating that part for which an
abbreviation already exists, eg ‘minefield (minefd)’. The following additional rules apply
in this respect:
i. This rule does not apply to verbal nouns or adjectives; eg ‘group’ and ‘to group’
may be abbreviated as ‘gp’ but ‘grouping’ cannot be abbreviated to ‘gping’ - it
must be written in full. Similarly, ‘organising’ cannot be abbreviated to ‘orging’.
ii. The case of prefixes and suffixes to root words that can be abbreviated requires
special attention. A suffix cannot be attached to the abbreviation of a root word
and will only cause confusion if written separately. This means that if there is no
abbreviation for the complete composite word containing a suffix, such a word
may not be abbreviated. In the case of prefixes to root words that can be
abbreviated, the rule applies that the prefix and abbreviation be written together
on condition that the general meaning of the combination remains compatible
with the original military meaning of the root word. For example, ‘company’ is
abbreviated to ‘coy’ but ‘remarking’ cannot be abbreviated to ‘remking’ or ‘rmking’
because its meaning is incompatible with the original military connotation of
‘mark’. However, ‘demobilisation’ may be abbreviated to ‘demob’ because the
root word ‘mobilisation’ retains its original military connotation.
iii. Where the last part of a composite noun is abbreviated, the unabbreviated and
abbreviated parts are written together, eg ‘airfield (airfd)’.
iv. When both parts of a composite noun are abbreviated, they are separated by a
space, eg ‘squadron headquarters (sqn HQ)’, ‘Air Force squadrons (AF sqns)’.
f. Where all the separate parts of a composite word or group of words are abbreviated to
one capital letter each, the abbreviated letters are written as one group, eg ‘chief
instructor staff duties (CISD)’.
NOTE: In case of using an indefinite article before an acronym or initialism, use the initial sound of
the word or letter, and not the initial letter, to guide the choice between ‘a’ or ‘an’.
g. Authorised abbreviations may not be separated to use parts thereof as abbreviations for
other words, eg ‘br H’ for ‘bridgehead’ may not be broken up to use the ‘H’ for ‘head’.
However, if the abbreviation of a part of a composite noun is approved for independent
use, then the separate use thereof is permissible. Thus ‘br’ in ‘br H’ is the approved
abbreviation for ‘bridge’ and may be used separately.
9. Capital Letters. The following conventions apply to the use of capital letters in abbreviations:
a. When an abbreviation occurs at the beginning of a sentence or is used as a proper

noun, the first letter of the abbreviation is always capitalised, eg:
i. Mob is planned on 241430B Oct 12.
ii. 9 Div.

Year: 2021
1A-4 RESTRICTED
b. Abbreviations in the middle of a sentence are written as they appear in the official
abbreviation lists of the DOD.
c. An abbreviation consisting of the initial letter(s) of the abbreviated word(s) or word

group is written in capitals, eg ‘anti-aircraft (AA)’. Abbreviations consisting of syllables
or a combination of syllables and initial letters are written either in lower case or as a
combination of upper case (capital) and lower case letters, eg ‘anti-tank (A tk)’.
10. Punctuation. Full stops are not used in or after abbreviations in the military, except when
required at the end of a sentence.
11. Plural Forms. The letter ‘s’, written in lower case, is added at the end of the abbreviation to
indicate plural, eg ‘memoranda (memos)’, ‘Staff Officers Grade 2 (SO2s)’, ‘general officers
commanding (GOCs)’. It is not necessarily inserted in the place where it would appear in the plural
form of the unabbreviated term.
NOTE: When forming plurals, there is no apostrophe (’) before the ‘s’, eg ‘all the HQs in the area’.
The apostrophe indicates possession, eg ‘… the HQ’s transport …’.
12. Abbreviation of Dates. The following rules apply:
a. Weekdays are abbreviated to the first three letters of the day, eg ‘Mon’ for Monday or
‘Fri’ for Friday.
b. Months are also abbreviated to the first three letters of the name of the month, eg
‘Jan’ for January or ‘Sep’ for September.
c. Abbreviated dates are indicated as follows:
i. The specific day of the month, eg 1 for the first day of the month. When a day of
the month is a single digit, it is typed as, eg 1 and not 01. Handwritten single
digits are written as 01.
ii. The abbreviation for the particular month.
iii. The last two figures of the year. The following example illustrates the complete
composition: ‘21 Jan 17’.
NOTE: When an abbreviated date is used in a document, that system of abbreviation must be
used throughout the document.
13. Compass Bearings. The four cardinal points of the compass are always written in full, namely
north, south, east and west. Abbreviations are used for points between the cardinal points, eg NE,
NNE or SW.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 1
MILITARY RANKS/PUBLIC SERVICE ACT TITLES
Ser SA Army, SA Air Force and SA SA Navy Public Service Act

No Military Health Service Personnel
Rank Abbreviation Rank Abbreviation Title Abbreviation
a b c d e f
1 General Gen Admiral Adm Director DG
General
2 Lieutenant Lt Gen Vice Admiral V Adm Deputy DDG
General Director
General
3 Major General Maj Gen Rear Admiral R Adm Chief Director CD
4 Brigadier Brig Gen Rear Admiral R Adm (JG) Director D
General (Junior Grade)
5 Colonel Col Captain Capt (SAN) Deputy DD
Director
6 Lieutenant Lt Col Commander Cdr Assistant AD
Colonel Director
(Level 10)
7 Major Maj Lieutenant Lt Cdr Assistant AD
Commander Director
(Level 9)
8 Captain Capt Lieutenant Lt (SAN)
9 Lieutenant Lt Sub Lieutenant S Lt
10 Second 2 Lt Ensign Esn
Lieutenant
11 Candidate CO Midshipman Mid
Officer
12 Master Chief MCWO Master Chief MCWO
Warrant Officer Warrant Officer
13 Senior Chief SCWO Senior Chief SCWO
Warrant Officer Warrant Officer
14 Chief Warrant CWO Chief Warrant CWO
Officer Officer
15 Master Warrant MWO Master MWO
Officer Warrant Officer
16 Senior Warrant SWO Senior Warrant SWO
Officer Officer
17 Warrant Officer WO1 Warrant Officer WO1
Class 1 Class 1
18 Warrant Officer WO2 Warrant Officer WO2
Class 2 Class 2
19 Staff Sergeant S Sgt Chief Petty CPO
Flight Sergeant F Sgt Officer
20 Sergeant Sgt Petty Officer PO
21 Corporal Cpl Leading LS
Seaman
Bombardier Bdr
22 Lance Corporal L Cpl Able Seaman AB
Lance L Bdr
Bombardier

Year: 2021
1A1-2 RESTRICTED
Ser SA Army, SA Air Force and SA SA Navy Public Service Act

No Military Health Service Personnel
Rank Abbreviation Rank Abbreviation Title Abbreviation
a b c d e f
23 Gunner Gnr Seaman Sea
Private Pte
Airman Amn
Rifleman Rfn
Trooper Tpr
Scout Sct
Sapper Spr
Signalman Smn
NOTE 1: Capital letters are only used for ranks when they precede a name or are at the beginning of
a sentence, eg ‘All cpls must report to Capt Smith.’, ‘Staff sergeants and sergeants are exempt from
this parade.’
NOTE 2: A Warrant Officer in the SA Army and SA Military Health Service is addressed as Sergeant
Major.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A2-1
ANNEXURE 2
TO APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 1
TABLE OF PRECEDENCE OF ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS (WITH POST-

NOMINAL LETTERS) IN THE DOD
Ser Precedence of Orders, Decorations and Medals Post-nominal Letters

No a b
1 Castle of Good Hope Decoration CGH
2 Honoris Crux Gold HCG
3 Gold Star for Bravery GSB
4 Star for Bravery in Gold SBG
5 Nkwe ya Gauta NG
6 Honoris Crux Silver HCS
7 Van Riebeeck Decoration DVR
8 Honoris Crux HC
9 Bravery Star in Silver BSS
10 Star for Bravery in Silver SBS
11 Nkwe ya Selefera NS
12 Pro Virtute Decoration PVD
13 Star for Conspicuous Leadership SCL
14 Conspicuous Leadership Star CLS
15 Nkwe ya Boronse NB
16 Southern Cross Decoration SD
17 Pro Merito Decoration PMD
18 Gold Decoration for Merit GDM
19 Decoration for Merit in Gold DMG
20 iPhrothiya yeGolide PG
21 Pro Virtute Medal PVM
22 Ad Astra Decoration AAD
23 Louw Wepener Decoration LWD
24 Army Cross CM
25 Air Force Cross CA
26 Navy Cross CN
27 SA Medical Service Cross CC
28 Van Riebeeck Medal VRM
29 Louw Wepener Medal LWM
30 Southern Cross Medal SM
31 Pro Merito Medal PMM
32 Silver Medal for Merit SMM
33 Merit Medal in Silver MMS
34 iPhrothiya yeSiliva PS
35 Danie Theron Medal DTM
36 Jack Hindon Medal JHM
37 Military Merit Medal MMM
38 Bronze Medal for Merit BMM
39 Merit Medal in Bronze MMB
40 iPhrothiya yeBhronzi PB
41 John Chard Decoration JCD
42 De Wet Decoration DWD
43 Decoration for Reserve Force Service RD

Year: 2021
1A1-2 RESTRICTED
This page is intentionally left blank

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-1
ANNEXURE 3
TO APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 1
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS PRESCRIBED FOR COMMON USE IN THE DOD
1. A - Alpha
Ser Term Abbreviation

No a b
1 abbreviation abbr
2 absent on duty/absent on leave AOD/AOL
3 absent without leave (SANDF Members) AWOL
4 absent without permission (PSAP) AWOP
5 accommodation accn
6 acknowledge(-d) (-ment) ack
7 acquisition acqn
8 Acting (followed by appointment) A/
9 additional addl
10 adjutant adj
11 administrate admin
12 administration admin
13 administrative admin
14 administrative order admin O
15 administrative, operational and technical policy AOT policy
16 Adult Basic Education and Training ABET
17 advance(-d) (-ing) adv
18 advantage adv
19 affirmative action AA
20 African Standby Force ASF
21 air defence AD
22 air defence artillery ADA
23 air despatch AD
24 air force base AFB
25 Air Force Command Post AFCP
26 air traffic control ATC
27 aircraft ac
28 airfield airfd
29 airhead air H
30 air-sea rescue ASR
31 air-to-air missile AAM
32 air-to-surface missile ASM
33 all arms air defence AAAD
34 all arms anti-weapons AAAW
35 all arms anti-aircraft AAAA
36 allocate(-d) alloc
37 allocation alloc
38 alternate altn
39 alternative altn
40 altitude alt
41 amendment amdt

Year: 2021
1A3-2 RESTRICTED

No a b
42 ammunition ammo
43 annexure annex
44 annual performance plan APP
45 anti-aircraft AA
46 anti-aircraft artillery AAA
47 anti-tank A tk
48 appendix appx
49 appoint(-ed) (-ment) appt
50 appreciation appr
51 approximate(-ly) approx
52 approximation approx
53 April Apr
54 armament armt
55 Armaments Corporation of South Africa Armscor/ARMSCOR
56 armoured armd
57 armoured car armd C
58 armoured fighting vehicle AFV
59 Army support base ASB
60 artillery arty
61 as soon as possible ASP
62 assault aslt
63 assembly assy
64 assist(-ant) (-ed) asst
65 attach(-ed) (-ment) att
66 attack(-ed) (-ing) attk
67 attention attn
68 Auditor General South Africa AGSA
69 August Aug
70 authorisation auth
71 authorised auth
72 authority auth
73 automatic auto
74 availability avail
75 available avail
2. B - Bravo

No a b
1 barracks bks
2 battalion bn
3 battery bty
4 beachhead B hd
5 bearing (direction) brg
6 beyond economical repair BER
7 beyond local repair BLR
8 beyond repair BR
9 blind carbon copy bcc
10 board of inquiry BOI
11 board of review BOR

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-3

No a b
12 board of survey BOS
13 bombing line BL
14 breadth br
15 bridge br
16 bridgehead br H
17 bridging br
18 brigade bde
19 build (-ing) bld (g)
3 C - Charlie

No a b
1 calibrate cal
2 calibrating cal
3 calibration cal
4 calibre cal
5 call sign C/S
6 camouflage(-d) camo
7 candidate officer CO
8 carbon copy Cc
9 casualty evacuation casevac
10 categorised cat
11 category cat
12 Celsius C
13 centre Cen
14 centre of arc COA
15 centre of excellence COE
16 centre of gravity COG
17 ceremonial cer
18 certificate cert
19 certify cert
20 chaplain cpln
21 chapter chap
22 characteristics char
23 chemical and biological CB
24 chemical and biological defence CB def
25 chemical warfare CW
26 chemical, biological and radiological defence CBR def
27 chief clerk CC
28 chief director CD
29 chief directorate c dir
30 chief executive officer CEO
31 Chief Financial Officer CFO
32 chief instructor CI
33 Chief of Joint Operations CJ Ops
34 chief of staff COS
35 Chief of the Air Force CAF
36 Chief of the Army C Army
37 Chief of the Navy C Navy

Year: 2021
1A3-4 RESTRICTED

No a b
38 Chief of the South African National Defence Force C SANDF
39 civil civ
40 civilian civ
41 civil-military cooperation CIMIC
42 close air support CAS
43 close support CS
44 coat of arms COA
45 Code of Conduct (for SANDF members) COC
46 combat cbt
47 combat readiness CR
48 combat ready CR
49 combat service CS
50 combat service support CSS
51 combat supplies C supp
52 combat support CS
53 combat support helicopter CSH
54 combat support ship CSS
55 combat zone CZ
56 command comd
57 command and control C²
58 command and control warfare C²W
59 command and staff support CSS
60 Command Management Information CMI
61 command post CP
62 command post exercise CPX
63 command support CS
64 command, control and communications C3
65 command, control, communications and computers C4
66 command, control, communications, computers,
information, intelligence, infrastructure, reconnaissance C4I3RS
and surveillance
67 commandant (post, eg Army College) cmdt
68 commander cdr
69 commercial off-the-shelf COTS
70 committee ctee
71 communication(s) comm(s)
72 communications centre comcen
73 communications security comsec
74 company coy
75 compensation of employees COE
76 component comp
77 composite comp
78 computer-based training CBT
79 concurrent health assessment CHA
80 conference conf
81 confidential confd
82 configuration config
83 confined to barracks CB
84 confirm(-ed) Cfm
85 confirmation Cfm

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-5

No a b
86 conflict simulation CONSIM
87 construct(-ed) (-ion) constr
88 continuation cont
89 continue(-d) cont
90 control Con
91 controlling staff CS
92 conventional conven
93 coordinate(-d) coord
94 coordinating coord
95 coordination coord
96 coordinator coord
97 corner cnr
98 counter-bombardment CB
99 counter-insurgency COIN
100 counter-intelligence CI
101 course of action COA
102 Conventions of Service Writing (italics if referring to the CSW (italics if referring
manual) to the manual)
103 curfew breaker CB
4. D - Delta

No a b
1 date-time group DTG
2 dated dd
3 December Dec
4 defence def
5 Defence Act Personnel DAP
6 defence advisor/attaché DA
7 defence committee DEFCOM
8 Defence Headquarters DHQ
9 defend(-ed) def
10 defensive def
11 defensive fire DF
12 degree deg
13 demi-official DO
14 demobilisation demob
15 demobilise demob
16 demonstrate demo
17 demonstration demo
18 department(-al) dept
19 Department of Defence DOD
20 Department of Defence Instruction DODI
21 deploy(-ment) (-ed) depl
22 depot dep
23 deputy D
24 deputy chief DC
25 deputy director DD
26 destroy(-ed) destr

Year: 2021
1A3-6 RESTRICTED

No a b
27 destruct(-ion) destr
28 detach(-ed) (-ment) det
29 develop(-ed) (-ment) Dev
30 diameter dia
31 difference diff
32 direct(-ion) (-ed) dir
33 direct support DS
34 directing staff DS
35 direction finding DF
36 director (in titles) D
37 directorate dir
38 distance dist
39 distribution distr
40 division(-al) div
41 document doc
42 doctrine doc
43 driver dvr
44 driving and maintenance D&M
45 drop/dropping zone DZ
5. E - Echo

No a b
1 early warning EW
2 echelon ech
3 education, training and development ETD
4 education, training and development practitioner ETDP
5 electronic counter-countermeasure ECCM
6 electronic countermeasure ECM
7 electronic intelligence ELINT
8 electronic support measure ESM
9 electronic warfare EW
10 element elm
11 elevation elev
12 embark(-ation) emb
13 emplace(-d) (-ment) empl
14 emplane empl
15 employ(-ed) (-ment) emp
16 enclosure encl
17 enemy en
18 engineer(-ed) (-ing) engr
19 equal opportunity EO
20 equipment eqpt
21 essential element of intelligence EEI
22 establish(-ed) (-ment) estb
23 establishment table estb T
24 estimate(-d); estimation est
25 estimate of expenditure EOE
26 exempli gratia (for example) eg

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-7

No a b
27 estimated time of arrival ETA
28 estimated time of departure ETD
29 et cetera etc
30 evacuate(-d) evac
31 evacuation evac
32 exchange exch
33 exclude excl
34 excluding excl
35 exclusive excl
36 execute exec
37 execution exec
38 executive exec
39 executive committee EXCOM
40 Executive National Security Programme (now Security and ENSP
Defence Studies Programme [SDSP])
41 exercise ex
42 expedite xpd
43 expenditure control committee ECC
44 explode(-d) expl
45 explosion expl
46 explosive ordnance disposal EOD
47 explosive(s) expl
48 extended ext
49 extension ext
50 external extl
6. F - Foxtrot

No a b
1 Fahrenheit F
2 February Feb
3 feet ft
4 field fd
5 field post office FPO
6 field training exercise FTX
7 fighting in built-up areas FIBUA
8 figure fig
9 finance fin
10 financial fin
11 financial authority FA
12 financial year FY
13 flag officer commanding FOC
14 flight flt
15 flotilla flot
16 focus of main effort FME
17 follow(-ed) (-ing) fol
18 foot ft
19 for example eg
20 force structure element FSE

Year: 2021
1A3-8 RESTRICTED

No a b
21 foreign learning opportunity FLO
22 formal fml
23 formation fmn
24 forming-up place FUP
25 forward admin area FAA
26 forward air controller FAC
27 forward line of own troops FLOT
28 forward(-ed) (-ing) fwd
29 fragmentary order FRAGO
30 frequency freq
31 Friday Fri
32 fuel, oil and lubricants FOL
33 future African battle space FABS
7. G - Golf

No a b
1 general gen
2 general court martial GCM
3 general duties GD
4 general officer(s) commanding GOC(s)
5 general order GO
6 General Regulations GR
7 general service GS
8 general staff GS
9 geographical reference (system) GEOREF
10 global positioning system GPS
11 government govt
12 government branding GB
13 government order GO
14 Greenwich Mean Time GMT
15 grenade gren
16 grid north GN
17 grid reference GR
18 ground-based air defence system GBADS
19 group gp
8. H - Hotel

No a b
1 harassing fire HF
2 harbour har
3 head of communication HOC
4 head of mission HOM
5 headquarters HQ
6 height ht
7 helicopter heli

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-9

No a b
8 high frequency HF
9 higher order user system HOUS
10 hospital hosp
11 hour hr
12 human resources HR
13 humanitarian law HL
9. I - India

No a b
1 id est (that is to say) ie
2 identification ident
3 identification friend or foe (radar) IFF
4 identified ident
5 identify ident
6 identity document (disc) ID
7 immediate (-ly) imm
8 implement (-ing) (-ation) impl
9 improvised explosive device IED
10 improvised explosive device disposal IEDD
11 in accordance with iaw
12 in command IC
13 in connection with icw
14 in order to iot
15 in respect of iro
16 in terms of ito
17 include incl
18 including incl
19 inclusive incl
20 infantry inf
21 information info
22 information technology IT
23 information warfare IW
24 information, intelligence and infrastructure I³
25 infra-red IR
26 inland accommodation expenditure IAE
27 inspect insp
28 inspection insp
29 inspector insp
30 Institute for Aviation Medicine IAM
31 instruct(-ed) (-ion) (-or) instr
32 integrated project team IPT
33 intelligence int
34 intelligence officer IO
35 intelligence report INTREP
36 intelligence summary ISUM
37 internal combustion IC
38 internally displaced person IDP
39 International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC

Year: 2021
1A3-10 RESTRICTED

No a b
40 international humanitarian law IHL
41 international organisations IO
42 International Standards Organization ISO
43 investigation report IR
44 issue voucher IV
10. J - Juliet

No a b
1 January Jan
2 Joint Defence Publication JDP
3 joint force employment JFE
4 Joint Intelligence Publication JIP
5 Joint Logistics Publication JLP
6 joint, interdepartmental, interagency and multinational JI 2M
7 Joint Management Publication JMP
8 Joint Operational Headquarters J Op HQ
9 Joint Operations Centre JOC
10 Joint Operations Division J Ops Div
11 Joint Personnel Publication JPP
12 Joint Planning Staff JPS
13 Joint Senior Command and Staff Programme JSCSP
14 joint task force JTF
15 joint task force commander JTF cdr
16 Joint Warfare Manual JWM
17 Joint Warfare Publication JWP
18 July Jul
19 June Jun
11. K - Kilo

No a b
1 key performance area KPA
2 key responsibility area KRA
3 killed in action KIA
4 kilogram kg
5 kilometre km
6 kilometres per hour km/h
7 knots (speed) kts
12. L - Lima

No a b
1 laboratory lab
2 labour lab
3 land force LF
4 landing zone LZ

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-11

No a b
5 Landward Defence Capability Board LDCB
6 Landward Defence Capability Team LDCT
7 Landward Defence Institute LDI
8 Landward Defence Issue Team LDIT
9 latitude lat
10 launcher lnchr
11 Law of Armed Conflict LOAC
12 leader ldr
13 leader selection board LSB
14 Leadership, Command and Management Practices, LCAMPS
Philosophies, Policies and Principles
15 learning opportunity LO
16 legal officer LO
17 Legal Satellite Office LEGSATO
18 leisure time utilisation LTU
19 Lessons Identified and Lessons Learnt System LIALLS
20 letter ltr
21 liaison officer LO
22 light workshop troop LWT
23 line of communication LOC
24 line telegraphy LT
25 liquid petroleum LP
26 list of effective pages LEP
27 local area network LAN
28 locality loc
29 logistics log
30 locate (-d) loc
31 locating loc
32 logistical log
33 longitude long
34 low frequency LF
35 low power LP
36 low tension LT
37 lower sideband LSB
38 lower trajectory (artillery) LT
39 lubricant lub
13. M - Mike

No a b
1 magazine mag
2 magnetic mag
3 maintain (-ed) maint
4 maintenance maint
5 manage (-r) (-ment) man
6 managing man
7 March (month) Mar
8 maritime mar
9 mark mk

Year: 2021
1A3-12 RESTRICTED

No a b
10 maximum max
11 May (month) May
12 mean point of impact MPI
13 mechanic (-al) mech
14 mechanised mech
15 media liaison officer MLO
16 medical med
17 medical evacuation medevac
18 medium med
19 Medium-term Expenditure Framework MTEF
20 megahertz MHz
21 memorandum (-s) (-a) memo (-s)
22 memorandum of agreement/understanding MOA/MOU
23 message msg
24 meteorological met
25 meteorology met
26 military mil
27 military area MA
28 military attaché MA
29 Military Command Council MCC
30 Military Disciplinary Code MDC
31 Military Disciplinary Supplementary Measures Act MDSMA
32 military legal officer MLO
33 military liaison officer MLO
34 military observers MILOB
35 military off-the-shelf MOTS
36 military operations in urban terrain MOUT
37 military operations other than war MOOTW
38 military police MP
39 military post office MPO
40 Military Psychological Institute MPI
41 military qualification MILQUAL
42 Military Skills Development System MSDS
43 minefield minefd
44 minimum min
45 Minister of Defence and Military Veterans MOD&MV
46 Ministry of Defence MOD
47 minute min
48 miscellaneous misc
49 missile msl
50 missing in action MIA
51 mission msn
52 mobilisation mob
53 mobilisation centre mob cen
54 mobilise mob
55 mobilised mob
56 mobility mob
57 modular mod
58 Monday Mon
59 mortar mor

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-13

No a b
60 motor mot
61 motorised mot
62 movement mov
14. N - November

No a b
1 national key point NKP
2 National Qualifications Framework NQF
3 National Standards Body NSB
4 national stock number NSN
5 National Treasury NT
6 nautical miles nm
7 naval gunfire support NGS
8 navigate (-d) nav
9 navigation (-al) nav
10 necessary nec
11 necessitate nec
12 neutralisation neutr
13 neutralise neutr
14 next of kin NOK
15 no further details NFD
16 no-fire line NFL
17 nominate(-d) nom
18 nomination nom
19 non-commissioned officer NCO
20 non-governmental organisation NGO
21 non-public fund NPF
22 not applicable NA
23 nothing further to report NFTR
24 nothing to report NTR
25 notification of casualty NOTICAS
26 November Nov
27 nuclear warfare NW
28 nuclear, biological and chemical warfare NBC war
29 number no
15. O - Oscar

No a b
1 objective obj
2 observation obs
3 observation post OP
4 observation, orientation, decision, action (loop) OODA (loop)
5 obstacle obst
6 occupational health and safety OHS
7 October Oct
8 officer off

Year: 2021
1A3-14 RESTRICTED

No a b
9 officer in charge (command) OIC
10 officer in tactical command OTC
11 officer(s) commanding OC(s)
12 operations officer OPSO
13 operations order OPSO
14 operation(s) op(s)
15 operational emergency care practitioner OECP
16 operational security OPSEC
17 operations other than war OOTW
18 opposing force(s) OPFOR
19 order(s) of battle ORBAT(s)
20 ordnance ord
21 organisation org
22 organise(-d) org
23 other rank(s) OR(s)
24 ounce(s) oz
25 outcomes-based education and training OBET
26 own force(s) OF
16. P - Papa

No a b
1 page p
2 pages pp
3 paid pd
4 parachute para
5 parade pde
6 paragraph par
7 part pt
8 passenger(s) PAX
9 patient pt
10 patrol(-led) (-ling) ptl
11 peace enforcement operation(s) PEO(s)
12 peace support operation(s) PSO(s)
13 peacekeeping force PKF
14 peacekeeping operation(s) PKO(s)
15 per day pd
16 per procurationem (on behalf of) pp
17 performance against plan PAP
18 performance agreement PA
19 period in custody PIC
20 period under arrest PUA
21 periodic intelligence report PERINTREP
22 personal adjutant PA
23 personal assistant PA
24 personal protective equipment PPE
25 personal staff officer PSO
26 personnel pers
27 Personnel Management Code PMC

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-15

No a b
28 petroleum, oil and lubricants POL
29 photograph(-er) (-ic) (-y) photo
30 photographic reconnaissance PR
31 physical training PT
32 physical training instructor PTI
33 physical training, sport and recreation PTSR
34 pioneer pnr
35 platoon pl
36 Plenary Defence Staff Council PDSC
37 point pt
38 position(-ed) posn
39 power supply unit PSU
40 predicted range PR
41 preliminary prelim
42 preliminary investigation PI
43 preparation prep
44 preparatory prep
45 prepare(-d) prep
46 prime mission equipment PME
47 priority pri
48 prisoner(s) of war POW(s)
49 private pte
50 product(-s) (-ion) prod
51 program (computer) prog
52 programme prog
53 projectile proj
54 protection prtn
55 psychological psy
56 psychological operations psyops
57 psychological warfare psy W
58 public address (system) PA
59 public-private partnership PPP
60 public relations PR
61 public relations officer PRO
62 Public Service Act Personnel PSAP
63 publication pub
17. Q - Quebec

No a b
1 qualification qual
2 qualified qual
3 qualify qual
4 quality assurance QA
5 quality control QC
6 quantity qty
7 quartermaster QM

Year: 2021
1A3-16 RESTRICTED
18. R - Romeo

No a b
1 radar rdr
2 railhead rl H
3 range rge
4 rapid deployment force RDF
5 ration(s) rat
6 rear headquarters RHQ
7 receipt voucher RV
8 received recd
9 recognition of prior learning RPL
10 reconnaissance recce
11 reconnoitre recce
12 recover(-y) rec
13 reference ref
14 referred ref
15 regiment(-al) regt
16 regimental headquarters RHQ
17 regimental sergeant major RSM
18 regional joint task force RJTF
19 register reg
20 registration regn
21 registry reg
22 regular reg
23 Regulars (Regular Force) Reg (RegF)
24 Regular Force Medical Continuation Fund RFMCF
25 regulate reg
26 regulating reg
27 regulation reg
28 remotely piloted vehicle RPV
29 rendezvous RV
30 repair rep
31 repeat rpt
32 replenishment at sea RAS
33 Répondez, s’il vous plaȋt (please reply) RSVP
34 report rep
35 represent(-ative) rep
36 Republic of South Africa Military Specification RSA-MILSPEC
37 request(-ed) req
38 requisition rqn
39 research and development R&D
40 Reserve Force ResF
41 Reserves (Reserve Force) Res (ResF)
42 reserve(s) res
43 resource res
44 resource allocation shortage requirement RASR
45 respirator resp
46 responsibility(-ies) resp
47 responsible resp
48 restricted restd

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-17

No a b
49 resupply resupp
50 resuscitation resus
51 retire(-d) ret
52 return(-ed) ret
53 return to unit RTU
54 revolutions per minute rpm
55 road rd
56 roadhead rd H
57 rocket rkt
58 rocket launcher RL
59 round rd
60 rounds per minute rpm
61 rules of engagement ROE
19. S - Sierra

No a b
1 Safety and Security Sector Education and Training SASSETA
Authority
2 satellite sat
3 Saturday Sat
4 SANDF Capital Acquisition Master Plan SCAMP
5 search and rescue SAR
6 second (elm of time) sec
7 second-in-command 2IC
8 secretary secr
9 Secretary for Defence Sec Def
10 section sec
11 sector sec
12 Sector Education and Training Authority SETA
13 security sec
14 Security and Defence Studies Programme (see ENSP) SDSP
15 security forces SF
16 senior snr
17 Senior Management Programme SMP
18 senior staff officer SSO
19 September Sep
20 serial (number) ser (no)
21 service (-ing) (-d) svc
22 service agreement SA
23 service level agreement SLA
24 serviceable svc
25 signal sig
26 signal (Corps/staff) Sig/sig
27 signal intelligence SIGINT
28 situation sit
29 situation report SITREP
30 small arms SA
31 small arms ammunition SAA

Year: 2021
1A3-18 RESTRICTED

No a b
32 smoke smk
33 South Africa SA
34 South African Air Force SAAF
35 South African Air Force Technical Service Bulletin SAAF TSB
36 South African Army SA Army
37 South African Army Armament Committee SAAAC
38 South African Army Order SAAO
39 South African Forces Institute SAFI
40 South African Military Health Service SAMHS
41 South African Military Health Service Order SAMHSO
42 South African National Defence Force SANDF
43 South African National Defence Force Order SANDFO
44 South African Navy SAN
45 South African Naval Order SANO
46 South African Qualifications Authority SAQA
47 South African Ship SAS
48 Southern African Development Community SADC
49 special (-ist) spec
50 special force(s) spec force(s)
51 specification spec
52 squadron sqn
53 staff duties SD
54 staff officer (grade 1, 2, 3); standing orders SO (1, 2, 3)
55 staff officers’ operational manual SOOM
56 staff officers’ reference handbook SORHB
57 standard std
58 Standards Generating Body SGB
59 standing operation instruction SOI
60 standing operation procedure SOP
61 standing work procedure SWP
62 State Information Technology Agency SITA
63 station stn
64 statistic stat
65 statistical stat
66 Status of Forces Agreement SOFA
67 storeman stmn
68 strategic strat
69 Strategic Direction Process SDP
70 Strategic Management Process SMP
71 strategy strat
72 strength (-ened) str
73 structure struc
74 subject subj
75 submarine sub
76 subscriber subs
77 subscription subs
78 subsistence and transport S&T
79 substantive subs
80 Sunday Sun
81 supplementary intelligence report SUPINTREP

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-19

No a b
82 supplied supp
83 supplier supp
84 supplies supp
85 supply supp
86 support (-ed) sup
87 surface-to-air missile SAM
88 surface-to-surface missile SSM
89 Surgeon General SG
90 surveillance surv
91 surveillance zone SZ
92 survey svy
93 sustained fire SF
94 switched speech network SSN
95 systems management sysman
20. T - Tango

No a b
1 tactical tac
2 tactical exercise(s) without troops TEWT(s)
3 tactical intelligence centre TIC
4 tactical intelligence control post TICP
5 tactics tac
6 tactics, techniques and procedures TTPs
7 tank tk
8 tank transporter TT
9 target tgt
10 task force TF
11 task force commander TFC
12 technical tech
13 Technical Review Board TRB
14 technical staff officer TSO
15 technician tech
16 telecommunications tels
17 telephone tel
18 telephone conversation telecon
19 temperature temp
20 temporary temp
21 temporary (when referring to a rank, eg T/Capt) T/
22 that is to say (id est) ie
23 Thursday Thu
24 time over target TOT
25 top secret TOPSEC
26 track (-ed) tck
27 training trg
28 trajectory traj
29 transfer tfr
30 transport (-ation) (-ed) tpt
31 troop tp

Year: 2021
1A3-20 RESTRICTED

No a b
32 Tuesday Tue
21. U - Uniform

No a b
1 ultra-high frequency UHF
2 unclassified unclas
3 underwater-to-air missile UAM
4 underwater-to-surface missile USM
5 unexploded UX
6 unexploded bomb UXB
7 unexploded booby trap UXBT
8 unexploded mine UXM
9 unexploded rocket UXR
10 United Nations UN
11 unmanned aerial observation system UAOS
12 unmanned aerial vehicle UAV
13 unmanned ground vehicle UGV
14 unmanned sub-surface system USS
15 unmanned sub-surface vessel USV
16 unserviceable US
17 user system US
22. V - Victor

No a b
1 vacant vac
2 vacated vac
3 vacation (-al) vac
4 vehicle veh
5 vehicles per kilometre vehs/km
6 verbal order VO
7 verification ver
8 verified ver
9 verify ver
10 vertical vert
11 very high frequency VHF
12 very important person VIP
13 very low frequency VLF
14 very, very important person VVIP
15 veterinary officer VO
16 visibility vis
17 visual vis

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1A3-21
23. W - Whiskey

No a b
1 war equipment table WET
2 war establishment table WET
3 warning wng
4 warning order WO
5 warrant officer WO
6 warrant voucher WV
7 weapon wpn
8 weapon of mass destruction WMD
9 Wednesday Wed
10 weight wt
11 wide area network WAN
12 with effect from wef
13 with regard to wrt
14 with respect to wrt
15 without w/o
16 workshop wksp

Year: 2021
1A3-22 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
APPENDIX B
CSW
TO CHAPTER 1
ENGLISH TENSES
TABLE OF TENSES
Ser Person Past Tense Present Tense Future Tense

No
Simple Continuous Perfect Simple Continuous Perfect Simple Continuous Perfect
a b c d e f g h i j
1 Singular I wrote I was writing I had I write I am writing I have I shall I shall be I shall
written written write writing have
written
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
You You were You had You You are You You will You will be You will
wrote writing written write writing have write writing have
written written
He/she He/she was He/she He/she He/she is He/she He/she He/she will He/she
wrote writing had writes writing has will write be writing will have
written written written
2 Plural We We were We had We write We are We have We shall We shall be We shall
wrote writing written writing written write writing have
written
You You were You had You You are You You will You will be You will
wrote writing written write writing have write writing have
written written
They They were They They They are They They will They will be They will
Year: 2021
wrote writing had write writing have write writing have
Edition No: 2
1B-1
written written written

1B-2 RESTRICTED
SEQUENCE OF TENSES
Ser Past Perfect Simple Past Present Present Future

No Perfect
a b c d e
1 After I had Since I took a Since I have When I take a I shall take a pill
taken a pill pill taken a pill pill
2 I had felt better I felt better I have felt better I feel better I shall feel
better
Source: McMagh, P. 1986. English for South Africans. Goodwood: Nasionale Opvoedkundige
Uitgewery Beperk.
NOTE: The arrows above indicate which tenses may legitimately be linked, eg ‘After I had taken a
pill, I felt better’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 1C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 1
SYSTEM OF NUMBERING DAYS AND HOURS
DEFINITIONS
1. Certain letters are used to indicate the day or hour on which a given operation must
commence. These are as follows:
a. Days
i. D-day. The day on which an operation begins or is due to begin is referred to as

D-day. This may refer to the beginning of hostilities or to any other operation.
ii. M-day. The day on which mobilisation must begin is referred to as M-day.
iii. K-day. K-day refers to the basic date for the introduction of the convoy system on
any particular convoy lane.
b. Hours
i. H-hour. H-hour is the specific hour on D-day at which hostilities begin. When
used in conjunction with planned operations, it refers to the specific hour on
which the tactical commander bases his or her joint time plan. All arrangements
regarding time are based on H-hour.
ii. P-hour. P-hour refers to the time of drop of the first strike of the main body in an
airborne operation.
NUMBERING OF DAYS
2. Days relative to D-day are numbered as follows:
a. Earlier than D-day. D - 5, D - 4, D - 3, etc, as appropriate.
b. Later than D-day. D + 1, D + 2, D + 3, etc, as appropriate.
3. The same rule applies to M-day and K-day.
NOTE: One space is left on either side of the ‘-’ and ‘+’ sign.
4. To assist in identifying an operation, the relevant code word should be used together with the
system of numbering, eg ‘D-day PROTEA’.
NUMBERING OF HOURS
5. Times relative to H-hour are denoted as follows:
a. Earlier than H-hour. H - 2 hrs, H - 1 hr, H - 30 mins, as appropriate.
b. Later than H-hour. H + 30 mins, H + 1 hr, H + 2 hrs, as appropriate.

Year: 2021
1C-2 RESTRICTED
6. The same rule applies to P-hour.
NOTE: One space is left on either side of the ‘-’ and ‘+’ sign.
MULTIPLE OPERATIONS
7. When several operations or phases of an operation are being mounted in the same theatre
and confusion may arise through the use of the same day or hour designation for two or more of
them, they may be referred to by any letter of the alphabet except those provided in paragraph 1
above.
8. Each operational order must contain a paragraph or appendix indicating the code letter
prefixes used and their meaning.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-1
CHAPTER 2: STANDARD LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Reference A: Government Communication Information System (GCIS) Guidelines on

Government Branding: Editorial Style Guide (As per Cabinet Instruction
dated 9 June 2004)
B: CCS/DCC/R/511/4/1/1: Implementation Instruction No 38/10:
Implementation of the Government Branding Programme in the Department
of Defence (DOD) on Letterheads, Memoranda, Facsimiles and Business
Cards dated 28 January 2011
C: DODI Pol and Plan 54/2001: Language Policy for the DOD dated
21 December 2001
Appendix A: Examples of Government Branding

B: Basic Layout and Spacing
C: Format of a Tabular Layout
D: Harvard Method of Referencing
E: Example of Flags and Side Flags Layout
F: PowerPoint Presentation Layout
G: Computer Setup Procedures
STANDARD LAYOUT
INTRODUCTION
1. A standard layout is used for special types of Department of Defence (DOD) documents to
facilitate the clear presentation of facts and discussion. The principles of standard layout facilitate
the task of the following people who are involved in service writing:
a. Writers, knowing the rules, automatically conform to the standard layout and do not
have to devise their own.
b. Readers, receiving documents that conform to a familiar pattern, find them easier to
read and understand.
2. Standard layout consists of a number of basic elements. Some of these, such as headings
and paragraphs, are used in all DOD documents; others, such as supplementary documents and
bibliographies, are included only when required. Standard layout is also required for digital or e-
texts such as e-mails and PowerPoint presentations.
GOVERNMENT BRANDING
3. Government branding (GB) has been implemented (see References A and B) to standardise
branding in all government departments. It is a visual and non-tangible element that reflects the
conduct of the people and promotes a positive image of the DOD.
4. The prescripts of the above instruction (Reference B) are applicable to all forms of
correspondence in the DOD, ie formal, demi-official, routine letters, invitations in the form of letters,
facsimiles and memoranda. Only approved letterheads may be used on the first page of a
document (see Appendix A of this chapter and Chapter 3 for examples of GB on various types of
documents).

Year: 2021
2-2 RESTRICTED
5. The approved use of branding in the DOD is as follows:
a. DOD Letterhead. The coat of arms (COA) is positioned in the top left-hand corner,
and is used by the Secretary for Defence (Sec Def) and the following divisions under
his or her command:
i. Defence Policy, Strategy and Planning (DPSP) Division.
ii. Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS).
iii. Defence Matériel (Def Mat).
iv. Defence International Affairs (DIA).
v. Integrated Defence Enterprise System (IDES).
vi. Internal Audit Division.
b. South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Letterheads
i. DOD Central Staff. The COA is positioned in the bottom left-hand corner and the
SANDF emblem in the top left-hand corner. DOD Central Staff also have the
option of using the DOD letterhead as per paragraph 5.a above. This is
applicable to the following divisions that may also use the divisional emblem
which is to be positioned in the bottom right-hand corner:
(1) Human Resources Division (HR Div).
(2) Defence Legal Services Division (DLSD).
(3) Defence Foreign Relations (DFR) Division.
ii. Corporate Staff Division (CSD). The COA is positioned in the bottom left-hand
corner and the SANDF emblem in the top left-hand corner.
iii. Divisions under the Command of the Chief of Staff of the SANDF (COS SANDF).
The COA is positioned in the bottom left-hand corner and the SANDF emblem in
the top left-hand corner. The respective divisional emblem is positioned in the
bottom right-hand corner. This applies to the following divisions:
(1) Military Policy, Strategy and Planning Office.
(2) Defence Reserves (Def Res).
(3) Chaplain Service (Cpln Svc).
(4) Logistics Division.
(5) Military Police Division (MPD).
(6) Command and Management Information System (CMIS) Division.
c. Service and Other Division Letterheads. The COA is positioned in the bottom left-hand
corner, the service or divisional emblem is positioned in the top left-hand corner and

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-3
the SANDF emblem is positioned in the bottom right-hand corner. This is applicable to
the following services and divisions:
i. Joint Operations (J Ops) Division.
ii. SA Army.
iii. SA Air Force (SAAF).
iv. SA Navy (SAN).
v. SA Military Health Service (SAMHS).
vi. Defence Intelligence (DI) Division.
vii. Defence Inspectorate Division.
d. Levels 3 and 4. The service or divisional emblem is positioned in the top left-hand
corner with the COA in the bottom left-hand corner. The formation, command,
squadron, unit, etc emblem is positioned in the bottom right-hand corner.
6. Facsimiles. The design and brand elements for facsimiles are the same as above, but in
black and white only (not grey scale).
7. Translations. Translation of the words ‘Department of Defence’ in the eleven official

languages is fixed and must always appear at the bottom of each letterhead (even if there is no
emblem or a single emblem).
8. Special Project Logos. A project logo can be accommodated at the bottom of the page in the
middle above the translation of the words ‘Department of Defence’.
9. Themes or Messages. Themes and messages are positioned at the bottom of the letterhead
and can be revised when necessary. Customised slogans can be used but must align with the font
and style prescripts as per the instruction (Reference B).
10. Digital copies of the approved emblems are available on the DOD Intranet on the Defence
Corporate Communication (DCC) web page.
11. For the purpose of illustration, only a limited number of examples of branding are given in
this manual. The correct approved specifications with regard to margins, font and point sizes,
colours, etc are included in the instruction (Reference B). Do not distort the size or shape of the
emblems.
MARGINS
12. All the margins (top, bottom, right and left) must be set at 2 cm.
13. For manuals, staff papers and other lengthy documents, the margins may be adjusted to
accommodate back-to-back printing and binding.
14. The left-hand margin is the starting point for all elements of service writing, except for the
subdivisions of paragraphs and the right-hand part of the address block, file reference and
reference block of a supplementary document.

Year: 2021
2-4 RESTRICTED
FONT TYPE AND POINT SIZE
15. Only Arial, point size 12 is recommended to be used, however point size 11 may be chosen
to limit wastage of paper when text is fitted on one page.
16. Where tabular layouts are used, the point size may be reduced (not smaller than point size 8)
to keep details together and to ensure legibility.
JUSTIFICATION
17. Full justification must be used throughout documents. However, this does not apply to tables
(see paragraph 63.e).
18. Hyphenation at the end of a line should be used only where necessary if the space between
words exceeds three letter spaces. If hyphenation is used, adhere to the rules of grammar (see the
NOTE in Chapter 1 with paragraph 27.c).
ITALICS
19. Italics should be used when foreign words are included in the text and for publications such
as book titles or names of newspapers, eg ‘Forces armées de la République démocratique du
Congo (FARDC)’, ‘Concise Oxford Dictionary’ and ‘Sunday Times’.
TAB SETTINGS
20. Tab spaces must be set at 1 cm.
SPACING
21. Line Spacing. Vertical spacing is done by way of single-line spacing, double-line spacing or
multiples of double-line spacing. The successive lines of text within paragraphs and subdivisions of
paragraphs are set out in single-line spacing (see Appendix B). One line is left open between
a. successive paragraphs;
b. the subdivisions within a paragraph;
c. main and group headings; and
d. the text preceding and succeeding main or group headings.
22. Other Spacing Principles. The spacing of the address block, signature block and distribution
block is given in Appendix B.
BOLD TYPEFACE
23. Bold typeface must be used for the following:
a. Subject headings or titles.
b. Main and group headings.
c. Signature blocks.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-5
d. Emphasis of specific words or phrases (do not overuse).
e. The word ‘NOTE’ when used to amplify the text.
f. Column headings in tables.
24. Bold typeface is not used for the following:
a. Security classifications.
b. File references.
c. Address blocks.
d. References to supplementary documents.
e. Distribution blocks.
f. Paragraph headings.
g. The second row of a table containing the letters a, b, c, etc.
HEADERS AND FOOTERS
25. Headers and footers, which usually accommodate the security classification and page
numbers, must be set at 1 cm from the bottom and top edges of the page.
26. There must be at least two lines open between the text and the header and footer. In the
case where government branding is inserted on the first page, single line spacing must be open
between the footer and the government branding.
27. Headers and footers (security classification and page numbers) are not typed in bold
typeface and must be in the same font type and point size as the document.
28. Configuration Control Measures. Configuration control measures must be included in the
footer for policy, doctrine and training publications (see footer on this page). The footer may be in
the format of a table divided into three columns:
a. Left. The number of the policy or title of the training publication should appear in the
footer against the left-hand margin in line with the security classification and typed in
point size 10, eg ‘SAAO/00001’ or ‘Vol 1: Book 2: Pam 3’.
b. Middle. The security classification is typed in the same font type and point size as used
in the rest of the document, ie Arial 12, in the centre of the middle column.
c. Right. The edition number and date are typed in the right-hand column in point size 10.
PAGE NUMBERING
29. The page numbers of all documents are placed in the top right-hand corner in line with the
security classification (see Appendix B).
30. All pages are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, beginning with 1. The font type
and point size of page numbers must be the same as those used in the rest of the document.

Year: 2021
2-6 RESTRICTED
31. When back-to-back printing is used, and the page numbering will be obscured because of
binding etc, then the page numbers may alternate between the top right-hand and top left-hand
corners. When back-to-back reproduction is done, right-hand pages must always have uneven
page numbers and left-hand pages must always have even page numbers (see the page numbers
of this document).
32. Technical Documents and Publications. The page numbers of technical documents and
publications may be typed in the outer bottom corner on the line above the security classification in
accordance with RSA-MIL-STD-6 and RSA-MIL-SPEC-10.
33. Preliminary Pages. When a document includes preliminary pages (front matter), such as a
letter of promulgation or list of contents (as in this manual), the preliminary pages are numbered in
lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc).
34. Listing of Page Numbers on the Contents Page. When a document includes a list of
contents, it may be done by inserting a table with three columns. The list of contents does not
follow the CSW tabular layout, ie there is no column for serial numbers or a row for a, b, c or any
further numbering. Once the table is completed, the borders and all lines are removed. (Refer to
page iii of this manual.)
a. First Column. The first column has the chapter or section number. If the first column is
not applicable, it may be omitted.
b. Second Column. The second column lists the subject heading or title of the chapter or
section in upper case (in bold typeface). This is followed by only the main and group
headings (not necessarily paragraph headings), appendices and annexures of that
chapter or section in title case (not in bold typeface). The main headings and
appendices are left aligned and the group headings and annexures are indented.
c. Third Column. The third column indicates the relevant page numbers.
35. Chapters. When a document is divided into chapters, the page number is preceded by the
chapter number (in Arabic numerals) and a hyphen, eg ‘2-4’ refers to page 4 of Chapter 2. The
page numbers of each chapter begin at 1.
36. Appendices. The page numbers of appendices are preceded by the appendix letter and a
hyphen, eg ‘A-1’ refers to page 1 of Appendix A or ‘2A-1’ refers to page 1 of Appendix A to
Chapter 2.
37. Annexures. The page numbers of annexures are preceded by the appendix letter, annexure
number and a hyphen, eg ‘A1-1’ refers to page 1 of Annexure 1 to Appendix A or ‘2A1-1’ refers to
page 1 of Annexure 1 to Appendix A to Chapter 2.
38. Volumes, Books and Pamphlets. In the case of a document that comprises various
volumes/books/pamphlets, page numbering will follow the sequence: volume number, book
number, pamphlet number, chapter number and page number, eg ‘2/1/3/1-4’ denotes page 4 of
Chapter 1 of Pamphlet 3 of Book 1 of Volume 2.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATIONS
39. All DOD documents must have a security classification in capital letters at the top centre
(header) and bottom centre (footer) of each page, ie ‘RESTRICTED’, ‘CONFIDENTIAL’, ‘SECRET’
or ‘TOP SECRET’, depending on the content of the document and who may have access to it.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-7
40. The classification must be the same font type and point size as the rest of the text in the
document. The classification is not in bold typeface (see Appendix B).
41. Correspondence addressed to organisations outside the DOD must not have a security
classification. This excludes documents that are addressed to organisations that deal with DOD
matters of a classified nature.
42. Security Marking of Documents. The security classification of all other documents is
indicated as follows:
a. Bound Volumes. Books, pamphlets and other documents that are bound permanently
and securely into a volume, must bear the appropriate security classification printed
as a header and a footer at the top centre and bottom centre of each typed page,
including the front and back covers.
b. Loose and Non-permanently Bound Documents
i. The security classification must appear, be written or typed at the top centre and
bottom centre as a header and footer on the text side(s) of each page.
ii. The security classification must be stamped only where applicable as follows:
(1) On the front cover, at the top centre and bottom centre.
(2) On the front page, at the top centre and bottom centre over the typed
markings.
(3) On the outside of the back cover, at the top centre and bottom centre.
c. Rolled or Folded Documents. In addition to the prescribed marks, rolled or folded

documents, eg maps or charts, must be marked in such a manner that the
security classification is clearly visible when the documents are folded or rolled up.
COPY NUMBER
43. Copy numbers must be allocated to all secret and top secret documents (excluding signals)
and are indicated at the top right of the first page, above the file reference, ie ‘Copy no ... of ...
copies’ (see Appendix B).
44. If a document has been allocated a copy number, its supplementary documents must also be
allocated copy numbers. The allocation of copy numbers is indicated in the distribution list.
45. Once a document is completed, the copy number is written in by hand after it has been
signed.
FILE REFERENCE
46. A file reference is the most usual form of identifying reference. All DOD documents must
have a file reference that may consist of numbers, letters or a combination of both. The file
reference to all documents must be in English, regardless of the language used in the document.
47. A file reference consists of the file prefix (ie the abbreviation of the originating headquarters,
chief directorate, directorate, formation or unit), security classification and file reference number, eg
68 AS/R/202/3/3. The file prefix could consist of more than one reference to a service/division,

Year: 2021
2-8 RESTRICTED
directorate, etc, eg CHR/D LANG/R/515. The file reference number relating to the topic can be
found in the DOD filing system.
48. The letter ‘E’ is added after the security classification in the reference block of a document
marked ‘EXCLUSIVE’, eg CJ OPS/TSE/202/3/3 for a top secret exclusive document.
49. Supplementary documents have the same file reference as the parent document, with the
exception of enclosures which have their own file references.
ADDRESS BLOCK
50. Language Usage. The address block must be written in English, regardless of the language
used for the content of the document (see Reference C).
51. Elements of an Address Block. An address block consists of various elements. The inclusion
or exclusion of some of these elements will be dictated by the nature and purpose of the document
concerned.
52. Originator’s Address Block: Right-hand Side. The following information appears on the right-
hand side of the page (as far right as possible), vertically aligned with the copy number and/or file
reference in the sequence indicated (see Appendix B):
a. Postal Address. Originator's address, with postal code.
b. Date. The month and year must be typed in full but the actual date of signing the
document must be handwritten. When the handwritten date is a single number, it is
preceded by a zero. The first signatory (the originator) must fill in the date in the
address block on the first page.
c. Line Spacing. A line is left open after the copy number (if used) and after the file
reference. There are no open lines between the originator's address and date.
53. Originator’s Address Block: Left-hand Side. The originator’s address block appears against
the left-hand margin in line with the originator's address in the sequence indicated and vertically
aligned after the colon (see Appendix B):
a. Originator's telephone number (include dialling code without brackets and hyphens), eg
‘012 334 0125’.
b. Originator's telephone extension (if applicable), eg ‘2014’.
c. Originator's switched speech network (SSN) number (if applicable). This is only
included in correspondence within the DOD.
d. Originator's cell phone number (if applicable).
e. Originator's facsimile number (include the dialling code without brackets and hyphens).
f. E-mail/Lotus Notes address (if applicable).
g. Rank, initials and surname of the person to whom enquiries may be directed. In all
official correspondence, the rank and name of the person able to answer enquiries
arising from such correspondence must be agreed on by the originator and drafter.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-9
54. Addressee’s Address Block
a. Routine Letter. An addressee’s address block is utilised when the routine letter is sent
to only one recipient and there is no need for a distribution block. The appointment of
the addressee and his or her section is put below the address block of the originator,
blocked against the left-hand margin (this is not followed by the postal address).
b. Formal and Demi-official Letter. The appointment of the addressee and his or her
section is put below the address block of the originator, blocked against the left-hand
margin followed by the addressee's full postal address. Two lines are left open before
the addressee's address. (See Chapter 3.)
ADDRESSING AN ENVELOPE
55. When addressing an envelope the following must be adhered to:
a. All correspondence in the DOD must be addressed to the chief of the service or
division or the unit commander, followed by the directorate or section that will deal with
the correspondence.
b. If correspondence has to be attended to by a specific individual, the wording ‘Attention:

…’ or ‘Exclusive for …’ must be added, for example:
Chief of Joint Operations Chief of the Army

(Directorate Doctrine – Exclusive for SSO Doctrine) (Chief Directorate Army Force Structure)
Private Bag X159 (Directorate Army Logistics)
Pretoria Private Bag X981
0001 Pretoria
0001
Chief Air Staff Operations Officer Commanding SA Air Force College

(Directorate Helicopter Systems – Attention: SSO (Attention: Sport Officer)
Helicopter Systems) Private Bag X1008
Private Bag X199 Thaba Tshwane
Pretoria 0143
0001
HEADINGS
56. Subject Headings/Titles. The following are applicable (also see Appendix B):
a. The subject heading/title is compulsory and is a short statement (not longer than two
lines) of the topic being addressed. Do not go into detail, as this should be addressed

Year: 2021
2-10 RESTRICTED
in the text. The heading of this chapter ‘CHAPTER 2: STANDARD LAYOUT

PRINCIPLES’ is an example of a subject heading/title.
b. The subject heading/title begins against the left-hand margin, is in capital letters, in
bold typeface and is neither underlined nor followed by any punctuation.
c. The subject heading/title must be repeated at the top of the second and following
pages of routine correspondence and minutes. However, this does not apply to
appendices or annexures. The subject heading/title can be placed in the header of the
document from the second and following pages, with two line spaces left open between
the security classification and the subject heading.
57. Main Headings. The following are applicable (also see Appendix B):
a. Main headings are used to bring together a number of group headings that relate to a
similar subject within the text of the document. The heading ‘STANDARD LAYOUT’ on
page 2-1 is an example of a main heading.
b. Main headings are in capital letters, in bold typeface, are underlined, but not followed
by a full stop and begin against the left-hand margin.
c. Once a main heading has been used, then such headings are to be used throughout
the document, in order to indicate that the text following does not directly relate to the
text shown under the previous main heading.
58. Group Headings. The following are applicable (also see Appendix B):
a. Group headings are used to introduce one or more paragraphs relating to the same
subject and cover all subsequent paragraphs until the next group or main heading. The
heading ‘INTRODUCTION’ on page 2-1 is an example of a group heading.
b. Group headings are in capital letters, in bold typeface, and begin against the left-hand
margin, but are not followed by a full stop.
c. The use of group headings assists the writer in presenting the subject in logical steps
and helps the reader to follow the argument.
NOTE 1: Subject, main and group headings must be kept as concise as possible.
NOTE 2: Main Headings vs Group Headings. A group heading can function on its own, is not
underlined and covers information relating to the specific group heading. A main heading groups
together different group headings and is underlined.
59. Paragraph Headings. The following are applicable (also see Appendix B):
a. Paragraph headings are short descriptions of the information contained in that specific
paragraph, ie the paragraph heading in this paragraph 59 above.
b. Paragraph headings are written in title case (initial capital letters used for the key
words) and the entire paragraph heading is underlined, even when it is longer than one
line. Punctuation marks at the end of paragraph headings are not underlined. The type
of paragraph heading dictates the use of punctuation as follows (also see Chapter 1,
paragraphs 26 and 27):

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-11
i. When text follows on the same line (as in this subparagraph), the paragraph
heading is followed by a full stop.
ii. When a paragraph heading stands on its own (without text following on the same
line, but followed by subparagraphs), there is no full stop (see paragraph 54 for
an example).
NOTE: A heading should not be placed on the last line of a page. If text following the heading
cannot fit onto the bottom of the page, the heading should be moved to the top of the next page.
LAYOUT AND NUMBERING OF PARAGRAPHS
60. Paragraphs. Paragraphs are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, starting with ‘1.’
(also refer to Appendix B) and thereafter the following subdivisions apply:
a. Subparagraphs. Subparagraphs are numbered in lower case letters followed by a full

stop. They follow alphabetically and begin with ‘a.’. Should more than twenty-six
subparagraphs be required, the letter ‘z.’ is followed by ‘aa.’, ‘ab.’, ‘ac.’, etc.
b. Sub-subparagraphs. Sub-subparagraphs are numbered in lower case Roman numerals

followed by a full stop and begin with ‘i.’. The full stops following the Roman numerals
must be right aligned under the first letter of the first word of the paragraph above
them.
c. Sub-sub-subparagraphs. Sub-sub-subparagraphs are numbered in Arabic numerals

enclosed in brackets and without full stops, beginning with ‘(1)’.
d. Further Subdivisions. Lower-case letters and lower-case Roman numerals enclosed in

brackets without full stops, are used to number sub-sub-sub-subparagraphs, beginning
with ‘(a)’ and sub-sub-sub-sub-subparagraphs beginning with ‘(i)’. However, it is
suggested that the writer reconsider the layout of paragraphs to avoid the use of further
subdivisions due to limited space on the page for the information being presented, ie it
might be better to make use of a table.
61. Interrupted Paragraphs. When a paragraph continues after a subparagraph or further

subdivision, the text is resumed under the first letter of the line preceding the subdivision, ie as
though there had been no interruption, as in paragraphs 63 and 69 below.
NOTE 1: There may not be a single subparagraph or subdivision, ie subparagraph a must be

followed by subparagraph b. If this is not possible, the text must be incorporated into the
paragraph.
NOTE 2: Paragraphs, subparagraphs and further subdivisions must be separated by single-line

spacing.
NOTE 3: Interrupted paragraphs, however necessary on occasion, should be used with discretion
to avoid confusion.
MARKING OF DRAFTS
62. Documents in draft form are identified by the inclusion of the word ‘DRAFT’ below the
security classification, at the top of each page.

Year: 2021
2-12 RESTRICTED
TABULAR LAYOUT
63. Contents may be presented in tabular form (also see Appendix C) as follows:
a. Position of Table. The width of the table must be the same as the full justification of the
page (from the left-hand margin to the right-hand margin), irrespective of whether it is
in a paragraph or subdivision of a paragraph.
b. Table Numbers and Headings. A table number (optional) and table heading indicate
the sequence and contents of the table and are typed in bold typeface in capital letters
against the left-hand margin above actual table. However, it is not necessary to have a
table number and/or heading if
i. there is an introductory paragraph indicating the contents of the table or the

contents are presented in tabular format under a group heading (see paragraph
63.c below);
ii. the contents of an appendix or annexure are presented in tabular format, as the
subject heading/title of the appendix or annexure will indicate the contents
of the table (see 2C1-2); and
NOTE: Where tabular layouts are used, the point size may be reduced (not smaller than point size
8) to keep details together and to ensure legibility.
If there are more than one table in a document (eg doctrine handbooks, training
manuals and lengthy reports), numbering the tables will facilitate referencing. Tables
are numbered sequentially in Arabic numerals. (See examples on page 2C2-3.) Table
numbers in appendices and annexures must reflect the numbering of the appendices
and annexures, eg ‘TABLE 2A1-1’ for Table 1 of Annexure 1 to Appendix A to Chapter
2.
c. Table Columns
i. Column Width. Column width must be adapted to ensure that a word is not split
over two lines.
(1) Correct Method
Ser Force No Rank Initials and Surname Appointment Home Contact Details
No Unit
a b c d e f
1 79547896PE Capt (SAN) J.L. van der Nest SSO Change Navy HQ 012 355 6243
Management
2
(2) Incorrect Method
Ser Force No Rank Initials and Surname Appointme Home Unit Contact Details
No nt
a b c d e f
1 79547896PE Capt (SA J.L. van der Nest SSO Navy HQ 012 355 6243
N) Change
Manageme
nt
2

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-13
ii. Column Headings. Each vertical column must have a column heading that is
typed in the centre of each column. The column headings must be typed in title
case (initial capitals of key words) and in bold typeface. The first column will
always be headed ‘Ser No’ and the column is as wide as the abbreviation ‘Ser’.
Columns must not be shaded.
iii. Column Identification Letters. Except for the ‘Ser No’ column and column
heading, columns are also lettered in lower case letters below the column
headings, beginning with ‘a’ without a full stop, in the centre of the column and
not in bold typeface. For the sake of clarity, column headings and identification
letters must be used on all pages.
d. Table Rows. Rows are numbered consecutively in the ‘Ser No’ column in Arabic
numerals, eg ‘1, 2, 3’ (not 01, 02, 03) without a full stop, in the centre of the column
and not in bold typeface. Subdivisions are numbered inside a column on the left in
Roman lower case numerals followed by a full stop. Further subdivisions are numbered
in Arabic numerals in brackets without full stops. Each serial number should be
separated from the next serial number by a table line.
e. Table Content. The content must be left aligned. There is no line spacing between
subdivisions within a cell.
f. Referring to Table Content. When referring to specific information in a cell, start with
the table number (if applicable), followed by the serial number, the identification letter
and the Roman numeral (if applicable), eg ‘Table 3-6, Ser No 7.b.iii.’ or ‘Table 2A3-1,
Ser No 2.c.iv’.
SIGNATURE BLOCK
64. Language Usage. The signature block must always be in English, irrespective of the
language used for the content of the document. (See Reference C.)
65. Layout of the Signature Block. Also see Appendix B and Chapter 3.
a. The signature block consists of two lines that begin against the left-hand margin and
are typed in bold typeface in capitals (upper case).
b. The first line gives the personal details (initials and surname) of the person signing the
document and is enclosed in brackets.
c. The second line gives the full details (not abbreviated) of the appointment in the
organisation/unit (where applicable) and rank/title of the signatory.
d. The rank/title is normally abbreviated when used within the DOD but is always typed
out in full for correspondence outside the DOD. (See page 1A1-1 for official rank/title
abbreviations.) This rule applies to SANDF members and Public Service Act Personnel
(PSAP).
66. Position of the Signature Block
a. A space of between four and six lines is left open below the last line of the text and
before the signature block for the signature.

Year: 2021
2-14 RESTRICTED
b. If the signature block appears alone on the last page of a document, a space of
between four and six lines is left open between the subject heading and the signature
block.
SIGNING OF CORRESPONDENCE
67. All letters, except demi-official letters, destined for addressees outside the unit/organisation
must be signed by the commander/chief of the unit/organisation or his or her appointed delegate
holding the minimum rank of warrant officer, officer or PSAP (Level 8). Correspondence should, as
far as possible, be signed personally by the officer commanding of the headquarters, formation or
unit of origin.
68. As the Originating Authority. Where the originating authority of a document is also the
signatory, eg a memorandum of a personal nature (covering letter for leave application, etc), the
initials and surname of the signatory appear in the first line of the signature block. The following
applies:
a. PSAP Signature Block. PSAP on salary levels 2 to 8, use Mr, Mrs, Ms or Miss after the
appointment and colon. Those on salary levels 9 and above use AD, DD, D, DDG or
DG.
(J. GREENLAND)
ADMINISTRATION CLERK: MR
(J. NANDA)
SECRETARY FOR DEFENCE: DG
b. Military Personnel’s Signature Block
(B. BAKER)
OFFICER COMMANDING 3 SQUADRON: LT COL
(R. NDLOVU)
OFFICER COMMANDING 35 SQUADRON: COL

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-15
(S.J. MOKOENA)
CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE: GEN
69. Absent on Duty/on Leave. When the senior officer/official is absent, and a letter requiring his
or her personal signature has to be despatched urgently, the next person in command may sign
the letter, provided that it explains his or her reason for doing so by adding the abbreviation ‘AOD’
(‘absent on duty’) or ‘AOL’ (‘absent on leave’) in writing in the document below the second line of
the signature block. The signatory writes the abbreviation ‘pp’ (per procurationem – on behalf of) to
the left of the appointment title, eg:
(Maj)
(B. BAKER)
AOD
(Maj)
(B. BAKER)
AOL
In other words, if the officer commanding of a unit is unavailable to sign a document, then the
second in command or a person of equivalent rank may sign on behalf of the officer commanding.
70. As Directed. The originator may direct a junior to sign a letter on his or her behalf that would
normally require his or her personal signature. In such cases, the junior must indicate his or her
reason for signing the letter by adding ‘As Directed’ below the second line of the signature block
(handwritten words). The signatory writes the abbreviation ‘pp’ (per procurationem – on behalf of)
to the left of the appointment and rank/title, eg:
a. Correspondence is completed and ready for the originator’s signature but a junior is
directed to sign on his/her behalf:
(Maj)
(B. BAKER)
As Directed

Year: 2021
2-16 RESTRICTED
b. The originator instructs a junior to prepare the document and sign it on his or her
behalf:
(Maj)
(MAJ C.J. SIMPSON)

As Directed
71. In Acting Capacity. When a signatory has been appointed in an acting capacity, the term
‘ACTING’ (not abbreviated) precedes the appointment designation in the second line of the
signature block and the rank is amended accordingly, eg:
(C.J. SIMPSON)
ACTING OFFICER COMMANDING 3 SQUADRON: MAJ
72. Co-signatures. If co-signatures are needed, eg for memoranda of understanding (MOUs),

signature blocks appear on the same line with the more senior signature block on the right.
SJ Sithole
(R. NDLOVU) (S.J. SITHOLE)

OFFICER COMMANDING 28 SQUADRON: COL OFFICER COMMANDING AIR FORCE BASE
27 July 2021 WATERKLOOF: BRIG GEN
Date: _________________ 28 July 2021
Date: __________________
73. Multiple Signatures. If multiple signatures are required, they are placed beneath each other
and follow the line of command. The last person to sign will be the most senior. The first person
signing will fill in the date in the address block. From the second signature block, the word ‘Date:
___________’ (not bold typeface) must be included below the signature block with a line left open
above and below. The person signing here must fill in the date by hand in the space provided.
(R. NDLOVU)
Date: 27 September 2019

RESTRICTED 2-17
74. Documents with No Address Block. In documents that do not include an address block and
that are despatched under a covering letter, eg staff papers or appreciations, the month and year
are typed in and the actual date is written in by hand in the signature block at the time of signing. In
such cases, the date is added after the second line of the signature block, with a line left open
above and below, eg:
(X. MANKAYI)
CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE: LT GEN
23 October 2017
75. Originator’s and Typist’s/Originator’s and Drafter’s Reference (Optional). A reference to the
originator and typist/originator and drafter of a document may be positioned below the signature
block in capital letters and point size 9. A line must be left open below the signature block. A
reference code for typing appears in brackets, directly after the typist’s/drafter’s reference. The
originator's and typist’s/originator’s and drafter’s initials are always separated by a forward slash.
For example, if R. Ndlovu is the originator and R.F. Smith is the typist or drafter, the reference will
be RN/RFS (SPONSOR LETTER 2). Here, RN refers to the originator (R. Ndlovu) of the document
and RFS refers to the typist/drafter (R.F. Smith). (SPONSOR LETTER 2) is the computer file name
under which the document is saved, eg:
(R. NDLOVU)
RN/RFS (SPONSOR LETTER 2)
DISTRIBUTION BLOCK
76. Characteristics
a. The distribution block must always be drafted in English, irrespective of the language
used in the body of the document, to assist registry personnel (see Reference C).
b. The distribution block contains a distribution list compiled by the originator of a

document to indicate the
i. addressee(s) to whom such a document must be distributed; and
ii. action to be taken by the addressees.
NOTE: Each authority must draw up its own distribution lists. These lists must be compiled with
strict adherence to seniority.

Year: 2021
2-18 RESTRICTED
77. Position of Distribution Block. The distribution block of a document appears below the
signature block (refer to Appendix B).
78. Layout
a. Abbreviations. The word ‘DISTRIBUTION’ or its abbreviated form ‘DISTR’ is typed at

the top of the distribution block, in capital letters, but not in bold typeface. Where the
word DISTRIBUTION is used, “For Information”, “Attention” and the addressees must
also be written out in full. Where the abbreviated form ‘DISTR’ is used, “For Info”, “Attn”
and the correct abbreviations for the addressees must be used.
b. Components. The distribution block is divided into the following components:
i. For Action. The ‘For Action’ section lists all the addressees that are required to
take action on the content of the document.
ii. For Info. The ‘For Info’ section lists all the addressees that are receiving the
document purely for information purposes.
iii. Internal. The ‘Internal’ section lists the file reference.
c. Line Spacing. If there are more than one addressee listed under ‘For Action’ or ‘For
Info’, they are listed directly underneath each other with no line spacing between them.
d. Information in Brackets. The information included in the brackets must be aligned (see
paragraphs 79 and 80).
NOTE: If there are no addressees listed under ‘For Action’ or ‘For Info’, then that particular
component of the distribution block is omitted.
79. Addressees
a. A document is always addressed to the head of the relevant organisation and not to the
organisation itself, eg:
i. Chief of the South African Air Force (or CAF) and not to the Air Force Office.
ii. General Officer Commanding SA Army Infantry Formation (or GOC SA Army Inf
Fmn) and not to the SA Army Infantry Formation.
iii. Officer Commanding (or OC) SAS AMATOLA and not to SAS AMATOLA.
iv. Surgeon General (or SG) and not to the South African Military Health Service (or
SAMHS).
b. If the document is not for the personal attention of the head of the relevant
organisation, the name of the person (or post designation, where relevant) who must
deal with it is added in brackets preceded by the word ‘Attention (abbreviation: Attn)’,
eg:
Commandant SA Army College (Attention: Col Z.K. Mnguni)
Cmdt SA Army Col (Attn: CI Staff Duties)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-19
c. If the document is for the attention of a member of a directorate or section, the post
designation of the person in command is mentioned as well as the post designation of
the person concerned preceded by the word ‘Attention (abbreviation: Attn)’, eg:
C Army F Struc (D Army Log - Attn: SO1 Acqn)
d. If the document is addressed to more than one directorate/section, etc in the same
organisation, then each directorate/section must be listed and appropriately indented,
eg:
For Information
Chief of Human Resources

Chief Director Human Resources Strategic Direction and Policy
Director Human Resources Service Systems
Director Human Resources Strategy and Planning
Chief Director Human Resources Management
Chief Director Transformation Management
e. If a document is distributed to members with the same post designation, but at different
locations, the post designation may be typed, followed by a colon. In the next line, the
names of the bases/units concerned are typed, preceded by a tab, eg:
OC:
AFB Wklf
SAAF Col
68 Air School
f. A fax number or e-mail/Lotus Notes address may be included in the distribution block
to indicate the method of distribution:
C Army (Attn: C Army Corp Svc; fax: 012 631 5581)

CAF (Attn: SO1 Mil Dev; e-mail: dodcsw@gmail.com)
(Attn: SO1 Int Sys; cell: 072 458 9675)
(Attn: SO2 Catering; tel: 012 547 8547)
(Attn: SO3 HRD; Lotus Notes: Nice, P.K.)
NOTE: It is important to be consistent when using abbreviations.
80. Copy Numbers and Method of Distribution
a. When a document is classified secret or top secret, the copy numbers of issued copies
are also indicated in the distribution block. The method of distribution may be recorded
in a separate column, if necessary.
b. The following is an example of the distribution block of a secret/top secret document

originating from Surgeon General:
DISTR
For Action Copy No Method
C Army (Attn: C Army F Prep) 2 By hand

GOC:

Year: 2021
2-20 RESTRICTED
SA Army Inf Fmn 3 By hand

HQ 43 SA Bde 4 By hand
CAF (Attn: DMARP) 5 By hand
CHR 6 By hand
For Info
CJ Ops (Attn: SO1 Ops) 7 By hand

DDCC 8 By hand
Internal
File: SG/TS/123/3/4 1 Original
NOTE: A file reference is placed in the distribution block of all documents classified secret and top
secret as the original document is numbered 1 and must be filed in the file of the originating
headquarters.
81. Carbon Copy (cc). The abbreviation ‘cc’ indicates secondary recipients of a letter within the
DOD who require a copy of a formal letter for their information or action that has been directed to
an external organisation. (See Chapter 3 page 3E2-3 for an example.)
SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTS
APPENDICES
82. Characteristics
a. Appendices are supplementary documents that amplify the parent document when the
inclusion of all relevant details in the body of the parent document would make the
latter unnecessarily long. They have the same file reference as the parent document.
b. Appendices may be given a security classification lower than that of the parent
document.
c. In documents with more than one chapter, each chapter may have its own appendices
relating to that chapter.
83. Application. The following principles apply to appendices:
a. Appendices are listed below the title of the parent document in title case without a full
stop in the order in which they are referred to for the first time in the text. (See the first
page of this chapter as an example.) The subject headings of the listed appendices
must correlate with the subject headings of the actual appendices.
b. All appendices must be referred to in the text of the parent document.
c. Subject Heading. Each appendix has its own subject heading which is in bold typeface,
upper case and not followed by a full stop. The subject heading of an appendix is
different from the subject heading of the parent document.
d. Page Numbering. All pages, including the first page of an appendix, are numbered. The
page numbering of appendices will reflect the chapter, if applicable (see paragraph 36).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-21
84. Identification of Appendices
a. Appendices are identified by means of a reference block (capitalised, but not in bold
typeface) in the top right-hand corner of the first page.
b. Appendices are lettered alphabetically in capitals from A to Z and thereafter from AA,
AB, AC, etc, in the order in which they are referred to for the first time. A single
appendix is also lettered.
c. The date, when included in the reference block, is the same date that is used in the
parent document address block. The signatory must date both the parent document
and the appendices.
d. Example of an Appendix Reference Block
i. For books and manuals, eg CSW, the date is not included.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 2A-1

(2 lines open)
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 2
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(2 lines open)
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
ii. For letters, memorandums, agendas, minutes, staff papers and appreciations, a
shortened/abbreviated, but recognisable version of the subject heading is used.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION A-1

(2 lines open)
APPENDIX A
TO MINUTES AC MEETING NO 15/18
DD OCT 18
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(2 lines open)
NOTE: If ‘DATED’ is abbreviated, then the month and the year must also be abbreviated, eg
DD…..JUN 18.
iii. For policies, instructions and orders, refer to the number and edition.

(2 lines open)
APPENDIX A
TO SAAO/00243 OF 2018 (ED 4)
DATED OCTOBER 2018
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(2 lines open)
NOTE: If ‘DATED’ is written out in full, then the month and the year must also be written out in
full, eg DATED…..JUNE 2018.

Year: 2021
2-22 RESTRICTED
ANNEXURES
85. Characteristics
a. Annexures are supplementary documents that amplify appendices when an appendix

deals with a long or involved subject in which statistical or tabular data is given
pertaining only to the appendix concerned. They have the same file reference than the
parent document.
b. Annexures may be given a security classification lower than that of the relevant
appendix.
86. Application. The following principles apply to annexures:
a. Annexures are listed below the title of the parent appendix in title case without a full
stop in the order in which they are referred to for the first time in the text. All annexures
must be referred to in the text of the parent appendix.
b. Annexures are not listed on the first page of the parent document with the appendices,
as they are normally referred to only in the text of the parent appendix. (See page 2C-1
for an example.)
c. Subject Heading. Each annexure has its own subject heading which is in bold typeface,
upper case and not followed by a full stop. The subject heading of an annexure is
different from that of the parent appendix.
d. Page Numbering. All pages, including the first page of an annexure, are numbered.
The page numbering of annexures must reflect the appendix and, if applicable, the
chapter.
87. Identification of Annexures
a. Annexures are numbered serially in Arabic numerals in the order in which they are
referred to for the first time in the text. A single annexure is also numbered.
b. Annexures are identified by a reference block similar in layout to that of an appendix

(capitalised, but not in bold typeface) in the top right-hand corner of the first page. The
date that is included in the reference block is the same date that is used in the address
block of the parent appendix.
c. Example of an Annexure Reference Block
i. For books and manuals, eg CSW, the date is not included.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 2A1-1

(2 lines open)
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 2
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-23
ii. For letters, memorandums, agendas, minutes, staff papers and appreciations, a
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION A1-1

(2 lines open)
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX A
DD OCT 18
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(2 lines open)
DD…..JUN 18.
iii. For policies, instructions and orders, refer to the number and version and not the
subject heading.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION A1-1

(2 lines open)
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX A
TO SAAO/00243 OF 2018 (ED 4)
DATED OCTOBER 2018
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(2 lines open)
ENCLOSURES
88. Characteristics
a. Enclosures are documents that are complete in themselves and must not be confused
with appendices and annexures. Enclosures are existing independent documents (that
may include their own supplementary documents) that are attached to a parent
document.
b. Enclosures may not be modified in any way and must remain as is, ie do not write the
word ‘Enclosure’ or the number on the enclosure. Examples of enclosures are minutes
of a meeting, leave forms, hard copy of a PowerPoint presentation, constitution,
brochures, letters, newspaper articles, etc.
c. When listing the enclosure, the exact wording of the subject heading of the enclosure
must be used.
89. Application. The following principles apply to enclosures:
a. Enclosures are listed serially in Arabic numerals in title case without a full stop under
the subject heading of the parent document directly under appendices in the order in
which they are referred to for the first time in the text of the parent document. A single
enclosure is also numbered.

Year: 2021
2-24 RESTRICTED
b. When listing the enclosure, the exact wording of the subject heading of the enclosure
must be used.
90. Identification of Enclosures. In order to distinguish between multiple enclosures the following
is applicable:
a. Flags. Flags may be used to separate and number the enclosures (see page 2-27,
paragraph 101 and Appendix E).
b. Separate Pages. Alternatively, enclosures may be identified by a blank page (not

numbered) with a reference block (capitalised, not in bold typeface and in top right-
hand corner of page) and the subject heading of the enclosure. The date that is
included in the reference block is the same date that is used in the address block of the
parent document. The page is inserted between enclosures to separate and number
them. It can also be used for a single enclosure. No other information is to be added to
the enclosure identification page, eg:
i. For letters, memorandums, agendas, minutes, staff papers and appreciations, a

(2 lines open)
ENCLOSURE 1
DD OCT 18
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING (Subject heading must be the same as that of the enclosed document)
(2 lines open)
DD…..JUN 18.
ii. For policies, instructions and orders, refer to the number and edition and not the
subject heading.
(2 lines open)
ENCLOSURE 1
TO SAAO/00243 OF 2018 (EDITION 4)
DATED OCTOBER 2018
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING (Subject heading must be the same as that of the enclosed document)
(2 lines open)
REFERENCING AND NOTING
IDENTIFYING REFERENCES
91. File References. Refer to paragraphs 46 to 49 for details regarding file references.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-25
92. Reference to Other Documents
a. When a document contains references to other documents, eg policies or instructions,

the file reference (if applicable), subject heading/title and date are listed (title case, not
bold typeface, without full stop) immediately below the subject heading against the
word ‘Reference’ in the order in which they are referred to for the first time in the text.
(See the first page of this chapter.)
b. References are lettered alphabetically in capitals from A to Z and thereafter from AA,
AB, AC, etc. A single reference is also lettered. In the text, each reference is referred to
by this capital letter, eg Reference A or Ref A.
c. When a document lists references, appendices and enclosures, the references are
listed first.
NOTE 1: All references to other documents listed at the top of the document must be referred to in
the document.
NOTE 2: When dealing with a specific portion within a reference in the text of a document, the
relevant page and paragraph number must be indicated, eg ‘Reference A, Chapter 2, page 8,
paragraph 36 lays down the procedure ...’.
NOTE 3: All references should be accessible.
93. Reference to Previous Communication
a. In a letter or memorandum, reference may be made to previous correspondence and/or

previous telephone conversations between the originator and another person in the first
paragraph of the text.
b. When reference is made to multiple communications, the system described in

paragraph 92 above must be used.
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
Left Address Block Right Address Block
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(1 line open)
1. NAVY HQ/R/513/1: Training of Candidate Officers dd 23 Jun 19 refers.
(1 line open)
2. The information required is currently ...
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING
(1 line open)
1. ‘Telecon between Col …. and Maj …. on …date…. refers’.
(1 line open)
2. The information required is currently ...
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
2-26 RESTRICTED
94. Page and Paragraph References
a. Page References. The system for page numbering is described in paragraphs 29 to 38

above. A page reference contains the following elements (where applicable) in
descending order: chapter number, appendix letter, annexure number, a hyphen and
the page number. Thus ‘2A1-1’ refers to page 1 of Annexure 1 to Appendix A to
Chapter 2.
b. Paragraph References. Paragraph references normally follow the page references and
indicate the paragraph number, subparagraph letter, etc, down to the most minor
subdivision applicable, eg ‘2A3-6.3.a.iv’ where the reference is to be found in
paragraph 3.a.iv on page 6 of Annexure 3 to Appendix A to Chapter 2.
NOTE: Full stops are used to separate the constituent parts of paragraph references and to
separate the page and paragraph number. However, they are not placed after the last or only
element of a paragraph or subdivision reference, unless this occurs at the end of a sentence where
a full stop is automatically required. (See paragraph 94.b above for an example.)
95. Reference to Tables, Signals, Maps and Charts, Figures and Illustrations
a. Tables. References to a table are made by specifying the table number, eg ‘See Table
2’. References to certain sections in a table can be made by specifying the serial
number, column letter and subdivision number, if any, eg ‘Table 1, Ser No 2.b.ii’ or
‘3.a’.
b. Signals. The method for referring to signal messages depends upon the security
classification and crypto-system of the signal. (See Chapter 6.)
c. Maps and Charts. Maps or charts included in a list of references are identified by the
country or geographical area, scale, sheet number and title, eg MAP SA 1:250 000
2526 Rustenburg.
d. Figures and Illustrations. References to figures and illustrations follow the same
conventions as for tables, eg See Figure 1.
96. Reference to Sources. Refer to SOURCE REFERENCING on page 2-28 and Appendix D.
NOTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
97. Side Notes. Side notes may be used to supplement or explain a specimen text and are only
used in back-to-back printing. Side notes are set out on a separate page opposite the text and are
numbered and laid out in the same way as paragraphs. When this system is used, the specimen
layout should appear on the right-hand page and the side notes on the left-hand page (see
Appendix B to this chapter for an example of side notes). References to side notes are indicated by
the use of Arabic numerals, in brackets, against the right-hand margin of the right-hand page to be
explained in the side notes on the left-hand page.
98. Foot Notes. Footnotes1 are additional information printed at the bottom of a page. They cite
source references or comment on a designated part of the text above it. They may be used in any
document to supplement the content. Footnotes are created automatically by using the ‘insert’ or
‘reference’ facility in Microsoft Word (the footnote at the beginning of this paragraph is an
1
Note that the second and subsequent lines of a footnote begin directly under the number of the footnote against the margin.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-27
example). Footnotes are numbered automatically in Arabic numerals, beginning from 1. Ensure
that footnotes are in font type Arial, point size 8.
99. Endnotes. Endnotes cite source references or give additional information and are printed at
the end of a book or section of a book. It may be used in any document to supplement the content.
Endnotes are created automatically by using the ‘references’ facility in Microsoft Word. An endnote
is placed at the end of a document (before any appendices). Endnotes are numbered automatically
in Arabic numerals, beginning from 1. Ensure that endnotes are in font type Arial, point size 8.
NOTE: Both footnotes and endnotes are normally used in academic writing and must be used with
discretion.
100. In-text Notes. An in-text note is an explanation by the drafter to amplify the text immediately
preceding it, but does not form part of the text. A single note is not numbered. If there is more than
one NOTE, they must be numbered. The word note is in capitals, in bold typeface, and is followed
by a colon. To set a note apart from the rest of the text, it should be placed within a text box as
shown below.
NOTE: The word NOTE is typed in the first space in the box in bold typeface. The colon is not in
bold typeface. The width of the box must be the same as the full justification of the page,
regardless whether it is in a subparagraph or other subdivision of a paragraph. (See the layout of
the NOTE below paragraph 92.)
101. Flags and Side Flags. Flags and side flags are normally associated with briefs, but may be
used in other documents, eg submissions, and are used to refer to the details in the documents.
a. Uses
i. Flags. Flags are used to identify complete documents attached to a parent

document (eg an enclosure). If a document is very long, a flag may refer to a
major section or chapter.
ii. Side Flags. Side flags are used to mark specific passages within a document
already indicated by a flag.
b. Principles. Flags and side flags must
i. be visible when a document is being read, but they must not protrude to such an
extent that they will be easily torn or crumpled;
ii. not obscure one another;
iii. not obscure any text in the document to which they are attached;
iv. be listed in source references and in sequence at the end of a brief/document so

that, if necessary, the document can be reassembled after it has been taken
apart. The reference of a document or the enclosure number and reference of the
file from which a document was removed, whichever is appropriate, may be used
as a reference; and
v. be referred to in the natural course of the text of a document, eg ‘A

comprehensive explanation is given in paragraph 46 (side flag 13)’.
c. Characteristics. Refer to Appendix E.

Year: 2021
2-28 RESTRICTED
SOURCE REFERENCING
PLAGIARISM
102. Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work, words, thoughts or ideas as your own, with or
without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without acknowledging them. It is regarded
as a criminal offence. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or
electronic form, is covered under this definition. Guard against plagiarism when dealing with the
following types of material2:
a. Written. Books, articles, theses or dissertations, newspapers, magazines, notes,

course material, e-mail messages, data, information on the Internet, etc.
b. Visual. Fine or graphic art, photographs, pictures, etc.
c. Multimedia. Websites, videos, films, CDs, DVDs, etc.
d. Music. Musical compositions, song lyrics, CDs, music or audio clips on the Internet,
etc.
e. Spoken Text. Speeches, lectures, interviews, etc.
103. One of the most important tenets of academic (or scientific) writing is the avoidance of
plagiarism. Even if you have paraphrased or summarised information, the author or authors must
be acknowledged both in the text (in-text reference or citation) and in the bibliography/list of
references. You usually know when to acknowledge a source when the reader can ask the
question: “How do you know this?”
IN-TEXT REFERENCES
104. In-text Reference or Citation. When you use another person’s work in your own work, either
by referring to their ideas or by including a direct quotation, you must acknowledge this in the text
of your work. This acknowledgement is called a citation. The citation should include the author or
editor of the cited work and the year of publication of the cited work.
105. Quotations and Citations in the Text. The following principles apply:
a. A quotation is an individual’s actual words or text taken from a document or publication.

It appears between double quotation marks (“...”) and the source is cited.
“The cost to the nation’s health of working out of phase with …” (Rajaratnam,
2001:1005).
b. If the author’s name does not interrupt the flow of the text, the date and page(s) are
included in brackets.
Smith (2008:12) contends that the …
Rajaratnam (2001:1005) concludes that “[t]he cost to a nation’s health of working out of
phase with […]”.
2
Unisa. n.d. Be wise … don’t plagiarise! [Online]. Available: https://www.unisa.ac.za/static/corporate_web/Content/
Library/Documents/Plagiarism_Brochure.pdf [2018, August 22].

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-29
c. If the author’s name interrupts the flow of the text, the author’s name is included within
the brackets, together with the date and page(s).
Google’s search engine (Smith, 2008:12) is widely used to …
d. The page number or page range is omitted if the author’s work is cited in general.
Smith (2008) revolutionised the field of trauma surgery.
e. If a direct quotation is quite lengthy (more than five lines), it is typed as a separate
paragraph and single line spacing is used. The paragraph is indented and is not
numbered. Quotation marks are not used at the beginning and end of the quotation.
f. When the originator of a document uses his or her own words to convey the content of
a source or an individual’s words (paraphrase), it is not a quotation and quotation
marks are not used. However, the meaning may not be altered and the source must
still be cited.
In his conclusion, Rajaratnam (2001:1005) points to the possible economic and social
costs when individuals work out of phase with …
g. For a quotation within a quotation, single quotation marks (‘…’) are used.
h. Quotations must adhere absolutely to the content, spelling, punctuation, etc of the
source text.
i. The originator’s own additions, improvements and comments are placed in square
brackets. A question mark (?) is used in cases of doubt or to indicate surprise or
scepticism.
j. Place the word “sic” (Latin for “thus” or “so”) in square brackets directly after an error in
the original quotation.
According to Cameron (2013:239), “It is important to spell wurds [sic] correctly.”
k. The omission of words, lines or paragraphs in quotations is indicated by three full stops
(known as ellipsis). Under no circumstances may the intention of an author’s meaning
be altered by the omission.
l. Do not quote too often. Quotations should be used only in support of a previous
statement made by the originator.
m. Square brackets indicate that you have changed the original letter(s) or word(s) and
that the letter(s) or word(s) in the square brackets are your own.
According to Cameron (2013:239), “It is important to spell [words] correctly.”
n. When textual references for multiple authors appear entirely in brackets, the
ampersand (&) is used, eg (Ellis & Peters, 2000:14). When the authors’ names are not
within brackets, “and” is used, eg Ellis and Peters (2000:14).
o. Three or more authors are cited using ‘et al.’, eg (Smith et al., 2008). Note that ‘et al.’ is
only used the second and subsequent times those authors are cited.

Year: 2021
2-30 RESTRICTED
SOURCE REFERENCES
106. Sources may be acknowledged by using any of the following three methods:
a. Footnotes
i. If the main document does not contain a bibliography, footnotes may be used to
list source references.
ii. The complete source reference must be provided in the footnote as follows:
Surname, Initials of Author. Year of Publication. Title of work. Place of
Publication: Name of Publisher. (The principles for referencing sources are set
out more fully in Appendix D.)
iii. The numerical sequence of footnotes should run consecutively throughout the
whole text (starting with 1). Place the footnote number directly after the relevant
word or sentence. If you place the number at the end of the sentence, it comes
after the punctuation. Place the number slightly above (superscript) the relevant
word or sentence.
iv. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page on which they appear in the text.
b. Endnotes
i. If the main document does not contain a bibliography, endnotes may be used to
list source references.
ii. The complete source reference must be provided in the endnote as follows:
Surname, Initials of Author. Year of Publication. Title of work. Place of
Publication: Name of Publisher. (The principles for referencing sources are set
out more fully in Appendix D.)
iii. The numerical sequence of endnotes should run consecutively throughout the
whole text (starting with 1). Place the endnote number directly after the relevant
word or sentence. If you place the number at the end of the sentence, it comes
after the punctuation. Place the number slightly above (superscript) the relevant
word or sentence.
iv. Endnotes are placed before the appendices (if any) at the end of the text. The
title is ENDNOTES.
c. Bibliographies and Lists of References. Bibliographies and lists of references appear

at the end of the main document as an appendix (not for university assignments,
theses or dissertations). The sources are listed in alphabetical order according to the
surname of the author or editor or the name of the institution. The title is
BIBLIOGRAPHY or REFERENCES (see Note 1 below). Refer to Appendix D for the
Harvard style of source referencing.
NOTE 1: Bibliography vs List of References. A bibliography contains all sources consulted,

including those providing background reading, whereas a list of references comprises only
sources cited in the text.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-31
NOTE 2: There are many styles that can be used for referencing. Most style guides fall into two
commonly used systems, namely the author-date system (eg Harvard, APA) and the numeric
system (eg Vancouver, MLA, IEEE). There are many variations to these styles. It is essential to
check your style guide or discuss your referencing style with your supervisor to make sure you
are using the correct conventions for your university. When you are given coursework or
dissertation guidelines, check which style of referencing your lecturer or department asks you to
use. If you do not check, and you use a style that is not the one stated in your guidelines, you
could be penalised and lose marks. If your lecturer or department does not ask you to use any
particular style, it is recommended that you use Harvard. It is the most frequently used
referencing system, as it is easy to learn and simple to use.
BASIC LAYOUT OF POWERPOINT SLIDES
PRESENTATION AS VERBAL COMMUNICATION
107. A presentation is a form of verbal communication; a manner to inform, motivate and

persuade or to entertain the audience. In other words, it is a way of giving a message verbally to a
group of people through a one-way communication process.
108. In the DOD, verbal presentation is often given with the aid of PowerPoint slides. Such
presentations are given for many different purposes and come in many forms which always require
of you to follow the principles and rules of service writing as set out in Chapter 1.
109. The DOD design layout of PowerPoint slides are discussed in paragraph 112 and an
example of an information brief, verbal presentation using PowerPoint slides as a visual aid is
given in Appendix F. Also see Chapter 5, Appendix D, Annexure 2 for an example of PowerPoint
slides for a decision brief verbal presentation.
PREPARING FOR A VERBAL PRESENTATION
110. Planning Steps. Planning is particularly important when communicating detailed and complex
information verbally to an audience, eg at a meeting, during a planning session or during
instruction. The six steps listed below should be followed when preparing for a verbal presentation:
a. Step 1: Determine the Outcome of the Presentation. In order to determine the outcome
of your presentation, you can ask and answer the following questions for guidance to a
positive outcome:
i. When and where will the presentation take place?
ii. How much do I know about the given topic?
iii. What do I want to achieve with my presentation?
iv. What relevant interests or attitudes does the audience have that I should be
aware of?
v. What are the main points I want them to remember at the end of the
presentation?
vi. What effect do I want the presentation to have on my audience?
b. Step 2: Analyse the Audience. The people you will be speaking to will affect what you
want to say and how you will convey your message. To ensure that your message will

Year: 2021
2-32 RESTRICTED
be appropriately conveyed and received, you should gather as much information as

possible about your audience. This step requires you to analyse the audience so that
the information presented can be linked to the audience. In order to do this, the
following questions must be answered:
i. How much do they already know about the topic?
ii. What is their level of vocabulary relative to what you will present?
iii. What are some presentation techniques that might gain their attention and
keep them focused on the presentation?
NOTE: By analysing your audience, you will be able to determine the level and scope of the
presentation.
c. Step 3: Prepare an Outline or Plan. The third step is to outline the main ideas
you want to convey first. Put each main idea on a separate note as follows:
i. Write down what you want to achieve with the presentation.
ii. Make a list of all the points that will assist you in achieving the aim.
iii. Review your list to ensure you focus on the most important points – this may
involve adding/omitting some points to/from the list.
iv. When you have selected the relevant information needed, put the items in your
list into logical order and review them to ensure you will be able to convey the
message clearly. Ensure the following aspects are addressed:
(1) Bear in mind the length of time you have available for the presentation.
(2) Ensure you do not leave out any essentials points.
(3) Keep to the structure that was planned for the presentation.
d. Step 4: Select Visual Aids. For each main idea, think about using visual aids (eg
PowerPoint slides) that could assist you in presenting the information more clearly or
that will support/emphasise the subject you are presenting.
e. Step 5: Finalise the Presentation Outline with Details. You are now ready to
compile your presentation, and design the visual aids (eg PowerPoint slides)
according to the planned outline.
f. Step 6: Consider Appropriate Presentation Techniques. When practicing for giving the
presentation, ensure that you pay attention to appropriate presentation techniques.
111. Guiding Factors for Compiling and Designing a Presentation
a. The primary function of the presentation is to convey the content of the message to the
audience. The more thorough your planning of the message and visual aids to support
the message, the easier it will be for the audience to understand the basic elements of
the content and to make them their own.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-33
b. PowerPoint slides are one way used to promote visual elements to aid understanding
of what you have to say (research has proven that a week after hearing a presentation
without visuals, a person will only retain approximately 5% of the data, but when
visuals are added, the retention is about 65%). The following general aspects should
be taken into account when using PowerPoint slides as a visual aid:
i. Simplicity. Using the Microsoft slide master can assist in creating a consistent
and simple design template which standardises position, colour and style. Also
mind the following:
(1) Design of Slides. Capture the gist of the message in a simple design.
Design the slides carefully, never forgetting the purpose and outcome of
the presentation. Keep the design clean and uncluttered with enough empty
space around the text and graphical images to enhance readability.
(2) Number of Slides. Limit the number of slides. Presenters who constantly flip
to the next slide are likely to lose their audience. A good rule of thumb is
one slide per minute.
(3) Amount of Information on a Slide. Do not clutter the slides, as this will
overwhelm the audience with unnecessary details.
(a) State one thought per line with no more than 6 to 8 words per line,
using key phrases and including only essential information.
(b) When presenting charts or graphical images, use only enough text to
explain the chart or graph and clearly label the image.
(4) Bullets. Use a single style of dingbat for bullets and then follow the 1x6x6
rule – one thought per line, no more than six bullet lines per slide. Also
restrict yourself to no more than six words per bullet line (capitalise the first
word of each bullet). Do not use more than two levels of bullets per slide.
(5) Letter Case. Use sentence case, in other words, do not present all the
information on the slides in capital letters, except for titles.
(6) Punctuation. Limit punctuation and keep the usage consistent.
(7) Abbreviations. Consider the audience when using abbreviations. If used,

explain them at the onset.
(8) Special Effects. Flashy transitions, text fly-ins and noisy animations may
seem great tools to add extra interest to your presentation. These features
seem impressive at first, but overuse will distract from your main message,
get old quickly and may negatively impact your credibility, so rather avoid
them.
ii. Consistency. Deviations in style (bulleted list, 2-column text, images), colour and
font are necessary for the purpose of presenting your message logically, keeping
your audience’s attention and emphasising important points, however, strive to
keep all these aspects consistent:
(1) Background. Keep the background consistent and subtle - use a dark font
on a light background which is best for printed slides. Patterned or busy
backgrounds reduce readability.

Year: 2021
2-34 RESTRICTED
(2) Font Type. Choose a clean sans-serif font such as Arial or Helvetica that is
easy to read. Avoid serif fonts such as Times Roman or Palatino and
italicized fonts because these are more difficult to read. Do not use more
than 2 types of font per slide and be consistent with the font used for
headings and body copy.
(3) Point Size. Use no point size smaller than 24 point; rather use at least a 32
point size, 48 is better. Be consistent in using different sizes of fonts to
indicate importance, for captions and to distinguish subheadings.
(4) Colour. Use colours that contrast and compliment, but limit the number of
colours on a single screen. Bright colours make small objects and thin lines
stand out, however, some vibrant colours are difficult to read when
projected.
(5) Colour Combinations to Avoid. Some colour combinations should be

avoided altogether. These combinations don’t have enough contrast
between them and seem to vibrate against one another which is distracting
and displeasing to the eye. The following are some combinations to avoid
(but not limited to):
(a) Red and Green. These two colours clash with each other and are
very hard to read. Also, people who have colour deficiency will have
trouble figuring out what you are trying to say on the slide.
(b) Orange and Blue. These two colours clash with each other and are
very hard to read as they seem to vibrate against one another and
thus can cause a disturbing effect on readers.
(c) Red and Blue. These two very powerful colours steal the show from
one-another and the mixture of hot and cold is unsettling, these two
colours just do not have enough contrast to be seen well when used
together. This combination also seems to suffer a further loss of
contrast when projected on a screen.
(6) Bold Typeface. Be consistent in using bold for emphasis, captions and to
distinguish subheadings.
(7) Repeating Elements. Put repeating elements (like page numbers) in the
same location on each page of a multi-page document.
(8) Images. Use the same style graphical image throughout the presentation
(eg cartoons, photographs). Rather use one or two large images of good
quality that reinforce and complement your message, than several small
images. Arrange them vertically or horizontally using the same border and
make them the same size. Ensure that your images maintain their impact
and resolution when projected on a larger screen.
(9) Build Screens. It is often more effective to have lines of text appear one at
a time so the audience listens to the presenter, rather than reading the
screen. If you use builds, have content appear on the screen in a
consistent, simple manner; eg from the top or left is best. Only use build
screens when necessary to make your point because it can slow your
presentation progress.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-35
c. Quality Check the Design and Practise-run the Presentation. Part of compiling and
designing a presentation is to revisit the planning outline, check all the facts and their
logical flow, as well as doing a quality and spell check on the visual aid/slides and a
practise-run of the entire presentation. Ideally, plan to practise the presentation with
someone who has never seen it before. Ask the person for honest feedback about
i. presenting within the allocated time limit;
ii. how well the message comes across and the impact thereof;
iii. effectiveness of style and colours, and font used on the aids (eg PowerPoint
slides);
iv. effectiveness of any special effects or graphical images on the aids (eg
PowerPoint slides); and
v. effectiveness of your verbal presentation techniques (verbal command and

mastering of the PowerPoint visual aid).
d. Hard Copies of PowerPoint Slides. If the content of the verbal presentation is complex
or a record is needed, plan to make hard copies of the slides so that the audience can
take notes of the finer details of the presentation or so that a hard copy can be filed.
DESIGN LAYOUT OF POWERPOINT SLIDES
112. In the DOD, PowerPoint slides follow basic design layout principles (see Appendix F for an
example):
a. Basic Slide Layout
i. Background. The background color of the slides is white.
ii. Government Branding. Government branding is placed on the top of all the slides
- the COA in the top left hand corner and the service/division/unit in the top right
hand corner.
iii. Security Classification. All slides have the security classification displayed.
iv. Slide Number. Each slide is numbered, ie 1/10, 2/10 … 10/10.
v. Font Type. The font can range from Arial, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Verdana, etc, but
not more than 2 types per slide – be consistent.
iv. Point Size. The point sizes to be used are to distinguish between the different
levels of content on the slide. It is important to be consistent, eg:
(1) Heading of the aspect being discussed – point size 38-44 (bold and
centred).
(2) Subheading (if any) – point size 36 (bold and centred).
(3) Content – point size 30 - 34 (first level), font size 24-28 (second level).

Year: 2021
2-36 RESTRICTED
b. Slide Content Elements
i. Subject Heading. The subject heading (descriptive, precise), is placed on all the
slides. On the first slide the font size of the subject heading should be a 48 point
size to allow it to stand out. On the follow-up slides the subject heading is placed
in the left-hand corner in the footer in point size 12.
ii. Presenter Identification. Identification of the presenter (post, rank, initials and
surname) and the date of the presentation are placed on the first slide with the
subject heading. On the first slide the point size of the detail of the presenter and
the date should be 24 point size to allow it to stand out. On the follow-up slides
the detail of the presenter is placed in the left-hand corner in 8 point size below
the subject heading. The details are preceded by “Presentation by: …” .
iii. Order of Content. The content on the second and follow-up slides should be
presented in logical order as follows:
(1) At the top of the slide it must be indicated what aspect of the presentation is
addressed, ie “AIM”, “SCOPE”, followed by the content suited to the topic.
Each of the aspects of the presentation is presented on an individual slide.
(2) When the content of the specific aspect under discussion flows over to a
second slide, the aspect number is then included next to the heading as in
the following example:
Budget for Fuel (1/2) – on the first slide
Budget for Fuel (2/2) – on the second slide
iv. Diagrams and Graphics. When including diagrams and graphics, consider placing
them off-center which will leave more room for content copy and allow for better
balance.
CARDINAL VIRTUES OF VERBAL PRESENTATIONS
113. When it is time to stand up and deliver a presentation, it is vital that proper planning and
preparation have been carried out. But planning and preparation can only bring you to the actual
presentation. In the moment of presenting you have to think on your feet. Keep the following
cardinal virtues of verbal presentation in mind:
a. Remember the Purpose of the Presentation. It is easy during a verbal presentation to

get distracted, dwell off the topic and then miss the purpose of the presentation. Guard
against this happening.
b. Establish Audience-centredness. Read your immediate audience and tailor your

message to them. Get your listeners interested and make them care. Bridge the gaps
of knowledge and understanding and connect arguments to your audience’s attitudes
and beliefs.
c. Maintain Unity and Coherence. Select and arrange every element of your talk to
communicate a clear, concise core message without overwhelming the audience with
unnecessary detail.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2-37
d. Strive for Stickiness. Make your ideas compelling and memorable by giving concrete
examples and descriptive details. If you use statistics, use them meaningfully.
e. Maintain Credibility. Establish trust in yourself and your information. No verbal
presentation can achieve its objective if listeners have doubts about the information or
the speaker. To be effective, both the message and the messenger must be believable.
f. Conversational Delivery. Speak to your listeners as if you are conversing with them.
Verbal presentation is a perfectly normal act, which calls for no strange, artificial
methods, but only for an extension and development of that most familiar act,
conversation.
g. Perform on Listenability. Listeners cannot reread, pause, or replay a verbal

presentation when they do not understand something the speaker says. The speaker,
therefore, needs to help the audience by using language and vocal expression to make
the presentation as listenable as possible. Listenability is the degree to which, for the
immediate listening audience, an oral presentation is clear, coherent, meaningful, and
easy to follow.
h. Achieve Visual Effectiveness. Since all face-to-face presentations have a visual

dimension, what the audience sees can make a difference. This is as true for the
speaker’s attire and body language as it is for images, graphs, and videos: all are out
there for the audience to interpret and evaluate. The visual elements should be as
purposeful and well-prepared as all the other components of an effective presentation.
i. Mind Your Presentation Techniques. When giving a presentation, make sure you know
how your electronics work and master the techniques to navigate those together with
delivering your verbal presentation.
SETTING UP A WORD DOCUMENT
114. The principles of CSW are not always compatible with the Microsoft Word package that has
been installed on the computer/laptop being utilised.
115. In order to ensure a smooth transition between the CSW and Microsoft Word package, a
series of procedures have been developed for the user to set up any document in accordance with
the CSW layout principles. Refer to Appendix G for the descriptive procedures to assist in setting
up a Word document.

Year: 2021
2-38 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 2
EXAMPLES OF GOVERNMENT BRANDING

Year: 2021
2A-2 RESTRICTED
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE LETTERHEAD
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
SANDF LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2A-3
JOINT OPERATIONS LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
SA ARMY LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
2A-4 RESTRICTED
SA AIR FORCE LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
SA NAVY LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2A-5
SA MILITARY HEALTH SERVICE LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
2A-6 RESTRICTED
HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
DEFENCE LEGAL SERVICES LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

RESTRICTED 2A-7
DEFENCE INSPECTORATE DIVISION LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
LOGISTICS DIVISION LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
2A-8 RESTRICTED
MILITARY POLICE DIVISION LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
COMMAND AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS DIVISION LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

RESTRICTED 2A-9
CHAPLAIN SERVICE LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
DEFENCE RESERVES LETTERHEAD
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
2A-10 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 2
BASIC LAYOUT AND SPACING
1. This example is designed to illustrate the layout and spacing of the basic elements of a
document. The format of a routine letter is illustrated here.
2. It is impossible to cover the different formats of all types of DOD documentation in a single
example. The appendices to the remaining chapters of this manual provide examples of specific
forms of correspondence, appreciations, staff papers, etc.
3. Note that not every DOD document necessarily contains all the elements illustrated in this
example. Elements have been combined for the purpose of illustration only.
4. The system of side notes (see paragraphs 97 to 100) has been followed in this appendix.
The specimen layout begins on page 2B-2 and is continued on page 2B-4. Side notes in the form
of explanatory notes are provided on the facing pages.
NOTE 1: Security Classification. An appropriate security classification must be allocated.
NOTE 2: Page Number. The page is numbered according to its position in the document. For
normal numbering, see Chapter 2, paragraphs 29 to 38.
NOTE 3: Supplementary Documents. In publications such as this one, the reference blocks of
appendices and annexures do not include the date (see reference block on this page).
NOTE 4: Margins. See Chapter 2, paragraphs 12 to 14 for margins.
NOTE 5: Headers and Footers. See Chapter 2, paragraphs 25 to 27 for headers and footers.

Year: 2021
2B-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. All pages are numbered, including the first page.
2. In this example, line spacing is indicated in brackets down the centre of the page. The
principles of line spacing are explained in Chapter 2, paragraph 21.
3. Copy numbers are allocated only to secret and top secret documents (see Chapter 2,
paragraphs 43 to 46). There is one line open between the government branding and the copy
number. There is one line open between the copy number and the file reference.
4. If there is no copy number, there is one line open between the government branding and the
file reference.
5. The elements of the originator’s address block are discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs 50 to
53.
6. The SSN is included only in correspondence within the DOD.
7. Inclusion of a cell phone number is optional.
8. Inclusion of an e-mail address is optional.
9. One tab space must be left open in the date line before the month, so that the date can be
written in by hand.
10. ‘Enquiries’ indicates the rank, initials and surname of the person to whom queries must be
directed.
11. The subject heading is a short statement (not longer than two lines) of the topic being
addressed (see Chapter 2, paragraph 56).
12. When references, appendices and/or enclosures are included, they are indicated as
illustrated here. A tab space is inserted after the word ‘Reference’, ‘Appendix’ or ‘Enclosure’ and
after the colon to ensure that the reference and appendix letters and enclosure numbers are
properly blocked off. The title of a reference, appendix or enclosure that extends into a second line
must be blocked. There is no full stop at the end of the title of the reference, appendix or
enclosure.
13. The indentation of paragraphs and further subdivisions is discussed in Chapter 2, paragraph
60 of the main document in this chapter.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2B-3
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 1 (1)

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
Copy no ____ of ____ copies (3)
(1 line open)
File Reference (4)
(1 line open)
Telephone: ………………………… Originator’s Address (5)
Extension: .................................... …………………………….
SSN: .................................... ……………………………. (6)
Cellphone: .................................... ……………………………. (7)
Facsimile: .................................... Postal Code
E-mail: .................................... [one tab] Month 20.. (8)(9)
Enquiries: .................................... (10)
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING OR TITLE (11)
(1 line open)
Reference [one tab] A: [one tab] ............................................................................. (12)
B: [one tab] .............................................................................
............................................................................................
(1 line open)
Appendix [one tab] A: [one tab] ............................................................................. (12)
............................................................................................
B: [one tab] .............................................................................
(1 line open)
Enclosure [one tab] 1: [one tab] ............................................................................. (12)
2: [one tab] .............................................................................
(1 line open)
MAIN HEADING
(1 line open)
GROUP HEADING
(1 line open)
1. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………………………… (13)
(1 line open)
2. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………………………… (13)
(1 line open)
a. Paragraph Heading. …………………………………………… (13)
(1 line open)
i. Paragraph Heading. ………………………………… (13)
(1 line open)
ii. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………
(1 line open)
b. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………………..........
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
2B-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
14. The subject heading or title must be repeated at the top of every page.
15. Interrupted paragraph. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 61.)
16. The exact appearance of the signature block varies. (See Chapter 2, paragraphs 64 to 66.)
17. For the originator’s/typist’s reference, see Chapter 2, paragraph 75.
18. Distribution Block. See Chapter 2, paragraphs 78 to 79.
19. Note that copy numbers and the method of distribution are assigned only to secret and top
secret documents. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 80.)
20. For the layout of attention (attn) addressees, see Chapter 2, paragraphs 79 and 80.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2B-5
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING OR TITLE (14)
(1 line open)
c. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
i. Paragraph Heading. ………………………………….....
.....................................................................................
(1 line open)
ii. Paragraph Heading. ………………………………….....
(1 line open)
.............................................................................................................. (15)
...............................................................................................................
(1 line open)
MAIN HEADING
(1 line open)
GROUP HEADING
(1 line open)
3. Paragraph Heading
(1 line open)
a. …………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. …………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
GROUP HEADING
(1 line open)
4. …………………………………………………………………………….................
...................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
............................................................................
(4 to 6 lines open)
(INITIALS AND SURNAME) (16)
APPOINTMENT AND UNIT: RANK/LEVEL
(1 line open)
ABC/XYZ (E:\001 CSW CHAPTERS\003 CHAPTER 2.DOCX) (17)
(1 line open)
DISTR (18)
(1 line open)
For Action Copy No Method (19)
(1 line open)
OC:
[one tab] ……...… (Attn: ……………) 2 By hand (20)
[one tab] ………... (Attn: ……………) 3 By hand
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
............................ (Attn: ……………) 4 By hand
............................ (Attn: ……………) 5 By hand
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
File: ........................................... 1 Original
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
2B-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 2
FORMAT OF A TABULAR LAYOUT
Annexure 1: Tabular Layout without Table Numbers

2: Tabular Layout with Table Numbers
1. The principles of a tabular layout are set out in Chapter 2, paragraph 63. In drawing up this
format, possible horizontal and vertical subdivisions in a tabular format have been provided. In
practice, the exact appearance of the table will depend on the nature and complexity of the
contents presented.
2. As a table facilitates the presentation of a large amount of detail, the full writing surface of the
page is used regardless of whether a table falls under a group heading, paragraph heading or
further subdivision.

Year: 2021
2C-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2C1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 2
TABULAR LAYOUT WITHOUT TABLE NUMBERS
1. The tabular layout without table numbers is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
2C1-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. The table on page 2C1-3 is an example of the layout where cells are merged/split and there
are more than four columns. Such tables should be produced in landscape format.
2. Refer to paragraph 60 for a description of the elements of a table.
NOTE: A smaller point size may be used in tables depending on the amount of information that
needs to be presented. However, the minimum to be used is point size 8.

Year: 2021
CSW
PERSONNEL AND VEHICLE STRENGTHS
Ser Personnel Vehicles

No
A-vehicles B-vehicles
Offs NCOs Total Eland Ratel Total SAMIL 20 SAMIL 50 Total
a b c d e f g h i
4
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
6
10
11
12
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
2C1-3
2C1-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2C2-1
ANNEXURE 2
TO APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 2
TABULAR LAYOUT WITH TABLE NUMBERS
1. The tabular layout with table numbers is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
2C2-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. A table heading describing the table content may be included. Where there is more than one
table in the document, each table must be numbered sequentially in Arabic numerals as shown. In
the case of manuals and books where there is more than one chapter, the table number will show
both the chapter number and the number of the table in that chapter, eg TABLE 3-6 denotes Table
6 of Chapter 3. The table heading is typed in bold typeface and capital letters against the left-hand
margin above actual table.
2. Refer to paragraph 63 for a description of the elements of a table.
NOTE: A smaller point size may be used in tables depending on the amount of information that
needs to be presented. However, the minimum to be used is point size 8.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2C2-3
(2 lines open)
TABLE 3-6: VEHICLES TO BE AUCTIONED (1)

(1 line open)
Ser Column Heading Column Heading Column Heading (2)
No a b c
1 …………………………….. …………………………….. ……………………………..
…………………………….. …………………………….. ……………………………..
i. ……………………… i. ……………………… i. ………………………
ii. ……………………… ii. ……………………… ii. ………………………
……………………… iii. ………………………
iii. ……………………… ………………………
……………………….
2 ……………………………. ……………………………. ……………………………..
……………………………. …………………………….. ……………………………..
……………………………. i. ………………………
ii. ………………………
3 …………………………….. …………………………….. i. ………………………
…………………………….. (1) ……………….
i. ……………………… (2) ……………….
ii. ……………………… ii. ………………………
4 …………………………….. ……………………………. …………………………….
…………………………….. ……………………………. …………………………….
i. ……………………… ……………………………. …………………………….
ii. ………………………
TABLE 3-7: VEHICLES TO BE REPAIRED (1)

(1 line open)
Ser Column Heading Column Heading Column Heading (2)
No a b c
1 …………………………….. …………………………….. ……………………………..
…………………………….. …………………………….. ……………………………..
i. ……………………… i. ……………………… i. ………………………
ii. ……………………… ii. ……………………… ii. ………………………
……………………… iii. ………………………
iii. ……………………… ………………………
……………………….
2 ……………………………. ……………………………. ……………………………..
……………………………. …………………………….. ……………………………..
……………………………. i. ………………………
ii. ………………………
3 …………………………….. …………………………….. i. ………………………
…………………………….. (1) ……………….
i. ……………………… (2) ……………….
ii. ……………………… ii. ………………………
4 …………………………….. ……………………………. …………………………….
…………………………….. ……………………………. …………………………….
i. ……………………… ……………………………. …………………………….
ii. ………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
2C2-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 2
HARVARD METHOD OF REFERENCING
Annexure 1: Example of a Bibliography
1. Reference Sources. Reference sources are set out according to the following conventions:
a. Books. The main elements of the entry and the order in which they are given are as
follows: Surname, Initials of Author. Year of Publication. Title of work. Place of
Publication: Name of Publisher. The following examples are applicable:
i. When a work has more than one author, all must be given, as per the title page
of the book.
Mattis, J. & West, B. 2019. Call sign chaos: Learning to lead. New York:
Random House.
ii. When a book has an editor rather than an author, the initials and surname of the
editor are followed by the abbreviation ‘(ed.)’/’(eds.)’ in brackets.
Gardner, B.P. & Smith, G. (eds.). 1984. Child psychology: An introductory guide
for parents and teachers. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
iii. The institution or government department responsible for the publication of a

book may be regarded as its author.
Republic of South Africa. Department of Education. 2016. Regulations

pertaining to the national curriculum statement grades R-12. Pretoria:
Department of Education.
iv. A work that has no author, personal or corporate, is entered under the first word
of the title.
Advertising in the Western Cape. 1990. Cape Town: ABC Publishers.
v. If you do not know the date of publication, use the abbreviation “n.d.” for “no
date”. However, every effort should be made to establish the year of publication
if you intend to use this work as supporting evidence in an academic
submission.
vi. The edition number is specified immediately after the title. Mention only the
second or subsequent editions (not the first edition).
Mitchell, T.R & Larson, J.R. 1987. People in organizations: An introduction to

organizational behavior. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
vii. Mention the name of the publisher in the briefest form, eg J.L. van Schaik
Beperk becomes Van Schaik, George G. Harrop & Co becomes Harrop, John
Wiley & Sons becomes Wiley and Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons becomes Pitman.

Year: 2021
2D-2 RESTRICTED
viii. If a source is in a language other than English, it must be listed in that language
in the bibliography/list of references.
Lafourcade, J.C. & Riffaud, G. 2010. Opération Turquoise du général

Lafourcade. Paris: Editions Perrin.
ix. It is customary to follow place names in the USA with the abbreviation for the
state.
Bjork, R.A. 1989. Retrieval inhibition as an adaptive mechanism in human

memory, in Roediger, H.L. & Craik, F.I.M. (eds.). Variety of memory and
consciousness. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum:309–330.
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. 10th ed. 1993. Springfield, MA:

Merriam-Webster.
b. Periodical and Journal Articles. Journals vary in their frequency and details such as
volume, issue number, etc. Indicate the volume, issue and page numbers as indicated
below, despite the style followed in the journal (eg vol, no, pp). The title of the journal
is italicised, not the title of the article. The following examples are applicable:
i. No Indication of Volume or Issue Number
Crabtree, S.W. 1987. The best books of 1986. Books and Bookmen: 34–36,
December.
ii. Indication of Volume, Issue, Pages, Date
Bamford, B. 1950. The crust of the earth. Scientific American, 182(5):32–33,

March 11.
iii. Indication of Volume, Issue, Pages and Season
Lee, S.T. 1986. The semantics of advertising. Psychology Today, 19:34–37,

Fall.
iv. Indication of Volume, Issue, Pages, Month
Pringle, G.S. 1982. Aspects of style in the novels of J.M. Coetzee. College
English, 35(6):34–41, September.
c. Newspaper Articles. The following information must be provided: Surname, Initials of

the Author. Year of Publication. Title of article. Title of Newspaper: day and month:
page number.
Stewart, M.T. 1988. Should privatisation prosper? SAA in the year 1990. The Argus:
17 May:3.
d. Component Parts of Larger Works. The main elements of the entry and the order in
which they are given are as follows: Surname, Initials of Contributing Author. Year of
publication. Title of contribution, in Surname, initials of author or editor(s) of publication
followed by (ed.) or (eds.), if relevant. Title of book. Place of publication: Name of
publisher: page number(s) of contribution.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2D-3
Puttnam, R.A. 1981. The place of values in a world of facts, in Duff, A. & Smithson,
W.O. (eds.). The nature of the physical universe. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall:
124–139.
Dame, E.B. & Smith, A. 1972. Shooting, in Hunt, A. Tactics. Oxford: OUP: 130–140.
e. Internet Sources. The main elements of the entry and the order in which they are
given are as follows: Surname, Initials of Author. Date. Title [Online]. Place of
publication: Publisher (if ascertainable). Available from: URL [year, month and day].
The date indicated in square brackets is the date viewed or downloaded.
Smith, J. 1999. Outsourcing logistics [Online]. Chicago: Logistics International.

Available: http://www.logisticsinternational.org.us/html [28 November 2015].
NOTE: The Internet source is normally automatically underlined by the computer program and may
appear in a different colour. Should this occur, ensure that all URLs are underlined and are of the
same colour.
f. Speeches. See the examples below:
Mandela, N.R. 1994. President Mandela’s speech presented at the Defence Force
Exposition. 22 November, Pretoria.
Clark, H. 2007. Prime Minister's 2007 Anzac Day message. 25 April, Perth.
g. Conference Papers
i. Unpublished
Hay, B. 2016. Drone tourism: a study of the current and potential use of drones in
hospitality and tourism. Unpublished paper delivered at CAUTHE 2016. 26
September, Sydney.
ii. Published
Truter, M. 1995. The role of the court interpreter in the new South Africa, in
Jennings, A. (ed.). Tower of Babel or Lingua Franca? Proceedings of the 7th
Conference of the South African Institute of Translators. Johannesburg: The
Institute: 34–45.
h. Legislation. The main elements of the entry are as follows: Name of country. Date. Title
of Act. Place of publication: Name of publisher.
Republic of South Africa. 1982. Atomic Energy Act 92 of 1982. Pretoria: Government
Printer.
2. Layout of a Bibliography/List of References
a. The items in the bibliography are arranged alphabetically according to the surname of
the author or editor or the name of the institution.
b. Second and subsequent lines of each entry begin after the first tab space from the left-
hand margin. The entry number is followed by a full stop and the entry begins after the
first tab space from the left-hand margin.

Year: 2021
2D-4 RESTRICTED
NOTE: Entries are not numbered in the bibliography/list of references of university assignments,
theses or dissertations, etc.
c. Where there is more than one work by the same author, the items are arranged by
date, starting with the earliest.
d. If an author published several books in 2004, the first publication is cited in the
bibliography/list of references as 2004a, the second as 2004b and so on.
Richards, I.A. 2004a. Elements of style. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Richards, I.A. 2004b. Style as an element of writing. Journal of Academic Research,

17(3):19-24.
e. Type your bibliography/list of references in a table with invisible gridlines. This enables
you to sort items alphabetically. Use single-line spacing with one line space between
items. Avoid unnecessary “white space” (eg by using an unjustified right margin)
between items, especially when citing websites.
f. Pay careful attention to spacing (one space after each punctuation mark) and to the
use of title case and sentence case in titles of books and journals. Also note the use of
italics for titles of books and titles of journals (not journal articles).
g. An example of a bibliography is given in Annexure 1 to this appendix.
3. Abbreviated References. When a bibliography appears at the end of a main document, an

abbreviated system of references may be used in the text. (This system is not used for university
assignments, theses or dissertations, etc.) The following principles apply:
a. In the bibliography/list of references, sources are listed alphabetically in the sequence

of surnames of authors or editors, and are numbered serially in Arabic numerals,
beginning with 1.
b. The in-text reference (citation) is placed in the text, in brackets, either at the end of a
sentence before the full stop or in an appropriate position immediately after the cited
text or information.
c. The in-text reference (citation) consists of sets of two Arabic numerals separated by a
colon.
i. The first set corresponds to the number assigned to the source concerned in the
bibliography/list of references.
ii. The second set (after the colon) indicates the relevant page of the source
referred to. For example, if R. Evans’ book, War on the rocks, is listed in the
bibliography/list of references as the fifth source, the reference (5:121) in the text
would then refer to page 121 of Evans’ book.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2D-5
4. Common Errors Encountered in Bibliographic Citation and Compilation3
a. In-text references (citations) without corresponding items in the bibliography.
b. In-text references (citations) without accompanying page numbers (or incorrectly cited
page numbers).
c. Bibliography not in alphabetical order.
d. Incorrect spelling of authors, titles, publishers.
e. Transposing author’s surname and first name.
f. Vagueness about the use of “et al.” for three or more authors.
g. No indication of editor(s).
h. No indication of edition, if not first.
i. Omission of subtitles of books, journal titles and journal articles.
j. Incorrect date of publication (impression rather than edition date).
k. Inconsistent use of sentence case and title case in titles of books, titles of journal
articles and titles of journals.
l. Confusion in respect of italicisation of titles of books and titles of journals (titles of

journal articles incorrectly placed in italics).
m. Underlining instead of italicising titles.
n. Insufficient details given for newspaper articles (author, date, title of article, page,
column).
o. Confusion between publisher and printer.
p. Confusion about place of publication (countries, cities, US states, UK counties).
q. Omission of page numbers of journal articles and chapters in books.
r. Incorrect corporate author (frequently no author) cited in government publications and

legislation (eg Acts of Parliament).
s. Unnecessary details cited for publishers.
t. Date of downloading of Internet citations omitted.
u. Changing American spellings of book, journal article and journal titles to UK or SA

English.
v. General inconsistencies in respect of format.
w. Filing items under “A”, “An” and “The” as initial words.
3
Van Aswegen, L. 2010. Harvard for beginners [Online]. Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Available:
https://www.cput.ac.za/files/images_folder/research/documents/Harvard%20for%20beginners.pdf [2019, November 9].

Year: 2021
2D-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2D1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 2
EXAMPLE OF A BIBLIOGRAPHY

(2 lines open)
APPENDIX A
TO STAFF PAPER
DATED JUNE 2021
(2 lines open)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(1 line open)
1. Advertising in the Western Cape. 1990. Cape Town: ABC Publishers.
(1 line open)
2. Bamford, B. 1950. The crust of the earth. Scientific American, 182(5):32–33, March 11.
(1 line open)
3. Bjork, R.A. 1989. Retrieval inhibition as an adaptive mechanism in human memory, in
Roediger, H.L. & Craik, F.I.M. (eds.). Variety of memory and consciousness. Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum:309–330.
(1 line open)
4. Dame, E.B. & Smith, A. 1972. Shooting, in Hunt, A. Tactics. Oxford: OUP: 130–140.
(1 line open)
5. Gardner, B.P. & Smith, G. (eds.). 1984. Child psychology: An introductory guide for
parents and teachers. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
(1 line open)
6. Lafourcade, J.C. & Riffaud, G. 2010. Opération Turquoise du général Lafourcade. Paris:
Editions Perrin.
(1 line open)
7. Mandela, N.R. 1994. President Mandela’s speech presented at the Defence Force
Exposition. 22 November, Pretoria.
(1 line open)
8. Mattis, J. & West, B. 2019. Call sign chaos: Learning to lead. New York: Random House.
(1 line open)
9. Mitchell, T.R & Larson, J.R. 1987. People in organizations: An introduction to
organizational behavior. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
(1 line open)
10. Republic of South Africa. 1982. Atomic Energy Act 92 of 1982. Pretoria: Government
Printer.
(1 line open)
11. Richards, I.A. 2004a. Elements of style. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
(1 line open)
12. Richards, I.A. 2004b. Style as an element of writing. Journal of Academic Research,
17(3):19-24.
(1 line open)
13. Smith, J. 1999. Outsourcing logistics [Online]. Chicago: Logistics International. Available:
http://www.logisticsinternational.org.us/html [2015, November 28].
(1 line open)
14. Unisa. n.d. Be wise…don’t plagiarise! [Online]. Available: https://www.unisa.ac.za/
static/corporate_web/Content/Library/Documents/Plagiarism_Brochure.pdf [2018, August 22].
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
2D1-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 2
EXAMPLE OF FLAGS AND SIDE FLAGS LAYOUT
1. The layout of flags and side flags is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
2E-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Characteristics of Flags
a. Each document attached to a brief must be provided with a flag.
b. Flags are arranged alphabetically and are attached to the top of the first page of each
source document in such a way that, when all source documents are assembled, the
flags will appear in alphabetical order from left to right.
2. Characteristics of Side Flags
a. Side flags are numbered in Arabic numerals and attached to the right-hand side of the
relevant sheet of paper, directly opposite the paragraphs referred to. For this reason,
side flags do not always appear in numerical sequence from top to bottom.
b. Side flags are numbered consecutively throughout a brief, irrespective of the flag to
which they may refer (Flag A, Side Flags 1, 4 and 5; Flag B, Side Flags 2 and 3, etc).
c. Side-flagged paragraphs must be marked with a straight, vertical line in the margin, or
in a similarly suitable manner, so that the reader can clearly see what part of the text
should be read.
d. If the paragraphs or sections referred to appear on the reverse side of a page, this
should be indicated either on the side flag or on the front of the page concerned.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2E-3
Encl 1 Encl 2 Encl 3
RESTRICTED 1 Encl 1
(2 lines open) Par 4.d
Encl 2
Par 20
a-f.
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open) Encl 2
Telephone: ……………………………. Originator’s Address Par 73.
Extension: .......................................... …………………………….
Facsimilie: .......................................... …………………………….
Enquiries: .......................................... …………………………….
Postal Code Encl 3
Par 35
[one tab] Month 20.. a – g.
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT HEADING OR TITLE
(1 line open)
Enclosure [one tab] 1: [one tab] ……………………………………………….…….………….
2: [one tab] ……………………………………………….…….…….
(1 line open)
1. .........................................………………………………………………….…………………
(1 line open)
2. Paragraph Heading. …………………………………………………….....…………………
(1 line open)
a. Paragraph Heading. …………………………………………....…….……………….
(1 line open)
i. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………......…………………..
(1 line open)
ii. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………......…………………..
(1 line open)
b. Paragraph Heading. ……………………………………………….....……………….
(1 line open)
3. ..........................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
4. ..........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
a. ........................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. .......................................................................................
(1 line open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
2E-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2F-1
APPENDIX F
TO CHAPTER 2
LAYOUT OF A SLIDE SHOW FOR A PRESENTATION
LAYOUT OF AN INFORMATION BRIEF
1. Slide 1 – subject heading, details of presenter, date of the presentation.
2. Slide 2 – the aim of the presentation, what does the presenter want to achieve with the
presentation.
3. Slide 3 - the scope points to be discussed in order to achieve the aim.
4. Slide 4 and follow up slides – the bulk of the information will be included in order to achieve
the aim.
5. Second last slide – the conclusion of the presentation.
6. Last slide – state the sources of the information in the form of a bibliography.

Year: 2021
2F-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
BASIC CSW PRINCIPLES
Presentation By: rank, initials and surname of presenter
Post designation of presenter
Date of presentation
RESTRICTED 1/9
RESTRICTED
AIM
The aim of the presentation is to enlighten the audience regarding
the basic CSW principles
Basic CSW Principles

Presentation By: Lt Col M.J. Miles (SO1 Mil Dev)
RESTRICTED 2/9
RESTRICTED
SCOPE
 Margins
 Font type and point size
 Justification
 Tab setting
 Conclusion
 Bibliography

RESTRICTED 3/9

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2F-3
RESTRICTED
MARGINS
 All the margins (top, bottom, right and left) must be set at 2 cm
 Left hand margin is the starting point for all elements of writing
 Margins may be adjusted for back-to-back printing and binding

RESTRICTED 4/9
RESTRICTED
FONT TYPE AND POINT SIZE

 Only Arial, point size 12 must be used
 Where tabular layouts are used, the point size may be reduced (not smaller than point size 8) to keep details together
and to ensure legibility

RESTRICTED 5/9
RESTRICTED
JUSTIFICATION
 Full justification must be used throughout documents
 Full justification does not apply to tables

RESTRICTED 6/9

Year: 2021
2F-4 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
TAB SETTINGS
 Tab spaces must be set at 1 cm

RESTRICTED 7/9
RESTRICTED
CONCLUSION
 CSW principles are established to ensure a standard is adhered to
 The principles range from simple to more complex

RESTRICTED 8/9
RESTRICTED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Conventions of Service Writing 2021 version

RESTRICTED 9/9

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2G-1
APPENDIX G
TO CHAPTER 2
COMPUTER SET-UP PROCEDURES
GENERAL
CHECKING PRINTER SETTINGS
Ser Action
No a
1 Find and select the “Start” icon on the screen (usually at the bottom left-hand side
of the screen).
2 On the menu that appears on the screen, find and select “Devices and Printers”.
3 On the drop-down menu, find and select the printer in use.
4 Using the mouse, right-click on the selected printer icon.
5 On the drop-down menu that appears, find and select “Printer Properties”.
6 On the next drop down-menu, find and select “Preferences”.
7 On the next drop down-menu, find and select “Advanced”.
8 On the new menu that is displayed, find “Paper Size” and ensure that “A4” is
displayed in this block. If it is not displayed, select the block, which will be followed
by another drop-down menu with a selection of paper sizes. Find and select the
“A4” followed by selecting the “OK” button.
9 When selecting the “OK” button in the previous step, the menu will close and return
to the previous drop-down menu. Find and select “Apply” and then “OK”. Close the
menu by finding and selecting the X on the top right-hand corner of the menu.
10 Close the “Devices and Printers” menu by finding and selecting the X in the top
right-hand corner of the menu.
11 This will be the default paper size setting for the printer.
WORD
CHANGING PC SETTINGS FROM INCHES TO CENTIMETRES
Ser Action
No a
1 Open the Word program on the toolbar at the top. Find and select “File”.
2 This action will result in a drop-down menu. Find and select “Options”.
3 This action will result in an info box that will appear on the screen. In the info box on
the left-hand side, find and select “Advanced”.
4 The content on the right-hand side of the info box will change. Scroll down the info
on the right-hand side until you reach the heading “Display”. It will prompt you to
select “Inches” or “Centimeters” with the sentence “Show measurements in units
of”, followed by a drop-down menu.
5 Find and select “Centimetres”.
6 Once you have selected “Centimetres”, go to the bottom right-hand corner of the
info box and click “OK”.

Year: 2021
2G-2 RESTRICTED
SETTING UP MARGINS IN A WORD DOCUMENT
Ser Action
No a
1 Open the Word Program and find and select the word “File”. This action will be
followed by a drop-down menu with several options. Find and select the “New”
option. This action will be followed by a change in the right-hand side of the drop
down-menu. On the right-hand side, find and select “Blank Document”.
2 A blank document will appear on the screen. In the toolbar at the top of the screen,
find and select “Page Layout”.
3 Find and select “Margins”.
4 This action will be followed by a drop-down menu. Find and select “Custom
Margins”, which is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. If there are two “Custom
Margins”, choose the second one only.
5 This action will be followed by a “Page Setup” info box that will appear on the
screen.
6 In the info box, make sure that the top, bottom, left and right margins are all set to
2 cm.
7 In the same info box, make sure the gutter position to left of the screen is set to
0 cm.
8 In the same info, box find and select the second screen which is “Paper”.
9 Find and select paper size A4.
10 In the same info box, find and select the second screen, which is “Layout”.
11 Find and select both “Header” and “Footer” and make sure they are both set to
1 cm.
12 Upon completion of all these actions, go to the bottom left-hand side of the info box
and find and select “Set as Default”. A dialogue box will appear and ask whether
you want to change the default settings, since all new documents based on the
NORMAL template will be affected. Find and select “Yes”.
13 Close the document. This action will be followed by an info box that will appear and
prompt you to “Save Changes”. Select “save” and select the folder in which the
document must be saved. If you do not save the changes and you open a new
blank Word document, you will have to follow all the steps again.
CHANGING THE FONT TYPE AND POINT SIZE
Ser Action
No a
option. This action will be followed by a change in the right-hand side of the drop-
down menu. On the right-hand side, find and select “Blank Document”.
2 This layout will be set at the original Word default settings and will need to be
changed to be in line with CSW principles.
3 A blank document will appear on the screen. In the toolbar at the top of the screen,
find and select “Home”.
4 Find the “Font” block. In the bottom right-hand corner, there is an arrow facing
downwards. Select this arrow.
5 The result of this action will be an info box appearing on your screen. In this drop-
down screen, find the “Font” block, scroll down the options and select “Arial”.
6 Further to the right of the info box there is another block that states “Font Style”.
Find and select the word “Regular”.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2G-3
Ser Action
No a
7 To the right of the “Font Style” block find the “Size” block and select “12”, as this is
the size prescribed in the CSW.
8 Upon completion of all these actions, go to the bottom left-hand side of the info box
and find and select “Set as Default”. A dialogue box will appear and ask whether
you want to change the default settings, since all new documents based on the
NORMAL template will be affected. Find and select “Yes”.
INSERTING HEADERS AND FOOTERS
Ser Action
No a
down menu. On the right-hand side find and select “Blank Document”.
2 In the toolbar at the top of the screen, find and select “Insert”.
3 When the menu in the toolbar at the top of the screen changes, find and select
“Header”, which will be followed by a drop-down menu.
4 Find and select “Edit Header” at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
5 The menu in the toolbar at the top of the screen will change again. In this menu,
make sure that “Different First Page” is selected in the displayed toolbar.
6 In the toolbar at the top of the screen, find and select “Insert Alignment Tab”. This
will result in a drop-down menu that will appear on the screen. In this drop-down
menu, ensure that the “Alignment” is set at “Centre” and the heading “Leader” is set
at “1”. Find and select “OK”. Type in the header.
7 Repeat Ser No 2. On the displayed toolbar, find and select “Footer”.
8 Find and select “Edit Footer” at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
menu, ensure that the “Alignment” is set at “Centre” and the heading “Leader” is set
at “1”. Find and select “OK”. Type in the footer.
10 Close the header and footer by double-clicking in the document/page area or by
selecting “Close Header and Footer” on the toolbar. The header and footer will
appear on the current and all subsequent pages.
INSERTING PAGE NUMBERS
Ser Action
No a
make sure that the “Different First Page” IS NOT selected in the displayed toolbar.

Year: 2021
2G-4 RESTRICTED
Ser Action
No a
menu, ensure that the “Alignment” is set at “Center” and the heading “Leader” is set
7 Place the cursor behind the last letter of the header.
8 Check the menu in the toolbar at the top of the screen and find and select “Insert”.
In the menu that is now displayed, find and select “Quick Parts”.
9 When the screen changes, find and select “Field”. This will be followed by a drop-
down menu.
10 On the left-hand side of the drop-down menu, find “Field Names”. Scan the list
underneath this heading and find and select “Page”.
11 Upon selecting “Page”, the middle of the drop-down menu will change and a
column named “Field Properties” will appear. Under heading “Format”, find and
select 1, 2, 3, ...
12 Upon selecting “Format”, find and select “OK”.
13 The display on the screen will revert back to the document in the header. The page
number has now been placed behind the last letter of the header. Position the
cursor between the last letter of the header and the number and select the “Tab”
button on the keyboard. This will move the page number as far right as possible.
14 As one moves on to the second page, it will be numbered 2.
When there are preliminary pages (front matter) before the actual document, eg
précis, BOI, COI, you will have to follow the steps below.
15 Follow Ser Nos 1 to 10 above.
column named “Field Properties” will appear. Under the heading “Format”, find and
select i, ii, iii ...
17 Moving to the second and third page, the page number will automatically change to
ii and iii.
18 When all the content of the preliminary pages have been typed, the normal layout
of the rest of the document can be followed. Continue to the end of the last line on
the last preliminary page, before the page that must be page 1.
19 Find and select “Page Layout” in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
20 Find “Page Setup” and select “Breaks”. This will be followed by a drop-down menu.
In the drop-down menu, find and select “Next Page”. A double dotted line will now
appear at the end of the page.
21 The next page will still display a Roman numeral. Double-click on the header
section of the document. This will be followed by a drop-down menu at the top of
the screen. Find and select “Link to Previous” to deselect the linking of numbering.
Place the cursor directly between the last letter of the header and the Roman
numeral. Press the “Delete” button until the Roman numeral is deleted.
22 Once the Roman numeral has been deleted, follow Ser Nos 1 to 10 above.
23 Once the page number has been inserted, it needs to be changed to start at 1. Find
and select “Insert” on the drop-down menu. When the menu changes find and
select “Page Number”. This will be followed by a drop-down menu. Find and select
“Format Page Numbers”. Find and select “Start At:” and ensure it is set to 1.
24 Close the header and footer. The document is ready for the content.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2G-5
INSERTING PAGE NUMBERS ON THE LEFT-HAND AND RIGHT-HAND SIDES OF PAGES
Ser Action
No a
make sure that the “Different First Page” IS NOT selected in the displayed toolbar.
6 In the menu mentioned above, find and select “Options” and ensure that “Different
Odd & Even Pages” is selected.
menu, ensure that the “Alignment” is set at “Center” and the heading “Leader” is set
down menu.
11 On the left-hand side of the drop-down menu, find “Field names”. Scan the list
select 1, 2, 3, ...
15 Go to the second page
down menu.
select 1, 2, 3, ...
number 2 will now appear on the left-hand side of the document.
22 Place the cursor behind the page number. In the toolbar at the top of the screen,
find and select “Insert Alignment Tab”. This will result in a drop-down menu that will
appear on the screen. In this drop-down menu ensure that the “Alignment” is set at
“Center” and the heading “Leader” is set at “1”. Find and select “OK”. Type in the
header.

Year: 2021
2G-6 RESTRICTED
Ser Action
No a
23 Go to the footer and type in the appropriate security classification using the steps
described above. Follow the same process on the third page.
INSERTING PAGE NUMBERS IN APPENDICES AND ANNEXURES
Ser Action
No a
1 Continue to the end of the last line of the last page, before commencing with the
content of the appendix.
2 Find and select “Page Layout” in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
3 Find “Page Setup” and select “Breaks”. This will be followed by a drop-down menu.
In the drop-down menu’ find and select “Next Page”. A double dotted line will now
appear at the end of the page.
4 The next page will still display the next page number. Double-click on the header
section of the document. This will be followed by a drop-down menu at the top of
the screen. Find and select “Link to Previous” to deselect the linking of numbering.
5 Select and delete the page number.
down menu.
10 Upon selecting “Page”, the middle of the drop-down menu, will change and a
select 1, 2, 3, ...
13 Once the page number has been inserted, it needs to be changed to start at 1. Find
and select “Insert” on the drop-down menu. When the menu changes, find and
select “Page Number”. This will be followed by a drop-down menu. Find and Select
“Format Page Numbers”. Find and select “Start at:” and ensure it is set to 1.
14 Position the cursor in front of the page number and type in A-. Scroll down to the
next page, which will be A-2, A-3, and the page numbers will follow accordingly.
15 If there is an appendix B, repeat the steps from Ser Nos 1 to 14. Simply change the
A- to B-. The same applies to any other appendices.
16 The above-mentioned steps may also be followed to insert page numbers in an
annexure. The only difference is that the annexure number will be inserted after the
appendix letter, eg A1-1.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2G-7
CHANGING THE ORIENTATION OF THE PAGE FOR AN APPENDIX
Ser Action
No a
1 If the orientation of an appendix must be landscape, position the cursor in the last
space of the previous page and find and select “Page Layout” on the drop-down
menu at the top of the screen. Find and select “Next Page”. The screen will
automatically change to the next page.
2 Ensure that the cursor is placed on this next page. Find and select “Page Layout”.
Select “Orientation” and then select “Landscape”. The page will change
accordingly. This will not affect the previous pages.
3 Remember to move the page number to the right-hand side of the page when the
orientation is changed from portrait to landscape.
4 Should the orientation of the next page need to be changed again, repeat Ser Nos
1 to 3.
SETTING UP SINGLE LINE SPACING
Ser Action
No a
1 Find the toolbar at the top of the screen and select “Home”.
2 Find and select “Paragraph”, which is third from the left-hand side of the toolbar.
3 This will be followed by a drop-down screen. Find and select “Indents and Spacing”.
4 The drop-down screen will change. Ensure the following setup is applied:
i. Under the Heading "General”
(1) Find “Alignment” and select “Justified”.

(2) Find “Outline level” and select “Body Text”.
ii. Under the Heading "Indentation”
(1) Find “Left” and select “0 cm”.

(2) Find “Right” and select “0 cm”.
(3) Find “Special” and ensure that “(none)” appears in the block.
iii. Under the Heading "Spacing”
(1) Find “Before” and select “0 pt”.

(2) Find “After” and select “0 pt”.
(3) Find “Line spacing” and select “Single”.
(4) Find “At” and make sure that this field is blank.
5 Find and select “Set As Default”. A message box will appear on the screen. Find
and select “Yes”.`
SETTING UP TAB SPACING
Ser Action
No a
1 Find the toolbar at the top of the screen and select “Home”.
2 Find and select “Paragraph”, which is third from the left-hand side of the toolbar.

Year: 2021
2G-8 RESTRICTED
Ser Action
No a
3 A drop-down menu will appear. In the bottom left-hand corner, find and select
“Tabs”.
4 A new drop-down menu will appear. Find and select “Default tab stops” and set it to
1 cm.
5 Find the block “Tab stop position” and make sure there are no settings in the block.
If there are find and select “Clear All”.
6 In the bottom of the drop-down menu, find and select “OK”.
7 Every time a new blank Word document is opened, the tab stops need to be
checked.
ADJUSTING A FOOTER THAT IS TOO HIGH UP ON A PAGE WHEN IT IS PRINTED
Ser Action
No a
1 Ensure that the margins are correct. (See “Setting up Margins in a Word
Document”.)
2 Find and select the “Office Button” in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
3 A drop-down menu will appear. Find and select “Print”, which will be followed by a
drop-down menu on the screen.
4 Find and select “Properties”, which will be followed by an additional drop-down
menu on the screen.
5 In the next drop-down screen, find “Paper Size” and select “A4”.
6 Find and select “OK”. The previous screen will automatically return. Find and select
“OK” on the first screen and the menu will close.
REPEATING HEADERS IN A COLUMN IN A WORD DOCUMENT
Ser Action
No a
1 In the tabular layout, select the rows that must be repeated.
2 In the toolbar at the top of the screen, find and select “Layout”. The menu in the
toolbar will change. In the changed toolbar, find and select “Repeat Header Rows”.
3 When the column rows move over to the next page, the header rows will be
repeated.
INSERTION OF ORIGINATOR’S/TYPIST’S REFERENCE
Ser Action
No a
1 In the toolbar at the top of the screen find and click on “Insert”.
3 When the screen changes, find and select “Field”. This will be followed by a drop
down menu.
4 From the drop down menu select “Filename”, this will result in a second drop-down
menu.
5 From the second drop-down menu, find and select “Title Case”.
6 On the right-hand side of the drop-down menu, find and select “Add path to
filename”.
7 Find and select “Ok”.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 2G-9
Ser Action
No a
8 In the document, insert the cursor between the left-hand margin and the first letter
of the filename that has been inserted as a result of the above actions. Type in the
originator’s/typist’s reference followed by a space.
9 Select the whole reference and change the point size to 9.
CTRL, ALT AND SHIFT SHORTCUTS
Ser Action
No a
1 To COPY: Hold down “Ctrl” and press C.
2 To CUT: Hold down “Ctrl” and press X.
3 To PASTE: Hold down “Ctrl” and press V.
4 To BOLD: Hold down “Ctrl” and press B.
5 To ITALICISE: Hold down “Ctrl” and press I.
6 To UNDERLINE: Hold down “Ctrl” and press U.
7 To INSERT A TAB SPACE IN A COLUMN: Hold down “Ctrl” and press Tab.
8 To CHANGE CAPS: Hold down “Shift” and press F3.
9 To PERMANENTLY DELETE A FILE, DOCUMENT, VIDEO, ETC: Hold down
“Shift” and press “Delete and OK”.
10 To ADD ROWS TO A COLUMN: Place the cursor on the line where you want to
add rows and press the “Tab” button on the keyboard.

Year: 2021
2G-10 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3-1
CHAPTER 3: ROUTINE CORRESPONDENCE
Reference A: Government Communication Information System (GCIS) Guidelines on

Government Branding: Editorial Style Guide (As per Cabinet Instruction dated
9 June 2004)
B: CCS/DCC/R/511/4/1/1: Implementation Instruction No 38/10: Implementation of
the Government Branding Programme in the Department of Defence (DOD) on
Letterheads, Memoranda, Facsimiles and Business Cards dated 28 January
2011
Appendix A: Official Table of Precedence

B: Layout of a Comments Block
C: Layout of a Memorandum
D: Layout of a Routine Letter
E: Layout of a Formal Letter
F: Layout of a Demi-official Letter
G: Layout of a Facsimile Cover Sheet
H: Layout of Lotus Notes and E-mail
I: Examples of Formal Invitations
J: Examples of Replies to Invitations
INTRODUCTION
1. This chapter refers to correspondence written by members of the Department of Defence

(DOD) in the course of their duties. The form of correspondence used will depend on its purpose,
the rank or status of the addressee or the type of addressee.
ELEMENTS OF LAYOUT
2. The layout of routine correspondence is based on the following sequence of elements:

address block, salutation (if applicable), subject heading, body of the text, valediction (if
applicable), signature block, comments block (if applicable) and distribution block.
3. Specific adaptations of these elements, as appropriate to each specific form of

correspondence, are described in the following paragraphs. Each element when used, must
appear in the correct position and conform to the basic principles of service writing as laid down in
Chapters 1 and 2.
4. Handwritten Letters. Handwritten letters must conform to the principles of standard layout.
5. Address Block. Refer to Chapter 2, paragraphs 50 to 55.
6. Salutation and Valediction
a. Salutations and valedictions are used in formal and demi-official (DO) letters only.
b. Special forms of formal address used in correspondence with state and civic dignitaries
are set out in Appendix A.
7. Subject Heading
a. A letter should deal with a single subject only.

Year: 2021
3-2 RESTRICTED
b. The subject heading/title is compulsory, begins against the left-hand margin and is a
short statement (not longer than two lines) of the topic being addressed. Do not go
into detail, as this should be addressed in the text. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 56.)
8. Body of the Text. The following considerations should be borne in mind when drafting the
body of a text:
a. Introduction. An introduction tells the reader what you are writing about. It is a road
map for the rest of your correspondence.
b. Facts. All the facts relevant to a subject should be presented accurately and
objectively.
c. Discussion. The discussion should be planned and presented in clear and well-
formulated sentences, in logically sequenced paragraphs, with well-chosen headings (if
applicable) that lead to a definite conclusion.
d. Action. Writers should give a clear indication of the action they wish the recipient(s) to
take.
e. Conclusion. A conclusion requests or proposes a course of action or a solution to an

issue or asks questions that need to be answered further. A person may also be tasked
with carrying out an action.
9. Signature Block. The signature block should be laid out in accordance with the principles in
Chapter 2.
10. Comments Block. Comments blocks (recommendation/approval) may be added. (See

Appendix B.)
11. Distribution Block. The layout of the distribution block is discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs
78 to 80.
TYPES OF CORRESPONDENCE
MEMORANDUM
12. Use. A memorandum is used for internal correspondence within a headquarters, formation,
squadron, unit or between staff compartments/sections when a quick, concise form of
communication is required.
13. Format
a. The layout of a memorandum is provided in Appendix C.
b. ‘From:’ and ‘To:’ appear above the subject heading (only applicable to
memoranda). ‘From:’ indicates the originator of the memorandum and ‘To:’ indicates
the addressee(s).
c. ‘From:’ and ‘To:’ are followed by the post designations of the writer and recipient in the
case of a single recipient. Alternatively, the ranks, initials and surnames of the writer
and recipient may be used. However, these must then be followed by the post
designation on the next line. The chosen format must be used consistently.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3-3
d. Below are examples of single and multiple addressees:
i. Single Addressee
From: Col M.J. Boom

(SSO Int)
To: Lt Col J.P. Apple

(SO1 Int)
ii. Multiple Addressees. Where there are multiple addressees, the

distribution block (‘See Distribution’ or ‘See Distr’) is indicated, as in Chapter 2,
paragraphs 78 to 80.
From: Col M.J. Boom

(SSO Int)
To: See Distr
e. Where necessary, the addressees’ facsimile numbers may be used in the distribution
block to expedite the forwarding of the correspondence within a headquarters,
formation, squadron, unit or between staff compartments/sections.
f. Comments blocks (recommendation/approval) may be added. (See Appendix B.)
ROUTINE LETTER
14. Use. Routine letters are the most commonly used form of service correspondence within the
DOD between services/divisions, headquarters, formations, squadrons or units.
15. Format
a. The layout of a routine letter is provided in Appendix D.
b. Addressees are indicated in the distribution list and not in the address block. They are
indicated by designation/post title/name only (be consistent). This simplifies the format
and ensures explicit distribution instructions.
c. Comments blocks (recommendation/approval) may be added when required.
FORMAL LETTER
16. Use. Formal letters are used internally and externally for the following purposes:
a. Correspondence with state or civic dignitaries.
b. Correspondence with the public and private sectors.
c. Letters of praise or censure.
d. Correspondence with a higher authority for purposes such as submitting formal

statements or requests by officers.

Year: 2021
3-4 RESTRICTED
e. Formal invitations to attend an event in a special capacity (eg guest of honour) when
particulars provided in an invitation card are inadequate.
17. Format
a. The layout of a formal letter is provided in Appendix E.
b. Security Classification. A security classification is not included in the header or footer

of formal letters intended for addressees outside the DOD. However, the security
classification letter is included in the file reference, eg CJ OPS/R/103/5 or
CJ OPS/C/103/5.
c. As there is only one addressee in a formal letter, the addressee's full postal address
must be indicated in the address block. However, if it is within the same unit, the full
postal address is not required, ie the post office box or private bag number, city/town
and postal code are omitted.
d. A salutation and valediction are used in a formal letter. The salutation usually takes the
form of ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ (or the military form of address, eg ‘Colonel’) and the
valediction ‘Yours faithfully’.
e. Formal letters do not have a distribution block.
f. Comments blocks (recommendation/approval) may be included in internal (DOD)

formal letters.
g. Carbon Copy (cc). The abbreviation ‘cc’ indicates secondary recipients of a letter that
has been directed to an external organisation. These secondary recipients are
members within the DOD who require a copy of the letter for their information or action.
h. Abbreviations. Abbreviations are not used in formal letters intended for addressees
outside the DOD.
DEMI-OFFICIAL LETTER
18. Use. DO letters provide a means of direct personal communication between service
personnel at the same rank level or between a senior and a junior and must be used with
discretion so as not to develop into routine correspondence. Only one subject must be dealt with
in a DO letter.
NOTE: Juniors corresponding with seniors may not use DO letters, even if they are friends or
related. Formal or routine letters must be used instead.
19. Format
a. The layout of a DO letter is provided in Appendix F.
b. DO letters are based on the same format as that of formal letters, with the exception
that the salutation and valediction are written by hand when the letter is signed. The
choice of salutation and valediction will depend on the ranks of the writer and the
recipient and the degree of familiarity between them.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3-5
FACSIMILE COVER SHEET
20. Use
a. A facsimile cover is faxed with the actual fax message as a cover sheet. Its intended
purpose is to identify the sender and provide some contact information, as well as to
state the intended recipients and their contact information.
b. The facsimile cover sheet does not replace a covering letter. Both the facsimile cover
sheet and the facsimile transmission report must be attached to the original document
for record purposes.
21. Format
a. An example of a facsimile cover sheet is provided in Appendix G.
b. The design and brand elements for facsimiles are consistent with those prescribed for
letterheads, but in black and white only (not grey scale).
LOTUS NOTES AND E-MAIL
22. Use. Lotus Notes and e-mail are also used for day-to-day correspondence in the DOD or to
forward attachments.
23. Format
a. An example of a the components of an e-mail message is provided in Appendix H.
b. From. Originator’s e-mail address.
c. To. E-mail address(es) of main addressee(s). The main addressee is the person for
action.
d. Cc. A carbon copy (cc) is a copy of an e-mail sent to an addressee other than the main
addressee. These addressees are for information.
e. Bcc. A blind carbon copy (bcc) allows the originator of a message to conceal the
person entered in the bcc field from the other recipients. In other words, a bcc is a copy
sent to an addressee that is not visible to the main and cc addressees. This field must
be avoided for the purpose of transparency.
f. Subject. A short description of the content of the e-mail (compare with the subject
heading of a memorandum or letter).
g. Content of Message
i. Salutation. In all instances, a formal tone should be kept in the message, eg

replace ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ with ‘Dear Colonel’ or ‘Dear Ms Mokoena’.
ii. First Paragraph. Refer to previous correspondence or telephone conversations

relating to the subject. If there is an attachment, the relevant file reference
number must be included in the first paragraph.

Year: 2021
3-6 RESTRICTED
iii. Second and Subsequent Paragraphs. Convey the message in a clear and
concise form.
iv. Valediction. A suitable valediction should be used, for example, ‘Yours faithfully’,
‘Kind regards’, ‘Air Force greetings’.
v. Originator’s Details. The end of the text body should include the rank, initials,
surname and appointment of the compiler followed by a telephone, facsimile or
cellphone number.
h. Attachments. A paperclip icon is the standard indicator for an attachment.
i. An e-mail attachment is a digital document (in conformance with service writing

principles) sent along with an e-mail message. One or more documents may be
attached to any e-mail message and sent along with it to the recipients, eg
agendas, minutes, staff papers.
ii. The document can either be scanned as a PDF file to retain the signature or, in
the absence of access to a scanner, the signature may be replaced by the word
‘Signed’ or ‘Original copy on file’. The original signed document must then be
filed in the relevant file.
iii. If the attached file is too large, it must be condensed (.zip file format).
iv. The sender must ensure that the attachments are actually included before
sending the e-mail.
PROTOCOL IN CORRESPONDENCE
GENERAL
24. Protocol in the DOD. All instructions for protocol and precedence in general and in the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF) in particular, are contained in the SANDF Personnel
Code SANDFPC/D/VIII/I.
25. Formal Forms of Address. A table of formal forms of address is provided in Appendix A.
FORMAL INVITATIONS AND REPLIES
26. Use of the Third Person. Formal invitations and replies are written in the third person and
may be printed or handwritten. Examples of the most general forms of layout and phrasing are
provided in Appendices I and J.
27. Invitations
a. Invitation Cards. Official invitation cards should be printed on good quality paper and
their appearance should match the dignity of the occasion. This applies particularly
when the President, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans (MOD&MV), Secretary
for Defence (Sec Def) or Chief of the SANDF (C SANDF) has ordered, eg a parade
and/or will be hosting the event/occasion, and the guests that are listed in Appendix A
are invited.
b. Invitation Cards for Military Parades. Special invitation cards are usually printed for the
following parades:
i. Parades in which the President, MOD&MV, Sec Def and C SANDF participate.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3-7
ii. Parades for the presentation of Colours.
iii. Review parades.
iv. Change of command parades.
v. Parades for presenting the Sword of Peace.
vi. Parades for presenting orders, decorations and medals.
vii. Commissioning of ships of the SA Navy.
viii. Trooping the Colour.
ix. Memorial services.
x. Retreat ceremonies.
xi. Farewell parades for retiring general and flag officers.
xii. SANDF Day parade.
NOTE: The above may be used as guidelines when arranging parades etc.
c. Names of Invited Persons. Great care must be taken to ensure that the names of
persons are correctly spelt on invitation cards and that the correct titles, initials, post-
nominal letters and decorations are included.
i. Protocol. According to protocol, the name of the person to whom the invitation is
being extended is entered by hand in ink on the card itself. However, when the
guest list is long, eg in the case of large military parades, the names may be
typed in. Officers and other persons often have long titles, ranks or several
decorations. Although it is permissible, if so desired, to mention the full titles and
all the decorations, it is preferable, for the sake of neatness, to enter the name
on the card as follows: Lt Gen and Mrs H.T. Gumede.
ii. Envelope. The full rank/title and decorations must appear on the envelope, eg Lt
Gen H.T. Molefe, MMM.
iii. Persons Invited in an Official Capacity. The following examples indicate the
appropriate forms of address when persons are invited in an official capacity:
(1) The Officer Commanding SAS SALDANHA and Mrs Smith.
(2) The Officer Commanding Central Flying School Langebaanweg and Mrs
Gray.
(3) The Mayor and Mayoress of Tshwane.
(4) Mr J.P. Masenya, MP, and Mrs Masenya.
iv. Persons Invited in a Personal Capacity. The following examples are forms of
address appropriate when persons are invited in a personal capacity:
(1) Major General A. Mahlangu, SSA, SD, SM, and Mrs Mahlangu.

Year: 2021
3-8 RESTRICTED
(2) Major and Mrs J.J. Roux. (When the officer concerned has no decorations.)
(3) The Honourable Mr Justice J.P. Brown and Mrs Brown.
(4) Mr E.C. Molefe, MP, and Mrs Molefe.
(5) The Reverend H.O. Lee and Mrs Lee.
NOTE: Officers and warrant officers are entitled to keep their military ranks after retirement and
may use (Ret) behind their surname, eg: V Adm I. Malebane (Ret), SA Navy.
v. Abbreviated Forms of Official Titles. When the space available on an invitation

card does not permit the inclusion of a lengthy official title or list of orders and
decorations, the title may be abbreviated and the post-nominal letters may be
omitted, eg:
(1) Minister E.K. du Toit and Mrs du Toit (instead of ‘The Minister of National
Education and Sport and Mrs du Toit’).
(2) Lt Gen and Mrs D. Dlamini (instead of ‘Lieutenant General D. Dlamini, SSA,
SM, SD, DFC, and Mrs Dlamini’).
vi. The full title and post-nominal letters must appear on the envelope.
vii. Partners. Invitations should preferably not contain the phrase ‘... and Partner’.
Such a phrase creates the impression that the person invited is regarded as
unimportant and that no effort was made to establish his or her marital status.
When an unmarried man/woman and his or her partner are invited, it is best to
ascertain by telephone, letter or e-mail the name of the person who will be
accompanying him or her. However, there is no objection to invitations which
take the following form:
(1) The Mayor and Mayoress of Tshwane and Party.
(2) The Officer Commanding 1 Air Depot and Four Officers.
(3) The Councillors of Graspan and Their Partners.
d. Purpose of Functions. The specific purpose for which functions are being held should
be indicated in invitations.
e. Dress. When the appropriate dress to be worn to a function is not evident from the
nature of the invitation, this should be specified in the bottom right-hand corner of the
invitation card.
f. Special Dietary Needs. An invitation including a meal and/or refreshments may make
provision for special dietary requirements. The reply to the invitation must
indicate whether there are any special dietary requirements.
28. Replies. See Appendix I for examples of formal replies. The following is applicable:
a. Form. When a written invitation is received, it should be replied to in writing, unless a

telephone number has been provided for replies. A reply to an invitation should be
handwritten or filled in by hand on the reply card that accompanies an invitation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3-9
b. Etiquette. Formal invitations must be acknowledged at once to enable the organiser or

host to make arrangements. Once accepted, an invitation may not subsequently be
declined, except for reasons beyond one's control, such as illness or absence on duty.
29. Orders and Decorations
a. Orders and decorations are included when invitations are issued or replied to in an
official capacity, except as permitted in paragraph 27.c.v above.
b. When issuing an invitation in a private capacity, an officer should include the orders
and decorations of guests, but not his or her own, on the invitation card. In replies, the
decorations of the host are inserted, but those of the guests are omitted.
30. Invitations and Replies to the President
a. Invitations. The President is never invited by card. For military purposes, a letter of
invitation is addressed to the Secretary of the President and submitted to C SANDF for
forwarding. For examples, see Appendix I.
b. Replies to Invitations from the President. Invitations from the President and/or his or
her spouse must be replied to in writing within twenty-four hours of receipt. The
following principles apply:
i. The acceptance must be handwritten on the front page of plain folded sheet
paper (white, ivory or light blue).
ii. The acceptance must not be dated.
iii. The envelope must be addressed to:
The Private Secretary

Office of the Presidency
Pretoria
0002
iv. Invitations from the President and/or his or her spouse should always be
accepted, unless the person invited has a valid reason for being unable to
accept, eg illness, a posting or military duty. In such cases, he or she must
address a letter to the Private Secretary explaining the circumstances and
requesting that the President and/or his or her spouse withdraw the invitation.
31. Other Dignitaries. Invitations to Cabinet Ministers, Ministers’ Councils, the Speaker, the
Chairperson of the President’s Council and Members of Parliament are extended by letter. These
invitations are submitted to the Office of C SANDF. From there the invitation is forwarded to
MOD&MV who signs the invitations and despatches them to the invited guests. For examples of
invitation cards, see Appendix I. It is customary for C SANDF and Sec Def to be invited by letter
and never by card.
32. Other Conventions
a. Expressions of Thanks. After a member of the DOD has attended an occasion/function

(reception, party, etc) as an invited guest of the MOD&MV and/or outside organisations
or persons, an appropriate letter of thanks should be addressed to the host/hostess,
preferably in that person's home language.

Year: 2021
3-10 RESTRICTED
b. Place Cards. On the one hand, place cards serve to indicate the seating of guests at a
formal function and, on the other hand, to enable guests to identify one another.
i. The name of each guest must appear on the front and the back of his or her
place card. The names are written by hand or are typed in upper case (capital)
letters.
ii. Official pre-nominal titles are affixed as follows: ‘THE PRESIDENT, MR B.

MOGALE’ or ‘LT GEN B. JONES’. In cases where non-military members may be
present, the rank/title of the person may be written out in full.
iii. Spouses. The initials of the spouse of a guest are also stated on the place card,
eg ‘MRS H. SMIT’. If the guest is a woman, her initials and those of her husband
are stated on the card

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 3
OFFICIAL TABLE OF PRECEDENCE
Reference A: Presidential Rubric List
1. The President of the Republic of South Africa or the Acting President.
2. Executive Deputy Presidents, in order of seniority, and the President-elect (for the period
between his or her election and assumption of office).
3. The Chief Justice or the Acting Chief Justice.
4. The President of the Constitutional Court or the Acting President of the Constitutional Court.
5. Former Executive Deputy Presidents in order of seniority.
6. Cabinet Ministers, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the National
Council of Provinces (NCOP), the Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly and Premiers of the
respective provinces in order of seniority.
7. Ambassadors and High Commissioners in order of seniority.
8. Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary in order of seniority.
9. Deputy Ministers, Members of the Executive Councils and Speakers of Provincial

Legislatures in order of seniority.
10. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP and the Deputy
Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly in order of seniority.
11. The Chief Whip of the Majority Party in the National Assembly and Chairperson of the NCOP
and Deputy Speakers of Provincial Legislatures, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on
Public Accounts in the National Assembly and the Parliamentary Councillor to the President in
order of seniority.
12. The Secretary of Cabinet and the C SANDF.
13. Rules
a. When an envelope is addressed to a person in office, the spouse is not included on the
envelope, even if the letter or card includes the spouse.
b. Since 1 June 1985, no person in office bears the title ‘Honourable’, with the exception
of judges. Persons who relinquished their posts bearing the title ‘Honourable’ before
1985, may retain the use of the title with the permission of the President. The retraction
of the title ‘Honourable’ does not affect the international use of ‘Your Excellency’ for a
foreign ambassador/high commissioner.
c. Letters denoting abbreviations of orders, decorations, professions, degrees, etc follow

the name of the bearer on the envelope. Decorations of honour precede MP.

Year: 2021
3A-2 RESTRICTED
d. The correct form of address is Mr Minister or Mr A.B. Mogale, Minister of ... (Minister
Mogale is only used when referring to the Minister in the third person). Do not address
him as Minister A.B. Mogale. All of the above apply to deputy ministers.
NOTE: Where the spouse is not specifically referred to in the table below, the detail shown in Ser
No 5 of the table regarding the spouse of a former President is applicable.

Year: 2021
GUIDE TO FORMAL FORMS OF ADDRESS
CSW
Ser Office On Envelope In Written Salutation Valediction In Speaking On Invitation
No
a b c d e f
1 President The President (Dear) Mr/Madam I have the honour Mr/Madam President Invitations by letter to the
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms President to be, or Yours faithfully or Mr President Private Secretary of the
Mogale Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms President, never by card.
Mogale
Spouse Mr/Mrs A.B. Dear Mr/Mrs Mogale Dear Mr/Mrs Mogale Mr/Mrs Mogale Invitations by letter to the
Mogale Sir/Madam Sir/Madam Private Secretary of the
President, never by card.
2 Executive Deputy The Executive (Dear) Mr/Madam Yours faithfully Mr/Madam Deputy Invitations extended by
Presidents Deputy Deputy President letter to the Private Secretary
President President Dear Mr/Mrs of the Executive Deputy
Mogale President, never by card.
Spouse See Rule 1 …..and Mr/Mrs Mogale Yours faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or Invitations extended by
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
Sir/Madam letter to the Private Secretary
of the Executive Deputy
President, never by card.
3 Chief Justice/ The Honourable (Dear) Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Yours faithfully Outside Court: Dear The Honourable
Acting Chief Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Chief Justice or Judge/Sir/Madam Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms
Justice Justice Mogale Dear Mr/Mrs Mogale In Court: My Lord/My Chief Justice
NOTE: No Initials Lady or His (and Mrs/Mr A.B. Mogale)
Lordship/Her
Ladyship
Spouse See Rule 1 …. and Mrs/Mr Mogale Yours faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or …. and Mr/Mrs Mogale
Madam/Sir
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
3A-3
No
CSW
3A-4
a b c d e f
4 Chief Justice/ The Honourable (Dear) Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Yours faithfully Outside Court: Dear The Honourable
Acting Chief Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Chief Justice or Judge/Sir/Madam Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms
Justice Justice Mogale Dear Mr/Mrs Mogale In Court: My Lord/My Lady or Chief Justice (and
NOTE: No Initials His Lordship/Her Ladyship Mrs/Mr A.B. Mogale)
Spouse See Rule 1 …. and Mrs/Mr Mogale Yours faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or …. and Mr/Mrs Mogale
Madam/Sir
5 Former Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Yours Faithfully Sir/Madam or Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.

Presidents A.B. Mogale Mogale Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mogale A.B. Mogale
Mogale
Spouses See Rule 1 Dear Mr and Mrs Yours Faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or and Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Mogale Sir/Madam
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
6 Cabinet Ministers Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (Dear) Minister, Yours faithfully Mr/MadamMinister, Mr/Mrs/Miss/ms A.B.
A.B. Mogale, MP, (Dear) Sir/Madam then: Sir/Madam Mogale, MP (and Mr/Mrs
Minister of Mogale)
…………...
*NOTE: The above is applicable to Deputy Ministers and Members of Parliament (National Assembly and NCOP). Just use the applicable official title.
7 Speaker of Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (Dear) Mr/Madam Yours Faithfully Mr/Madam Speaker Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.
Parliament Mogale, MP, Speaker or (Dear) (when meeting) then: Mogale,MP (and Mrs/Mr
Speaker Sir/Madam Sir/Madam Mogale)
of Parliament
Spouse See Rule 1 Dear Mrs/Mr Mogale Yours Faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Sir/Madam
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
No
CSW
a b c d e f
8 Premiers The Premier of (Dear) Mr/Madam Yours Faithfully Mr/Madam Premier Invitations extended by letter
……………. Premier (Dear) or Premier or to the Private Secretary,
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms never by
Mogale Mogale Mogale card.
Spouse (Dear) Mr/Madam (Dear) Mr/Madam Yours Faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or and Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Premier and Premier and Madam/Sir
Mr/Mrs Mogale Mr/Mrs Mogale
9 Foreign Heads of His/Her Excellency Your Excellency or Official: Please accept, Your Excellency or His/Her Excellency
Missions Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mr/Madam Your Excellency or Mr/Madam Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mogale,
A.B. Mogale Ambasssdor/High Mr/Madam Ambasssdor/High Ambassador/High
Ambassador Commissioner Spouse: Ambassador/High Commissioner or Commissioner of …………
Extraordinary and Dear Commissioner, the Sir/Madam (and Mrs A.B. Mogale)
Plenipotentiary of Mrs/Mr Mogale or (renewed) assurance of
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
….. Sir/Madam my highest
consideration
or I avail myself of this
opportunity to renew,
Your Excellency/Mr
Ambassador/Mr High
Commissioner, the
assurance of my
highest consideration.
For the Public:

I have the honour
to be, Yours faithfully
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
3A-5
No
CSW
3A-6
a b c d e f
10 Diplomatic rank of His/Her Excellency Your Excellency or Officially and for the Public: Your Excellency or His/Her Excellency Mr/
Envoy/Minister Mr/ Mr/Madam The same as for an Mr/Madam Mrs/Miss/Ms Mogale,
Mrs/Miss/Ms Minister Ambassador/ Minister or Ambassador/high
Mogale, Envoy High Commissioner Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Commissioner of … (and Mrs
Extraordinary substituting Mr/Madam Mogale A.B. Mogale
Minister Minister for Mr/Madam
Plenipotentiary Ambassador Mr High
of Commissioner
……………………
………….
Spouse See Rule 1 Dear Mrs/Mr Mogale Your faithfully Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Mrs/Mr Mogale or
Sir Madam
11 Chargé ď affaires The Chargé ď (Dear) Mr/Madam Official: I avail myself of this Mr/Madam Chargé ď Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
RESTRICTED
(as Head of affaires e.t/a.i Chargé ď affaires opportunity, affaires and then:
Mission) or/and Embassy of (Dear) Sir/Madam or Mr/Madam Chargé ď Sir/Madam
RESTRICTED
interim (a.i) …………. Dear Mr/Mrs (and affaires, to renew the
Mrs/Mr) Mogale assurance of my highest
………………………..
Spouse See Rule 1 Dear Mrs/Mr Mogale Yours faithfully Mrs/Mr Mogale or Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Sir/Madam Madam/Sir
12 Heads of other Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Please accept Mr Sir/Madam Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Permanent A.B. Mogale, Mogale Representative/Sir
Diplomatic (Madam), the assurance of
Missions i. Representative my highest consideration.
of … For the Public: Yours
faithfully
ii. Headof Office
of Interests of …
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
No
CSW
a b c d e f
13 Chief Whip Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (Dear) Mr/Madam Chief Yours faithfully Mr/Madam Chief Whip/ Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
A.B.Mogale, MP, Whip/ then, Sir/Madam
Chief Whip: (Dear) Mr/Mrs Mogale
National Assembly (Dear)
Madam/Sir
Senator Mogale, Chief Senator Mogale or Yours faithfully Senator or Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Whip, Senate Madam/Sir Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms
Mogale or Madam/Sir
Spouse See Rule 1 Dear Mrs/Mr Mogale or Yours faithfully Mrs/Mr Mogale or Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Madam/Sir Madam/Sir
14 Chief of the General/Admiral A.B. (Dear) General/Admiral Yours faithfully General/Admiral General/Admiral A.B.
South African Mogale, (Decorations) (Mogale) Mogale (Decorations) and
National Defence Chief of the South Mrs Mogale
Force African National
Defence Force
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
Spouse See Rule 1 (Dear) General and Yours faithfully General and Mrs/Mr General and Mrs/Mr A.B.
Mrs/Mr A.B. Mogale Mogale/General/ Mogale/General/
Admiral Mogale Admiral Mogale
(Decorations)
15 Judge of Appeal The Honourable (Dear) Sir/Madam or Yours faithfully Judge/Sir/Madam The Honourable
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (Dear) Judge In Court: My Lord/My Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Justice
Justice Mogale Lady or His Mogale
NOTE: No Initials Lordship/Her Ladyship
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
3A-7
No
CSW
3A-8
a b c d e f
16 Judge President The Honourable (Dear) Sir/Madam/ Judge Yours faithfully Judge/Sir/Madam The Honourable
DeputyJudge Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms In Court: My Lord/My Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Justice
President Justice Mogale Judge Lady or His Mogale
President/ Lordship/Her
Deputy Judge Ladyship
President of the …
Division
NOTE: No Initials
17 Judge The Nonourable (Dear) Sir/Madam or Yours faithfully Judge/Sir/Madam The Honourable Justice
Mr/Mrs Judge Mogale (Dear) Judge In Court: My Lord/My
NOTE: No Initials Lady or His
Lordship/Her
Ladyship
*NOTE: Initials are not used. For correct identification of Judges with the same surnames, the initials of the junior judge is used and he/she is addressed as
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Justice A.B. Mogale
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
Spouse See Rule 1 Dear Mr/Mrs Mogale Yours faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale or …. and Mr/Mrs A.B.
Sir/Madam Mogale
18 Member of the Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B. (Dear) Sir/Madam or Dear Yours faithfully Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.
Executive Mogale, MEC Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (and Mrs Mogale Mogale
Committee Mogale)
19 Members of Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B. Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B. Yours faithfully Sir/Madam/Senator or Senator/Mr/Mrs/Miss/

Parliament Mogale, MP, or Mogale, MP, or Senator Dear Senator Ms Mogale
(National Senator Mogale Mogale Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.
Assembly and Mogale Mogale, MP
NCOP)
Spouse See Rule 1 Dear Sir/Madam or Dear Yours faithfully (Dear) Sir/Madam/ Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
Mr/Mrs Senator or Dear
Mogale Mr/Mrs Mogale
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
No
CSW
a b c d e f
20 Heads of Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B. (Dear) Sir/Madam or Yours faithfully Sir/Madam or Mr/ Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.
Government Mogale (Official (Dear) Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Mrs/Miss/Ms Mogale Mogale
Departments and Designation i.e.)
Institutions Director-General:
Foreign Affairs
Spouses See Rule 1 (Dear) Sir/Madam or Yours faithfully Mr/Mrs Mogale Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.
(Dear) Mr/Mrs Mogale Mogale
21 Mayor His/Her Worship the Dear Mr/Madam Myor(- Yours faithfully Mr/Madam and then: Councillor/Mayor/
Mayor of … or ess) or Dear Sir/Madam or Alderman Mogale (and
Alderman/Councillor Councillar/Alderman Councillor/Mayor/ Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale)
A.B. Mogale or Mogale Alderman Mogale
Alderman/Councillor
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms A.B.
Mogale
Spouse See Rule 1 (Dear) Sir/Madam or Yours faithfully Sir/Madam Mr/Mrs Mr/Mrs A.B. Mogale
(Dear) Mr/Mrs Mogale Mogale
Year: 2021
Edition No: 2
3A-9
3A-10 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A COMMENTS BLOCK
1. The layout of a comments block is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3B-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. The subject heading or title is repeated on every page.
2. Remarks or comments by immediate superior.
3. Immediate superior’s signature block.
4. The signatory is to enter the date when he or she signs.
5. Remarks or comments and final approval by the next higher authority.
6. Signature block of the next higher authority.
NOTE: The comments block can be used in a memorandum, routine letter, formal letter and
minutes.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3B-3
(2 lines open)
APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL LEAVE (1)
(1 line open)
REMARKS BY A/GOC MH TRG FMN (2)
(1 line open)
Recommended/Not recommended
(1 line open)
Recommended for approval by higher authority.
(4 to 6 lines open)
SP Dlamini
(S.P. DLAMINI) (3)
ACTING GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING MILITARY HEALTH TRAINING
FORMATION: COL
(1 line open)
Date: 11 Oct 19 (4)
(1 line open)
REMARKS BY OC SAMHS HQ UNIT (5)
(1 line open)
Approved/Not approved
(1 line open)
Special leave cannot be granted. However, vacation leave may be used.
(4 to 6 lines open)
Pc Window
(P.C. WINDOW) (6)
OFFICER COMMANDING SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY HEALTH SERVICE
HEADQUARTERS UNIT: COL
(1 line open)
Date: 14 Oct 19 (7)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
3B-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A MEMORANDUM
1. The layout of a memorandum is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3C-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
3. The heading ‘MEMORANDUM’ is typed in the top left-hand corner (below the branding) of a
typed memorandum.
4. A file reference is always required.
5. The telephone number and the date are typed in the same line. One tab space must be left
open in the date line in front of the month so that the date can be written in by hand. The elements
of the address block (left-hand side) are discussed in Chapter 2, paragraph 53.
directed.
7. Refer to paragraph 13 on page 3-2 for an explanation of the use of ‘From’ and ‘To’.
addressed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 56.)
9. The indentation of paragraphs and further subdivisions are discussed in Chapter 2,

paragraphs 60.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3C-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
MEMORANDUM (3)
(1 line open)
AFBC/R/5849/2/1 (4)
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 664 9123 September 2019 (5)
Extension: 9123
Facsimile: 012 664 9222
Enquiries: Sgt A. Learner (6)
(2 lines open)
From: Lt Col B. Moodley (7)
(Trg Off)
(1 line open)
To: See Distr (7)
(2 lines open)
DECOR REQUIREMENT FOR FORMAL GUEST EVENING: 20 OCTOBER 2019 (8)
(1 line open)
1. Planned celebration of 25 years of existence over period 21 to 23 October
2019 has reference.
(1 line open)
2. The decor planned for the formal guest evening includes national and Air
Force flags, together with memorabilia from both the Command and Control and
Intelligence Training Wings.
(1 line open)
3. With the above-mentioned planning in mind, it is requested that the following
members make the identified items for decor available for the formal guest evening:
(1 line open)
a. National and Air Force Flags. SWO P. Mathibela (RSM). (9)
(1 line open)
b. Memorabilia from Command and Control Training Wing. Maj C.
Milner (Wing Commander).
(1 line open)
c. Memorabilia from Intelligence Training Wing. Maj A. Prins.
(1 line open)
4. The identified members are to ensure that the decor is delivered to the
recreation centre at 12:00 on 18 October 2019 and collected again before 12:00 on
21 October 2019.
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
3C-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
13. Distribution. Because a memorandum often has to be distributed more widely than only to
the main addressee, more addressees may be listed in the distribution list.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3C-5
(2 lines open)
DECOR REQUIREMENT FOR FORMAL GUEST EVENING: 20 OCTOBER 2019 (10)
(1 line open)
5. Your cooperation in this regard is highly appreciated.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(B. MOODLEY) (11)

TRAINING OFFICER AIR FORCE BASE CONCORDE: LT COL
(1 line open)
AL/AL (E:\CSW CHAPTERS\004 CHAPTER 3.DOCX) (12)
(1 line open)
DISTR (13)
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
Wing Cdr:
2
C Trg Wing (Attn: Maj C. Milner)
Int Trg Wing (Attn: Maj A. Prins)
RSM (Attn: SWO P. Mathibela)
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
Log Off (Attn: Maj G. Matisse)
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
File: AFBC/R/5849/2/1
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
3C-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A ROUTINE LETTER
Annexure 1: Routine Letter Addressed to a Single Recipient

2: Routine Letter Addressed to Single or Multiple Recipients
1. The layout of a routine letter addressed to single and multiple recipients is provided in the
following pages.

Year: 2021
3D-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3D1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 3
ROUTINE LETTER ADDRESSED TO A SINGLE RECIPIENT
1. The layout of a routine letter addressed to a single recipient is provided in the following
pages.

Year: 2021
3D1-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
4. The elements of the address block are discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs 50 to 53.
directed.
7. One tab space must be left open in the date line in front of the month, so that the date can be
written in by hand.
8. An addressee’s address block is utilised when the routine letter is sent to only one recipient
and there is no need for a distribution block. The appointment of the addressee and his or her
section is put below the address block of the originator and blocked against the left-hand margin
(this is not followed by the postal address).
10 The exact appearance of the signature block varies. (See Chapter 2, paragraphs 64 to 66.)
NOTE: Routine letters are usually written in the third person. Words such as ‘this unit’, ‘the division’
and ‘it is requested’ are commonly used. Words such as ‘I, we, our, you, please’ and ‘thank you’
should be avoided.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3D1-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
SA ARMY/C DIR ARMY CORP SVC/R/5849/2/1 (3)
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 355 9123 SA Army (4)
SSN: 810 9123 (Chief Directorate Army Corporate (5)
Facsimile: 012 355 9222 Service)
Enquiries: WO1 A. Mahlangu Private Bag X981 (6)
Pretoria
0001
September 2019 (7)
(2 lines open)
C Army F Struc (8)
(D M&RS - Attn: Brig Gen S.A. Molefe)
(1 line open)
PERSONNEL REQUIREMENT FOR SA ARMY SPOUSES’ FORUM GALA (9)
EVENING ON 25 OCTOBER 2019
(1 line open)
1. The planned gala evening on 25 October 2019 refers.
(1 line open)
2. With the above-mentioned gala evening in mind, it is hereby requested that
additional mess personnel be allocated to C Dir Army Corp Svc from 17 to 25
October 2019. They are required to assist during the preparation for the gala
evening and on 25 October 2019 when the gala evening will take place.
(1 line open)
3. A total of 10 personnel members are required, namely 5 chefs and 5 waiters.
(1 line open)
4. Your favourable consideration in this regard would be highly appreciated.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(P.E. MECER) (10)

CHIEF ARMY CORPORATE SERVICE: MAJ GEN
(1 line open)
PEM/AM (E:\CSW CHAPTERS\004 CHAPTER 3.DOCX) (11)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
3D1-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3D2-1
ANNEXURE 2
TO APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 3
ROUTINE LETTER ADDRESSED TO SINGLE OR MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS
1. The layout of a routine letter addressed to single or multiple recipients is provided in the
following pages.

Year: 2021
3D2-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
directed.
written in by hand.
11. Distribution Block. See Chapter 2, paragraphs 78 to 79.
12. For the layout of attention (attn) addressees, see Chapter 2, paragraph 79.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3D2-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
SA ARMY/C DIR ARMY CORP SVC/R/5849/2/1 (3)
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 355 9123 SA Army (4)
SSN: 810 9123 (Chief Directorate Army Corporate (5)
Facsimile: 012 355 9222 Service)
Enquiries: WO1 A. Mahlangu Private Bag X981 (6)
Pretoria
0001
September 2019 (7)
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
1. The planned gala evening on 25 October 2019 refers.
(1 line open)
2. With the above-mentioned gala evening in mind, it is hereby requested that
additional mess personnel be allocated to C Dir Army Corp Svc from 17 to 25
October 2019. They are required to assist during the preparation for the gala
evening and on 25 October 2019 when the gala evening will take place.
(1 line open)
3. A total of 10 personnel members are required, namely 5 chefs and 5 waiters.
(1 line open)
4. Your favourable consideration in this regard would be highly appreciated.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(P.E. MECER) (9)

CHIEF ARMY CORPORATE SERVICE: MAJ GEN
(1 line open)
PEM/AM (E:\CSW CHAPTERS\004 CHAPTER 3.DOCX) (10)
(1 line open)
DISTR (11)
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
C Army F Struc (D M&RS - Attn: Brig Gen S.A. Molefe) (12)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
3D2-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
NOTE: Routine letters are usually written in the third person. Words such as ‘this unit’, ‘the division’
and ‘it is requested’ are commonly used. Words such as ‘I, we, our, you, please’ and ‘thank you’
should be avoided.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3D2-5
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
OC SA Army HQ Unit
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
File: SA ARMY/C DIR ARMY CORP SVC/R/5849/2/1
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
3D2-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF FORMAL LETTERS
Annexure 1: Layout of a Formal Letter (Internal)

2: Layout of a Formal Letter (External)
1. The layout of a formal letter addressed internally and externally is provided in the following
pages.
NOTE: Formal letters may be addressed either to an addressee outside the DOD or internally (eg
a formal letter written by a junior officer to a senior officer). DO letters are based on the same
format as that of formal letters, with the exception that the salutation and valediction are written by
hand when the letter is signed.

Year: 2021
3E-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3E1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A FORMAL LETTER (INTERNAL)
1. The layout of a formal letter addressed internally is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3E1-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
3. A file reference is always required. In this example, two file references are used because a
copy of this letter must be kept on both files.
6. ‘Enquiries’ indicates the rank, initials and surname of the person to whom any queries must
be directed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 53.g.)
written in by hand.
8. Address Block of the Addressee
a. The address of the addressee forms part of the address block of a formal letter.
b. A full address must be used with formal letters. However, where a formal letter is
addressed to a superior in the same unit as the originator, the superior’s full address
need not be repeated.
9. Salutation. Under normal circumstances, the salutations of a formal letter are typed, eg
Brigadier General Nkosi, Lieutenant Colonel Ndlovu, General, Colonel.
11. Enclosures, if any, are listed below the subject heading or title. Enclosures are listed in the
sequence they are referred to for the first time in the text.
12. Valediction. The valediction of a formal letter (internal) is ‘Yours faithfully’ and must be typed.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3E1-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
SAMHSTF/R/104/14 (3)
SAMHSTF/R/96440437PE
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 312 2371 SAMHS Training Formation (4)
Extension: 4517 Private Bag X589
SSN: 810 4517 Thaba Tshwane (5)
Facsimile: 012 312 5647 0143
Enquiries: Capt J. Smith 14 October 2019 (6)(7)
(2 lines open)
The Officer Commanding (8)
SAMHS HQ Unit
Private Bag X102
Centurion
0046
(1 line open)
Colonel (9)
(2 lines open)
APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL LEAVE: 96440437PE CAPT J. SMITH (10)
(1 line open)
Enclosure 1: Leave Application Form (11)
(1 line open)
1. A conference on the strategic role of the Republic of South Africa is to be
held at UNISA, Pretoria from 3 to 7 November 2019. The Surgeon General will be
one of the speakers.
(1 line open)
2. As I am currently engaged in part-time studies for a Bachelor’s degree in
Strategic Studies at UNISA, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to attend this
conference in a private capacity.
(1 line open)
3. I respectfully request that special leave be granted to me over the above-
mentioned period, and enclose the leave application form (Enclosure 1).
(1 line open)
Yours faithfully (12)
(4 to 6 lines open)
J.Smith
(J. SMITH) (13)
STAFF OFFICER GRADE 3 TRAINING: CAPT
(1 line open)
JS/JS (14)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
3E1-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
15. The subject heading or title is repeated on every page.
16. Remarks or comments by immediate superior.
17. Immediate superior’s signature block.
19. Remarks or comments and final approval by the next higher authority.
20. Signature block of the next higher authority.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3E1-5
(2 lines open)
APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL LEAVE: 96440437PE CAPT J. SMITH (15)
(1 line open)
REMARKS BY A/GOC MH TRG FMN (16)
(1 line open)
Recommended/Not recommended
(1 line open)
Recommended for approval by higher authority.
(4 to 6 lines open)
SP Dlamini
(S.P. DLAMINI) (17)
ACTING GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING MILITARY HEALTH TRAINING
FORMATION: COL
(1 line open)
Date: 11 Oct 19 (18)
(1 line open)
REMARKS BY OC SAMHS HQ UNIT (19)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
Special leave cannot be granted. However, vacation leave may be used .
(4 to 6 lines open)
Pc Window
(P.C. WINDOW) (20)
OFFICER COMMANDING SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY HEALTH SERVICE
HEADQUARTERS UNIT: COL
(1 line open) (21)
Date: 14 Oct 19
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
3E1-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3E2-1
ANNEXURE 2
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A FORMAL LETTER (EXTERNAL)
1. The layout of a formal letter addressed externally is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3E2-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. A security classification is not included in the header or footer of formal letters intended for
addressees outside the DOD.
5. The elements of the originator’s address block (left-hand and right-hand sides) are discussed
in Chapter 2, paragraphs 50 to 53.
directed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 53.g.)
written in by hand.
a. The address of the addressee forms part of the address block of a formal letter.
b. A full address must be used with formal letters.
9. Salutation. Under normal circumstances, the salutations of a formal letter are typed, eg to
addressees outside the DOD: ‘Dear Sir or Madam’.
11. Valediction. Under normal circumstances, the valedictions of a formal letter are typed, eg to
addressees outside the DOD: ‘Yours faithfully’.
14. Carbon Copy (cc). The abbreviation ‘cc’ may be used when an originator wishes to bring the
content of a letter to an outside organisation to the attention of an internal addressee. See also
Chapter 2, paragraph 81.
NOTE 1: Military abbreviations are NOT used in letters to organisations outside the DOD.
NOTE 2: For the sake of good taste, paragraph numbering may be dispensed with in
correspondence with outside organisations. In such cases, paragraphs begin against the left-hand
margin.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3E2-3
(2 lines open) 1 (1)(2)
(1 line open) (3)

SAN/R/5849/2/1 (4)
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 339 9123 South African Navy (5)
Facsimile: 012 339 9222 Pretoria
Enquiries: Rear Admiral B. Small 0001 (6)
27 August 2019 (7)
(2 lines open)
Mr L. Roots (8)
The Manager
Makro Centurion
PO Box 7496
Centurion
0045
(1 line open)
Dear Sir (9)
(2 lines open)
REQUEST FOR DONATIONS FOR THE CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN (10)
NAVY’S GOLF DAY ON 20 SEPTEMBER 2019
(1 line open)
1. The planned annual Chief of the South African Navy’s Golf Day on 20
September 2019 has reference.
(1 line open)
2. The Chief of the South African Navy will host a golf day on 20 September
2019, which will be followed by a prize-giving ceremony. The ceremony will include
dinner for the invited guests.
(1 line open)
3. It is hereby requested that a donation be made of different types of wines
and grape juice from Makro Centurion for the dinner. Four-hundred guests have
been invited to this event.
(1 line open)
4. Your kind consideration of our request would be greatly appreciated.
(1 line open)
Yours faithfully (11)
(4 to 6 lines open)
B. Small
(REAR ADMIRAL B. SMALL) (12)
pp CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY: ADMIRAL
As Directed (1 line open)
BS/BS (13)
(1 line open)
cc: Officer Commanding Naval Station Durban (14)
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
3E2-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3F-1
APPENDIX F
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A DEMI-OFFICIAL LETTER
1. The layout of a demi-official (DO) letter is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3F-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
directed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 53g.)
written in by hand.
a. The address of the addressee forms part of the address block of a DO letter.
b. A full address must be used with DO letters.
9. Salutation. The salutation is written in by hand. The choice of salutation will depend on the
ranks of the originator and the recipient and the degree of familiarity between them.
11. Valediction. The valediction is written in by hand. The choice of valediction will depend on the
ranks of the writer and the recipient and the degree of familiarity between them.
12. The signatory may sign his or her first name, depending on the degree of familiarity between
them. In this example, the originator and the recipient are both at the same rank level.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3F-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
SAAFCOL/R/103/13/2 (3)
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 351 1181 SA Air Force College (4)
SSN: 557 1181 Thaba Tshwane (5)
Facsimile: 012 351 5111 0143
Enquiries: Lt Col I.T. Grant 14 October 2019 (6)(7)
(2 lines open)
Lt Col B.G. de Wet (8)
SA Army College
Private Bag X1002
Thaba Tshwane
0143
(1 line open)
Dear Bruce (9)
(2 lines open)
ATHLETICS EQUIPMENT (10)
(1 line open)
1. I apologise for the delay in returning the items of athletics equipment which
you were kind enough to make available to us for use at our athletics competition
last week.
(1 line open)
2. Unfortunately, two of the hurdles were broken during the competition and we
have had to order replacements from the suppliers.
(1 line open)
3. We expect to receive the replacements within the next 10 days, after which
all items borrowed will be returned to you.
(1 line open)
Best wishes (11)
(4 to 6 lines open)
Ignatius
(I.T. GRANT) (12)
SPORT OFFICER: LT COL
(1 line open)
ITG/ITG (13)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
3F-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3G-1
APPENDIX G
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF A FACSIMILE COVER SHEET
1. The layout of a facsimile is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3G-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. A security classification is included in the header and footer of fax cover sheets.
3. The design and brand elements for facsimiles are consistent with those prescribed for
letterheads, but in black and white only (not grey scale).
4. The heading “FAX COVER SHEET” is typed in uppercase bold typeface against the left-
hand margin one line below the government branding.
5. The elements of the address block are discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs 50 to 53. The
date is not included in the address block.
6. The details of the person(s) who must receive the faxed document, namely rank and
surname, name of section, unit, directorate, etc and facsimile number, are included in these blocks.
7. The details of the originator of the document, namely rank and surname and name of
section, unit, directorate, etc, are included in these blocks.
8. The details of the person sending the facsimile, namely rank and surname, telephone and
facsimile numbers, are included in these blocks. The person sending the facsimile may be the
same as the person mentioned in paragraph 6 above.
9. The date on which the facsimile is sent.
10. A short description of the subject of the facsimile is included in this block.
11. A short message may be included in this block, eg ‘For your action’ or ‘Please acknowledge
telephonically’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3G-3
1 (1)
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION (2)
(2 lines open)
(3)
(1 line open)
FAX COVER SHEET (4)
(1 line open)
SA Air Force College (5)
Private Bag X1885
Thaba Tshwane
0143
(2 lines open)
To: (6)
Organisation:
Fax:
(1 line open)
From: (7)
Organisation:
(1 line open)
Sent by: (8)
Tel:
Fax:
(1 line open)
Date: (9)
(1 line open)
No of pages:
(including this page)
(1 line open)
Subject: (10)
(1 line open)
Message: (11)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
3G-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3H-1
APPENDIX H
TO CHAPTER 3
LAYOUT OF LOTUS NOTES AND E-MAIL
1. The layout of lotus notes and an e-mail is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
3H-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Insert the e-mail address(es) of the main addressee(s) that are for action. There could be
more than one.
2. The address(es) included in the cc are the addressee(s) that are for info. There could be
more than one.
3. A blind carbon copy (bcc) allows the originator of a message to conceal the person entered
in the bcc field from the other recipients. This field must be avoided for the purpose of
transparency.
4. A short description of the content of the e-mail is included in this field.
5. The relevant file reference must be included in the e-mail before commencing with the
content. A copy of the e-mail must be placed on this particular file.
6. In all instances, a formal tone should be kept in the message.
7. Convey the message in a clear and concise format, ensuring that the action required is clear.
8. The end of the text body should include the rank, initials, surname and appointment of the
compiler followed by a telephone, facsimile or cellphone number.
9. Attach all relevant documentation in support of the message before sending the e-mail to the
recipients.
NOTE: Refer to paragraph 23 for the full description of each of the components of the e-mail.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3H-3

Year: 2021
3H-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I-1
APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 3
EXAMPLES OF FORMAL INVITATIONS
Annexure 1: Example of a Covering Letter to C SANDF iro Formal Invitations to the President
and Other Dignitaries
2: Example of a Covering Letter from C SANDF to MOD&MV iro Invitations to the
3: Examples of Invitation Letters to the President and Other Dignitaries
4: Invitations Sent by Facsimile/E-mail
5: Examples of Formal Invitations
1. Invitations to the President and Other Dignitaries. Invitations to the President and other
dignitaries are sent, initially, under a covering letter to C SANDF through normal command
channels for approval and further processing. (See Annexure 1 for an example of the layout of this
covering letter.) C SANDF then forwards those invitations requiring the MOD&MV’s signature
under covering letter to the Minister. (See Annexure 2 for an example of this covering letter.)
2. Examples of an Invitation Letter to the President and Other Dignitaries. Annexure 3 gives two
examples of the format of an invitation letter sent to dignitaries.
3. Invitation by Letter. Invitations to higher levels of command/seniority should be extended by

letter and sent via the normal command channel.
4. Invitation by Card. Invitations to members on the same or lower levels of command/seniority

are normally extended by card. Invitations to members of the public are also extended by card.
5. Post-nominal Letters. Should the member have post-nominal letters, it must be added after
the surname (according to seniority of the awards and medals) where the surname is entered for
the first time.
NOTE: The aspects in paragraphs 3 and 4 above apply only to official functions within the DOD.
The use of a letter or card is optional for private/family functions.

Year: 2021
3I-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 3
EXAMPLE OF A COVERING LETTER TO C SANDF IRO FORMAL INVITATIONS TO THE

PRESIDENT AND OTHER DIGNITARIES
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
SG/CORP COMMS/R/511/4
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 671 5329 SA Military Health Service
Facsimile: 012 671 9222 Private Bag X102
Enquiries: Mrs P. Naidoo Centurion
0046
July 2019
(2 lines open)
C SANDF
(Attn: PSO)
(1 line open)
INVITATIONS TO DIGNITARIES TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL CURAMUS HOMAGE
PROGRAMME AND SA MILITARY HEALTH SERVICE THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION
SERVICE: 1 SEPTEMBER 2019
(1 line open)
Appendix A: List of Dignitaries to be Invited on Behalf of the Minister of Defence and
Military Veterans
B: List of Dignitaries to be Invited on Behalf of the Chief of the SA National
Defence Force
(1 line open)
Enclosure 1: Draft Invitation Letters
2: Blue Parking Tickets for Use by Guests
(1 line open)
1. The attached draft invitations (Enclosure 1) to dignitaries to be invited on behalf of the
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans (Appendix A) and on behalf of the Chief of the South
African National Defence Force (Appendix B) to the above service are forwarded for your further
action.
(1 line open)
2. Blue parking tickets (Enclosure 2) for use by the guests on the day of the service are also
forwarded herewith.
(1 line open)
3. It is requested that replies be telephoned to Mrs P. Naidoo, tel 012 671 5329 on or before
23 August 2019.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(COL I. CUTT)
SURGEON GENERAL: LT GEN
(1 line open)
IC/PN
(1 line open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
3I1-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I2-1
ANNEXURE 2
TO APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 3
EXAMPLE OF A COVERING LETTER FROM C SANDF TO MOD&MV IRO INVITATIONS TO

THE PRESIDENT AND OTHER DIGNITARIES
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
C SANDF/R/511/4/191980
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 355 6002 Chief of the SA National Defence Force
Enquiries: Brigadier General M. Sandile Pretoria
0001
July 2019
(2 lines open)
Mr G.P. Tshabalala
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
Private Bag X427
Pretoria
0001
(1 line open)
Dear Minister
(2 lines open)
INVITATIONS TO THE ANNUAL CURAMUS HOMAGE PROGRAMME AND SOUTH
AFRICAN MILITARY HEALTH SERVICE THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION SERVICE:
1 SEPTEMBER 2019
(1 line open)
Enclosure 1: Copy of Invitation to be Sent to Guests as Listed
2: Blue Parking Tickets for Use by Guests
(1 line open)
1. The attached invitations (Enclosure 1) to be sent to the following members are forwarded
for your signature and further action:
(1 line open)
a. Mr C. Simanga
Minister of Safety and Security
Private Bag X463
Pretoria
0001
(1 line open)
b. Dr M. Matzibuku
Minister of Health
Private Bag X399
Pretoria
0001
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
3I2-2 RESTRICTED 3I2-2
RESTRICTED 2
(2 lines open)
1 SEPTEMBER 2019
(1 line open)
c. Mr B.A. Mapheto
Minister of Correctional Services
Private Bag X853
Pretoria
0001
(1 line open)
d. Mr M. Masanga
Premier of Gauteng Province
PO Box 62302
Marshalltown
2107
(1 line open)
e. Ms T. Matolweni
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence
PO Box 15
Cape Town
8000
(1 line open)
f. Mr E. Patel
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development
Private Bag X901
Pretoria
0001
(1 line open)
g. Dr G. Mashoala
MEC for Health
Gauteng Province
PO Box 62302
Marshalltown
2107
(1 line open)
2. Blue parking tickets (Enclosure 2) for use by the guests on the day of the service are also
forwarded herewith.
(1 line open)
3. It would be appreciated if your office could forward the invitations to the above-mentioned
dignitaries.
Kind Regards
(4 to 6 lines open)
SJMokoena
(S.J. MOKOENA)
CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE: GENERAL
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I3-1
ANNEXURE 3
TO APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 3
EXAMPLES OF INVITATION LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT AND OTHER DIGNITARIES
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
CSANDF/R/513/6
Telephone: 012 355 6101 Minister of Defence

E-mail: dod@mil.za Pretoria
Enquiries: Mr G.P. Tshabalala 0001
September 2019
(2 lines open)
Mr M. Masanga
Premier of Gauteng Province
PO Box 62302
Marshalltown
2107
(1 line open)
Dear Premier
(2 lines open)
INVITATION TO THE ANNUAL CURAMUS HOMAGE PROGRAMME AND SOUTH AFRICAN
MILITARY HEALTH SERVICE THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION SERVICE: 1
SEPTEMBER 2019
(1 line open)
Enclosure 1: Blue Parking Ticket
(1 line open)
1. It is my privilege to invite you and your partner as guests to the above service on 1
September 2019 at 09:00 at 1 Military Hospital, Thaba Tshwane. It is requested that you be
seated by 08:40.
(1 line open)
2. The dress for the occasion is lounge suits for men and equivalent dress for ladies.
Refreshments will be served after the proceedings.
(1 line open)
3. Kindly confirm your attendance to Mrs P. Naidoo, telephone 012 671 5329, on or before
23 August 2019. A blue parking ticket (Enclosure 1) is attached should you accept the invitation.
(1 line open)
Kind regards
(4 to 6 lines open)
G.P. Tshabalala
(G.P. TSHABALALA)
MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS
AB/SM
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
3I3-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
C SANDF/R/511/4/191980
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 355 6002 Chief of the SA National Defence Force
Enquiries: Brigadier General M. Sandile Pretoria
0001
July 2019
(2 lines open)
Mr G.P. Tshabalala
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
Private Bag X427
Pretoria
0001
(1 line open)
Dear Minister
(2 lines open)
1 SEPTEMBER 2019
(1 line open)
Enclosure 1: Blue Parking Ticket
(1 line open)
1. It is my privilege to invite you and your partner as guests to the above-mentioned service
at 09:00 on 1 September 2019 at 1 Military Hospital, Thaba Tshwane. It is requested that you be
seated by 08:40.
(1 line open)
2. The dress for the occasion is lounge suits for men and the equivalent for ladies.
Refreshments will be served after the proceedings.
(1 line open)
3. Kindly confirm your attendance with Mrs P. Naidoo, telephone 012 671 5329, on or
before 23 August 2019. A blue parking ticket is attached (Enclosure 1), should you accept the
invitation.
(1 line open)
Kind Regards
(4 to 6 lines open)
SJMokoena
(S.J. MOKOENA)
(1 line open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I4-1
ANNEXURE 4
TO APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 3
INVITATIONS SENT BY FACSIMILE/E-MAIL
1. Invitations may be sent by facsimile/e-mail if time is limited or delays can be expected in mail
deliveries (postal strikes etc). However, this system must not become accepted as the norm.
Functions should be planned well ahead of time and invitations should be sent out in time to reach
the guests at least three weeks before the date of the function.
2. Should it be necessary to send invitations by facsimile/e-mail, the following rules must be

complied with:
a. The format of the invitation will comply with that of the formal invitation letter/card.
b. The invitation will be attached to the normal facsimile covering sheet or e-mail.
c. The invitations sent by facsimile/e-mail must be followed up telephonically.
d. A facsimile/e-mail reply sheet must be attached to the invitation facsimile/e-mail sheet.

(See page 3J-1 for the layout to be used for replying to invitations faxed to guests.)
NOTE 1: Under NO circumstances may facsimile or e-mail invitations be sent to the President,
other dignitaries, C SANDF or Sec Def.
NOTE 2: Invitations to Ministers, C SANDF, Sec Def and the members listed in the Table of
Precedence (see Appendix A) should be delivered by hand.

Year: 2021
3I4-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I5-1
ANNEXURE 5
TO APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 3
EXAMPLES OF FORMAL INVITATIONS
The Chief of the South African National Defence Force,

General A.J. Plaatjies, SSAS, SD, SOC,
has pleasure in requesting the company of
...............................................................................................
at a review parade at Noka
on Wednesday, 15 September 2010 at 14:30
on the occasion of
the inauguration of 1 Thaba Battalion Base
and the handing over thereof
by General Z. Ndebele, SSA, SD, SM,
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans of the Republic of South Africa
to Chief Z.M. Bohlale, Chief Minister of Thaba.
Please reply before 8 September 2010 to:
The Military Adviser Dress:

Thaba Government Military Guests: No 1A
Private Bag X5024 Civilian Guests: Lounge suits
Noka Ladies: Appropriate
8900
1. Guests are requested to be seated by 14:15.

2. Tea will be served in the recreation centre after the parade.
In honour of Mr E.M. Maluti,

President of the Republic of South Africa,
the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
………………………………………………….
at a review parade
at the Thaba Tshwane Sports Stadium
on Wednesday, 20 November 2010 at 10:00,
and thereafter at morning tea at the
South African Army College.
Please reply before 12 November 2010 to:

Chief of Corporate Staff
Defence Headquarters
Private Bag X175
Pretoria
0002

Year: 2021
3I5-2 RESTRICTED
The Officer Commanding Air Force Base Bloemspruit and his (or her) officers have pleasure in
requesting the company of
..................................................................................................................................
at a dance on Friday, 20 December 2010 at 20:00,
at the Air Force Base Bloemspruit Officers' Club.
RSVP:
The President of the Club Committee Dress: Formal
AFB Bloemspruit Officers' Club
Bloemfontein
Captain and Ms P.J. Smith have pleasure in requesting the company of

..................................................................................................................................
at a cocktail party at 18:00 on 29 December 2010
at their home, 5 Neville Road, Thaba Tshwane.

General B.J. Bopape, SSAS, SD, SOC,
………………………………………………….
at the South African National Defence Force Day Parade
on Friday, 1 July 2010 at 11:00
at King's Beach, Port Elizabeth,
on which occasion
Honoris Crux decorations in recognition of bravery
will be presented
to members of the South African National Defence Force.
Ms Z.Z. Vanqa,
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans will present the decorations.
Please reply before 20 June 2010 to:

The General Officer Commanding Dress:
Eastern Province Command Military Guests: No 1B
PO Box 115 Veterans and
Port Elizabeth Civilian Guests: Lounge suit with orders,
6000 decorations and medals
Telephone: 041 512 4185

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3I5-3

General Q. Zunga, SSAS, SD, SOC,
is honoured to invite
………………………………………………….
to a memorial service
on Sunday, 14 August 2010 at 10:00
at Fort Klapperkop
in honour of members of the SANDF
who sacrificed their lives
in service of the Republic of South Africa.
Please reply before 29 July 2010 to:

Chief Human Resources Dress:
Private Bag X159 Military Guests: No 1B
Pretoria Civilian Guests: Lounge suit
0001 Veterans: Lounge suit with orders,
decorations and medals
Telephone: 012 621 4611
Guests are requested to be seated before 09:45. Next of kin are welcome to lay wreaths. Tea will
be served after the service.

Year: 2021
3I5-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 3J-1
APPENDIX J
TO CHAPTER 3
EXAMPLES OF REPLIES TO INVITATIONS
REPLY BY FACSIMILE
FACSIMILE REPLY FORM
To: Section Protocol

Defence Foreign Relations
Fax: 012 326 6735 or 012 312 4894

Cell: 072 252 3857
RSVP DATE: 18 SEPTEMBER 2010
Appointment:
Tel:
From Fax:
Date:
From:
REPLY REGARDING THE DINNER ON 19 SEPTEMBER 2010
1. Please indicate by ticking the applicable block:
Will Attend
Will Not Attend
Will Send a Representative
2. Details of Representative
a. Initials and Surname:
b. Rank:
c. Appointment:
d. Contact Number:

Year: 2021
3J-2 RESTRICTED
EXAMPLES OF FORMAL REPLIES
The Commandant South African Army College and Mrs Styles have pleasure in accepting the
invitation of Captain and Mrs Smith to a cocktail party on 29 December 2010.
118 Mortar Road

Thaba Tshwane
0187
Major and Mrs C.F. Knipe wish to thank the Officer Commanding and Officers, Air Force Base
Bloemspruit, for their kind invitation to a dance on 20 December 2010, but regret that they will be
unable to attend.
55 Griekwa Road
Bloemhof
2660
Brigadier General and Mrs E.G. Harvey have pleasure in accepting the invitation of the Chief of the
South African National Defence Force, General A.J. Lester, SSAS, SD, SDC to a memorial service
on 14 August 2010 at 10:00 at Fort Klapperkop.
36 Buffels Road
Thaba Tshwane
0187
Colonel and Ms M. Hertz would like to thank the Chief of the South African National Defence Force,
General A.J. Lester, SSAS, SD, SDC, for his kind invitation to the SA National Defence Force Day on
1 July 2010 at 11:00 at King’s Beach, Port Elizabeth, but regret that, due to operational
responsibilities, they are unable to accept.
79 Madelaine Crescent
Kempton Park
1620

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4-1
CHAPTER 4: AGENDAS AND MINUTES OF MEETINGS
Appendix A: Example of a Constitution Regulating a Meeting

B: Layout of an Agenda
C: Request to Place Items on an Agenda
D: Layout of Minutes of a Meeting
E: Example of Confirmatory Notes
INTRODUCTION TO MEETINGS
1. Purpose of a Meeting. A meeting is held to achieve a specific aim by sharing information,

developing plans, documenting progress, providing clarity, promoting coordination, improving
communication and making decisions.
2. Constituted and Incidental Meetings. Essential differences exist between constituted and
incidental meetings:
a. Constituted Meetings. Constituted meetings are subject to legal provisions, such as the
limitation on the late entry of items on the agenda, regular compulsory meetings and
specific stipulations regarding the right to vote, as well as the mandate of such
meetings. Constituted meetings are regulated by an association or committee
constitution or terms of reference, eg a regimental fund. Refer to Appendix A for an
example of a constitution regulating a meeting.
b. Incidental Meetings. Incidental meetings are more commonly used in general military
circumstances when a specific situation needs to be resolved, information is to be
shared or status updates are to be made. The chairperson normally has sufficient
authority to make a decision on the purpose of the meeting. Incidental meetings can
take the following forms:
i. Formal Meetings. Formal meetings are convened well in advance and have well-
prepared agendas. They are held on a regular basis, eg order groups and
financial committee meetings. Minutes must be taken for record purposes.
ii. Ad Hoc Meetings. Ad hoc or informal meetings are held at a moment’s notice for
a specific purpose. They are often crisis meetings where an immediate problem
must be solved, information has to be conveyed and urgent projects have to be
discussed or planned. There is seldom time for an agenda to be drafted. Follow-
up meetings are seldom, if ever, necessary. Either confirmatory notes or minutes
must be taken for record purposes.
3. Minutes of a Meeting. The minutes of a meeting are a written record of the main discussions
and decisions taken and, when required, the arguments that led to the decisions and the actions
required. Therefore, minutes serve as legal documents that may be examined when the outcomes
of certain decisions taken are questioned and must be kept meticulously and accurately.
4. Key Meeting Roles. During a meeting, a number of roles can be distinguished of which the
chairperson and secretary are key. The chairperson presides over and guides the meeting and the
secretary is responsible for arranging the meeting and compiling the documents. Although the
chairperson is responsible for facilitating the meeting, the members in attendance are also
responsible for determining the outcomes of the meeting.
5. Responsibilities of Role Players. A meeting cannot take place without the inputs of all role
players. An attitude of cooperation during a group discussion is of great importance. The

Year: 2021
4-2 RESTRICTED
participants should be prepared to listen to what others have to say and to reconsider their own
viewpoint when other members have good arguments. Apart from the correct attitude, participants
also have the following roles and functions:
a. Understand the agenda and purpose of the meeting.
b. Undertake any necessary preparation prior to the meeting.
c. Arrive on time.
d. Contribute to the discussion.
e. Contribute to a positive, safe atmosphere.
f. Keep an open mind.
g. Listen to the opinions of others.
h. Avoid dominating the proceedings.
i. Avoid conflict situations.
j. Avoid side conversations which distract others.
k. Ask questions to clarify understanding.
l. Note down any action agreed upon to carry it out immediately.
m. Brief others as appropriate.
NOTE: All officers, NCOs and PSAP must be able to chair a meeting or act as a secretary (arrange
the meeting, draw up an agenda and take minutes) at a meeting.
ARRANGEMENTS AND AGENDA
6. Arrangements. Before the meeting, the chairperson has a major role to play in discussing the
arrangements of the meeting and the agenda with the secretary. The secretary is responsible for
making the arrangements for the meeting and compiling the agenda. The layout of listed and
tabular agendas is provided in Appendix B.
7. Agenda
a. An agenda is a plan for the meeting and lists all matters to be discussed during the
meeting. An agenda gives structure to the meeting and gives the chairperson control
over the flow of discussions and the issues to be covered. It can also help to keep the
meeting within a predetermined time frame.
b. The secretary normally compiles the agenda and the chairperson decides on the
priority of the items submitted, if any. The agenda should ideally be issued at least
seven days before a meeting to allow those attending sufficient time to prepare for the
meeting.
8. Request for the Placing of Items on an Agenda. Depending on the nature and the frequency
of a meeting, and especially in the case of constituted meetings, it is often a requirement that the

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4-3
secretary of the meeting be requested in writing to place an item on the agenda (see Appendix C).
It is necessary to give an indication of
a. what is envisaged, eg a discussion, a briefing (ie only to be noted by the meeting and
no decisions are required), a submission (ie a decision is required) or a presentation;
b. the subject so that the secretary can include it, as is, on the agenda. (Where project
names are referred to, the type of project must be indicated, eg ‘Project PHUMELELA
– Revision of the CSW’); and
c. the time duration required for the briefing/presentation/discussion. (In cases where
members are involved who are not normally members of the meeting, these members
will be involved only when their specific item is dealt with.)
MEETING PROCEDURE AND MINUTE TAKING
9. Meeting Procedure
a. The chairperson plays the pivotal role during the meeting as he or she is responsible
for the overall control and conduct of the meeting.
b. The secretary should demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and accurately
both in writing and in speech while circulating the attendance register, announcing
apologies, amending the previous minutes where corrections have been made, taking
notes during the meeting and drafting the minutes.
10. Minute Taking. While the chairperson steers the meeting according to the agenda, the
secretary takes notes for drafting the minutes later. The following will be covered by the
chairperson:
a. Introduction
i. Welcome the attendees.
ii. If a chaplain is part of the meeting, allow for scripture reading and prayer.
iii. State the aim of the meeting.
iv. Clarify the meeting procedure (how the meeting will proceed).
v. Confirm attendance and apologies.
b. Listing of Supplementary Items. Open the floor to allow attendees to submit

supplementary items (items additional to those that are already listed on the agenda).
Items submitted here are only listed and not yet discussed.
c. Minutes of Previous Meeting. Confirm that the content of the previous minutes are
correct and request approval by a show of hands. If there are any corrections, the
secretary notes the changes and makes sure that they are reflected in the new minutes
under the heading ‘Minutes of the Previous Meeting’.
d. Matters Arising. Lead the discussion on any matters arising from the previous meeting
that were recorded in the minutes and that need to be discussed further. Any further
discussion, decisions and feedback need to be recorded in the new minutes under the

Year: 2021
4-4 RESTRICTED
heading ‘Matters Arising from the Previous Meeting’. The relevant paragraph number
and heading must be indicated, eg ‘Minutes dd 15 Mar 18, par 25: Maintenance of
Gardens’.
e. Standing Items. Address the standing items (if any) that are recorded on the agenda.
These are items that need to be discussed at every single meeting.
f. New Items. Continue to address the new items that are recorded on the agenda.
g. Discussion of Supplementary Items. Address the supplementary items (if any) that
were recorded at the beginning of the meeting. These items will only be discussed
under the heading “Discussion of Supplementary Items”. If no items were submitted,
then this discussion will be omitted.
h. Summary of Decisions. Once all the items have been discussed, summarise all the
decisions taken during the meeting.
i. Conclusion
i. Adjourn the meeting and indicate the time.
ii. Remind members to submit agenda items for the next meeting timeously.
iii. Confirm the time, date and venue of the next meeting.
NOTE: It is important that the chairperson summarises the discussion and clarifies the action to be
taken or decision to be implemented after each individual item has been addressed. Decisions may
also be repeated under the heading ‘Summary of Decisions’.
DRAFTING OF MINUTES
11. As minutes are a summarised record of the proceedings at a meeting, they also highlight the
decisions and actions to be taken. They are binding on the members and can be used as evidence
in a court of law. A good set of minutes is not a narrative of who said what during the meeting,
unless a speaker specifically indicates that he or she wants his or her opinion to be reflected in the
minutes. (See Appendix D for the layout of minutes.)
12. Drafting Responsibilities. The secretary will draft the minutes from his or her notes while the
information is still fresh in his or her mind. The chairperson must go through the first draft of the
minutes with the secretary. This is important as the chairperson is ultimately accountable for
decisions made during the meeting. Minutes must be produced and distributed as soon as possible
after a meeting (if possible, within 48 hours) or as determined by the constitution of the
specific board/council/committee.
13. Requirements for Proper Minutes. The record should clearly detail what actions need to be
taken in relation to the decisions, by what date, by whom and with what resources. Without such a
record, it is not possible to hold people accountable for the responsibilities delegated to them. The
requirements for proper minutes are as follows:
a. Accuracy. Accuracy is essential because the action to be taken must be based on the
recommendations and/or decisions recorded. Opinions or statements not expressed at
the meeting must not be reflected in the minutes. Decisions must be minuted clearly
and in detail.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4-5
b. Comprehensiveness. Minutes should be self-explanatory and complete, recording all

items on the agenda and in the sequence as discussed.
c. Conciseness. Minutes must include only the essence of the discussion that led to the
recommendation(s) and/or decision(s). Detailed discussion may be reflected as ‘After
considerable discussion, it was agreed that …’.
d. Objectivity. Minutes must not reflect bias, judgement or prejudice.
e. Reported Speech. Minutes are written in reported or indirect speech (past tense).
14. Recording of Discussions and Decisions. Each item must reflect the following:
a. A short description of the item discussed, reflecting the essence of the discussion.
(Minutes are not a word-for-word account of what was said at the meeting.)
b. The recommendation(s) and/or decision(s), tasks given, the person responsible for the
action required, target dates and the person responsible for giving feedback at the next
meeting.
c. To ensure that the appropriate action is taken on all decisions made, it may be
advisable to include a decision register/follow-up log/task list that is attached as an
appendix to the minutes. This will also serve to remind the persons who are required to
finalise matters (staff action) or give the necessary feedback at a future meeting. The
format of the decision register/follow-up log/task list will depend on the chairperson.
15. Signing and Distribution of Minutes
a. After the drafted minutes have been perused by the chairperson, they are signed by
the secretary and chairperson.
b. The minutes of a meeting must contain a clause stating that they become mandatory
with effect from (wef) the date of signature by the chairperson. This is to confirm the
decisions or resolutions.
c. The minutes are only approved at the next meeting when discussed under the heading
‘Minutes of the Previous Meeting’.
d. After the minutes have been signed, they are distributed as soon as possible to the
members who attended the meeting and any other persons who need to receive them.
DRAFTING OF CONFIRMATORY NOTES
16. Occasionally, it may be required to confirm in writing the outcomes of an ad hoc meeting
between two or more persons as opposed to a formal or constituted meeting with a formal agenda
and minutes. The hosting authority is responsible for compiling the confirmatory notes (usually
one of the members attending). A specific chairperson or secretary is not formally appointed as
opposed to meetings where there are agendas and minutes.
17. Confirmatory notes are written as a routine letter (see Appendix E). The subject heading will
commence with the words ‘Confirmatory notes of ...’ instead of ‘Minutes of …’. The first paragraphs
will indicate who were present, the date and place of the meeting, as well as the aim/topic of the
discussion.

Year: 2021
4-6 RESTRICTED
18. The gist of the discussion and any decisions taken will be summarised in the subsequent
paragraphs. The persons who need to take action, if necessary, are indicated in brackets in bold
typeface at the end of the paragraph.
19. The document will be signed by the compiler and the convenor of the meeting and distributed
to all members present at the meeting.
NOTE: All the above also apply to keeping minutes of conferences, work sessions and seminars.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 4
EXAMPLE OF A CONSTITUTION REGULATING A MEETING
1. A constitution regulating a meeting is a set of written rules or an agreement governing the

aim, goals and objectives of an association or committee, how it will be run and how the members
will work together.
2. The constitution includes, but is not restricted to, the following structure:
a. Background.
b. Aim.
c. Abbreviations and Acronyms.
d. Definitions.
e. Name.
f. Aim of the Board/Council/Committee.
g. Jurisdiction.
h. Membership
i. Executive Members.
ii. General
i. Quorum.
j. Mandate and Decision-making
i. Mandate.
ii. Decision-making.
iii. State of decisions.
iv. Accountability.
k. Sub-committees.
l. Functions and Processes
i. Functions.
ii. Processes.
iii. Feedback from External Meetings.

Year: 2021
4A-2 RESTRICTED
iv. Agenda Items.
v. Scheduling.
vi. Documentation.
m. Adoption of the Constitution. The constitution of regulating a meeting must be signed

and approved by the Chairperson, Secretary and the Treasurer (only if the Treasurer is
applicable) for example:
This constitution was adopted by members at an AGM of the __________________ meeting on

________________ 20XX.
Signed Print Name Date
Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 4
LAYOUT OF AN AGENDA
Annexure 1: Layout of an Agenda in Listed Format

2: Layout of an Agenda in Tabular Format
1. The layout of an agenda in listed and tabular format is provided on the following pages.
2. The rule for line spacing is not applied in the examples in order to accommodate them on
one page and save space. However, the number of lines that must be left open is indicated.

Year: 2021
4B-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 4
LAYOUT OF AN AGENDA IN LISTED FORMAT
1. The layout of an agenda in listed format is provided on the following pages.

Year: 2021
4B1-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
53.
a. A file reference is always required.
b. ‘Enquiries’ indicates the rank, initials and surname of the person to whom queries must
be directed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 53.g.)
c. One tab space must be left open in the date line in front of the month, so that the date
can be written in by hand.
4. Subject Heading. The subject heading must contain four elements, namely the type of
meeting, the time and date of the meeting and where it will be held. The subject heading must be
repeated at the top of the second and following pages of the document.
5. Contents. The contents of the agenda are laid out in accordance with the meeting
procedures discussed in paragraphs 9 and 10 of this chapter.
6. List of Items. The items must be listed in a logical order for discussion.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B1-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
AFBC/R/5849/2/1 (3)
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 664 0000 Air Force Base Concorde
Extension: 9222 PO Box 72321
Facsimile: 012 664 9222 Centurion
Enquiries: Sgt A. Learner 0046
[one tab] July 2019
(2 lines open)
AGENDA FOR THE FORMAL GUEST EVENING PLANNING MEETING TO BE (4)
HELD AT 14:00 ON 12 JULY 2019 IN THE AFRICA CONFERENCE ROOM
(1 line open)
1. Introduction. (5)
(1 line open)
2. Listing of Supplementary Items.
(1 line open)
3. Minutes of the Previous Meeting.
(1 line open)
4. Matters Arising from the Previous Meeting.
(1 line open)
5. Standing Items (6)
(1 line open)
a. Item 1: Budget.
(1 line open)
b. Item 2: Impact on Environment.
(1 line open)
6. New Items (6)
(1 line open)
a. Item 3: Background Music.
(1 line open)
b. Item 4: Menu.
(1 line open)
c. Item 5: Decor.
(1 line open)
d. Item 6: Training Wing’s Contribution.
(1 line open)
7. Discussion of Supplementary Items.
(1 line open)
8. Summary of Decisions.
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
4B1-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
8. The conventions concerning the signature block for agendas and minutes differ from those
described in Chapter 2, ie the post designation is replaced by the word ‘CHAIRPERSON’ or
‘SECRETARY’.
10. Distribution. The layout of a distribution block is discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs 78–80.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B1-5
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
9. Conclusion.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(P.E. MECER) (8)

CHAIRPERSON: COL
(1 line open)
PEM/AL (9)
(1 line open)
DISTR (10)
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
Cpln (Attn: Cpln P. Jeffries)
Cat Svcs Man (Attn: Lt Col M. Kweba)
TO (Attn: Lt Col B. Moodley)
Pers Off (Attn: Maj S. Arendse)
Sport Off (Attn: Maj R. Heart)
WCCCT (Attn: Maj C. Milner)
WCIT (Attn: Maj A. Prins)
CI Off (Attn: Capt E. Ion)
FO (Attn: Mrs J. Daniels)
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4B1-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B2-1
ANNEXURE 2
TO APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 4
LAYOUT OF AN AGENDA IN TABULAR FORMAT
1. The layout of an agenda in tabular format is provided on the following pages.

Year: 2021
4B2-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
55.
b. ‘Enquiries’ indicates the rank, initials and surname of the person to whom any queries
must be directed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 53.g.)
5. Contents. The contents of the agenda are presented in tabular format (see Chapter 2,
paragraph 63) and in accordance with the meeting procedures discussed in paragraphs 9 and 10
of this chapter as follows:
a. The ‘Topic’ column describes what must be discussed and in what sequence it will be
discussed.
b. The ‘Action By’ column indicates the person responsible for the listed topic and will
lead the discussion on that particular topic.
c. The ‘Purpose’ column will explain the objective of that particular topic.
d. The ‘Time Allocated’ column is optional. It gives an indication of the allocated time for
the item under discussion.
6. List of Items. The items must be listed in a logical order for discussion.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B2-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
AFBC/R/5849/2/1 (3)
(1 line open)
[one tab] July 2019
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Ser Topic Action By Purpose Allocated (5)
No Time
a b c d
1 Introduction Chairperson Welcoming 5 min
2 Listing of All Members Listing of 5 min
Supplementary Items Items
3 Minutes of the Chairperson Discussion 10 min
Previous Meeting
4 Matters Arising from Chairperson Discussion 10 min
the Previous Meeting
5 Standing Items (6)
i. Item 1: Budget. i. FO. Confirmation 10 min
ii. Item 2: Impact ii. RSM. Discussion 10 min
on
Environment.
6 New Items (6)
i. Item 3: i. Lt Col Kweba. Discussion 15 min
Background ii. Lt Col Kweba.
Music. iii. PR Clk. Discussion 15 min
ii. Item 4: Menu. iv. TO. Discussion 15 min
iii. Item 5: Decor. Discussion 15 min
iv. Item 6: Training
Wing’s
Contribution.
7 Discussion of All Members Discussion 20 min
Supplementary Items
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
4B2-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
8. The column headings and the second row will be repeated at the top of the second and the
follow-up pages if the tabular layout continues onto the second and follow-up pages.
9. The conventions concerning the signature block for agendas and minutes differ from those
described in Chapter 2, ie the post designation is replaced by the word ‘CHAIRPERSON’ or
‘SECRETARY’.
11. Distribution. The layout of a distribution block is discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs 78 to 80.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4B2-5
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Ser Topic Action By Purpose Allocated (8)
No Time
a b c d
8 Summary of Chairperson Summary 10 min
Decisions
9 Conclusion Chairperson Adjournment 5 min
of Meeting
(4 to 6 lines open)
(P.E. MECER) (9)

CHAIRPERSON: COL
(1 line open)
PEM/AL (10)
(1 line open)
DISTR (11)
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4B2-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 4
REQUEST TO PLACE ITEMS ON AN AGENDA
1. The layout to request to place items on an agenda is provided on the following pages.

Year: 2021
4C-2 RESTRICTED
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
AIR COMD/DETD/R/2/2
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 312 2559 SA Air Force
SSN: 811 2559 Private Bag X199
Facsimile: 012 312 2912 Pretoria
Enquiries: Brig Gen K. Moonsamy 0001
[one tab] July 2019
(2 lines open)
AGENDA ITEM FOR THE AIR FORCE STAFF COUNCIL IRO DECISION BRIEF:
PROPOSED FOREIGN LEARNING OPPORTUNITY REINTEGRATION POLICY
(1 line open)
Enclosure 1: Reintegration Plan for SAAF Pilots after Completing Pilot Training
as a Foreign Learning Opportunity
2: Reintegration Plan for SAAF Air Traffic Controllers after Completing
Training as a Foreign Learning Opportunity
(1 line open)
1. It is hereby requested that the following item be placed on the agenda of the
next Air Force Staff Council meeting.
(1 line open)
2. Subject. Proposed SAAF foreign learning opportunity reintegration policy.
(1 line open)
3. Presenter. Brig Gen Moonsamy, tel 012 312 2559.
(1 line open)
4. Duration. 15 minutes (excluding questions).
(1 line open)
5. Submission. Decision brief on the recommendation of the SAAF policy to be
formulated to guide the reintegration of SAAF members trained on foreign learning
opportunities as part of their initial SAAF qualification/mustering.
(1 line open)
6. Sponsor. Chief Air Staff Corporate Services.
(1 line open)
7. For your consideration and further action.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(K. MOONSAMY)
DIRECTOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: BRIG GEN
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4C-3
(2 lines open)
AGENDA ITEM FOR THE AIR FORCE STAFF COUNCIL IRO DECISION BRIEF:
PROPOSED FOREIGN LEARNING OPPORTUNITY REINTEGRATION POLICY
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
Secretary Air Command Council
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
File: AIR COMD/DETD/R/2/2
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4C-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 4
LAYOUT OF MINUTES OF A MEETING
1. The layout of minutes of a meeting is provided on the following pages.

Year: 2021
4D-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
53.
b. ‘Enquiries’ indicates the rank, initials and surname of the person to whom any queries
must be directed. (See Chapter 2, paragraph 53.g.)
5. Attendance. The list of names of those attending the meeting must adhere to the following
conventions:
a. The chairperson is listed first against his or her appointment. The secretary is listed last
against his or her appointment.
NOTE: The terms ‘Chairperson’ and ‘Secretary’ are written with an initial capital letter throughout
the minutes.
b. In certain instances, the chairperson may appoint a facilitator to direct the proceedings
of the meeting. Irrespective of the person’s rank, he or she is listed immediately below
the chairperson with the word ‘Facilitator’ in brackets below his or her name.
c. The other members present are listed by name and appointment, in order of rank.
PSAP are listed according to their rank level (ie chief director [CD], director [D], deputy
director [DD], assistant director [AD], etc).
d. The names of persons of equal rank are listed alphabetically.

e. When delegates from outside the DOD need to be listed, the secretary will still be listed
last.
f. Representing Column. The REPRESENTING column will be included when there are
members attending the meeting from various sections, units, formations, directorates,
headquarters, etc.
g. Apology and Absenteeism List. All apologies are to be reflected under the heading
‘APOLOGIES’. If someone is absent without an apology, his or her name must appear
under the heading ‘ABSENT’. The secretary must follow up the reasons for
absenteeism.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-3

(2 lines open) (2)
(1 line open)
AFBC/R/5849/2/1 (3)
(1 line open)
[one tab] July 2019
(2 lines open)
MINUTES OF THE FORMAL GUEST EVENING PLANNING MEETING HELD AT (4)
14:00 ON 12 JULY 2019 IN THE AFRICA CONFERENCE ROOM
(1 line open)
PRESENT REPRESENTING APPOINTMENT (5)
(1 line open)
Col P.E. Mecer OC AFB Concorde
(Chairperson)
Lt Col M. Kweba Cat Svcs Man
Lt Col B. Moodley TO
Maj R. Heart Sport Off
Maj G. Matisse Log Off
Maj C. Milner WCCCT
Capt P. Goldair DCSS SO3 Protocol
SWO P. Mathibela RSM
Mrs J. Daniels FO
Sgt A. Learner PR Clk
(Secretary)
(1 line open)
APOLOGIES
(1 line open)
Maj S. Arendse Pers Off
Maj A. Prins WCIT
Capt E. Ion CI Off
(1 line open)
ABSENT
(1 line open)
Lt P. Typek PRO
F Sgt C. Legodi Facilities Man
(1 line open)
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
4D-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
7. Recording of Discussions and Meeting Proceedings
a. Use of Headings. For the purposes of clarity, main, group and paragraph headings are
used to divide minutes into sections (see Chapter 2, paragraphs 56 to 59 for the layout
of headings).
b. Recording of the Discussions. The recording of discussions and meeting proceedings

is reflected in a short description capturing what happened and what was said (see
paragraphs 11–15 of this chapter on the drafting of minutes).
c. Sequence of Items. Items must be recorded in the sequence in which they appear on
the agenda and the item numbers must correspond to those on the agenda.
d. Action By Column. The ‘Action By’ column indicates the person responsible for the
listed topic and the person(s) who will be responsible to carry out the decision(s).
Reference in the identified person(s) in ‘Action By’ column must be done by using the
person(s) post designation only.
8. Introduction. The introduction deals with preliminary matters, such as the aim, supplementary
items (if any) and the minutes of the previous meeting (if the meeting is one of a series).
9. Discussion. The discussion includes matters arising, standing items, new items and
supplementary items (if any). Recommendations made and/or decisions taken, tasks given and
persons responsible for action must be reflected, as well as target dates and feedback to be given.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-5
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Action By
INTRODUCTION (7)(8)
(1 line open)
1. Welcoming. The Chairperson welcomed everyone
present and reviewed the current planning for the formal guest
evening.
(1 line open)
2. Aim. The Chairperson explained that it had become
necessary to have a meeting to discuss and plan the formal
guest evening to be held on 20 October 2019.
(1 line open)
LISTING OF SUPPLEMENTARY ITEMS
(1 line open)
3. The following supplementary items were submitted:
(1 line open)
a. Item 7: Transport.
(1 line open)
b. Item 8: Seating Plan.
(1 line open)
c. Item 9: Mobilisation Team.
(1 line open)
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
(1 line open)
4. None, since it was the first meeting.
(1 line open)
DISCUSSION (9)
(1 line open)
MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
(1 line open)
5. None.
(1 line open)
STANDING ITEMS
(1 line open)
6. Item 1: Budget
(1 line open)
a. The budget was presented by the FO and
emphasis was placed on the availability of
funds.
(1 line open)
b. Decision. The Chairperson instructed the FO FO
to request additional funds to support the
project.
(1 line open)
7. Item 2: Impact of Society
(1 line open)
a. The RSM informed the members that a survey
must be conducted to determine the impact of
society.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4D-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-7
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Action By
b. Decision. The Chairperson instructed the RSM to RSM
conduct the relevant surveys and give feedback
at the next meeting.
(1 line open)
NEW ITEMS
(1 line open)
8. Item 3: Background Music
(1 line open)
a. The Chairperson informed the members that it
was necessary to obtain 3 quotes for the
background music as there was a limited budget.
(1 line open)
b. Cat Svcs Man, Lt Col Kweba, enquired whether
his brother could be requested to quote for the
background music.
(1 line open)
c. Decisions
(1 line open)
i. Lt Col Kweba could request his brother to Cat Svcs Man
submit a quote for consideration.
(1 line open)
ii. All quotes had to be submitted by All Members
15 September 2019 in order for the
committee to decide on the most suitable
quote.
(1 line open)
9. Item 4: Menu
(1 line open)
a. The FO informed the committee that a budget of
R30 000.00 was available for the menu for the
evening.
(1 line open)
b. The committee highlighted that the dietary
requirements of the guests had to be taken into
account.
(1 line open)
c. Decisions
(1 line open)
i. The menu had to be presented to the All Members
committee for approval.
(1 line open)
ii. The menu had to include the dietary Cat Svcs Man
requirements of the invited guests.
(1 line open)
iii. The menu had to be presented at the next Cat Svcs Man
planning meeting.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4D-8 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-9
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Action By
10. Item 5: Decor
(1 line open)
a. The majority of the members suggested that the
Shows and Exhibitions Unit of the SANDF be
contacted for the decor of the venue.
(1 line open)
b. Decision. The Chairperson instructed the PR Clk PR Clk
to contact the Shows and Exhibitions Unit for
advice and assistance regarding the decor of the
venue.
(1 line open)
11. Item 6: Training Wing’s Contribution
(1 line open)
a. The learners of both courses needed to carry out
street lining on the evening of the function.
(1 line open)
b. The RSM requested that the learners be made
available from 16:00 on the day of the function in
order to be briefed.
(1 line open)
c. Decision. The Chairperson instructed that the WCCCT
learners be made available for the practice at WCIT
16:00 and report for the street lining from 18:00– RSM
19:30.
(1 line open)
DISCUSSION OF SUPPLEMENTARY ITEMS
(1 line open)
12. Item 7: Transport. The Log Off requested that all All Members
transport requests be forwarded to him for proper coordination
of transport. The Chairperson supported him in his request
and reiterated its importance.
(1 line open)
13. Item 8: Seating Plan
(1 line open)
a. It was noted that the seating plan could only be
drawn up once the RSVPs were counted.
(1 line open)
b. The closing date for RSVPs was 10 October
2019.
(1 line open)
c. Decisions
(1 line open)
i. The PR Clk would be responsible for PR Clk
drawing up a draft seating plan for
approval.
(1 line open)
ii. Final approval for the seating plan would OC
be given 2 days before the function. PR Clk
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4D-10 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
13. Summary of Decisions. To ensure that all are clear on action to be taken after the meeting, a
summary of decisions serves to remind all role-players of their tasks and responsibilities.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-11
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Action By
14. Item 9: Mobilisation Team
(1 line open)
a. The TO indicated that the learners on both
courses would be made available to help set up
the venue and clean up after the function.
(1 line open)
b. The Chairperson thanked the TO and the wing
cdrs for making the learners available for the task.
(1 line open)
SUMMARY OF DECISIONS (13)
(1 line open)
15. The Chairperson summarised the decisions as follows:
(1 line open)
a. The Chairperson instructed the FO to request FO
additional funds to support the project.
(1 line open)
b. The Chairperson instructed the RSM to conduct RSM
the relevant surveys and give feedback at the
next meeting.
(1 line open)
c. Lt Col Kweba could request his brother to submit Cat Svcs Man
a quote for consideration.
(1 line open)
d. All quotes had to be submitted by 15 September All Members
2019 in order for the committee to decide on the
most suitable quote.
(1 line open)
e. The menu had to be presented to the committee All Members
for approval.
(1 line open)
f. The menu had to include the dietary requirements Cat Svcs Man
of the invited guests.
(1 line open)
g. The menu had to be presented at the next Cat Svcs Man
planning meeting.
(1 line open)
h. The PR Clk had to contact the Shows and PR Clk
Exhibitions Unit for advice and assistance
regarding the decor for the venue.
(1 line open)
i. The learners had to be made available for the WCCCT
practice at 16:00 and report for the street lining WCIT, RSM
from 18:00–19:30.
(1 line open)
j. The PR Clk had to draw up a draft seating plan PR Clk
for approval.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4D-12 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
15. Conclusion. The conclusion will include the time at which the meeting was adjourned and the
date of the next meeting.
16. Signature Blocks
a. After the drafted minutes have been perused by the chairperson, they are signed by
the secretary and chairperson.
b. The minutes of a meeting must contain a clause stating that they become mandatory
with effect from (wef) the date of signature by the chairperson. This clause is placed
below the secretary’s signature block.
17. For the originator’s/typist’s reference, see Chapter 2, paragraph 75. In the minutes, this
reference is placed below the chairperson’s signature block.
18. Distribution. The layout of a distribution block is discussed in Chapter 2, paragraphs 78 to 80.
After the minutes have been signed, they are distributed as soon as possible to the members who
attended the meeting and any other persons who need to receive them.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4D-13
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Action By
k. Final approval for the seating plan would be given OC
2 days before the function. PR Clk
(1 line open)
CONCLUSION (15)
(1 line open)
16. The Chairperson thanked the members for their inputs
and cooperation.
(1 line open)
17. Next Meeting. The next meeting was scheduled for All Members
10:00 on 10 August 2019.
(1 line open)
18. The meeting was adjourned at 15:45.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(A. LEARNER) (16)
SECRETARY: SGT
(1 line open)
These minutes are mandatory wef ____________________
(4 to 6 lines open)
(P.E. MECER)
CHAIRPERSON: COL
(1 line open)
PEM/AL (17)
(1 line open)
DISTR (18)
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4D-14 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 4
EXAMPLE OF CONFIRMATORY NOTES
1. The layout of an example of confirmatory notes is provided on the following pages.

Year: 2021
4E-2 RESTRICTED
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
AFBC/R/5849/2/1
(1 line open)
[one tab] July 2019
(2 lines open)
CONFIRMATORY NOTES OF A FORMAL GUEST EVENING PLANNING MEETING
(1 line open)
1. Attendance. The following members were present at the meeting:
(1 line open)
a. Col P.E. Mecer - OC AFB Concorde (Chairperson).
(1 line open)
b. Lt Col M. Kweba - Cat Svcs Man.
(1 line open)
c. Lt Col B. Moodley – TO.
(1 line open)
d. Maj R. Heart - Sport Off
(1 line open)
e. Maj G. Matisse - Log Off
(1 line open)
f. Maj C. Milner - WCCCT
(1 line open)
g. Capt P. Goldair - SO3 Protocol - representing DCSS.
(1 line open)
h. SWO P. Mathibela - RSM.
(1 line open)
i. Sgt A. Learner - PR Clk (Secretary).
(1 line open)
j. Mrs J. Daniels – FO.
(1 line open)
2. Welcoming. The Chairperson welcomed everyone present and reviewed the
current planning for the formal guest evening.
(1 line open)
3. Aim. The Chairperson explained that it had become necessary to have a
meeting to discuss and plan the formal guest evening to be held on 20 October 2019.
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4E-3
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
4. Background Music
(1 line open)
a. The Chairperson informed the members that it was necessary to obtain 3
quotes for the background music as there was a limited budget.
(1 line open)
b. Cat Svcs Man, Lt Col Kweba, enquired whether his brother could be requested
to quote for the background music.
(1 line open)
c. Decisions
(1 line open)
i. Lt Col Kweba could request his brother to submit a quote for
consideration (Cat Svcs Man).
(1 line open)
ii. All quotes had to be submitted by 15 September 2019 in order for the
committee to decide on the most suitable quote (All Members).
(1 line open)
5. Menu
(1 line open)
a. The FO informed the committee that a budget of R30 000.00 was available for
the menu for the evening.
(1 line open)
b. The committee highlighted that the dietary requirements of the guests had to
be taken into account.
(1 line open)
c. Decisions
(1 line open)
i. The menu had to be presented to the committee for approval (All
Members).
(1 line open)
ii. The menu had to include the dietary requirements of the invited guests
(Cat Svcs Man).
(1 line open)
iii. The menu had to be presented at the next planning meeting (Cat Svcs
Man).
(1 line open)
6. Decor
(1 line open)
a. The majority of the members suggested that the Shows and Exhibitions Unit of
the SANDF be contacted for the decor of the venue.
(1 line open)
b. Decision. The Chairperson instructed the PR Clk to contact the Shows and
Exhibitions Unit for advice and assistance regarding the decor of the venue
(PR Clk).
(1 line open)
7. Transport
(1 line open)
a. The Log Off requested that all transport requests be forwarded to him for
proper coordination of transport.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4E-4 RESTRICTED
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
b. The Chairperson supported him in his request and reiterated its importance
(All Members).
(1 line open)
8. Seating Plan
(1 line open)
a. It was noted that the seating plan could only be drawn up once the RSVPs
were counted.
(1 line open)
b. The closing date for RSVPs was 10 October 2019.
(1 line open)
c. Decisions
(1 line open)
i. The PR Clk would be responsible for drawing up a draft seating plan for
approval (PR Clk).
(1 line open)
ii. Final approval for the seating plan would be given 2 days before the
function (OC and PR Clk).
(1 line open)
9. Conclusion
(1 line open)
a. The Chairperson thanked the members for their inputs and cooperation.
(1 line open)
b. The meeting was adjourned at 15:45.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(A. LEARNER)
SECRETARY: SGT
(4 to 6 lines open)
(P.E. MECER)
CHAIRPERSON: COL
(1 line open)
Date: __________________
(1 line open)
PEM/AL
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
CDFP (DCSS – Attn: Capt P. Goldair)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 4E-5
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
4E-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-1
CHAPTER 5: SPECIALISED DOCUMENTATION
Appendix A: Example of How to Write a Reading Summary

B: Example of a Précis
C: Layout of a Submission
D: Layout of a Written and Verbal Brief
E: Layout of a Staff Paper
F: Statement Pro Forma
G: Affidavit/Solemn Statement Pro Forma
H: Citation Pro Forma
I: Convening Order for a Board of Inquiry Pro Forma
J. Legal Terminology
K: Layout of a Cabinet Memorandum
L: Layout of a Response to Questions in the National Assembly
INTRODUCTION
1. In the Department of Defence (DOD), there are numerous types of correspondence and
communication actions to take, all with different purposes other than the standard letter,
memorandum, digital communication and correspondence of operational nature. The most
frequently used of these types of correspondence and communication actions are grouped
together in this chapter:
a. Summaries, eg a reading summary (with or without opinion), an executive summary or

abstract, a précis.
b. Written and oral reports, eg a read-and-comment-on/give-input report, a submission,

an information brief, a decision brief, a staff paper, an appreciation.
c. Pro forma reports, eg a statement, an affidavit, a citation, a board of inquiry (BOI)

report.
d. Communications with Parliament, cabinet, the National Assembly and the Portfolio
Committee on Defence, eg a cabinet memorandum, answering of questions in the
National Assembly, answering of questions in Parliament and those posed by the
Portfolio Committee on Defence.
SUMMARIES
NATURE OF A SUMMARY
2. Definition. A summary is a condensed version of a larger reading or of an observation/event/

experience that provides a reader with a comprehensive, clear and brief restatement of the main
ideas of the work or observation/event/experience. A summary should include noticeably less
content than the original.
3. Use. A summary saves a reader time because it prevents him or her from having to actually
go through and filter the important information from the unimportant in larger readings. A summary
provides a cryptic description of an observation/event/experience.
4. Requisites of a Summary. It is important to understand the difference between summary and

paraphrase (simply a rewriting of a passage in your own words that is about the same length as

Year: 2021
5-2 RESTRICTED
the original). The main requisite of any summary is to present the main ideas of the authentic body
of information concisely and clearly, while eliminating the details that are not absolutely necessary
for overall understanding. When summarising,
a. do not rewrite or paraphrase the original piece;
b. be comprehensive, ie address the who, what, when, where, why and how questions in
mind;
c. include the essentials, ie only refer to the central ideas of the original;
d. be concise, ie keep the summary condensed;
e. be clear, ie express the main ideas clearly using own wording;
f. be accurate, ie the original meaning of the larger reading or observation/event/

experience must not be distorted or in any way be added to; and
g. be impartial, ie do not put own opinions of the issue or topic discussed in the summary.
However, on occasion, it will be required to give an opinion after making an impartial
summary.
5. Summary Forms, Layouts and Distribution
a. Forms. All summaries provide overviews of more detailed information. However, the
context, purpose and audience will influence the format in which it is presented and, to
a certain extent, the content.
i. Sometimes a summary is intended to be an element within a larger document

(eg an ‘in summary’, or an executive summary or abstract).
ii. Other times a summary is intended as a document on its own (eg a reading
summary, précis or even an information brief).
b. Layouts. Dictated by the above factors, a summary can either be presented in narrative
form (eg prose or service writing) or in tabular or note form (examples are provided in
Appendix A). The original documents or files may be attached and reference may be
made to relevant sections. If side flags are used (see Chapter 2, paragraph 101), a list
must be included.
c. Distribution. If the summary is a document on its own and is intended for distribution, it
must be forwarded under a covering letter or a memorandum.
READING SUMMARY (WITH OR WITHOUT OPINION)
6. Purpose. The purpose of a reading summary is to summarise information already presented,

giving the reader enough content to understand the gist of the larger text. A reading summary can
be a section of a larger document (eg an ‘in summary’ written by the originator of the document) or
a summary document on its own of the main points of text(s) already written by another author (eg
officially requested by a superior or informally made by a student for study purposes).
7. With or Without Opinion. A reading summary usually does not contain evaluation or opinion
of the original; only information from the original text(s) is included. If an opinion is needed,

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-3
comments may be included under a separate heading as long as they are factually and logically
accurate.
8. Form and Layout. The form and layout of the summary will be determined by the conventions
used for the larger document (eg service writing) or as stipulated or circumstances require.
9. How to Make a Reading Summary. To make a reading summary, do the following:
a. Read the passage(s) closely and find the main ideas and supporting details by
following these steps:
i. Read the original text(s) at least twice, or as many times as is required, to grasp
the general meaning.
ii. Make short notes of the salient points or underline them (underline only if you
are the owner of the text or book, definitely not in a library or someone else’s
book).
b. Use own words to express briefly the main ideas and relevant details by following
these steps:
i. Write a condensed version of the underlined or noted points, discarding

superfluous examples and illustrations.
ii. Reconsider the condensed version according to the reader’s requirements by

simplifying and reformulating the contents in own words, in a logical and flowing
sequence, under suitable headings.
c. Revise and edit the summary and check whether it complies with the following:
i. Is it clear, simple and logical and does it flow smoothly?
ii. Does it convey the sense of the original?
iii. Have all the essential elements been included?
iv. Is it concise and according to the stipulated length?
v. Are the following correct: grammar, spelling, sentence and paragraph

constructions?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
10. Purpose. An executive summary is a section of a document required, eg reports, proposals

or policy documents. In academic reports, it is often called an abstract and may be shorter in
length and more of a general overview or orientation. An executive summary, on the other hand, is
a fully developed mini version of the report or document, not merely an introduction. An executive
summary or abstract is aimed at
a. providing a brief overview (approximately 5% to 10% of the whole report or document)

so that readers can rapidly become acquainted with a large body of information without
reading it all;

Year: 2021
5-4 RESTRICTED
b. persuading the reader that the document is worthy of being read; and
c. providing concise, complete, specific and self-sufficient information that can be

understood in isolation.
11. Form and Layout. The form and layout of an executive summary or abstract will be
determined by the conventions used for the larger document (eg service writing), or as stipulated
or as circumstances require, usually in narrative form and using paragraph layout.
12. How to Make an Executive Summary or Abstract. To write an executive summary or abstract,
do the following:
a. Follow the guidelines given in paragraphs 9.a and 9.b for making a reading summary
and do the following:
i. Write the summary in your own words, using a formal writing style. Avoid using
jargon.
ii. Briefly state the purpose or aim of the report or document covered in the main
document.
iii. Give background information, eg by describing the procedure that you used and
the methodology or analytical process that you followed to process the data
collected (ie a concise analysis).
iv. Provide the results of the study, main policy prescripts or proposals. The major
findings or prescripts/proposals may include a number of sentences.
v. Provide the main conclusions and/or recommendations (if applicable).
b. Revise and edit the summary according to the guidelines given in paragraph 9.c for
making a reading summary and do the following:
i. Remove minor points and exercise judgement to ensure that the summary is
concise.
ii. Remove unnecessary words and sentences.
iii. Check that the formatting complies with your document conventions.
iv. Improve the clarity of the summary by using sub-points and subtitles (if your
document conventions allow it). This will make it easier to skim read.
PRÉCIS
13. Purpose
a. A précis is a concise, clear and accurate summary of all the essential facts or
statements contained in an already existing document(s), expressed in the précis
writer’s own words. A précis is a document that stands on its own (eg as a subject
guide during training and development or as a summary document required by a
superior to convey certain information). A person may be required to write a précis to
convey the gist of a lengthy document that may
i. have been written at an inappropriate level;

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-5
ii. have a limited number of copies;
iii. have been written in a foreign language;
iv. contain obscure or complex arguments; or
v. be needed to convey the content of documents to superiors or learners.
b. Normally, a précis should be between one-third and one-fifth of the length of the
original, which distinguishes it from paraphrase (simply rewriting of a passage in your
own words that is about the same length as the original) and from a summary (a
significantly shortened piece in your own words, touching only on the main points of the
passage).
c. A précis contains all that is important in the original document(s) and retains the
original sequence of arguments and the presentation of facts as far as possible. The
original meaning of a document must not be distorted or in any way be added to in a
précis. When a writer includes his/her own personal comments, these should be set out
under a separate heading.
14. Form and Layout. A précis is compiled after considering its purpose and intended target
readership. It is written in narrative form in the third person and in the past tense and conforms to
normal service writing conventions for a staff paper (refer to paragraphs 33 to 35) or as dictated by
circumstances. It contains a signature block and date of drafting. If the précis is compiled as a
document on its own and intended for distribution, it must be forwarded under a covering letter or a
memorandum.
15. How to Make a Précis
a. To write a précis, follow the guidelines given in paragraphs 9.a and 9.b for making a
reading summary and do the following:
i. Read the passage through as many times as required to understand the

complete work well enough to abstract the central ideas.
ii. Write an initial summary of the information in which you present the ideas and
concepts in sequence as presented by the author in the original. In this initial
summary, you are paring down the original text and may retain the author’s
words and phrases.
iii. Carefully consider the author’s argument(s) or main idea(s) according to the
intended readers’ requirements. Did your summary capture that idea(s) in logical
form (express the sense of the original by a smooth flow of ideas)?
iv. Reduce the initial abstract by omitting anything that is not absolutely necessary
to the essential idea or passage.
v. Replace words and phrases specifically used by the author with suitable own
words and synonyms, if necessary.
vi. Read and reread your précis to ensure that you have the bare minimum of words
necessary to express the idea of the passage(s) (simple, clear, logical and
concise). Check to make sure the words and phrases used are your own and not
those of the author (which will be plagiarism if they are not referenced properly).

Year: 2021
5-6 RESTRICTED
b. Revise and edit the précis according to the guidelines given in paragraph 9.c for
making a reading summary and revise the formatting of your précis so that it complies
with your document conventions.
WRITTEN AND ORAL REPORTS
NATURE OF A REPORT
16. Definition. A report is a document written or a verbal (face-to-face) presentation given for a
clear purpose and to a particular audience and contains concise information organised in a
narrative, graphic, tabular or visual form. It is prepared on ad hoc, periodic, recurring, regular or as
required basis. The information is presented in a clearly structured format and sections and/or
headings are used so that it is easy to locate and to follow.
17. Report Brief. The need or request for a report to be written or a verbal presentation to be
given is usually accompanied by a report brief which provides instructions and guidelines. The
report brief may outline the purpose, audience and problem/issue the report or presentation must
address, with any specific requirements for layout/format or structure (eg an instruction guiding the
input reports for the annual report or an oral information brief).
18. Use. A report can take on many forms and layouts depending on its use. A report can be as
simple as a memorandum to an officer commanding (OC) presenting the daily strength of a unit, or
set out and analyse a complex situation or problem, often making recommendations for future
action. Reports are the backbone of the thinking processes of an establishment and are to a great
extent key in evolving into an efficient work environment. The significance of reports is to
a. communicate the implementation of planning, policies and matters regarding an

organisation (eg monthly, quarterly, annual and workplace reports);
b. present adequate information on various aspects of an organisation (eg minutes of

meetings [see Chapter 4], conference reports, feedback reports, citations);
c. communicate new research and the knowledge and insight of students, specialists and
professionals (eg staff papers, research reports, investigation reports); or
d. facilitate the presentation of information to obtain approval or a decision to help the top
line in decision making and problem solving (eg submissions, decision briefs, feasibility
reports and appreciations).
19. Requisites of a Report. The main requisite of any report is to present facts and evidence that
are relevant to the specific problem/issue of the report brief. All sources used should be
acknowledged and referenced throughout. The style of writing in a report is direct and economic
use of language. A good written or oral report will demonstrate the writer or speaker’s ability to
a. understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its specifications;
b. gather relevant information and, if required, evaluate and analyse the information;
c. structure the information in a logical and coherent sequence/order;
d. present the report in a consistent manner according to the instructions of the report
brief;

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-7
e. draw appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidence and analysis
presented in the report; and
f. make thoughtful and practical recommendations where required.
20. Report Forms and Layouts. Some reports focus primarily on information (what we are doing
now, what we did last month, what went on at the department meeting, information needed for
some or other reason), ie an informational report. Beyond merely providing information, many
reports also include analysis (what this information means for us, what action should be
considered, what we recommended and why), ie an analytical report.
a. Informational Report. An informational report provides a summary of information and

data found on a particular topic, namely a description of an event or information
conveyed to someone who was not present or who has no time to access the
information himself or herself or for record purposes. Informational reports may be
written or delivered verbally purely to inform (eg a brief or minutes of a meeting) or to
obtain approval or a decision (eg a submission or decision brief).
b. Analytical Report. An analytical report provides researched and collected information

and an analysis that leads to one or more conclusions and recommendations, ie an
orderly and objective presentation of freshly analysed information that helps to improve
insight, decision-making, problem-solving and taking further action. Analytical reports
may be written or delivered verbally purely to present the analysis and findings of a
topic or issue (eg a staff paper or appreciation) or to enlighten a specific reader/listener
group.
21. Report Layouts. The layout of a report is dictated by the type of report and the report brief. It
conforms to normal service writing and layout conventions (see Chapters 1 and 2) or as dictated by
circumstances, ie delivery of a face-to-face verbal presentation (see Chapter 2, paragraph 111 for
the layout of a PowerPoint presentation). If a report is compiled as a document on its own and
intended for distribution, it is forwarded under a covering letter.
22. How to Prepare a Report – Essential Stages. All reports need to be clear, concise and well
structured. The key to writing or verbally delivering an effective report is to allocate time to planning
and preparation for all the stages. Consider how long each stage is likely to take and divide the
time before the deadline to accommodate all the stages. The essential stages of successful report
writing or face-to-face presenting are as follows:
a. Stage One: Understanding the Report Brief. This stage is the most important. You
need to understand the purpose of the report as described in the report brief or
instructions. Consider what the topic is, who the report is for and why it is being written
or verbally presented. Check that you understand all the instructions, requirements and
limits and ask if anything is unclear.
b. Stage Two: Gathering and Selecting Information. Relevant information for the report
may come from a variety of sources, but how much information is needed will depend
on how much detail is required in the report. Make a preliminary decision on a number
of aspects to be discussed. For analytical reports, it may be needed to read relevant
literature to widen your understanding of the topic or issue before looking at other
forms of information such as questionnaires or surveys. While gathering information,
assess its relevance to the report (keep referring to the report brief) and select
accordingly. Remember to keep a record of all sources consulted (see Chapter 2,
paragraph 106 for source referencing).

Year: 2021
5-8 RESTRICTED
c. Stage Three: Analysing the Material. Once the information is gathered and selected,
take time to make extracts, summaries (see paragraph 9 for making summaries) and
notes on the points you will make using the facts and evidence you have gathered.
What are the limitations or flaws in the evidence? Do certain pieces of evidence conflict
with one another? What conclusions can be drawn from the material? It is not enough
to simply present the information gathered; relate it to the request, problem or issue
described in the report brief. If the information gathered proves to be irrelevant or
insufficient, backtrack to Stage Two.
d. Stage Four: Organising the Material. Before writing the first draft of the report or
building your presentation, you need to decide what will be included and in what
sequence it should be presented. Begin by grouping together points that are related.
These may form slides, paragraphs, sections or chapters (keep referring to the report
brief). Be prepared to cut any information that is not directly relevant to the report.
Choose an order for the material that is logical and easy to follow.
e. Stage Five: Writing the Report/Creating the PowerPoint Presentation. Having

organised the material into appropriate sections and headings, you can begin to write
the first draft of the report or create slides for the presentation. It may be easier to deal
with the summary and contents page at the end when it is clear what will be included.
Aim for a writing style that is direct and precise. Make points clearly and concisely by
using the structure below, which can be adapted and applied to slides, chapters,
sections and even paragraphs:
i. Introduce the main idea of the slide/chapter/section/paragraph.
ii. Explain and expand the idea, defining any key terms.
iii. Present relevant evidence to support the point(s) made.
iv. Comment on each piece of evidence, showing how it relates to the point(s)
made.
v. Conclude the slide/chapter/section/paragraph by either showing its significance

to the report as a whole or making a link to the next slide/chapter/section/
paragraph.
f. Stage Six: Reviewing and Redrafting. Ideally, leave time to take a break before
reviewing the first draft. Be prepared to rearrange or rewrite sections in light of the
review. Try to read the draft from the perspective of the reader (also refer to read-and-
comment/give inputs in paragraph 25). Is it easy to follow with a clear structure that
makes sense, ie is it meaningful? Are the points concisely but clearly explained and
supported by relevant evidence?
g. Stage Seven: Attending to the Written/PowerPoint Presentation. Once you are satisfied
with the content and structure of the redrafted report, turn your attention to the
written/PowerPoint presentation. Give attention to the following:
i. Check that the wording of each slide/chapter/section/subheading is clear and

accurate.
ii. Check that you have adhered to the instructions in the report brief regarding
format and presentation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-9
iii. Check for consistency in numbering of slides/chapters/sections and appendices.
iv. Make sure that all the sources are acknowledged and correctly referenced.
v. Proofread the document for spelling or grammar errors. If time allows,

proofread more than once. Errors in presentation or expression create a poor
impression and can make the document difficult to read.
READ-AND-COMMENT/GIVE-INPUT REPORT
23. Purpose. Officials may be required to read and give their comments or inputs on draft
research or policy papers. The document in which the comments or inputs are communicated, is
regarded as an informational report and put the originator of the draft research or policy paper etc
in a position to make final changes before presenting it for signature or issuing it.
24. Form and Layout. Comments or inputs are written in narrative text, must be based on all the
facts at one’s disposal and be objective in nature. A memorandum or routine letter is used for this
purpose.
25. Guidelines on Reading and Commenting/Giving Inputs
a. How to Read a Draft
i. Put yourself in the shoes of the target audience. First read as if speed reading a
final document (read the executive summary, then the conclusion, then the top
and tail of each chapter/section/paragraph). Do these make sense? They are by
far the most important in terms of impact.
ii. Then, read the whole paper in detail. Is the paper internally consistent? Have
any killer facts, case studies, telling graphics or new findings failed to make it to
the executive summary? Are the best, most powerful ideas and arguments
presented early in the paper? Is there logical progression in the presentation of
the information?
iii. Remember what the paper is for and do not try to expand its remit. If possible,
look at the original terms of reference or brief. Has a balance been struck
between the need for rigour and accessibility (as both matter in
correspondence)?
iv. Think about what is not there. It is easy to critique what is in front of you, but it is
often more helpful to stand back and identify what is missing in terms of
arguments, approaches, or sources. Does the paper have specific, well-argued
suggestions for how to improve or approach aspects or are the
recommendations bland and generic?
v. Style and language matter and potentially could turn off readers and greatly
reduce a paper’s impact. Point out places where some extra narrative would help
(ie suggest linking text between paragraphs to improve flow) and where there is
badly written text full of impenetrable jargon, deadened by the passive tense
and/or shrill in tone. People are usually grateful for specific, constructive
suggestions and edits. If rewriting the whole paper is not feasible, concentrate on
making the executive summary accessible.

Year: 2021
5-10 RESTRICTED
b. How to Comment/Give Inputs
i. Be kind – however brilliant/damning your critique, start by reminding yourself that

there is a human being on the other end of this communication. Start off by
saying what you like about the paper, then what could be strengthened, but
finish off by stressing what is worthwhile.
ii. Be specific – knowing what works (and hence what to retain) can be helpful as
well as good for (battered) authorial morale. Even more so, when suggesting
improvements, a harassed author on a deadline would appreciate specific,
clearly explained changes.
SUBMISSION
26. Purpose. A submission is an informational report and is used to obtain approval or a decision
from a higher authority. It is a form of correspondence that can be used at all levels of the DOD.
27. Form and Layout. A submission is drafted in memorandum format so that it is immediately
clear which authority is the recommending and which the approving one. The standard rules for
memoranda apply (see Appendix C for the layout of a submission):
a. The writing of a submission follows the essential stages of writing a report (see
paragraph 22) and elements of making a summary (see paragraph 9).
b. Headings to be used as guidelines for arranging the content are ‘aim’.

‘introduction/situation’ or ‘background’, ‘argument’, ‘financial implications’, ‘personnel
implications’, ‘communication implications’ (other relevant implications may also be
addressed) as well as other authorities involved.
c. The use of main, group, paragraph and subparagraph headings is dictated by the
content and length of the document and is left to the initiative of the drafter.
d. One or more signature blocks are provided for recommendations (depending on the
chain of command) and approvals.
e. The style should comply with the principles of service writing as set out in Chapters 1
and 2, and the content must be concise, accurate and clear.
BRIEF
28. Purpose. Written and oral briefs are informational reports used to inform senior officers of
certain subjects, events or situations (information brief) or to present problems or issues requiring
decisions of senior officers (decision brief). It is a form of communication that can be used at all
levels of the DOD.
29. Form and Layout of a Brief. Briefs may have various applications, but have the same basic
pattern (the layouts of a written and a verbal brief are provided in Appendix D).
a. Written Brief. A written brief is drafted in routine letter format and consists of two basic
parts, namely the brief itself (ie a condensed version of the subject, event or situation)
and the source documents or evidence on which the brief is based (follow the essential
stages of writing a report in paragraph 22).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-11
b. Verbal Brief. A verbal brief is delivered by means of a PowerPoint presentation, of

which a hard copy should be made available for record purposes (follow the steps to
prepare a PowerPoint presentation in Chapter 2, paragraph 111).
c. A brief, whether written or verbal, must be able to stand on its own, ie it should be
possible for the reader to obtain a complete understanding of the subject without
having to read the source documents (flags and side flags as described in Chapter 2,
paragraph 101 may be used to refer to the details in the brief).
d. Briefs, whether written or verbal, should be as brief as possible and should be

impartial, accurate and clear (apply the principles of service writing and layout as set
out in Chapters 1 and 2).
e. The length of a brief requires special attention. As a condensed version of the subject,
event or situation, nothing superfluous should be included and nothing of importance
should be omitted (follow the elements of making a summary in paragraph 9).
30. Information Brief on a Person/Visitor. The content of such a brief depends on the relationship
between the visitor and the person for whom the brief is being written. Unless otherwise instructed,
such a brief should contain the following:
a. A short biography, drawing attention to experience and appointments that may be

relevant to the subjects to be discussed.
b. Detailed questions to be put to the visitor.
c. Questions that may be asked by the visitor and suggested answers.
d. Particular points to be emphasised.
e. Arrangements for further discussions.
f. Administrative arrangements.
31. Information Brief on a Visit. The content of such a brief will depend on the wishes of the
officer concerned. Unless otherwise instructed, such a brief should contain the following:
a. Brief biographies of the key persons likely to be met, with photographs, if available, or
the history and organisation of the institution to be visited.
b. Details of current work, training, etc.
c. Questions that could possibly be asked during a tour of the institution.
d. Questions that the senior officer might have to answer, with suggested answers.
e. Any special information that might be of value.
f. Details of administrative arrangements.
g. The itinerary for the visit.
32. Decision Brief. The content of such a brief should provide definite advice on the approach to
a problem as well as any appropriate explanations and, where possible, alternative solutions must

Year: 2021
5-12 RESTRICTED
be provided (see Appendix D for examples of a written brief and a verbal brief). The scope of a
decision brief should be limited to the following:
a. Aim of the brief and statement of the problem.
b. Introduction/background sketches.
c. Summary of the decisions required.
d. Suggested solutions, together with their implications.
e. Recommended solution(s) with reasons.
f. A repetition of the decisions required.
STAFF PAPER
33. Purpose. A staff paper is an analytical report which enables the writer to assemble and
present facts, opinions, ideas and/or arguments to display competence during studies; or in the
workplace, a staff paper may lead to staff decisions.
34. Requisites of a Staff Paper. As with all reports (see paragraphs 16 to 22), the main requisite
of a staff paper is to present facts and evidence that are relevant to the specific problem or issue of
the report brief – either academic or work-related. A staff paper should
a. not be a mere summary of sources – the final result should bear the mark of analysis,
insight and originality;
b. contain only essential information; and
c. be written clearly, concisely and unambiguously to be readable and understandable

(apply the principles of service writing as set out in Chapters 1 and 2).
35. Form and Layout. A staff paper is either drafted in routine letter format or as an independent
document with a title page, ie whatever the report brief dictates (the basic layout of a staff paper is
provided in Appendix E). If the staff paper is written as a document on its own and intended for
distribution, it is forwarded under a covering letter or memorandum. The following apply:
a. The writing of a staff paper follows the essential stages of writing a report (see
paragraph 22).
b. Sources consulted are referenced according to the prescribed referencing style (see
Chapter 2, paragraph 106).
c. The framework of a staff paper will be dictated by the report brief. It is important to read
the introduction and conclusion in conjunction with each other - what you stated in the
introduction (background, aim and scope) should be confirmed in the conclusion
(summary, conclusions and recommendations).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-13
d. Information that is difficult to convey to the reader by means of words only may often
be better explained by properly selected illustrations, tables, graphs, charts, maps,
photographs, etc (see Chapter 2 for the conventions of using these).
APPRECIATION (NON-OPERATIONAL)
36. Purpose. Appreciations are analytical reports that are often conducted in the operations
environment. Doing an appreciation involves a disciplined thought process in which all the relevant
factors are investigated and analysed to arrive at the best course of action to achieve a specific
aim or purpose (see Chapter 7 for operational appreciations). However, appreciations are also
conducted in the DOD for situations other than operations.
37. Form and Layout. The standard form and layout for appreciations as per Appendices A to D
in Chapter 7 form the basis of all appreciations. To conduct and record an appreciation, the
following seven steps are followed (also refer to the essential stages of writing a report in
paragraph 22):
a. Determine what needs to be done by
i. analysing the present situation;
ii. determining the desired aim to be attained (not necessary if a mission exists);
and
iii. analysing the mission (or desired result) and the guidelines for planning.
b. Determine how best to achieve the aim by
i. analysing and reasoning/discussing all relevant factors;
ii. considering all practical own courses of action;
iii. selecting the best course of action to achieve the aim; and
iv. formulating the decision in terms of the selected best course of action.
PRO FORMA REPORTS
STATEMENT
38. Officers and Public Service Act Personnel (PSAP) do not submit statements, but write formal
letters instead. All other ranks and warrant officers (WOs) use a statement pro forma when
submitting a statement. (See Appendix F for a statement pro forma).
AFFIDAVIT
39. An affidavit is a written document (in the writer’s own words, which may not be changed or
edited by another person) that is sworn to be true and may be used in a court of law. An affidavit
pro forma is used in cases when an officer acts as a commissioner of oaths. (See Appendix G for
an affidavit pro forma).

Year: 2021
5-14 RESTRICTED
CITATION
40. Purpose. A citation recommends and approves an order, medal, decoration or

commendation certificate for a member in recognition of praiseworthy service. Orders, medals and
decorations play an important role in maintaining the morale of members of the DOD, whilst giving
recognition for exemplary and outstanding service, over and above the normal call of duty.
Unit/force structure element officers in charge must be aware of such achievements and sustained
high merit assessments must be an indication of deserving members.
41. Format and Procedure. A citation is filled in on a pro forma DD792 (refer to CD
HRM/CMM/1/2007: Standard Operating Procedure: Honours and Awards Administration dated 21
September 2007). All citations for bravery and merit are to be submitted correctly typed and signed
together with an electronic version. The names of all recipients for whom specific awards have
been approved will be published in general orders in order to maintain a record of such awards.
Copies of citations must at all times be filed on members’ unit personal files and not on
correspondence files.
42. Requisites of a Citation. All citations are to be drafted and typed according to the laid down
criteria applicable to each specific award (see Appendix H for the citation pro forma and guidance
on completing a citation for bravery and merit).
a. Introduction. Begin by providing the rank or title and full name of the nominee.
Thereafter only the rank/title and surname of the nominee is used. The period of
service and the post and/or function of the nominee are also mentioned in the
introduction.
b. Body. The body comprises a concise, factual and chronological description of the
events, incident(s), service, etc that gave rise to the recommendation. It may also
contain certain character traits of the nominee, if relevant to the achievement, such as
courage, perseverance, loyalty, integrity, initiative, responsibility, etc.
c. Conclusion. The conclusion usually comprises a sentence or phrase, such as ‘This

courageous action/deed …’; ‘this selfless service ...’; or ‘Her loyalty and
excellent/exceptional service ...’, etc. This is followed by ‘renders Lieutenant X to be a
worthy recipient of the (name of medal or decoration, etc) ...’. The current rank of the
nominee is always used in the concluding paragraph.
43. Guidelines. The guidelines for the completion of bravery and merit citations are indicated in
Appendix H. The following aspects are stressed:
a. Citation Form. The citation pro forma attached as Appendix H is under no

circumstances to be altered.
b. Security. All citations are classified as ‘CONFIDENTIAL’. To save possible

embarrassment for members recommended, they as well as unauthorised persons
should not bear knowledge of recommendations. Care must be taken not to
compromise individuals, although completeness must not be neglected.
c. Incidents. Full incidents must be supplied to form a holistic picture of the member’s
contribution and achievement. The awards committee must be convinced that the
member’s deeds or service contribution conforms to the requirements called for by the
warrants.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-15
d. Personal Achievement. The member’s quantitative and qualitative contributions and the
results of his or her actions must be clearly stated and should be compatible with the
requirements of an appropriate award. These contributions must also be parallel to
merit assessments. For any merit award, a person must have rendered service
signifying diligence and high productivity. There is a difference between continuous
tenacity and calculated actions and deeds in despair with short-term results. Long
service alone does not automatically warrant a merit medal. Therefore, long-service
medals have their own precedence. The member's contributions must be measurable
against that of his or her equals and other members in the same circumstances. The
leader is normally responsible for the achievements of a group, but the individual, be it
the leader or the subordinate responsible for an achievement, should be the recipient
of an award. Merit assessments, honours awards and bonuses that have already been
received must not be mentioned in citations. Domestic problems of members are also
not mentioned in citations.
e. Length of a Citation. An appropriate, complete motivation, and not the length of a

citation, is the crucial factor. Citations that reflect only a few general paragraphs tend to
be unconvincing and are normally unsuccessful. Too short a citation tends not to
address important facts, which could result in the non-approval of awards. Second and
subsequent pages attached to the initial page must also reflect the candidate's number,
rank and name. The signature blocks appear on a separate page reflecting the
candidate's number, rank and name.
f. Paragraphs. The citation should be divided into logical paragraphs, but these are not
numbered.
g. Supporting Documents. Supporting documents must not be attached to citations. The

motivation should be complete in itself.
h. ID Document. To ensure the correct spelling on certificates of award, a certified copy of

the member’s ID document must be attached to the citation.
i. Scrutiny of Citations. Citations must be linguistically correct and typed. All citations are
to be referred to a language practitioner (both a printed and an electronic version) who
will then ensure that the citation is scrutinised for language correctness, terminology,
and colloquial usage.
j. Feedback. Human Resources Management (Ceremonial and Military Music Section)

gives feedback on all recommendations made. The services are all represented on the
Awards Advisory Committee. Non-approval of awards will be communicated in a
suitable manner.
k. Publication of Awards. All awards are published in general orders and may only be
presented and worn once the general order has been approved and signed.
l. Target Dates. Citations for all awards may be submitted throughout the year. There are
no cut-off dates and the Chief Director Human Resources Management convenes an
Awards Advisory Committee meeting every month (usually the last Tuesday of each
month).
m. General
i. Underline the surname on all the pages.

Year: 2021
5-16 RESTRICTED
ii. Abbreviations are not used in citations. All ranks, names, units, appointments,
etc must be written in full
iii. The names of persons, geographical features, operations and projects must be
used with circumspection. The names of operations and projects are written as
follows: ‘Operation WILDERNESS’ or ‘Project MOP UP’.
iv. In the case of a warrant officer, ‘Class 1/Class 2’ is omitted from the text. The
form of address ‘sergeant-major’ is never used in citations.
v. The personal pronouns ‘he’ and ‘she’ may be used to avoid repeating the
nominee’s name. Avoid referring to the nominee as ‘the member’.
vi. Do not staple the citation.
vii. Bold the security classification.
viii. Ensure the name of the medal is spelt correctly.
ix. Signature blocks must be on a separate, single page.
x. An electronic copy must accompany a hard copy on submission.
BOARD OF INQUIRY
44. Purpose of a BOI. A BOI is an investigation procedure, instituted by the Defence Act 2002,
Act No 42 of 2002 and the process is contained in SANDFP/LEGAL/00001/2006. It is not regarded
as an administrative procedure, but a quasi-judicial procedure, as provision is made for legal
representation and certain rights are applicable. The purpose of a BOI is to
a. establish the factual background and circumstances surrounding the incident(s) that
resulted in and/or contributed to the matter being investigated;
b. identify the responsible person or persons to institute corrective or disciplinary actions

against such person or persons, if and when required, and to facilitate the recovery of
any damage or loss;
c. determine the extent of the damage or loss suffered by the SANDF (if any);
d. identify shortcomings within the military command and/or functional environment that
contributed to the incident, damage or loss; and
e. make clear, concise and comprehensive recommendations in respect of corrective

actions and measures to be taken to prevent recurrence.
45. Circumstances Surrounding Convening a BOI
a. The relevant legislation allows the appropriate authority to convene a BOI, at any time
or place, to make an inquiry into the matters stated above. This means that the
appropriate authority has discretionary powers to decide whether it is, under the
circumstances, necessary to convene a BOI, subject to unique service or division
requirements.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-17
b. Contrary to the above-mentioned discretionary prerogatives and in light of the fiduciary

and accounting responsibilities imposed on the various role players in the DOD by the
provisions of the Public Finance Management Act 1999, Act No 1 of 1999 as amended,
a BOI must be convened in the following circumstances:
i. Loss of any state property.
ii. Loss of any property belonging to an institution or fund of the DOD.
iii. Damage to any state property.
iv. Damage to any property belonging to any institution or fund of the DOD.
v. Death of any DOD personnel.
vi. Serious injury to any DOD personnel.
vii. Any incident that may have a detrimental effect on the image, reputation or
credibility of the DOD or any institution or fund thereof.
viii. When a member of a unit has been continuously absent without leave for more
than 30 days and is still absent. In this case, it is compulsory for the OC of the
unit to convene a BOI to inquire into such absence.
c. Convening Authority. The appropriate authority that convenes a BOI is referred to as

the convening authority in terms of Section 101(4) of the Defence Act and Rule 79(3) to
the Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act (MDSMA). A BOI is convened by
means of a written order, referred to as a convening order (see Appendix I for a
convening order pro forma), by one of the following convening authorities:
i. MOD&MV.
ii. Sec Def.
iii. C SANDF.
iv. Chiefs of services or divisions or their delegates.
v. GOCs and OCs of formations or units, but only if so delegated.
46. Procedure for Conducting BOIs. SANDFP/LEGAL/00001/2006 stipulates the following

procedures in detail for conducting BOIs:
a. Commencement of the BOI.
b. Attendance of witnesses at the BOI.
c. Witnesses called by parties other than the president of the BOI.
d. Administrative aspects in relation to the leading of evidence at a BOI.
e. The right against self-incrimination.

Year: 2021
5-18 RESTRICTED
f. Rights of incriminated or affected persons.
g. Procedure when a BOI is conducted concurrently with a Military Police investigation.
h. Offences and penalties emanating from a BOI.
i. Specific aspects relating to verbal evidence.
j. Specific aspects relating to documentary evidence.
k. Specific aspects relating to real evidence.
l. Questions by the BOI.
m. Summary of events.
n. Findings by the BOI.
o. Recommendations by the BOI.
p. Sequence of documentation in the BOI.
q. Submission of the BOI to the convening authority.
CABINET MEMORANDA, QUESTIONS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND PARLIAMENT

AND QUESTIONS POSED BY THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE
CABINET MEMORANDA
47. As a rule, the cabinet and its committees base their decisions on information supplied to
them in a cabinet memorandum from the various government departments. The manner in which
such a memorandum is compiled may simplify or complicate the cabinet’s work and may even
influence the quality of the decisions made by the cabinet.
48. A cabinet memorandum has two main target groups, namely members of the cabinet,
specialised committees of the cabinet, as well as departments and other bodies. This should be
borne in mind when compiling such a document.
49. Process Followed by the Cabinet Committee
a. All matters submitted to the cabinet are firstly placed before a cabinet committee. The
reason for this is to enable such a (specialised) committee to consider the matter
thoroughly beforehand in order to make an informed recommendation to the cabinet.
b. The minutes of the cabinet committee meetings with the recommendations contained
therein are submitted to the cabinet for consideration. These minutes contain, in short,
the background information, motivation for recommendations and the
recommendations with regard to each matter dealt with. Thus a department determines
to a large extent in which form a matter is motivated when it is submitted to the cabinet
via the minutes of a committee meeting.
c. All cabinet memoranda are distributed to all the members of the cabinet, deputy
ministers and national directors general. The memorandum thus provides more

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-19
information than that in the minutes of the committee meeting to members of the
cabinet.
d. The needs of the members of the cabinet and its committees are mainly the following:
i. Background and factual information should be such that each member of the
cabinet possibly assumes co-responsibility for a decision to be taken. Some
members may have a need for more comprehensive facts, also of a technical
nature (where applicable), while other members may prefer that the essence of
the matter be explained in the most understandable (non-technical) way
possible. One way to comply with these needs is to restrict the memorandum to
an explanation, in layperson's language, of the essence of the matter and to
attach a more comprehensive and technical exposition in one or more annexures
to the memorandum.
ii. Members of the cabinet and its committees find it necessary to read many
documents in the shortest possible time. Cabinet memoranda should, therefore,
adhere to a reasonably standardised structure thus enabling selective
reading where desired.
50. Guidelines. The following guidelines apply:
a. Background and factual information should facilitate responsibility for decision-making.
b. A cabinet memorandum has a reasonably standardised structure, thus enabling

selective reading.
c. The prescribed structure of a cabinet memorandum, as set out in Appendix K, should

be adhered to as far as possible. Annexures should be used to provide additional (non-
essential and/or technical) information, if necessary.
d. The language used in a cabinet memorandum must be clearly understandable and

simple, ie avoid pedantic language. Do not assume that the target group is familiar with
the background to the matter. Previous cabinet decisions regarding the matter should
be provided in summarised form.
e. Avoid abbreviations which do not appear in an acknowledged dictionary, or define an

abbreviation or acronym when using it for the first time by writing the word to be
abbreviated in full, followed by the abbreviation in brackets. The
abbreviation or acronym should again be defined clearly in the summary and
recommendations for the benefit of those who will read selectively.
f. The recommendations should be formulated in such a manner that the cabinet

secretariat may use them, unaltered, in the minutes of a cabinet committee meeting.
g. Supply all the information which the National Treasury, the Public Service Commission,
the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and the Office on the
Status of Women, the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons and the Office on the
Rights of the Child may possibly require under the headings ‘Financial Implications’,
‘Organisational and Personnel Implications’, ‘Communication Implications’ and
‘Implications for Vulnerable Groups’. These organisations may be approached in an
effort to prevent the relevant minister from being asked questions to which the answers
do not appear in the memorandum.

Year: 2021
5-20 RESTRICTED
h. No memoranda without relevant annexures will be accepted - annexures are part of a

memorandum. They must be classified appropriately or where required, ie a CV must
be classified as confidential.
i. No e-mailed memoranda will be accepted.
j. No unclassified memoranda will be accepted.
51. Contents. The contents of a cabinet memorandum should be presented strictly according to
the following instructions:
a. Structure
i. The framework, as set out in Appendix K, forms the basis of a cabinet

memorandum. Although subheadings are permissible, the prescribed main
headings and the order in which they appear, should be adhered to. Additional
main headings should be avoided.
ii. The length of a cabinet memorandum should be restricted to seven pages, typed
in 12-point font with 1,5-line spacing. All paragraphs and pages must be
numbered and no bullets must be used.
iii. It is often necessary to attach annexures to memoranda, for instance when a

report is submitted for information or when a bill is submitted for approval. In
such cases, the essence of the findings, measures to be taken and/or
recommendations appearing in the annexure should be summarised in the
memorandum itself (under the headings ‘Discussion’ and/or
‘Recommendations’).
iv. All cabinet memoranda must carry a security classification of at least

’SECRET‘ and be treated accordingly.
b. Subject. The subject of a cabinet memorandum is the title under which the matter will
be dealt with on the agenda and in the minutes of cabinet and committee meetings. A
brief description of the theme is required – the shorter the better.
c. Purpose. The purpose of the memorandum should be explained briefly as follows:
i. ‘To inform Cabinet of ...’.
ii. ‘To obtain approval for ...’.
d. Summary
i. The accompanying summary must contain the essence of the motivation and
should not be longer than half a typed page.
ii. A list of annexures referred to in the memorandum should be incorporated where

this is appropriate.
e. Strategic Focus of the Memorandum. The strategic focus of the memorandum must
relate to government policy and programmes such as the government’s programme of
action.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-21
f. Discussion. The background to the matter, the formulation of the problem, a discussion
of alternative options and motivations for the recommendations are supplied here:
i. Background. If the matter has already served before the cabinet or a working
committee, reference should briefly be made to this. Quoting a previous
resolution (item/paragraph and date) is essential. If the historical run of events is
of any importance, it should also be dealt with here.
ii. Formulation of the Problem. If the problem that has given rise to the
memorandum cannot be deduced clearly from the purpose, it should be
discussed briefly.
iii. Discussion of Alternatives. Where applicable, alternative solutions to the problem

should be mentioned and the advantages and disadvantages of each be
discussed briefly.
iv. Motivation. The recommendations, which will follow later in the memorandum,
should be motivated.
g. Socio-economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS). Cabinet memoranda seeking

approval for bills, regulations and policy must include an impact assessment that has
been assessed and quality assured by the SEIAS Unit at the Department of Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). Cabinet memoranda need to indicate how
departments utilised the information generated by the SEIAS in the recommendations.
In addition, the memoranda should summarise the main findings of the final impact
assessment. The memorandum should be accompanied by a final SEIAS report when
it is submitted to cabinet and its committees.
h. Implementation Plan. An implementation plan relating to the subject matter should be

reflected and costed where this is applicable.
i. Organisational and Personnel Implications. Organisational and personnel implications

should be mentioned if the proposed cabinet decision implies that
i. a department undertakes new functions;
ii. existing allocated functions are reassigned to another department, institution or

body;
iii. a new institution or body which is not a department comes into being; or
iv. improvements in the service conditions of any group of civil service personnel
have been introduced.
j. It should be indicated whether the Public Service Commission and/or GCIS were
consulted and their view of the matter.
j. Details of nett increase/decrease in personnel numbers should be furnished if the

proposed cabinet decision implies an increase/decrease in personnel numbers, with an
indication of the categories, such as ‘management echelon’, ‘other schooled personnel’
and ‘general assistants’.

Year: 2021
5-22 RESTRICTED
l. Financial Implications. Under this heading, the following should be indicated:
i. The effect that the revenue and expenditure flowing from the recommendations
will have on the state in the current financial year.
ii. Costs carried forward to the next financial year.
iii. Proposed funding of the expenditure.
m. Communication Implications. Here it should be indicated if the
i. communication/media implications of the matter were considered;
ii. implications require a communication/media plan; and
iii. the GCIS has been or should be consulted with regard to the communication
implications.
n. Constitutional Implications. When submitting certain recommendations for

consideration, a department should specifically consider whether the recommendations
are consistent with the Constitution. Depending on the nature of the recommendations,
the opinion expressed may vary from a general opinion to a formal legal opinion. It
would also be preferable if the said opinion could be annexed to the memorandum for
the benefit of those cabinet members who would be interested in studying the
opinion(s).
o. Vulnerable Groups. Ensure that attention is drawn to the implications regarding the
rights of women, children or people with disabilities.
p. Security Implications. Consideration should be given to possible security implications to

the state.
q. Responses of Other Departments/Committees/Bodies Consulted and Consideration by

the Relevant Directors General Cluster
i. An indication must be given as to whether the memorandum under consideration

resulted from or followed processes related to the relevant cluster of directors
general in keeping with cabinet’s approach to integrated decision making. If not,
it should be indicated briefly why not.
ii. Prior clearance should be obtained from all departments and institutions
concerned with the recommendations contained in a cabinet memorandum.
Under this heading, the names of the departments/bodies consulted are
mentioned. Should any of the institutions concerned disagree fundamentally with
the recommendation, it should be briefly mentioned here or included in the
memorandum as an annexure.
r. Recommendations. The desired decision should be stated accurately. The wording

should correspond, as far as possible, to the wording of the cabinet resolution required.
In cases where a memorandum merely serves for information purposes, the
recommendation may read: ‘That Cabinet notes ...’.
s. Official Responsible for the Memorandum. It is sometimes necessary to obtain more

details or clarify some aspects of a memorandum in a relatively short period. The

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5-23
name, rank and telephone number of a person who can be contacted (preferably the
author of the memorandum), should be provided.
t. Head of Department. The Forum of South African Directors General (FOSAD) and
approved by cabinet, directors general must sign off on all memoranda.
u. Authorisation for Processing the Memorandum. The minister (or acting minister)
sponsoring the memorandum through the cabinet system.
v. Exception: Memoranda Serving Merely for Information Purposes. In instances where a

memorandum merely serves to bring certain information to the notice of the
cabinet/cabinet committee, the headings ‘Discussion’, ‘Organisational and Personnel
Implications’, ‘Financial Implications’, ‘Communication Implications’ and ‘Other
Departments/Bodies Consulted’ may be replaced by more suitable headings.
w. General Requirements
i. Memoranda Dealing with the Appointment of Members of Boards. When

submitting names for consideration for appointment to boards, councils or other
relevant institutions, the race and gender of proposed appointees must be
indicated and their curricula vitae must be included in the memorandum as an
annexure. The memorandum should also indicate all other boards, councils or
similar institutions on which the candidates are currently serving. If they do not
serve on any, this must also be indicated.
ii. Memoranda Dealing with the Implementation of Large-scale Projects. The

implementation of large-scale projects (eg the Maputo Corridor) requires
consultation with the Department of Health to ensure that necessary precautions
are taken with regard to health-related matters. Memoranda should clearly
indicate such consultations.
iii. Memoranda Dealing with International Conferences and Conventions in South

Africa
(1) When considering venues for international conferences and conventions,

departments should consult with the Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism in all instances. Such consultation must be indicated clearly in
the memorandum.
(2) The outcomes of important international conferences and meetings and

their possible implications for South Africa must also be reported to cabinet.
52. Distribution of Cabinet Memoranda
a. A cabinet memorandum should be approved by the minister concerned before it is

distributed for discussion by the cabinet or its committee. The distribution of a cabinet
memorandum is the responsibility of the ministry concerned, and the memorandum is
usually attached to a letter indicating when and by which cabinet committee the matter
is to be dealt with.
b. The responsibility for notifying the cabinet secretariat of the intent to submit a
memorandum rests with the relevant ministry. Ministries must ensure that the required
number of copies of the memoranda with relevant annexures, including an electronic
copy for the cabinet secretariat, reaches all ministries and the cabinet secretariat.

Year: 2021
5-24 RESTRICTED
c. Memoranda to be considered by the cabinet should be distributed according to a

distribution list which is made available to ministries from time to time.
QUESTIONS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
53. Questions in the national assembly may be directed to the MOD&MV to provide an
appropriate response. Such questions may or may not fall within the public domain and must be
answered to provide the MOD&MV with sufficient information relating to the question.
54. Guidelines
a. Services and divisions are responsible for the language and context editing of
documents as well as for the legal, financial, labour relations, communication and
security status of the information supplied.
b. Chiefs (or acting chiefs) of services and divisions must personally sign all replies and
confirm that the requirements stipulated above have been met.
c. The reply must be submitted in English and, where necessary, also in the language of
the original request.
d. The precise numbering of the original question(s) must be used.
e. The response must address the question. Care must be taken to avoid superfluous
padding and unrelated information.
f. Responses to questions in the national assembly must adhere to a standardised

structure, thus enabling selective reading where desired.
g. Appendices should be used to provide additional (non-essential and/or technical)

information, if necessary.
h. Define an abbreviation or acronym when using it for the first time by writing the words
to be abbreviated in full, followed by the abbreviation in brackets.
i. The response must be submitted in hard copy as well as in electronic format to the
tasking office, under cover of a memorandum duly signed by the chief of the service or
division. The memorandum must include a paragraph in which it is confirmed that the
editing, legal, financial, labour relations, communication and security requirements
have been met.
j. The layout of a response to questions in the National Assembly is provided in Appendix

L.
QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT AND QUESTIONS POSED BY THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE

ON DEFENCE
55. Situations occur where the cabinet and its committees request information from the various
government departments in the form of questions that are raised, which then require a prompt and
accurate response. Such questions must be answered in a manner that provides sufficient
information relating to the question.
56. Guidelines. The same guidelines for questions in the National Assembly apply (see
paragraphs 53 and 54), with the exception that it is not necessary to repeat the question raised, as
per the format of questions in the National Assembly.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 5
EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WRITE A READING SUMMARY
1. Preparing to Write.. To write a good summary it is important to thoroughly understand the

material you are working with. Here are some preliminary steps in writing a summary:
a. Skim the text,, noting in your mind the subheadings.. If there are no subheadings, try
to divide the text into sections
sections. Consider why you have been assigned the text.text
Try to determine what type of text you are dealing with. This can help you identify
important information..
b. Read the text, highlighting important information and taking notes.
c. In your own words,, write down the main points of each section.
d. Write down the key support points for the main topic, but do not include minor
detail.
e. Go through the process again, making changes as appropriate.
For example:

Year: 2021
5A-2 RESTRICTED

RESTRICTED 5A-3
2. Writing the Summary.. When writing the su

summary, there are three main requirements:
a. The summary should cover the original as a whole.

whole
b. The material should be presented in a neutral fashion

fashion.
c. The summary should be a condensed version of the material, presented in your

own words. Also, do o not include anything that does not appear in the original and be
sure to identify your source.
For example:

Year: 2021
5A-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 5
EXAMPLE OF A PRÉCIS
1. Preparing to Write.. Remember

Remember, a précis is not an outline, but a summary or digest
digest, useful
as an exercise in grasping the essential ideas of an already completed composition and in stating
these ideas in concentrated form.
For example:

Year: 2021
5B-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A SUBMISSION
1. The layout of a submission is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5C-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Memorandum Number. A memorandum need not be numbered. A number only applies if a

series of numbers already exists. Such a number includes the abbreviation of the originator's unit,
directorate, etc, an oblique stroke (solidus) followed by a serial number, eg CHR/786.
2. Copy Numbers. Copy numbers are used only for secret and top secret documents.
3. File Reference. Standard file reference conventions apply.
4. Date. The date is written in by the originator.
5. Enquiries. The name of the originator must be provided for possible enquiries.
6. ‘From’. The official title of the final recommending authority must be typed in the open space
provided.
7. ‘To’. The official title of the approving authority must be typed in the open space provided.
8. Subject. Commence the subject title with ‘SUBMISSION ON ...’
9. Supplementary Documents. List all references, appendices and enclosures below the subject
heading.
10. Aim. Ensure that only the aim of the submission (and not the results of the decision) is
stated.
11. Summary. When a submission exceeds five pages, give a brief account of the
recommendations that must be approved.
12. Introduction and Situation. Motivate your submission under this heading.
13. Discussion. Convey the entire scope of the submission, including the advantages and
disadvantages, time scales and possible extensions, price escalation and references to previous
investigations or projects.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5C-3
(2 lines open)
MEMORANDUM (NO) ............... (1)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
File Reference (3)
(1 line open)
Telephone: ...................................... .......................... 20 ......... (4)
Extension: ......................................
Facsimile: ......................................
Enquiries: ...................................... (5)
(2 lines open)
From: ........................................................... (6)
(1 line open)
To: ................................................ (7)
(2 lines open)
SUBMISSION ON ...................................................................................................... (8)
(1 line open)
Appendix A: .................................................................................. (9)
(1 line open)
AIM (10)
(1 line open)
1. The aim of this submission is to obtain a decision ...........................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
SUMMARY (11)
(1 line open)
2. ...........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
INTRODUCTION AND SITUATION (12)
(1 line open)
3. ..........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
DISCUSSION (13)
(1 line open)
4. ...........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................
(1 line open)
a. ......................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. ......................................................................................................
(1 line open)
c. ......................................................................................................
(1 line open)
d. ......................................................................................................
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
5C-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
15. Financial Implications. Give detailed financial implications.
16. Personnel Implications. Give the human resources implications, such as the expansion or
curtailment of establishments, and whether posts are available.
17. Communication Implications. Indicate whether
a. the media and communication implications of the proposed action have been
considered; and
b. a media and communication plan of action has been drawn up.
18. Additional Implications. Additional implications include any other possible aspects, such as
intelligence or security and logistics, under appropriate headings.
19. Other Authorities Involved. If appropriate, give the details of other departments, services,
divisions, units or individuals involved. Indicate the extent of their involvement and whether they
have already been consulted.
20. Recommendation Block. The originator must formulate his or her recommendation in terms
of the aim. The recommending authority will then add his or her comments, sign and date the
document.
21. Approval Block. The approving authority will write down his or her decision(s) and comments
and give the date of the decision.
22. Distribution. The originator may add a distribution block when required.
NOTE: The recommendation and approval blocks may be adapted. Additional recommendation
blocks may be added when more than one authority must endorse such a recommendation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5C-5
(2 lines open)
SUBMISSION ON ...................................................................................................... (14)
(1 line open)
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS (15)
(1 line open)
5. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS (16)
(1 line open)
6. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
COMMUNICATION IMPLICATIONS (17)
(1 line open)
7. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
ADDITIONAL IMPLICATIONS (18)
(1 line open)
8. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
OTHER AUTHORITIES INVOLVED (19)
(1 line open)
9. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
RECOMMENDATION(S) (20)
(1 line open)
10. It is recommended that you approve ................................................................
..............................................................................................................
(4 to 6 lines open)
(INITIALS AND SURNAME)

APPOINTMENT: RANK/LEVEL
(1 line open)
DECISION
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
COMMENTS (21)
(4 to 6 lines open)

(1 line open)
Date: ...................................
(1 line open)
DISTR (22)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
5C-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A WRITTEN AND VERBAL BRIEF
Annexure 1: Layout of a Written Brief

2: Layout of a Verbal Decision Brief
1. The layout of a written brief and a verbal decision brief is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5D-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5D1-1
ANNEXURE 1
TO APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A WRITTEN BRIEF
1. The layout of a written brief is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5D1-2 RESTRICTED
(2 lines open)
Copy no ___ of ___ copies
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
Telephone: ................................... Originator’s Address
Extension/SSN: ................................... ...................................
Facsimile: ................................... ...................................
Enquiries: ................................... ...................................
Postal Code
.......................... 20 .........
(2 lines open)
BRIEF FOR ............................................................ ON ..................................................
(1 line open)
AIM
(1 line open)
1. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
INTRODUCTION
(1 line open)
2. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
DECISIONS REQUIRED
(1 line open)
3. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
(1 line open)
4. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION
(1 line open)
5. ..........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
DECISIONS REQUIRED
(1 line open)
6. ..........................................................................................................................
(4 to 6 lines open)
(1 line open)
DECISIONS
(4 to 6 lines open)

(1 line open)
Date: ...................................
(1 line open)
DISTR
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5D2-1
ANNEXURE 2
TO APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A VERBAL DECISION BRIEF
1. Slide 1. Use a subject heading that includes the words “Decision Brief” followed by the title of
the presentation, the details of the presenter and the date of the presentation.
2. Slide 2. Give a description of the decision required.
3. Slide 3. Give the scope points to be discussed in order to achieve the decision.
4. Slide 4. Give a short background on what led to the requirement under the heading
“Background”.
5. Slide 5. Give a short summary of any consultations, with whom, who the role players were,
etc.
6. Slide 6. Give an executive summary of the options, including what arguments were used to
reach the decision or options. Ensure that all critical details are included. Explain each option on
individual slides, which will include the pros and cons of that specific option.
7. Follow-up Slides
a. Pick a desired option and explain it in a “to be” state.
b. Explain the implications should the option be adopted.
8. Last Slide. State the decision required (same as the original decision required slide).

Year: 2021
5D2-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
DECISION BRIEF:
TITLE OF THE PRESENTATION
Presentation by: rank, initials and surname of presenter
Post designation of presenter
Date of presentation
RESTRICTED 1/10
RESTRICTED
DECISION REQUIRED
Give a concise (one sentence) summary of the decision required, eg:
To obtain approval for the implementation of the new coffee machines in Defence HQ building
Title of presentation
Presentation By: rank, initials and surname of presenter
RESTRICTED 2/10
RESTRICTED
SCOPE
 Background
 Consultative Process
 Options (never more than three) or Executive Summary

 Option 1
 Option 2
 Option 3
 Desired Outcome
 Implications
 Decision Required
RESTRICTED 3/10

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5D2-3
RESTRICTED
BACKGROUND
Give a short background on what led to this requirement
RESTRICTED 4/10
RESTRICTED
CONSULTATIVE PROCESS
Give a short summary of any consultations, with whom, who the role players were, etc
RESTRICTED 5/10
RESTRICTED
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 The arguments that were used to reach the decision or options
 Concise summary of critical details
 If you have various options, explain each option on separate slides, with pros and cons of each option
RESTRICTED 6/10

Year: 2021
5D2-4 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
DESIRED OUTCOME
 Pick the desired option and explain it in a “to be” state, eg
 Coffee machines in Defence HQ Building will be standardised at minimum cost, with minimum training required in
terms of maintenance and support
RESTRICTED 7/10
RESTRICTED
IMPLICATIONS (1/2)
 Address the following:
 Legal implications (state “NONE” if there are none)
 Financial implications
 Human resources implications
 Organisational implications
 Risks
RESTRICTED 8/10
RESTRICTED
IMPLICATIONS (2/2)
 Transformation
 Morale
 Efficiency of the DOD
RESTRICTED 9/10

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5D2-5
RESTRICTED
DECISION REQUIRED
Same as on your original Decision Required slide
RESTRICTED 10/10

Year: 2021
5D2-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A STAFF PAPER
1. The layout of a staff paper is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5E-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Copy Numbers. Copy numbers are only assigned to secret and top secret staff papers.
2. Title. The title encompasses the subject (topic) of the paper and must be concise and
descriptive. It is typed in capital letters in bold. It includes the words ‘STAFF PAPER ...’, the official
designation of the person for whom or the authority for which a paper is being written, eg ‘... FOR
THE COMMANDANT OF THE SA ARMY COLLEGE ...’ or ‘... FOR THE DEFENCE STAFF
COUNCIL ...’, and the subject of the paper, eg ‘... ON THE USE OF ARMOUR DURING
MILITARY OPERATIONS OTHER THAN WAR (MOOTW)’.
3. Bibliography. If used, a bibliography is included as an appendix.
4. Introduction or Background. The introduction or background serves as a setting, ie it

sketches the circumstances that necessitated the writing of a staff paper.
5. Aim. The aim must be singular and stated as briefly as possible in concrete terms that
describe the desired end result.
6. Scope. The scope delineates the range of the investigation and ensures that the reader does
not form expectations beyond the intentions of the writer. It; therefore, defines the extent (or limits)
of the paper.
7. Discussion. The discussion is the body of the staff paper and includes all relevant data,
descriptions, arguments and explanations. The term ‘Discussion’ should not be used as a main or
group heading. Headings must be appropriate descriptions of the contents of the paragraphs that
follow. Assumptions must be stated and justified at the outset, and the discussion may include
findings, deductions and conclusions.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5E-3
SECRET 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
File Reference
(1 line open)
A STAFF PAPER FOR (WHO) ON THE (SUBJECT) (TIME PERIOD) (2)
(1 line open)
Reference [one tab] A: [one tab] ………………………………………………………
B: [one tab] …………………………………………………
(1 line open)
Appendix [one tab] A: [one tab] …………………………………………………….…….
B: [one tab] Bibliography (3)
(1 line open)
INTRODUCTION (4)
(1 line open)
BACKGROUND
(1 line open)
1. ……………………………………………………………………....…………………
……………………….………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
AIM (5)
(1 line open)
2. ………………………………………………………………………....………………
(1 line open)
SCOPE (6)
(1 line open)
3. The following scope points will be discussed:
(1 line open)
a. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
c. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
d. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
DISCUSSION (7)
(1 line open)
GROUP HEADING (REPLACE GROUP HEADING WITH TOPIC OF SCOPE
POINT 1)
(1 line open)
4. ………………………………………………………………………....………………
(1 line open)
5. …………………………………………………………………....……………………
(1 line open)
6. Deductions
(1 line open)
a. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. …………………………………………
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5E-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
9. Conclusion. The conclusion consists of a summary and conclusions and, if required, may
also include recommendations. The summary provides a résumé of the key elements of the staff
paper and repeats the most important findings. The findings must be presented in the same order
as they appear in the text, and new information or arguments (ie material not used earlier) must not
be introduced here. Findings must be objective and preconceived ideas must be avoided. Present
the findings in the same order as the findings on which they are based.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5E-5
SECRET 2
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
POINT 2)
(1 line open)
7. ……………………………………………………………………....…………………
(1 line open)
8. ………………………………………………………………………....………………
(1 line open)
9. Deductions
(1 line open)
a. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. …………………………………………
(1 line open)
POINT 3)
(1 line open)
10. …………………………………………………………………………....……………
(1 line open)
11. ………………………………………………………………………....………………
(1 line open)
12. Deduction. …………………………………………………………....………………
…………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
(1 line open)
POINT 4)
(1 line open)
13. ………………………………………………………………….…...…………………
(1 line open)
14. ………………………………………………………………....………………………
(1 line open)
15. Deduction. ………………………………………………………....…………………
……………………………………………………………………………….………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
(1 line open)
CONCLUSION (9)
(1 line open)
SUMMARY
(1 line open)
16. ………………………………………………………………....………………………
………………………………………………………………………...………………………
(1 line open)
17. ……………………………………………………………………....…………………
…………………………………………………………………………...……………………
(1 line open)
CONCLUSIONS
(1 line open)
18. …………………………………………………………………....……………………
………………………………………………………………………...………………………
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5E-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
11. Recommendations. When made, recommendations should be concise and supported by the
findings emanating from the research.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5E-7
SECRET 3
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
19. ………………………………………………………………………....………………
…………………………………………………………………………………...……………
(1 line open)
20. …………………………………………………………………………....……………
………………………………………………………………………………...………………
(1 line open)
RECOMMENDATIONS (11)
(1 line open)
21. ……………………………………………………………………………....…………
………………………………………………………………………………...………………
(1 line open)
22. …………………………………………………………………………....……………
…………………………………………………………………………………...……………
(1 line open)
23. ……………………………………………………………………………....…………
…………………………………………………………………………………...……………
(4 to 6 lines open)

APPOINTMENT AND UNIT: RANK/LEVEL
(1 line open)
Date: ………………………….
(1 line open)
RCS/RCS
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5E-8 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5F-1
APPENDIX F
TO CHAPTER 5
STATEMENT PRO FORMA
1. The pro forma for a written statement or application by a warrant officer, non-commissioned
officer, private, seaman or airman is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5F-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
STATEMENT
(1 line open)
AFBC/R/5849/2/1
(1 line open)
The Officer Commanding October 2019
Air Force Base Concorde
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR ACCOMMODATION OVER PERIOD 16 TO

23 OCTOBER 2019
(1 line open)
1. I respectfully request that I be allocated accommodation over the period 16 to 23
October 2019 during the planned celebrations, because I am a living-out member who
stays in a flat in Atteridgeville.
(1 line open)
2. I travel 35 km from home to work and back on a daily basis. Owing to the
distance I need to travel on a daily basis, it will take time out of my availability for the
preparation of the formal guest evening and reunion.
(1 line open)
3. Your consideration in this regard would be highly appreciated.
(4 to 6 lines open)
_____________________
Signature of Member
(2 lines open)
________________ __________ ______________________________

Force No Rank Initials and Surname (PRINT)
(1 line open)
DECISIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
(4 to 6 lines open)
___________________________ ________________
Officer/NCO in Charge Date
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5F-3
RESTRICTED 2
(2 lines open)
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR ACCOMMODATION OVER PERIOD 16 TO
23 OCTOBER 2019
(1 line open)
DECISIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
(4 to 6 lines open)
___________________________ ________________
Officer Commanding Date
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
5F-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5G-1
APPENDIX G
TO CHAPTER 5
AFFIDAVIT/SOLEMN STATEMENT PRO FORMA
1. The pro forma for an affidavit/solemn statement is provided in the following pages.
2. Affidavits and solemn statements (should a deponent object to taking the prescribed oath)
must comply with the prescribed legal requirements. The wording and layout in the example on the
following page should be followed.

Year: 2021
5G-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
AFFIDAVIT
1. This statement must be sworn to, as set out on the opposite page.
2. The statement should be set out logically and concisely.
3. The commissioner of oaths puts the applicable questions to the deponent, to which this
declaration constitutes the replies.
4. After an affidavit has been sworn to or a solemn statement has been affirmed, the deponent
signs the declaration in the presence of a commissioner of oaths.
5. Delete whichever is not applicable.
6. Commissioners of oaths who are not appointed ex officio must indicate (in this space) the
area in respect of which they are appointed.
SOLEMN STATEMENT
7. A solemn statement must be used if a deponent indicates, in reply to the question of the
commissioner of oaths, that he or she has objections to taking the prescribed oath, in which case
the statement is amended according to the following prescripts:
a. Heading. Substitute ‘AFFIDAVIT’ with ‘SOLEMN STATEMENT’.
b. Paragraph 2.b. Replace paragraph 2.b with ‘I have objections to taking the
prescribed oath and/or do not consider the oath to be binding on my conscience’.
c. Paragraph 2.c. Omit paragraph 2.c.
d. Paragraph 3. Substitute ‘affirmation’ for ‘oath’.
e. Paragraph 4. Substitute ‘affirmed’ for ‘sworn’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5G-3
CONFIDENTIAL 1
(2 lines open)
AFFIDAVIT (1)
(1 line open)
1. I, No ................................. Rank ............... Name ........................................, (2)
declare as follows:
(1 line open)
a. ................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. ................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
c. ................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
2. In reply to the questions put by the Commissioner of Oaths I also declare that (3)
(1 line open)
a. I know and understand the contents of the above declaration;
(1 line open)
b. I have no objection to taking the prescribed oath; and
(1 line open)
c. I consider the prescribed oath as binding on my conscience.
(1 line open)
3. Thus declared and signed by me after pronouncing the prescribed oath on
the .............. day of ......................................... 20 ........ at .........................................
(4 to 6 lines open)
______________________________ (4)
SIGNATURE OF DEPONENT
(1 line open)
4. I certify that the deponent has acknowledged before me that he/she knows (5)
and understands the contents of this declaration. Thus acknowledged, sworn and
signed before me on the .............. day of ......................................... 20 ........ at
.........................................
(4 to 6 lines open)
___________________________________
EX OFFICIO COMMISSIONER OF OATHS (6)
(1 line open)
Full name of Commissioner of __________________________________
Oaths in his/her own printed
Handwriting
(1 line open)
Business address of Commissioner of __________________________________ (6)
Oaths in his/her own printed
Handwriting
(1 line open)
Rank and Service of Commissioner of __________________________________
Oaths appointed ex officio
(2 lines open)
CONFIDENTIAL

Year: 2021
5G-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5H-1
APPENDIX H
TO CHAPTER 5
CITATION PRO FORMA
1. The pro forma for a citation is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5H-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
3. Force Number. The ten digits of the candidate’s force number must be correct to prevent
wrong identification of recipients. If the member had other force numbers during a long-service
period, these must be reflected in the service record.
4. Name. The member’s full names must be followed by the surname. Owing to the fact that
some persons also have surnames for first names, the surname must be underlined on the first
page of the citation.
5. Post-nominal Letters. Should the member have post-nominal letters, add them after the
surname (according to seniority) where the surname is entered for the first time.
6. FSE/Unit. The present or last unit/force structure element on whose strength the member
served must be indicated.
7. Corps. For members of the SA Army, the corps must be indicated. In the case of members
serving in the SA Air Force, SA Navy and SA Military Health Service, the service must be indicated
accordingly.
8. Force in Which Served. The exact force, eg SAAF Regular Force, SA Army Regular Force,
APLA, MK, SAN Reserve Force, SAMHS Reserve Force, SA Police, etc with corresponding
service periods and force numbers must be clearly stated and not be a résumé of all the previous
units/FSEs in which a member served.
9. Language. The final citation submitted to the committee at C SANDF level must be in
English. Mention must be made of the member’s official home language because a confirming
certificate could be issued in the official language of the recipient. Note that certificates are
currently only available in English or Afrikaans.
10. Introduction. Give a short résumé of the period of service, prominent posts filled and present
posting without giving a lengthy service record.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5H-3
CONFIDENTIAL 1 (1)
(2 lines open) (2)
CITATION
(1 line open)
Force Number: ................................. Rank: ...................... Full names, surname and (3)(4)
(1 line open)
military post-nominal letters: ....................................................................................... (5)
(1 line open)
FSE/Unit: .................. Corps: .............................. Force in which served: ................. (6)(7)
(1 line open) (8)
Official Language: ............................................. (9)
(1 line open)
Award recommended: The general rule is that members are awarded merit medals
in lower classes before being awarded medals in the higher classes. Merit awards
may be one of the following: CHIEF OF THE SA ARMY COMMENDATION
CERTIFICATE, CHIEF OF THE SANDF COMMENDATION CERTIFICATE,
MILITARY MERIT MEDAL (actions before 27 April 2003) or IPHROTHIYA
YEBHRONZI (actions after 27 April 2003), SOUTHERN CROSS MEDAL (actions
before 27 April 2003) or IPHROTHIYA YESILIVA (actions after 27 April 2003),
SOUTHERN CROSS DECORATION (actions before 27 April 2003) or
IPHROTHIYA YEGOLIDE (actions after 27 April 2003). A bar may be
recommended for a successive similar achievement.
(1 line open)
Deeds and actions for which commended:
(1 line open)
1. Lieutenant Colonel Bean The content: Start with a short introduction of the (10)
member reflecting a short résumé of the period of service, prominent posts filled
and present posting without giving a lengthy service record. Begin by providing the
rank or title and full names of aspirant recipient, thereafter only the rank or title and
surname.
(1 line open)
2. Full incidentation must be supplied to form a holistic picture of the member’s
contribution and achievement. The awards committee must be convinced that the
member’s deeds or service contribution conform to the requirements called for by
the warrants.
(1 line open)
3. The member’s qualitative contributions and the results of his/her actions
must be clearly stated and should be compatible with the requirements of an
appropriate award. These contributions must also be parallel to merit
assessments. For any merit award a person must have rendered service signifying
diligence and high productivity. There is a difference between continuous tenacity
and calculated actions, and deeds in despair with short-term results. Long service
alone does not automatically warrant a medal. Therefore, long-service medals
have their own precedence. The member’s contributions must be measurable
against that of his peers or other people in the same circumstances.
(1 line open)
4. The leader is normally responsible for the achievements of a group, but the
individual, be it the leader or a subordinate responsible for an achievement, should
be the recipient of an award. Merit assessments, honours awards already received
as well as bonuses received must not be mentioned in citations. Domestic
problems of members are also not mentioned in citations. The following must be
included or considered when writing a citation:
(1 line open)
a. Who did what? (Name of member and details of incident).
(2 lines open)
CONFIDENTIAL

Year: 2021
5H-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
11. Conclusion. This is a concise summary of the criteria coupled to the member's achievement
and it certifies that the member should be a worthy recipient of the proposed award and contains
key words of the requirements as summed up in Appendix A.
12. Choice of an Award. The general rule is that members are awarded merit medals in the lower
classes before being awarded medals in the higher classes. Higher awards are also normally
coupled to higher ranks. This rule does not apply to bravery awards. lf the recipient is deceased,
the word “posthumous” must be added after the proposed award (Appendix B).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5H-5
CONFIDENTIAL 2
(2 lines open)
CITATION
(1 line open)
Force Number: ................................. Rank: ...................... Full names, surname and
(1 line open)
military post-nominal letters: .......................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. When and where? (Specific date and place.)
(1 line open)
c. How? (With what means/resources?)
(1 line open)
d. Quantity. (How long, how much or how many times, etc?)
(1 line open)
e. Quality of incident. (Standard of product/incident.)
(1 line open)
f. What was the result and how did the organisation benefit from it?
(1 line open)
g. Differentiate between normal and other than normal duties.
(1 line open)
h. Explain the member’s conduct, loyalty and general attitude.
(1 line open)
i. Expand on the use of creativity or initiative by the member.
(1 line open)
j. Make use of examples (ie do not simply say the member is
unselfish, expand by giving examples).
(1 line open)
k. Avoid essay style of writing.
(1 line open)
l. Make sure that the recommendation and the content of the citation
correlate.
(1 line open)
m. Do not rewrite the member’s duty sheet or CV.
(1 line open)
n. The value of a citation is measured by the quality/quantity of incidents
and not the length of the citation.
(1 line open)
Lieutenant Colonel Bean ............................................................................................ (11)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................ These qualities will make (12)
Lieutenant Colonel Bean a worthy recipient of the IPHROTHIYA YEBHRONZI.
(2 lines open)
CONFIDENTIAL

Year: 2021
5H-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
13. Recommendation. Recommendations are made by the following authorities:
a. Unit/FSE Commander/Officer in Charge/APLA/MK Personnel Officer
b. Formation Commander.
c. Chief of Service/Division (eg SA Army/SA Air Force/SA Navy/SA Military Health

Service/Chaplain General/Chief of Defence Intelligence/Chief of Corporate
Staff/APLA/MK Chief of Staff)
14. Signature. Signatures do not form part of the actual citations but appear on subsequent
pages. The heading of these pages must identify the cited persons. All citations originate from a
unit or directorate and the signature of the force structure element officer in charge or director is
the first signature on the citation. Citations are submitted according to the laid down procedure.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5H-7
CONFIDENTIAL 3
(2 lines open)
CITATION
(1 line open)
Force Number: ................................. Rank: ...................... Full names, surname and
(1 line open)
military post-nominal letters: .......................................................................................
(1 line open)
Initial recommendation: ............................................................................................ (13)
(1 line open)
Date: ........... Unit/FSE Commander/Officer in Charge/APLA/MK Personnel Officer:
(1 line open)
................................................................................................................. (Level 4)
(1 line open)
Name and rank in block letters: ................................................................................
(1 line open)
Designation: .......................................................
(1 line open)
2. Recommendation by Formation Cdr: ............................................. (Level 3)
(1 line open)
....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
Date: ................................................ Signature: ........................................... (14)
(1 line open)
Name and rank in block letters: ..................................................................................
(1 line open)
Designation: .......................................................
(1 line open)
3. Recommendation by Chief of Service/Division (eg SA Army/SA Air Force/SA
Navy/SA Military Health Service/Chaplain General/Chief of Defence
Intelligence/Chief of Corporate Staff/APLA/MK Chief of Staff):
(1 line open)
................................................................................................................. (Level 2)
(1 line open)
Date: ................................................ Signature: ...........................................
(1 line open)
Name and rank in block letters: ..................................................................................
(1 line open)
Designation: .......................................................
(2 lines open)
CONFIDENTIAL

Year: 2021
5H-8 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5I-1
APPENDIX I
TO CHAPTER 5
CONVENING ORDER FOR A BOARD OF INQUIRY PRO FORMA
1. The pro forma for a convening order for a board of inquiry is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5I-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED/CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET 1
(2 lines open)
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE
CONVENING ORDER (BOARD OF INQUIRY)
(1 line open)
CONVENING ORDER NO ........................
(1 line open)
BY
(1 line open)
Post Designation of Convening Authority (Name of Base/Unit/Formation when
required) (Rank, initials and surname of Convening Authority)
(1 line open)
Telephone: ................................... Address block
Enquiries: ................................... ........................................
........................................
........................................
..................... 20 ...
(2 lines open)
1. The persons indicated below are hereby ordered to convene a board of inquiry
at a time and place which will be determined by the president to investigate and report
on
(1 line open)
a. ....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. ....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
c. ....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
PRESIDENT
(1 line open)
(Rank, initials and surname of the appointed president)
(1 line open)
MEMBER/MEMBERS
(1 line open)
(Rank, initials and surname of the appointed member/members)
(1 line open)
SECRETARY
(1 line open)
(Rank, initials and surname of the appointed secretary)
(1 line open)
2. The president and the members shall, before the investigation commences,
ensure that they are familiar with the stipulations of section 135-140 Military
Disciplinary Code (MDC), Chapter 16 of the Defence Act, 2002 (read together with
Chapters 14 to 16 of the Military Disciplinary Supplementary Measures Act (MDSMA)
Rules). The president and members shall ensure that they are familiar with the
stipulations of section 102(6)(b) and 102(8) of the Defence Act, 2002, read together
with Rule 79(14)+(16) MDSMA, and that they consistently apply them.
(1 line open)
3. The aim of the board is to determine the following:
(1 line open)
a. The circumstances that caused the specific consequence.
(1 line open)
b. The responsible party.
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED/CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5I-3
(2 lines open)
c. The consequences that it may have for the SANDF.
(1 line open)
d. The steps necessary to prevent a repetition and/or alleviate the
consequences.
(1 line open)
e. Corrective measures, including disciplinary steps to be taken.
(1 line open)
f. Any related matters which may be brought to the board’s attention
during the investigation.
(1 line open)
4. The following must be stated in full:
(1 line open)
a. Full particulars of the events, including place, time and date.
(1 line open)
b. Whether the events can be ascribed to intent, negligence, irregularity,
lack of discipline or neglect to obey orders and instructions.
(1 line open)
c. The extent of any loss or damage (if applicable).
(1 line open)
d. Whether there was any loss, damage (including damage to the name
of the SANDF), death or injury of an SANDF member and whether it
happened while on duty or in the execution of official duties (if
applicable).
(1 line open)
e. Credibility of evidence.
(1 line open)
5. The board must reach conclusions and make recommendations in respect of
pars 3 and 4.
(1 line open)
6. The original as well as ............. copies of the minutes must be handed in at
............................................. before or on ........................................ and, if this is not
possible, the convening authority must be informed by the president in writing.
(1 line open)
7. The original as well as the copies of the minutes of the proceedings must be
properly bound in suitable covers. Copies must be typed where practically possible.
The contents must be numbered consecutively and be arranged in the following order,
ie from front to back:
(1 line open)
a. Cover page.
(1 line open)
b. Index.
(1 line open)
c. Convening Order.
(1 line open)
d. Minuted evidence of the witnesses in order of appearance, eg first
witness, second witness, etc.
(1 line open)
e. Appendices, annexures, pieces of evidence, etc.
(1 line open)
f. Summary of events.
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
5I-4 RESTRICTED
(2 lines open)
g. Findings and Recommendations of the Board. The findings and
recommendations of the board must always be the last part of the
contents and must be properly indicated for easy reference.
8. The president and the member/s may under no circumstances make any
statements that will compromise the SANDF. In particular, the president and the
member/s must not discuss possible or actual findings of the board with members of
the public, or reveal anything to them. Under no circumstances may copies of the
minutes of the board of inquiry be made available to members of the public.
(1 line open)
Signed at ...................................... on the ........... day of ...................................... 20.....
(4 to 6 lines open)
..............................................
(Signature of authority who convened the board of inquiry)
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
President (1)
(1 line open)
Member/members (.........)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5J-1
APPENDIX J
TO CHAPTER 5
LEGAL TERMINOLOGY
1. Staff officers drafting documents are often required to refer to acts of Parliament and court
cases and, in some instances, to use Latin words in a legal context. To ensure uniformity, it is
necessary to standardise the use of legal citations and Latin words in the DOD.
2. Reference to an Act of Parliament. An act of Parliament is a law aimed at regulating a

particular field of law, industry, human rights, etc. Before an act can be published, it has to be
approved by Parliament and signed by the President. The act is published in the Government
Gazette, obtainable from the Government Printer. Acts must be referred to in the following manner:
a. Constitution. The correct way to refer to the Constitution is ‘Constitution of the Republic
of South Africa, 1996’. Act 108 of 1996 must not be used, since the Constitution is the
supreme law that has a higher status than other acts passed by Parliament.
b. Other National Acts. In this regard, the conventions applied are those prescribed by the
Office of the Chief State Law Adviser.
i. Public Service Act, 1994 (Proclamation 103 of 1994). Note that the word ‘No’ is
not added after the word ‘Proclamation’. Furthermore, the words ‘as amended’
are not used after the reference.
ii. Defence Act, 2002 (Act 42 of 2002). Note that the word ‘No’ is not added after
the word ‘Act’.
iii. When a specific provision is referred to, the word ‘section’ and the number must
be used, ie ‘Section 4 of Act…’ if it appears at the beginning of the sentence. If it
appears elsewhere in the sentence, it must read ‘section 4…’.
iv. The word ‘act’ must start with a capital letter when followed by a number, ie ‘Act
42 of 2002’.
3. Regulations (Subordinate Legislation). Regulations are subordinate legislation promulgated

to regulate in greater detail matters provided for by original legislation. When necessary to refer to
regulations, they must be cited in this fashion, eg:
a. Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Substances (GN R1179 in GG 16596 of

25 August 1995).
b. If the reference to the enabling act is required, eg Regulations for Hazardous Chemical
Substances (GN R1179 in GG 16596 of 25 August 1995) promulgated in terms of the
Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1985 (Act 85 of 1993).
c. When a specific part of the regulations is referred to, the word ‘Section’ or ‘Article’ must
not be used, but the word ‘Regulation’, or abbreviated as ‘R’, followed by the number of
the regulation, ie ‘R24’.

Year: 2021
5J-2 RESTRICTED
4. Reference to Court Cases. If court cases (reported or unreported) are referred to, the full
citation must be given, for example:
a. Jooste v Score Supermarkets Trading (Pty) Ltd (Minister of Labour Intervening) 1999
(2) SA 1 (CC). This is an example of civil proceedings between two civil parties.
b. S v Mokoka 1993 (1) SACR 160 (T). This is an example of criminal proceedings
between the State and a person.
c. Ex parte Ramokoka 2002 (2) SA 16 (E). This refers to civil proceedings when there is
no fundamental difference between parties as far as the facts of the matter are
concerned. An ex parte decision is one decided by a judge without requiring all of the
parties to the controversy to be present.
5. Abbreviations. Some of the most common abbreviations used to indicate specific courts are:
a. CC: Constitutional Court (Johannesburg).
b. SCA: Supreme Court of Appeal (Bloemfontein).
c. C: Cape Provincial Division (Cape Town)
6. Latin Words. When Latin words are used in a legal context, they must be set in italics. The
most commonly used Latin words are:
ab initio from the beginning
ad hoc for specific occasion; for present purpose
ad litem for the suit; a party appointed by a court to act in a

lawsuit on behalf of another party
amicus curae friend of the court
animus intention
audi alteram partem hear the other side
bona fide/s good faith
boni mores good morals
contra against
contra bonos mores against good morals
culpa fault; neglect; negligent
cum laude with praise
cur adv vult (curia advisari vult) the court wishes to consider its verdict; reserves its
judgement

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5J-3
curator ad litem person appointed by the court to assist another in

litigation
de facto concerning fact; as a matter of fact; in practice but

not necessarily ordained by law; in practice
de iure/de jure by right; concerning; in principle
de minimus non curat lex the law does not concern itself with trifles
de novo afresh; anew; beginning again
erratum error; mistake
ex officio by right of office
ex parte by a party
ex lege by force (operation) of law; as a matter of law;

according to the law
factum an act; a deed
force majeure unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone

from fulfilling a contract
id est namely; it is
in camera behind closed doors; in chambers; in private; a court

is not open to the general public
in casu in the present matter
infra below
inter alia amongst others
interim meantime
intra within
intra vires within the powers
in re in the matter concerning
locus standi right to be heard
mala fide in bad faith
mutatis mutandis with the necessary amendments, changes

opinionnio juris/opinionnio iuris an opinion of law
per se in/by themselves

Year: 2021
5J-4 RESTRICTED
prima facie first sight; prima facie evidence would be considered

enough to prove a case
pro bono for the public good
pro forma as per form
pro rata proportionally
quasi as if
ratio decidenti the reasons; the rationale for decision
ratio scripta written reason
re about
status quo the existing state of affairs
sub judice the matter or case is under consideration
subpoena a written command/order to testify before a court or

be punished
sui generis peculiar to itself; distinctive
supra beyond; over; above; before; formerly
ultra vires beyond the powers
verbatim in exactly the same words; word for word
vide view
viva voce verbally, eg verbal evidence

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5K-1
APPENDIX K
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A CABINET MEMORANDUM
1. The layout of a cabinet memorandum is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
5K-2 RESTRICTED
SECRET
(2 lines open)
(NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE RELEVANT MINISTRY)

(1 line open)
NOTE THAT THE CLASSIFICATION OF “SECRET” APPLIES TO THE
MEMORANDUM TO BE DRAFTED. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE TEMPLATE
IS “SECRET”
(1 line open)
CABINET MEMORANDUM NO :.......... of 2015 (No handwritten numbering and dates)
(1 line open)
DATE : ...............2015
(1 line open)
FILE NUMBER : (There must always be a file number)
(1 line open)
1. SUBJECT
(1 line open)
(The subject of a cabinet memorandum is the title under which the matter will
be dealt with on the agenda and in the minutes of the cabinet and of a
committee. A brief description of the theme is required. Shorter is better. Do not
use undefined acronyms here or anywhere in the document. Also,
remember: If there is only one paragraph under any heading, you do not have
to number it – it will mess up the styles.)
(1 line open)
2. PURPOSE
(1 line open)
2.1 The purpose of the memorandum should be explained briefly. Examples are:
(1 line open)
"To obtain approval for ..."; and
(1 line open)
"To inform the Cabinet of ... “.
(1 line open)
2.2 Never use any bullet points in a document submitted to the Cabinet. This also
applies to annexures.
(1 line open)
(a) the appointment of members of boards/committees;
(1 line open)
(b) submissions to the Ministers’ Committee on the Budget
(MINCOMBUD);
Copy 7 of 134 copies
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5K-3
SECRET
2
(2 lines open)
(c) the implementation of large-scale projects;
(1 line open)
(d) the hosting of international conferences/conventions/events; and
(1 line open)
(e) the submission of bills to Parliament.
(1 line open)
3. SUMMARY
(1 line open)
3.1 The summary should contain the essence of the motivation in the
memorandum and should not be longer than half a typed page. The summary
cannot be longer than the discussion. All Cabinet memoranda should contain
the above-mentioned summary.
(1 line open)
3.2 A list of annexures referred to in the memorandum should be incorporated
where applicable.
(1 line open)
3.3 Not more than a half page.
(1 line open)
4. STRATEGIC FOCUS OF THE MEMORANDUM
(1 line open)
4.1 The President annually, in his State of the Nation Address in Parliament,
announces the government’s priorities and progress with the implementation
of existing priorities. This, in the main, forms the basis for the Government’s
Programme of Action;
(1 line open)
4.2 In addition to the above, Parliament also adopted the National Planning
Commission’s National Development Plan (NDP) on 15 August 2011. The
Cabinet subsequently, amongst others, endorsed the objectives and targets of
the NDP and acknowledged the NDP as a strategic framework to form the
basis for future detailed Government planning;
(1 line open)
4.3 The strategic focus of a memorandum should, therefore, always take into
consideration the Government’s Programme of Action (POA), priorities of
Government and the 18 key targets of the NDP and should strive to indicate the
extent of alignment with the above-mentioned priorities and programmes.
(1 line open)
4.4 Elaborate on whether the memorandum can be directly or indirectly linked to
priorities/targets and, if not, what the general strategic focus is. Note that the
memorandum will be returned if the paragraph is deleted or not responded to.
(1 line open)
5. DISCUSSION
(1 line open)
5.1 In the discussion one must keep in mind that only 7 pages are allowed for the
whole memorandum.
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5K-4 RESTRICTED
SECRET
3
(2 lines open)
5.1.1 Use the format listed below in paragraph 5.1.2 if you wish to use
subparagraphs. If not, stick to the numbering format above.
(1 line open)
5.1.2 ..............................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
(a) (See comment above)
(1 line open)
(b) .............................................................................................................
(1 line open)
(i) (See comment above)
(1 line open)
(ii) ...................................................................................................
(1 line open)
5.2 If a memorandum deals with a bill, policy or regulation, the following is required
(1 line open)
(a) The Socio-economic Impact Assessment (SEIAS) Final Report should
be attached to the memorandum.
(1 line open)
(b) Where a bill, policy or regulation requires a SEIAS report to be submitted
to Cabinet and its Committees for consideration, the SEIAS report should
also be attached to the Cabinet memorandum. The headings should then
be replaced by the following:
(1 line open)
(i) Summary of the main findings of the SEIAS and recommendations.
(1 line open)
(ii) Explain in a paragraph or two the main findings of the SEIAS and
recommendations. Merely list the options considered and do not
discuss them. Specify the option recommended and why. The
discussion must then be based on the preferred option, the reasons
the department is proposing this to Cabinet and the risk if Cabinet
does not accept the proposal from the department. It should also
highlight key benefits of the preferred option and potential risks
associated with it, describing the likelihood of them occurring and
their effect if they were to occur.
(1 line open)
(iii) Ensure that the summary does not introduce any new thoughts that
have not been explained elsewhere in the document;
(1 line open)
(c) The above-mentioned paragraphs should read as follows:
(1 line open)
(i) “The Department of xxx is responsible for ensuring xxx. Over
the past xxx years, this area has been regulated according to
xxx Act (or has not been regulated). A policy review by the
Department has highlighted the following risks... The
Department considered a number of options to address the
problem, namely either doing nothing, or Options 1 or 2.
A SEIAS was conducted which indicated….
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5K-5
SECRET
4
(2 lines open)
(ii) Having weighed all the options, the Department believes that
Option .................. is the best option for the following
reasons… (if the preference of the Department varies from the
recommendation of the SEIAS Report, further elaboration is
required). The attached draft bill is based on the preferred
option from the Department.”
(1 line open)
(d) Costs associated with the preferred option should be reflected under
the “Financial Implications” heading in paragraph 8 of this template.
(1 line open)
(e) The detailed examination of the findings, recommendations and the
analysis of other options (benefits, risks, costs, including implementation
and compliance) evaluated.
(1 line open)
6. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
(1 line open)
An implementation plan relating to the subject matter should be reflected and
costed where applicable.
(1 line open)
7. ORGANISATIONAL AND PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS
(1 line open)
(a) Should the proposed Cabinet decision imply that –
(1 line open)
(i) a department undertakes new functions;
(1 line open)
(ii) existing allocated functions are reassigned to another department,
institution or body;
(1 line open)
(iii) a new institution or body which is not a department comes into
being or
(1 line open)
(iv) improvements in the service conditions of any group of civil
service personnel are introduced;
(1 line open)
(b) it should be indicated whether the Public Service Commission was
consulted and what its view on the matter is; and
(1 line open)
(c) details of the nett increase/decrease in personnel numbers should be
furnished if the proposed Cabinet decision implies a nett
increase/decrease in personnel numbers, with an indication of the
categories, such as "Management Echelon", "Other Schooled
Personnel" and "Genera Assistants").
(1 line open)
8. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
(1 line open)
(a) This section holds the record for the highest number of memoranda
referred back for clarification or finalisation. Under this heading, the
following should be indicated:
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5K-6 RESTRICTED
SECRET
5
(2 lines open)
8. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
(1 line open)
(a) This section holds the record for the highest number of memoranda
referred back for clarification or finalisation. Under this heading, the
following should be indicated:
(1 line open)
(i) The effect that the revenue and expenditure flowing from the
recommendations will have on the State in the current
financial year;
(1 line open)
(ii) Costs carried forward to the next financial year; and
(1 line open)
(iii) Proposed funding of the expenditure in (a) and (b) above; and
(1 line open)
(iv) Indication must be given whether the necessary funding has been
budgeted for by the respective Department.
(1 line open)
(b) The correct procedures in regard to approaching the Minister’s
Committee on the Budget (MINCOMBUD) for additional funding in respect
of unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditure.
(1 line open)
9. COMMUNICATION IMPLICATIONS
(1 line open)
Here it should be indicated if the -
(1 line open)
(a) communication/media-implications of the matter were considered;
(1 line open)
(b) implications require a communication/media plan; and
(1 line open)
(c) Government Communication and Information System has been or should
be consulted with regard to the communication implications.
(1 line open)
10. CONSTITUTIONAL IMPLICATIONS
(1 line open)
When submitting certain recommendations for consideration, a Department
should specifically consider whether the recommendations are consistent with
the Constitution. Depending on the nature of the recommendations, the
opinion expressed may vary from a general opinion to that of a formal legal
opinion(s). The legal opinion(s) must be annexed to the memorandum for the
benefit of Members of the Cabinet who would study the legal opinion(s).
(1 line open)
11. IMPLICATIONS FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS
(1 line open)
Ensure that consideration is drawn to the implications of the substance of
memoranda to the rights of women, children or disabled people.
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5K-7
SECRET
6
(2 lines open)
12. SECURITY IMPLICATIONS
(1 line open)
Consideration should be given to possible security implications for the State.
(1 line open)
13. RESPONSES AND COMMENTS FROM DEPARTMENTS AND PARTIES
CONSULTED AND CONSIDERATION BY THE RELEVANT DIRECTORS
GENERAL CLUSTER
(1 line open)
13.1 The Cabinet system aims to ensure proper integration and planning.
Memoranda are often referred back for consultation, or with departments or
Ministers indicating that they were not consulted. You should also append
responses if appropriate. Remember to indicate below whether the
memorandum was finalised in consultation with the relevant Directors General
Cluster and if not, why not.
(1 line open)
13.2 The memorandum was/was not finalised in consultation with the
............................. Cluster because…….. (All cross-cutting matters, policy and
legislation must go to the relevant Directors General Cluster. This paragraph
therefore lies at the heart of integrated decision making and must be
appropriately adapted and appear in all memoranda submitted to Cabinet. If
not, it will be returned).
(1 line open)
13.3 The Bill was submitted to the Office of the Chief State Law Advisor in keeping
with the Cabinet decision of 18 March 2009 and the provisional certification is
attached as Annexure both before for public comment and submission to
Parliament for quality assurance and constitutionality in the legal process. (If the
memorandum accompanies a bill this sentence must be included and adhered
to. If not, it will be referred back. If there is no bill involved, this paragraph must
be deleted).
(1 line open)
14. RECOMMENDATIONS
(1 line open)
14.1 It is recommended that Cabinet approves –
(1 line open)
(a) Here, the desired decision should be accurately stated. The wording
should correspond, as far as possible, with the wording of the Cabinet
resolution required. In instances in which a memorandum –
(1 line open)
(i) serves for information purposes, the recommendation may read: "It
is recommended that the Cabinet notes ...". However, careful
consideration should be given to which matters Cabinet should
merely be expected to “note” as Cabinet reserves the right to
express itself on any memorandum, including those submitted for
noting;
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5K-8 RESTRICTED
SECRET
7
(2 lines open)
(ii) serves to submit a matter to Parliament, care should be taken to
ensure the use of the proper formulation of the procedure to be
followed. In the instance of the submission of –
(1 line open)
(aa) a Bill, the recommendation should read as follows: “It is
recommended that the Cabinet approves the submission of
the …… Bill….. to Parliament.”; and
(1 line open)
(ab) an international convention or protocol, it should read as
follows: “It is recommended that the Cabinet approves the
submission of the ……Protocol/Convention …… to
Parliament for ratification in terms of section …… of the
relevant legislation… .”; and
(1 line open)
(b) is submitted with the view to asking the Cabinet guidance on certain
matters, the memorandum should always provide different options
with an indication of the Departments’ preferred option in the
recommendation. The Cabinet should never be invited “to discuss the
matter “or” to provide guidance/direction”;
(1 line open)
14.2 This section is scrutinised in detail by all and care must be taken in crafting the
recommendation(s). Do not use any acronym unless you have already
defined it in the recommendation(s) under par 14. Submit clear
recommendations for consideration and refrain from providing further
motivation/elaborations. Do not ask Cabinet to approve funds outside the
normal budgetary procedure. It won’t. This must be consulted with the National
Treasury); and
(1 line open)
14.3 Note that if at this stage you have gone beyond 7 pages (excluding
paragraphs 15 to 17) the Ministry should recommend to the Minister not to
approve the memorandum for distribution and that the memorandum should be
referred back. If for some reason the memorandum is longer than 7 pages or
does not adhere to the guidelines and still reaches the Cabinet Office, it will be
returned to the Ministry. Refer to par 15 below).
(1 line open)
15. OFFICIAL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MEMORANDUM
(1 line open)
(This should preferably not be the Head of Department but the drafter who
must be readily available and who can be contacted with regard to queries.
The Official must also accept responsibility for the technical correctness of the
memorandum and the sentence below must be included in the Memorandum
and may not be deleted).
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5K-9
SECRET
8
(2 lines open)
I declare that the memorandum adheres to the Guidelines dated July 2015
provided by the Cabinet Secretariat for the drafting of memoranda. The
requirements in relation to electronic presentations were noted.
(1 line open)
Name:
Designation:
Contact details:
Telephone:
Cellular:
E-mail:
(1 line open)
(If the declaration above does not refer to the relevant Guideline and Template
dated July 2015, it will be assumed that the requirements of Cabinet were not
fully adhered to and the memorandum will be returned).
(1 line open)
16. HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
(1 line open)
(As decided by the Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD)
and approved by Cabinet, Directors-General must sign off on all
memoranda).
(1 line open)
Name:
(1 line open)
17. AUTHORISATION FOR PROCESSING THE MEMORANDUM
(1 line open)
MINISTER (ADD INITIALS AND SURNAME)
(1 line open)
In order to assist with time allocation to meetings, Ministers are kindly
requested to respond to the following question:
(1 line open)
Is there a need for an electronic presentation to be done in addition to the
memorandum?: Yes or No
(1 line open)
(If the answer is yes, kindly note that the maximum time allowed for an
electronic presentation is about 20 minutes (±12 slides). Also, please refer to the
attached guidelines for electronic presentations to Cabinet).
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
5K-10 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5L-1
APPENDIX L
TO CHAPTER 5
LAYOUT OF A RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
1. The layout of a response to questions in the national assembly is provided in the following
pages.

Year: 2021
5L-2 RESTRICTED
DECLARATION FORM
(1 line open)
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(1 line open)
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
(1 line open)
QUESTION NUMBER 295
(1 line open)
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24 FEBRUARY 2021
(1 line open)
DECLARATION BY CHIEF OF SERVICE/DIVISION
(1 line open)
(1) I hereby confirm and declare that:
(1 line open)
(a) I have scrutinised all questions and the answers to the parliamentary questions.
(1 line open)
(b) I confirm that the answers provided are correct and have been verified.
(1 line open)
(c) I recommend and submit the answers for the signature of C SANDF.
( )
CHIEF OF HUMAN RESOURCES: LT GEN
(1 line open)
Date:

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5L-3
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
QUESTION NUMBER 295
(1 line open)
REPLY RECOMMENDED BY
(1 line open)

Year: 2021
5L-4 RESTRICTED
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
QUESTION NUMBER 295
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
295. Mr S. Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:
(1 line open)
1. ............................................................
(1 line open)
2. ..................................................................................................
(1 line open)
REPLY:
(1 line open)
1. ..............................................................................
(1 line open)
2. ......................................................................................................

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 5L-5
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
QUESTION NUMBER 295
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
Response Originator: ........................................................................
(1 line open)
Name: .............................................................
(1 line open)
Appointment: ...................................................................................
(1 line open)
Contacts:
Recommended/Not Recommended
(4 to 6 lines open)
(..................................................................)
CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES: LIEUTENANT GENERAL
(1 line open)
Date: ......................................
Recommended/Not Recommended
(4 to 6 lines open)
(R. MAPHWANYA)
(1 line open)
Date: ......................................
Approved/Not Approved
(4 to 6 lines open)
(N.N. MAPISA-NQAKULA)
(1 line open)
Date: ......................................

Year: 2021
5L-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6-1
CHAPTER 6: HANDLING AND DRAFTING OF SIGNAL MESSAGES
Appendix A: Layout of a Signal Message

B: Degrees of Precedence
C: Phonetic Alphabet
D: International Time Zones
E: Abbreviations Relating to Signal Messages
PURPOSE
1. The purpose of a signal message is to transmit urgent information by means of the defence
command and control (C2) communication systems. A signal message must not be sent if a letter
or other method of communication will suffice. This chapter contains the guidelines for handling
and drafting a signal message.
WRITING CONVENTIONS FOR SIGNALS
2. Signal writing follows the normal rules of writing which include accuracy, conciseness, clarity,
relevance, logic and consistency, as well as the golden rules for writing as set out in Chapter 1 of
the CSW, except where specific signal writing conventions dictate otherwise, eg all signal
messages must be written/typed in capital letters to avoid unnecessary misconceptions.
SIGNAL WRITING TERMINOLOGY
3. Certain telecommunications (telecoms) terms that refer to signal message writing and
handling are defined below:
a. Signal Message. A signal message is any thought or idea expressed concisely in plain
or encoded language and prepared in the proper format for transmission by any
recognised transmission medium.
b. Signal Message Drafter. The drafter is the person who writes/types the signal
message.
c. Originator. The originator of a signal message is the authority in whose name a signal
message is transmitted.
d. Releasing Officer. A releasing officer is the person who authorises the transmission of
a signal message.
e. Communications Centre (Comcen). A comcen is an office where signal messages are

accepted and prepared for transmission to other comcens, as well as where messages
are received from other comcens and delivered to the appropriate addressees.
f. Telecommunications (Tels). Tels include any transmission, emission or reception of

signal messages, signs, writings, images and sounds or information of any kind, by
means of wire, radio, visual systems or by hand.

Year: 2021
6-2 RESTRICTED
DRAFTER RESPONSIBILITIES
4. The drafter of a signal message has the following specific responsibilities when drafting the
message:
a. Determine whether a signal message is necessary. A signal message must not be sent
if a letter or other form of communication will suffice. A signal message must also not
be sent merely because the delivery of a letter will take too long.
b. Determine the file reference.
c. Determine the precedence.
d. Determine the handling instructions.
e. Determine the addressees.
f. Determine the security classification.
g. Draft the text of the message according to the instructions in this chapter.
h. Ensure that the signal message is dated and signed by the releasing officer, if the
drafter is not the releasing officer (the drafter, originator and releasing officer may be
the same person).
i. Ensure that sufficient copies of the signal message are made, if internal distribution is
required.
j. Ensure that the signal message is sent without delay to the appropriate comcen for
transmission.
RELEASING OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES
5. Before the signal message is signed, the releasing officer has the responsibility to verify the
correctness of the following:
a. The signal message is justified. Under no circumstances should a signal be used if a

letter or other form of communication will suffice.
b. The file reference is written/typed in the top right-hand corner.
c. The precedence and handling instructions are entered correctly.
d. The address space is completed correctly and according to instructions.
e. The security classification and the originator's reference letters are entered correctly.
f. The text of the message is drafted according to the instructions in this chapter. The text
is typed/written clearly and legibly and all amendments or deletions are initialled next to
the amended sentence. If necessary, the signal message is rewritten before
submission for transmission.
g. The date-time group (DTG) is correctly filled in.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6-3
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE SIGNAL FORM
6. Form DD978
a. Signal messages must be submitted on form DD978 (see Appendix A). In instances
where a computer-generated form is used, care must be taken to ensure that the form
is a replica of the printed form DD978 in use.
b. All text should be written/typed in upper case to avoid any misconceptions.
7. File Reference. Write/type the file reference in the top right-hand corner. It must be repeated
in paragraph 1 of the text.
8. Precedence
a. Precedence is determined according to the urgency of a signal message (see

Appendix B) and/or the urgency of action required of the addressees:
i. For the Releasing Officer. The urgency of delivery to the addressee.
ii. For the Tels Personnel. The sequence of handling and delivery.
iii. For the Addressee(s). The sequence in which the addressee(s) must react to a
signal message.
b. The precedence of a reply to a signal message does not need to be the same as that
of the signal message that necessitates it. It is important that a signal message not be
given a higher precedence than is required just to ensure that all addressees receive it
timeously.
c. Normally the precedence ‘ROUTINE’ is allocated to information addressees unless

otherwise indicated by the releasing officer, in which case the word ‘ROUTINE’ must be
deleted on the signal message form and replaced by the appropriate precedence.
d. Two categories of precedence may be allocated to the same signal message:
i. One for action addressees.
ii. One for information addressees.
9. DTG. The DTG is a six-digit group with a letter indicating the time zone, eg ten thirty local
time on the sixth day of the month is written Ø61Ø3ØB. The DTG must be inserted by the
releasing officer when signing a signal message.
a. The first pair of digits indicates the day of the month.
b. The second pair of digits indicates the hour.
c. The last pair of digits indicates the minutes.
d. The letter ‘B’ indicates SA standard time. The internationally approved time zones are
listed in Appendix C
NOTE 1: To avoid confusion with the letters I O and S, the figures 1, 0 and 5 must be written as 1,
Ø and 5 respectively.

Year: 2021
6-4 RESTRICTED
NOTE 2: To avoid confusion with the figure 2, the letter Z must be written as Ƶ. The figure 7 is
written as 7 to distinguish it from the figure 1.
10. Handling Instructions
a. The handling instruction block on the form is allocated for use by both the originator
and comcen personnel. The originator may convey any instructions to comcen
personnel, including the following standard instructions that will indicate the delivery
method, eg BASEGRAM or EXCLUSIVE.
b. The words ‘BASEGRAM’ or ‘EXCLUSIVE’ must also be inserted in the first line of the
text without a paragraph number.
c. When an originator wants to retain a signal at a base or port for delivery to a person,
aircraft or ship until their arrival, the signal must be addressed in the normal manner,
but the word ‘BASEGRAM’ must be inserted in the handling instructions block on the
signal message form
11. Address Space
a. Layout and Usage of the Address Spac
i. Example of the Basic Layout
From: Originator’s signal address

To: Action addressees’ signal addresses
Info: Information addressees’ signal addresses
ii. Abbreviations. The address abbreviations for DOD formations/units as contained

in the DOD DSN Address Book (available on the intranet), must be used at all
times in the address space of a signal message. Abbreviations of addresses
have the following characteristics:
(1) They are written without full stops, eg ‘SAAF COL’.
(2) A space is left between the figure and the title that follows it, eg ‘17 SQN’.
(3) Names of ships are always written in full, eg SAS MENDI.
iii. Multiple Addressees. To prevent confusion, addresses in the same line must be
separated by an equal sign, which is not transmitted. The following is an
example:
From: C SANDF
To: C ARMY = CAF = C NAVY = SAFCP = 35 SQN
Info: SAS DRAKENSBERG
iv. Addressees Outside the DOD. Authorised military address abbreviations must
not be used if addressees outside the DOD are included. The following is an
example:
From: CHIEF OF THE AIR FORCE TELEX NO

To: MACHINE TOOLS PTY LTD 1 SIMMONDS ST JOHANNESBURG
Info: CHIEF OF THE ARMY

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6-5
v. Addressing Rear and Main Headquarters. There must be a clear distinction

between the rear and main headquarters of forward elements of a divided
formation. The same principle applies to operational and administrative
headquarters. The geographic location of a unit must not be indicated, eg ‘17
SQN SWARTKOP’ is incorrect; ‘17 SQN’ is correct.
vi. Addressing Persons and Sections of Headquarters. The names of persons or

branches must not be inserted in the address space.
b. Addresses for General Signal Messages
i. General signal messages have a standard distribution list (signal addresses

are available on the DOD Intranet under the heading ‘DTN Guides’). Service
and division headquarters may issue their own lists, eg
SAAF LIST FOXTROT

ARMY LIST ALPHA
ii. The originator is permitted to add/omit individual addressees to/from the

identifying title of a general signal message when circumstances warrant it, eg:
To: SAAF LIST ALPHA = C ARMY

Info: C NAVY
To: ARMY LIST CHARLIE = XMT ARMY GYM
NOTE: ‘XMT’ means ‘exempted’ or ‘except’.
c. Multiple Addressees Signal Messages
i. Avoid the practice of including information in long multiple-address signal

messages of which only part of it is of interest to individual addressees. When
possible, separate signal messages should be compiled, containing only that
part of the information which is of interest to the addressee(s).
ii. Collective multiple addresses, such as ‘ALL ARMY FORMATIONS AND UNITS’,
are not permissible and comcens must not accept signal messages thus
addressed for transmission. Multiple-address signal messages are permitted in
two forms only, indicating the following:
(1) All the individual addressees is listed in the address block on the signal
message form.
(2) One or more of the authorised general address lists as derived by each
service.
iii. Multiple addresses must be written in order of seniority of the service, division,
headquarters, formation and unit. This rule applies to both action and information
addressees, eg
To: C ARMY = C AIR FORCE = C NAVY = SG

Info: TRG COMD = AFB SWKP

Year: 2021
6-6 RESTRICTED
iv. The correct signal addresses may be obtained from the nearest comcen or from
the DOD DSN Address Book. No specific delivery instructions may be included
in a signal address, eg ‘C NAVY FOR DNP’ must appear without a paragraph
number in the first line of the text space on the signal message form.
To: GOC INF FMN = GOC SUPP FMN = GOC ARTY FMN
Info: C SANDF
d. Special Distribution. Should special delivery for signal messages be necessary, the
appropriate terms must be indicated at the beginning of the text, eg if, for diplomatic,
security, disciplinary or domestic reasons, a signal must be seen only by specific
persons or their authorised representatives or if a signal message must be seen by a
particular officer who would not normally see such a signal message. Examples are as
follows:
i. EXCLUSIVE’. If the word ‘EXCLUSIVE’ appears at the beginning of a text, the

signal message must be delivered only to the person whose name or
designation immediately follows or, in his or her absence, to a person nominated
by him or her. Such signal messages must be handled only by specially
designated personnel and must be classified. To ensure the proper distribution
and security of such signal messages, the word ‘EXCLUSIVE’ must also be
inserted under handling instructions on the signal message form, eg:
EXCLUSIVE CAF
EXCLUSIVE BRIG GEN JONES
ii. ‘PERSONAL FOR’. The instruction ‘PERSONAL FOR’ followed by the name or
title of a person at the beginning of the text, without paragraph number, indicates
that the signal must receive the attention of that person. Signal messages
addressed ‘PERSONAL FOR’ invariably cause delay due to the special handling
required and because reaction to a signal message may be initiated only by the
addressees who may be temporarily absent. Such signal messages should,
therefore, be limited to a minimum. Such signal messages need not bear a
security classification, unless this is warranted by the subject matter, eg:
PERSONAL FOR COL DEWEY

PERSONAL FOR D OPS
e. Other Distribution. Other self-evident phrases may be used without a paragraph

number at the beginning of the text to specify the desired signal message
distribution, eg:
FOR SLSO
ATTN CAPT SMITH
FOR D SIGS
12. Security Classification. The security classifications ‘UNCLAS’, ‘RESTRICTED’,

‘CONFIDENTIAL’, ‘SECRET’ and ‘TOP SECRET’ must be used. Abbreviations for classifications
must not be used. The following is applicable:
a. If a signal message does not warrant a security classification, it must be marked

‘UNCLAS’. Comcens must not accept signal messages unless the classification is
entered in the space provided.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6-7
b. Authorisation of Top Secret Signal Messages. Top secret signal messages may be
authorised by
i. officers holding the rank of major;
ii. level 9 or higher PSAP;
iii. officers below the rank of major who are unit OCs; or
iv. officers who are acting as duty, operations or tels officers.
c. Handling and Use of Classified Signal Messages. The primary purpose of classifying
signal messages is to impose restrictions on the handling and dissemination of the
information they contain. Classified signal messages are handled in the same way as
classified documents.
i. Higher security classifications lose their significance if they are used excessively.
A signal message should, therefore, never be given a security classification
higher than that justified by the text.
ii. A reply or reference to a classified signal may be accorded a lower security

classification only if the text of the signal message containing the reply or
reference permits it. Direct reference to the content, particularly to the DTG of
classified signals in unclassified signal messages, is forbidden.
13. Originator’s Reference. The drafter must insert the originator’s abbreviated
reference/designation that comprises a short (maximum 30 characters) description of the
originator's reference/appointment, followed by an oblique stroke, a space, an oblique stroke, day,
month and year, eg ‘SO OPS/ /Ø5 JAN 1Ø’. The comcen inserts the drafter’s serial number in this
space, eg:
a. As inserted by the drafter: SO OPS/ /Ø5 JAN 1Ø.
b. As completed by the comcen: SO OPS/747/Ø5 JAN 1Ø.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DRAFTING THE TEXT OF A SIGNAL MESSAGE
14. To establish a standard procedure for signal message drafting, the following principles must
be adhered to:
a. Omnibus Signal Messages. The principle of ‘one subject, one signal message’ must be
adhered to at all times. Omnibus signal messages lead to confusion in filing, delay
handling and sometimes result in no action being taken at all.
b. Delivery Instructions in the Text. Any specific delivery instructions must be indicated in
the first words of the text without a paragraph number, eg ‘C NAVY FOR DNP’,
‘EXCLUSIVE C ARMY’ or ‘PERSONAL FOR CAF’.
c. Paragraph Layout. The layout rules for paragraphing in signal messages are as
follows:
i. Indentation. To save transmission and circuit time, the text should be left
justified, ie paragraph numbers and subparagraph letters must appear below
one another, therefore, not indented but against the left-hand margin.

Year: 2021
6-8 RESTRICTED
ii. Numbering
(1) Paragraphs. Paragraphs must be numbered consecutively in Arabic

numerals followed by a full stop, eg ‘1.’, ‘2.’.
(2) Subparagraphs. Subparagraphs must be lettered alphabetically in capital

letters followed by a full stop, eg ‘A.’, ‘B.’.
(3) Sub-subparagraphs. Sub-subparagraphs must be numbered in capital

Roman numerals followed by a full stop, eg ‘I.’, ‘II.’.
(4) Sub-sub-subparagraphs. Sub-sub-subparagraphs must be numbered in

parentheses beginning with ‘(1)’.
d. Paragraph 1. Paragraph 1 contains the file reference and a short description of the
subject, if applicable, eg ‘C LOG/R/105/20 POSTINGS PF MEMBERS’.
e. Paragraph 2. Paragraph 2 contains the reference, if any, to a previous letter, signal

message or verbal discussion, such as a telephone conversation, eg ‘OPS/3 Ø 2/1/2 Ø5
JAN 1Ø’ or ‘SO OPS/747/Ø5 JAN 1Ø’ or ‘TELECON MAJ X AND CAPT Y ON 2Ø JAN
1Ø’. The words ‘refers’ or ‘has reference’ must not be used. When no reference is
made to previous correspondence or signal messages, paragraph 2 will contain the gist
of the message.
f. Subsequent Paragraphs. Each subsequent paragraph must convey an actual thought

or idea of the originator in concise form but the following must be considered:
i. When possible, avoid using words, such as ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘in’, ‘is’, ‘have’, ‘please’,
‘thanks’, ‘greetings’ and long-winded clichés, such as ‘please advise when reply
may be expected’ and ‘treat as urgent’. These sentences must be written as
follows: ‘request reply’ and ‘urgent’.
ii. If reference is made to the addressees in the text, the names of the addressees
must be used and not expressions such as ‘first info addressee’ (see paragraph
11).
g. Last Paragraph. The last paragraph of the text should contain the relevant contact
information, with specific reference to the following:
i. Rank, initials, surname and telephone number of the contact person.
ii. The SSN number of the contact person. The SSN Operational Telephone
Directory OTD/097/1 (9) should be consulted for the allocation of SSN numbers.
h. Special Signal Writing Conventions
i. ‘NOTAL’. In multiple address signals, care must be taken that all addressees are
in possession of documents referred to. If reference is made to a document that
is not in the possession of all addressees, and the originator determines that the
addressees do not possess it and do not require the document, the word,
‘NOTAL’, meaning ‘not sent to’ or ‘not required by all addressees’, must be
included after the reference, eg ‘D TELS/836/Ø7 JAN 1Ø NOTAL’. Note,
however, that reference to classified signal messages in unclassified signal
messages is forbidden.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6-9
ii. Abbreviations. Only approved abbreviations may be used and they must be
written without full stops, eg ‘SAN’. Full stops must not be inserted after initials,
eg ‘NJ Smith’.
iii. Punctuation. Punctuation marks must not be used unless needed for clarity.
When they are essential, the following symbols and abbreviations must be used:
Ser Punctuation Description Punctuation Mark

No a b
1 Question mark ?
2 Hyphen -
3 Parentheses ()
4 Full stop .
5 Comma ,
6 Colon :
7 Oblique stroke (solidus) /
8 Paragraph PAR
9 Quotation Quote……Unquote
10 Plus +
11 Rand R
12 Equals =
iv. Fractions. Fractions are written as words or figures, eg: ‘2 and ½’ (the word ‘and’
must be used between the integer and the fraction). When written as words,
fractions must be written out, eg ‘two and one half’.
v. Decimals. When decimals are written, substitute the word ‘comma’ for the
decimal comma, eg ‘one comma five’. If no integer is given before the decimal
comma, the figure ‘Ø’ must be added, eg ‘Ø comma 75’.
vi. Phonetic Alphabet. When it is necessary to include separate letters in a text

(other than the authorised abbreviations), such as lettered coordinates or
equipment specified by letters and numbers, the authorised phonetic alphabet
must be used (see Appendix D). Phonetic equivalents must not be used in the
following instances:
(1) For the English pronoun ‘I’ and the indefinite article ‘A’.
(2) For initials.
(3) When the actual word is best used, eg ‘26 DEGREES WEST’ and not ‘26
DEGREES WHISKEY’.
(4) When the letters may be easily confused with an approved abbreviation, eg
‘SAAF’ 39.
vii. Numbers. The following rules apply:
(1) Numbers may be written in figures or expressed in words. In the latter case,
each digit is written out separately, eg:
2Ø: TWO ZERO

13Ø: ONE THREE ZERO
129,4: ONE TWO NINE COMMA FOUR
R3 584,45: RAND THREE FIVE EIGHT FOUR COMMA FOUR FIVE
CENTS

Year: 2021
6-10 RESTRICTED
(2) To avoid confusion between numbers and letters, 1, 7, 0 and Z must be

written as ‘1’, ‘7’, ‘Ø’ and ‘Ƶ’.
(3) Exact hundreds and thousands, when expressed in words, are written as
follows:
1ØØ: HUNDRED (not ‘ONE HUNDRED’)

1 ØØØ: THOUSAND (not ‘ONE THOUSAND’)
2ØØ: TWO HUNDRED
2 ØØØ: TWO THOUSAND
2Ø ØØØ: TWENTY THOUSAND
viii. Date and Time
(1) When a date stands alone in the text of a signal message, it must be
expressed in figures, indicating the day of the month, followed by the
recognised three-letter abbreviation of the month and the last two figures of
the year, eg 1 MAR Ø9.
(2) A night must be indicated by means of the two dates over which it extends,
eg
NIGHT 29/3Ø SEP Ø9

NIGHT 3Ø SEP/1 OCT Ø9
(3) Months must be abbreviated as follows: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC.
(4) Time on its own in the text of a signal message must be expressed in four
figures followed by the zone indicator letter, eg ‘1953B’.
(5) If a signal message contains several times in the same zone, the zone
indicator letter may be omitted and expressions, such as ‘ALL TIMES
ZULU’, may be used instead. Such an expression must not be used if there
is any possibility of confusion, eg when a time group may be confused with
a map or grid reference or bearing.
(6) Midnight is expressed as follows: ‘ØØØØ’ together with a date. For

example, ‘16ØØØØB JUN’ means midnight between 15 and 16 Jun.
(7) Date and time combined in a text must be expressed in exactly the same
manner as the DTG, eg ‘Ø6Ø13ØB’.
(8) Sometimes it may be necessary to indicate the month of the year in

addition to date and time. Date, time and month are then written as
‘Ø61Ø3ØB JUN’.
(9) For time-keeping purposes, the world is divided into time zones. The time
used in one zone differs from that used in the next zone by one hour. In
each zone, the time differs from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) by an exact
number of hours. Each time zone is indicated by a letter of the alphabet,
except the letter ‘J’. A table of time zones is provided in Appendix C.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6-11
(10) South African time is denoted by the suffix ‘B’ and is two hours ahead of
GMT, which has the suffix ‘Z’. The DTG of signal messages must be in
GMT in the following cases: Signal messages transmitted from one zone to
another and signal messages to authorities outside the Republic of South
Africa.
(11) Signal messages transmitted by aircraft and signal messages pertaining to

movements of aircraft, troops or ships are used for denoting the hours of
service of comcens, tels and air navigational facilities, meteorological
observations, communications with the SA Navy, other navies and
merchant ships and when the local time zone suffix might indicate the
locality of the originator to the enemy.
(12) Local times (of the area concerned) may be used in all other instances.
i. Repetition. A word must not be repeated solely for the purpose of emphasis. Repetition
is permissible to minimise the possibility of incorrect spelling or mistaken identity, eg
‘MIYAKAƵI REPEAT MIYAKAƵI’.
j. Reference to Addressees in the Text. When referring to addressees in the text of a

signal message, the designation of the addressee must be used, eg ‘SAAF COL TO
PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION’ and not ‘5TH ADDRESSEE TO PROVIDE
ACCOMMODATION’.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNING AND FILLING THE BOTTOM BLOCKS
15. Bottom Blocks. The space at the bottom of the signal message form must be completed and
signed by the releasing officer. The blocks at the bottom of the signal message form must be
completed as described below:
a. Page ... of ... Pages. In the first block, the page number and in the second block, the
total number of pages of a signal message are indicated, eg ‘Page 1 of 3 Pages’.
b. Classified. By making a cross in the appropriate ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ block, the originator
indicates to the tels personnel whether the signal message referred to in the text of a
signal message being released for transmission is unclassified or classified.
c. Drafter’s Name, Appointment and Phone Number. In this space, the rank and name of
the drafter and his or her appointment and telephone number are entered.
d. Releasing Officer’s Signature. The signature, rank and designation of the person
authorising the release of the signal message must appear in this block.
16. Signal Messages Containing More than One Page. When a signal message contains more
than one page, the following must be inserted:
a. On Page 1. The precedence, DTG, security classification, originator’s number, page ...
of ... pages and reference to a classified message.
b. On Page 2 and Every Consecutive Page. The originator’s number, security

classification and page ... of ... pages.
c. On the Last Page. As for page 2, plus the rank and name of the drafter, appointment
and telephone number and the name, rank and appointment of the releasing officer.

Year: 2021
6-12 RESTRICTED
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT
17. Acknowledgement is effected as follows:
a. Acknowledging a signal message means that it has been received and understood.
Signal messages must be acknowledged only when it is requested.
b. Information addressees must not acknowledge signal messages, unless instructed to

do so. If thus instructed, the words ‘ALL ACK’ must be used.
c. If a signal message from a service, division, formation or unit calls for

acknowledgement, each unit or formation must acknowledge receipt to its next higher
formation. Formation headquarters must transmit their acknowledgement of receipt
only after they have received those from all their subordinate units.
d. Acknowledgements of signal messages must be as brief as possible, eg "OPS/345/2Ø

JUN 1Ø ACK".
CANCELLATION OF A SIGNAL MESSAGE
18. Only the originator may cancel a signal message that has already been submitted for
transmission or that has already been transmitted. This is done by transmitting a new signal
message or by including the cancellation in a signal message that replaces the cancelled one.
AMENDMENTS
19. Amendments may usually be made by means of a new signal message containing
amendments to the original signal message. When several amendments are required, it is
advisable to cancel the original signal message and to draft a new one.
20. Signal Messages Not Understood. If an addressee is unable to understand a signal message
due to an apparent error in the text, the addressee may request that the whole or part of a signal
message be retransmitted, by using the following terms:
a. ‘CHECK’. ‘CHECK’ means that a signal must be referred back to the comcen that
transmitted it and that the transmission/encryption must be checked for errors.
b. ‘VERIFY’. ‘VERIFY’ means that the originator is required to verify the complete signal
message or an indicated portion of it.
MINIMISING SIGNAL TRAFFIC IN AN EMERGENCY
21. Minimising Signal Traffic. In times of peace or war, a state of emergency may arise that will
make it necessary to promptly transmit signal messages regarding such an emergency. During
such emergencies, it is important to reduce the signal message traffic. The instruction to reduce
this traffic must be promulgated by signal message and by using the word ‘MINIMISE’, which
means that it is now mandatory that normal signal and telephone traffic be drastically reduced so
that signal messages connected with the present emergency are not delayed.
22. Area in which ‘MINIMISE’ Applies. The ‘MINIMISE’ procedure may be applied to a particular
area, in which case the geographic location must be indicated by designating the area concerned.
23. Lifting ‘MINIMISE’. Lifting ‘MINIMISE’ is achieved by the order ‘CANCEL MINIMISE’. This
must be done by the authority who originally ordered ‘MINIMISE’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 6
LAYOUT OF A SIGNAL MESSAGE
1. The layout of signal messages is provided on the next pages.

Year: 2021
6A-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. The file reference is written in the top right-hand corner and repeated in paragraph 1.
2. The precedence must be determined according to the urgency of the message. In this case,
it has been allocated a dual precedence.
3. The DTG is a six-digit group with a letter indicating the time zone. The releasing officer
inserts the DTG only once the signal message has been checked for correctness and is ready for
transmission.
4. The word ‘BASEGRAM’ or ‘EXCLUSIVE’ is entered here to indicate special handling

instructions to the originator and comcen personnel. The word is repeated as the first line of the
text without a paragraph number.
5. The correct addressees must be obtained from the comcen.
6. The security classification is determined according to the text and not the classification on
the file or previous correspondence/signal message.
7. The drafter must insert the originator’s abbreviated reference/designation that comprises a
short (maximum 30 characters) description of the originator's reference/appointment, followed by
an oblique stroke, a space, an oblique stroke, day, month and year, eg ‘SO OPS/ /Ø5 JAN 1Ø’.
The comcen inserts the drafter’s serial number in this space, eg:
8. The file reference must be inserted followed by the subject of the signal in the first
paragraph.
9. The second paragraph contains a reference to a previous signal message. If there is no

reference to a previous signal the drafter can commence with the gist of the message.
10 The third paragraph contains the gist of the message.
11. All paragraphs, subparagraphs, etc begin against the left-hand margin.
12. Paragraphs are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals.
13. Subparagraphs are lettered alphabetically in capitals.
14. Sub-subparagraphs are numbered in capital Roman numerals.
15. Sub-sub-subparagraphs are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals in brackets.
16. The last paragraph must contain the rank, initials, surname and contact details of the person
to whom enquiries may be directed.
17. Blocks at the bottom of the signal must be completed before the signal is submitted for
transmission. The releasing officer enters his or her rank and designation, and signs to release the
signal.
NOTE: All the text in a signal message is left aligned (see par 14.c.i.).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6A-3

Year: 2021
6A-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 6
DEGREES OF PRECEDENCE
Ser Category Description and Use Rank of Releasing Officer

No a b c
1 FLASH Reserved for initial enemy Any person in a position of
(Prosign Z) contact signals or operational authority where he/she might
combat signals of extreme have to report enemy activity.
urgency. Brevity is mandatory.
2 IMMEDIATE Reserved for signals relating to Formation or unit
(Prosign Ø) situations that gravely affect commanders, any officer or
the security of national or allied warrant officer authorised
forces or population, and that thereto in writing by the
require immediate delivery to officer commanding,
the addressee(s). directors, deputy directors or
staff officers not lower than a
lieutenant colonel or
equivalent rank.
3 PARLIAMENTARY Reserved for urgent Directors, deputy directors or
IMMEDIATE parliamentary business. staff officers not lower than a
(Prosign OPY) lieutenant colonel or
equivalent rank.
4 PRIORITY Reserved for signals that Commanders or any officer
(Prosign P) require expeditious action by or warrant officer authorised
the addressee(s) and/or by them in writing.
provide essential information
for conducting operations in
progress when ROUTINE
precedence will not suffice.
5 ROUTINE Used for all types of signals Any officer or warrant officer.
(Prosign R) that justify rapid transmission,
but are neither urgent nor
important enough to require a
higher precedence.

Year: 2021
6B-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 6
PHONETIC ALPHABET
1. When it is necessary to identify any letter of the alphabet, the standard phonetic alphabet as
set out below, must be used. (Accent is placed on the underlined syllables.)
Ser Letter Phonetic Pronounced As

No a b c
1 A ALPHA AL FAH
2 B BRAVO BRAH VOH
3 C CHARLIE CHAR LEE
4 D DELTA DELL TAH
5 E ECHO ECK OH
6 F FOXTROT FOKS TROT
7 G GOLF GOLF
8 H HOTEL HOH TELL
9 I INDIA IN DEE AH
10 J JULIET JEW LEE ET
11 K KILO KEY LOH
12 L LIMA LEE MAH
13 M MIKE MIKE
14 N NOVEMBER NO VEM BER
15 O OSCAR OSS CAH
16 P PAPA PAH PAH
17 Q QUEBEC KWEE BECK OR KEY BECK
18 R ROMEO ROW ME OH
19 S SIERRA SEE AIR AH
20 T TANGO TAN GO
21 U UNIFORM YOU NEE FORM
22 V VICTOR VICK TAH
23 W WHISKEY WISS KEY
24 X X-RAY EX RAY
25 Y YANKEE YANG KEY
26 Z ZULU ZOO LOO

Year: 2021
6C-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 6
INTERNATIONAL TIME ZONES
1. The world is divided into 25 time zones. Time in adjacent zones differs by one hour and each
is indicated by a letter known as the suffix of the time zone. GMT is indicated by Z. The 12 zones
to the east (therefore, ahead of GMT) are lettered from A to M, the letter J being omitted. The 12
zones to the west of GMT (therefore behind GMT) are lettered N to Y.
2. The letters Y and M are used for +12 and -12 hours respectively, depending on whether a
position is to the east or west of the international dateline, ie 180º east or west.
Ser Zone Boundary To Obtain from Zone Time Add or Zone Time Suffix
No Subtract the Following Numbers
of Hours
a b c
1 7½ ºW to 7½ ºE 0 Z
2 7½ ºE to 22½ ºE -1 A
3 22½ ºE to 37½ ºE -2 B
4 37½ ºE to 52½ ºE -3 C
5 52½ ºE to 67½ ºE -4 D
6 67½ ºE to 82½ ºE -5 E
7 82½ ºW to 97½ ºE -6 F
8 97½ ºE to 112½ ºE -7 G
9 112½ ºE to 127½ ºE -8 H
10 127½ ºE to 142½ ºE -9 I
11 142½ ºE to 157½ ºE -10 J
12 157½ ºE to 172½ ºE -11 K
13 172½ ºE to 180½ ºE -12 L
14 7½ ºW to 22½ ºW +1 M (see paragraph 2)
15 22½ ºW to 37½ ºW +2 N
16 37½ ºW to 52½ ºW +3 O
17 52½ ºW to 67½ ºW +4 P
18 67½ ºW to 82½ ºW +5 Q
19 82½ ºW to 97½ ºW +6 R
20 97½ ºW to 112½ ºW +7 S
21 112½ ºW to 127½ ºW +8 T
22 127½ ºW to 142½ ºW +9 U
23 142½ ºW to 157½ ºW +10 V
24 157½ ºW to 172½ ºW +11 W
25 172½ ºW to 180 +12 X (see paragraph 2)

Year: 2021
6D-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 6E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 6
ABBREVIATIONS RELATING TO SIGNAL MESSAGES

No a b
1 Communications Centre Comcen
2 Date-time Group DTG
3 Defence Signal Network DSN
4 Greenwich Mean Time GMT
5 Not to all NOTAL
6 Signal Despatch Service SDS
7 Telecommunications Tels
8 Universal Time Constant UTC

Year: 2021
6E-2 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7-1
CHAPTER 7: APPRECIATIONS
Appendix A: Layout of a Formal Army Appreciation

B: Layout of a Formal Air Force Appreciation
C: Layout of a Formal Naval Appreciation
D: Layout of a Formal SAMHS Appreciation
E: Layout of a Point Paper
F: Layout of a Position Paper
INTRODUCTION
1. Appreciations follow similar steps to those of the campaign planning process

(CPP)/operational planning process (OPP), but their purpose is to enhance the problem-solving
ability of Staff Functions 1 to 9 during the planning process. Except for Defence Intelligence’s (DI)
appreciations to alert and guide the strategic level and commander’s appreciations through which
the commander gives guidelines to the planning staff, appreciations will commonly only be used by
various staff functions to gather more information for the review of the situation and provide factor
analysis for the broad options phase within a CPP/OPP.
2. An appreciation can be presented verbally or in written form. The need for disciplined thought
led to the development of a relatively inflexible format for the military appreciation with the object of
guiding the writer's thoughts in such a way that no relevant facts are omitted from the argument,
that facts are reasoned out effectively and in a logical sequence, and that adequate deductions are
made from these discussions.
3. Definition. An appreciation is a logical process of reasoning whereby the factors relevant to a

given situation are analysed to determine the best course of action (COA) to achieve a stated aim.
4. Terminology. The following definitions apply:
a. Factor. A factor may be described as ‘a circumstance, fact or influence contributing to

a result’ and stems from the information available to the writer. Typical factors that
may have to be considered could be terrain, time and space, weather, deception,
surprise, relative strengths, logistics, communications and morale. In addition, certain
factors are peculiar to each service.
b. Assumption. An assumption is a supposition based on facts, although it is not itself a

fact.
c. Fact. A fact is an undeniable truth.
d. Deduction. A deduction is the interpretation of a fact in terms of the aim (the influence
the fact has on a given situation).
e. Conclusion. A conclusion is a résumé of two or more deductions that will lead to a

specific action.
5. Nature of an Appreciation. All rational actions are governed by and aimed at achieving a
specific aim or purpose. The aim requiring action may be specified by higher authority or the need
for action may stem from a situation that has arisen. The appreciation procedure begins with an
analysis of a situation. A specific, desired aim is then determined, if a mission has not already been
stated. An appreciation involves a disciplined thought process designed to investigate all relevant
factors and produce a logically reasoned COA.

Year: 2021
7-2 RESTRICTED
6. Purpose of a Formal Appreciation. Appreciations are more often used at the military strategic
level by DI, whereas they are more suitable for functional purposes at the lower levels. A formal
appreciation provides a record of the reasons for adopting a particular COA and may be required
when
a. a writer must clarify matters in his or her own mind to ensure that no relevant factors
have been overlooked and that the recommended COA is the best one under the
circumstances; or
b. a clear picture of a situation must be presented to higher authority and the

recommended COA must be fully supported by valid and logical reasoning.
7. Essential Elements of an Appreciation. Accuracy, clarity, conciseness, logic and relevance

are vital aspects of clear thinking and logical reasoning which, in turn, are the essence of an
appreciation. The complexity of a situation, the time available and the target reader will determine
the length and style of a written appreciation. An appreciation should always be concise but
complete, so that the reader may follow the reasoning that leads to the aim and the recommended
COA.
8. An appreciation should ideally not be written by only one person, but rather a group of
individuals, each contributing their specialised knowledge to reach the most effective conclusion
and create the best plan possible.
9. Types of Appreciation. There are several specialised types of appreciation used by the
services and at various staff levels. The standard (formal) appreciation, of which examples are
given in Appendices A, B, C and D, forms the basis of all these appreciations.
APPRECIATION PROCESS
10. The standard, formal appreciation is designed specifically so that the writer's thought process
remains logical. It is a good pattern to follow, but common sense must be applied to accommodate
the writer’s needs. It should be noted that the layout of the appreciations of the various services is
taught at the training institutions.
11. Method and Arrangement of an Appreciation. The situation is reduced to its essential
components so that each may be examined and analysed in detail. A formal appreciation
comprises the following seven steps:
a. The first three steps allow the writer to determine what needs to be done and involve
i. analysing the existing situation;
ii. specifying the aim (if a mission exists, this step is omitted); and
iii. analysing the mission (or desired result) and guidelines for planning.
b. The following four steps allow the writer to decide how it must be done by
i. analysing and discussing all relevant factors;
ii. considering all practicable COAs;
iii. selecting the best COA for achieving the aim; and
iv. formulating the decision in terms of the selected COA.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7-3
INFORMAL APPRECIATION (ABRIDGED VERSION)
12. The commander or staff officer who is well acquainted with the pattern of the full, formal
appreciation, may evolve an abridged version for a more urgent or less complex problem. The
details he or she will incorporate depend on the occasion and the level of the appreciation. The
process, particularly in the field, may be formulated mentally or jotted down, but the principle of a
logical approach to a problem remains the same.
13. The abridged version would probably incorporate only the following headings:
a. Aim.
b. Factors.
c. Own COAs.
d. Plan.
14. Any argument may be included in the selection of an aim and factors would include the
enemy COAs (in the case of an appreciation for the intelligence staff function).
REAPPRECIATION
15. Sometimes it is difficult to decide how far ahead to plan. This is usually a matter of
speculating when some new information is likely to be received or when a situation will have
changed sufficiently to necessitate a new appreciation. The last paragraph of an appreciation must
state when a situation should be reappreciated, eg:
‘Reappreciate at ...’ (time and date).
‘Reappreciate when ...’ (a certain event has occurred).
REVISION
16. On completion, an appreciation must be revised and checked to ensure that it will pass the
following tests:
a. Will the plan achieve the aim?
b. Does the plan comply with the principles of warfare?
c. Does the plan comply with the principles of the specific type of operation to be
conducted (whether offensive or defensive)?
d. Does the plan conform to other norms/criteria determined by the OC/planning group?
CONCLUSION
17. An appreciation affords good practice in logical thought and sound reasoning. Whether
written or otherwise, an appreciation must never be allowed to become a theoretical process, the
results of which will not withstand the realities of warfare. It should be a flexible means of grasping
the principles of ‘appreciating the situation’ in an orderly fashion.

Year: 2021
7-4 RESTRICTED
COMMANDER’S APPRECIATION AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL OF WAR
INTRODUCTION
18. For the purpose of this manual, only a very brief synopsis is given of the commander’s
appreciation at the operational level of war. For details regarding this type of appreciation, refer to
JSCSP Précis: The Command Appreciation at the Operational Level of War and JSCSP Précis:
The Campaign Planning Process at the Operational Level of War.
19. The commander’s appreciation is the commander’s pride, his or her personal stamp on the
planning and conduct of the campaign/operation. Although the commander might use staff and
subordinate commanders to advise him or her, it is his or her product, the embodiment of his or her
understanding of the relevant military situation, his or her intellect and his or her mastery of
operational art.
20. At the operational level of war, the commander’s appreciation plays a critical role:
a. In this process, the commander appreciates the applicable military strategic goal and
objectives and translates them into operational and tactically attainable objectives.
b. The commander visualises the grouping of subordinate tactical formations/units, the

allocation of resources to those subordinate force groupings, their means of
sustainment and the protection of his or her combat power throughout the campaign.
c. The commander indicates his or her vision of the orchestration of tactics throughout the
campaign/major operation by means of sequencing and prioritising activities.
21. The commander’s appreciation and briefing represent Stage 2 of the operational level
planning process, following the review of the situation, as Stage 1.
ESSENCE OF THE COMMANDER’S APPRECIATION AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL
22. The commander’s appreciation at the operational level need not differ in layout from the
commander’s appreciation at the tactical level.
23. Differences Between the Commander’s Appreciation at the Operational and Tactical Levels.
Although the layout, techniques and methods do not differ, the operational level commander’s
appreciation is not just an improved version of the tactical level commander’s appreciation. The
primary difference is not in the level, but in the commander’s approach. This differentiates between
commanding at the tactical and operational levels of war. The resulting effect is an emphasis on
the holistic operational level picture rather than the tactical detail, a reliance on the commander’s
judgement, instinct and intuition and an intended joint/multinational and integrated campaign/major
operation concept aimed at producing an output at the strategic level of war.
24. Responsibility of the Operational Level Commander. To focus the operational level
commander’s appreciation, it is important to understand the primary responsibilities of the
operational level commander. These responsibilities are as follows:
a. Interpreting Strategic Guidance. A clear understanding of the role of the military as only
one of the power bases of the state in effecting its national policy, the military strategic
goal, objectives and end state that must be achieved at the military strategic level of
war. It implies a thorough understanding of the levels of war and the intricate
relationship between them.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7-5
b. Operational Objectives. Deciding which tactical level objectives must be achieved in

order to establish the required results at the operational level, ie campaign/major
operation objective/s and end state, and likewise, the decision on which operational
level objectives will have to be achieved to establish the required results at the military
strategic level. These decisions will be taken with due regard to strategic guidance
received.
c. Orchestration of Tactics. Deciding in what sequence the tactical objectives should be

achieved to concentrate sufficient combat power in space and time. This is done by
creating conditions for success, in a top-down manner, ie successively creating
conditions for the success of subsequent actions. Orchestration also entails practising
the operational art of warfare.
d. Resource Allocation. Allocating forces and resources as necessary for subordinate

commanders to be able to achieve their tactical missions.
e. Sustainment. Setting priorities for combat service support to sustain the tactical
battles.
f. Commitment of Operational Level Reserves. Directing the activities of those

forces/capabilities identified as operational level reserves.
BROAD LAYOUT OF THE COMMANDER’S APPRECIATION
25. Phase 1: Military Strategic Analysis
a. Commanding at the operational level is an art.
b. The essence of the art centres around the commander's interpretation of the guidance
received from the military strategic authority, as well as an awareness of the external
environment in which the campaign/major operation will be conducted.
c. This analysis allows the commander to determine the external environment within
which he or she has to achieve his or her goals.
d. It sets the parameters ito intangibles, which have an effect and influence on the
conduct of military operations.
26. Phase 2: Conceptual Analysis of the General Factors
a. The commander conceptually analyses the general factors to determine their influence
on the operational level operating systems.
b. Analysis of the general factors leads the commander to the ‘WHAT’ of what must be
done to achieve the desired end state he or she has defined in the previous phase.
This ‘WHAT’ is closely linked to the elements contained in the defined campaign/major
operation end state.
c. The conceptual analysis of the general factors is concluded with integrated main
conclusions, which represent a synthesis of the conceptual analysis of the general
factors against the background of the foundation of conclusions reached at the end of
the military strategic analysis (Phase 1).

Year: 2021
7-6 RESTRICTED
27. Phase 3: Formulation of the Campaign/Major Operation Concept
a. The own forces’ campaign/major operation concept is the broad framework of ‘WHAT’
the commander visualises needs to be done to solve the military problem. The own
forces’ campaign/major operation concept is preceded by a formulation of the opposing
forces’ campaign/major operation concept.
b. The ‘own forces’ concept comprises the ‘operational vision’ and guidelines for
implementation and planning. The campaign/major operation concept emanates from
the commander's conceptual approach towards warfare and peacekeeping. Therefore,
this will consist of the approach concept or concepts he or she adopts, supported by
the design concepts that will act as the building blocks for the campaign or major
operation.
c. The campaign/major operation concept needs to be broad enough to facilitate the

formulation of several options, yet specific enough to give definite guidance to the
planning and implementation of the campaign/major operation.
28. Phase 4: Commander’s Brief
a. During the commander’s brief, the commander conveys the product of the
commander’s appreciation to the staff (and subordinate commanders, if the situation
allows) informing them ‘WHAT’ needs to be done to solve the military problem. It also
serves the purpose of ensuring that the staff and subordinate commanders understand
the primary problem and what needs to be achieved, thus creating a firm basis for
subsequent planning.
b. The command briefing also serves to give guidance to staff within the framework of the
‘WHAT’ that has already been defined. Except for what the commander says, the way
he or she says it is of the utmost importance. If the commander believes in his or her
planning, he or she must radiate confidence and inspire his or her staff (and
subordinate commanders) to conduct a successful campaign/major operation.
c. The commander’s brief in itself is an art and displays the commander’s military
leadership. It signifies the ability to convey visionary thinking and instil in subordinates
an inner feeling of trust and belief in what must be achieved and what must be planned
and executed to satisfy the end state.
POINT PAPER
29. Description. A point paper represents facts of a given issue and is not based on opinion. It
provides researched answers to provide evidence for consequent discussions or further analysis.
The aim is to provide as much concrete evidence as possible on a variety of elements that could
contribute factually to the ‘posed’ statement or issue at hand. This validation lies in the art of
comprehensive research and provision of facts within the limitation of the paper. A conclusion will
represent a summary of the evidence to support the original statement. Refer to the example in
Appendix E.
30. Preparation. Before compiling a point paper, establish the following:
a. Ensure that the topic is clear and that there is a basis for research.
b. Do wider reading and thorough research. Use sources to substantiate the topic. It is
important to first analyse the topic and determine all the possibilities that could relate to

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7-7
the topic. It will be important here to decide on the number of possibilities to be

considered within the boundaries of the paper limitation (eg 800 words).
c. Use credible sources (books, publications, published articles, etc) and refer to them in
the paper to validate facts.
d. Arrange the information in a logical sequence. All information must be written under
appropriate headings. Information must normally be listed in bullet form rather than
using paragraph numbers. The bullet layout is applicable only to point papers.
POSITION PAPER
31. Description. A position paper represents arguments to formulate an opinion about a certain
issue. The aim is to convince the reader that the writer’s opinion is valid. This validation lies in the
art of developing an argument that addresses different perspectives that indicate a widely
researched knowledge of the issue and that more than one perspective has been considered
before drawing conclusions to represent a position. Refer to the example in Appendix F.
32. Preparation. Before compiling a position paper, establish the following:
a. Establish whether the topic presents controversy or uncertainty. If so, what are the
possible positions? (There should be at least two arguments, ie one for and one
against).
b. Do wider reading and thorough research. Use sources to substantiate both arguments.
Use credible sources (books, publications, published articles, websites, etc) and refer
to them in the paper to validate facts.
c. Arrange information that supports the argument. Start by listing the pros and cons with
supporting facts to build an argument. Use facts, statistics, informed opinions and
personal testimony.
d. Compare the information and select a position after considering the pros and cons.
e. Present a convincing argument.

Year: 2021
7-8 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 7
LAYOUT OF A FORMAL ARMY APPRECIATION
1. The layout of a formal Army appreciation is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
7A-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Security Classification. An appreciation is usually classified as ‘SECRET’ or higher.
2. Copy Number. Copy numbers are assigned to all copies of secret and top secret documents.
The distribution of copies is indicated in the distribution list.
3. Map References. A map reference is included if any doubt exists regarding the location of a
place.
4. DTG. The DTG indicates when an appreciation was signed. The DTG is written in by hand
when it is signed.
5. Subject Heading. The subject heading indicates the subject or situation dealt with in an
appreciation. For example, if a unit is called upon to formulate an appreciation for GOC 43 SA Bde,
the heading will be altered to read: ‘TACTICAL APPRECIATION FOR GOC 43 SA BDE: ATTACK
ON TATUM HILL’.
6. References. All references are listed below the subject heading. Maps are listed in
sequence. If reference is made to a specific edition of a map, this is indicated in brackets after the
reference, eg ‘2528AA Somewhere (Third Edition)’. Other documents to which reference is made
are also included here.
7. Appendices. All appendices to an appreciation are listed below the references.
8. Review of the Situation. Only the necessary background information is included under this
heading. A possible layout is indicated in this example, but any layout is permissible for this part of
an appreciation. The main thoughts regarding enemy and own forces must be included. Additional
details, as identified in a commander’s appreciation, may also be referred to.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-3

(2 lines open)
Copy no ____ of ____copies (2)
(1 line open)
ABC/S/123/4/5
(1 line open)
HQ 43 SA Brigade
Somewhere
0029 (3)
DTG (4)
(2 lines open)
TACTICAL APPRECIATION FOR GOC 43 SA BDE: ATTACK ON TOP HILL (5)
(1 line open)
Reference A: …………………………………………… (6)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
D: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
Appendix A: Tracing of Plan (7)
B: Negotiability Overlay
C: Map
(1 line open)
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION (8)
(1 line open)
ENEMY FORCES
(1 line open)
1. ………………………………………………………………………….……….……
………………………………………………………………………………….……………..
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
(1 line open)
2. See tracing of plan (Appendix A) …………………………………………...…….
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
(1 line open)
3. See overlay (Appendix B) ……………………………………………..……….….
……………………………………………………………………………….…….………….
……………………………………………………………………………….…….………….
………………………………………………………………………………….….………….
………………………………………………………………………………….….………….
(1 line open)
OWN FORCES
(1 line open)
4. 43 SA Bde at present deployed ………………………………………..…………
……………………………………………………………………………………….………..
……………………………………………………………………………………….………..
……………………………………………………………………………………….………..
………………………………………………..…………………………….…...............…..
(1 line open)
5. PR is currently ………………………………………………………….….……….
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
10. Factors Influencing Desired Result. If a mission already exists, this part is omitted. If
necessary, the following factors may be considered to determine the desired result:
a. Command responsibilities.
b. Intentions of a higher authority.
c. Enemy situation.
d. Capabilities of own forces.
e. Deductions and conclusions of the desired result that must be obtained by action.
11. Mission. A mission must include the elements ‘who?’, ‘what?’, ‘where?’, ‘when?’, ‘how?’ and
‘what then?’ When a desired result must be decided upon, this heading becomes ‘DESIRED
RESULT AND ANALYSIS’.
12. Analysis of the Mission. It is advisable to compile a list of questions that must be answered.
The aim of an analysis is to
a. determine the type of operation (if possible);
b. identify specific and possible tasks;
c. make assumptions;
d. formulate the aim;
e. determine restrictions on the aim;
f. lay down guidelines for planning; and
g. formulate the intelligence problem and essential elements of intelligence (EEIs).
13. Specific and Possible Tasks. Under this heading are listed all allocated tasks that can be
deduced logically from the situation. However, it is possible that an appreciation may identify
additional tasks or contradict some of the tasks already identified (except those that are clearly
stated).

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-5

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
FACTORS INFLUENCING DESIRED RESULT (10)
(1 line open)
COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
(1 line open)
6. …………………………………………………………………………………..……
(1 line open)
INTENTIONS OF HIGHER AUTHORITY
(1 line open)
7. ………………………………………………………………………………..………
(1 line open)
ENEMY SITUATION
(1 line open)
8. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
CAPABILITIES OF OWN FORCES
(1 line open)
9. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
CONCLUSIONS
(1 line open)
10. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
DESIRED RESULT
(1 line open)
11. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
MISSION RECEIVED (11)
(1 line open)
12. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS AND GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS (12)
(1 line open)
13. Type of Operation. …..………………………………………………...……………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
14. Specific Tasks (13)
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. …………………………………………………………………......……
(1 line open)
15. Possible Tasks (13)
(1 line open)
a. ……………………………………………………………………......…
(1 line open)
b. ……………………………………………………………………......…
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
15. Assumptions. Assumptions are used to fill gaps in the reasoning process that could
otherwise exist because of a lack of information. Do not make assumptions to reason problems
away.
16. Guidelines for Planning. A commander gives guidelines for planning to his or her staff. The
guidelines constitute his or her aid to his or her staff and reflect certain aspects based on the
fundamental information at his or her disposal, as well as on the analysis of the mission, which he
or she regards as important enough to demand specific attention. Guidelines for planning may also
indicate certain actions that a commander wants to be investigated. These guidelines may not be
complete initially, but will be developed and supplemented during the appreciation process.
17. Factors. There is no prescribed sequence for the consideration of factors, but the following
should be borne in mind:
a. Firstly, consider factors that may have the greatest influence on the choice of COAs.
b. Secondly, factors such as the assessment of tasks and enemy capabilities must be
considered, since these are dependent on the consideration of other factors.
18. Time and Space General and Terrain General. The two factors, time and space general and
terrain general, are completed in full during the commander’s appreciation, with the aim of
establishing a joint knowledge base or the consideration of all factors following hereafter. Only
summarising conclusions are listed.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-7

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
16. Assumptions. We/I assume that …………………………………………...……... (15)
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
(1 line open)
17. Aim. The aim of …… is to …………….…. the enemy ……………….....……….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
18. Restrictions on the Aim
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING (16)
(1 line open)
19. ………………………………………………………………………...………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
20. ………………………………………………………………………...………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
21. EEIs
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
22. Other Intelligence Requirements
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
23. Timetable
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
FACTORS (17)
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE GENERAL (18)
(1 line open)
24. Summarising Conclusions on Time and Space General from the Command
Appreciation
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-8 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
20. Enemy Detail. Analyse the enemy formation doctrines, tactics, equipment, weapon
capabilities, positions, etc.
21. Own Forces. Formations, doctrines, tactics, equipment, weapon capabilities and positions of
own forces must be studied.
22. Terrain. Terrain includes a detailed analysis of the military aspects of the terrain.
23. Analysis of the Objective. During the analysis of the objective, the intelligence staff analyse
the deployment of the enemy in detail and discuss it with the operations staff during a sitting or a
coordinating conference. The operations staff will then analyse the objective further from an own
forces’ point of view. This is done to determine how own forces can force their will on the enemy
and visualise how the battle will unfold according to the objective. When own forces are on the
offensive, the objective is analysed first. When own forces are on the defensive, advance
routes/access routes are analysed first.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-9

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
25. Summarising Conclusions on Terrain General from the Command
Appreciation
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
ENEMY DETAIL (20)
(1 line open)
26. Argue the facts by way of deductions and conclusions.
(1 line open)
27. Summarising Conclusions
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
OWN FORCES DETAIL (21)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
TERRAIN DETAIL (22)
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS OF THE OBJECTIVE (23)
(1 line open)
30. Argue the facts by way of deductions and conclusions that apply to own
forces but only after the intelligence staff have already analysed them in detail.
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......……........…
………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......…........……
………………………………………………………………......………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-10 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
25. Other Factors. Other factors that are relevant to the mission and that contribute positively or
negatively to its execution must be considered.
26. Options
a. Options are a résumé of all summarising conclusions.
b. Options must be drawn up for own forces and enemy forces.
c. Options must be as complete as possible and must include time, groupings and
phases.
27. Relative Strengths. Relative strengths require an examination of own and enemy forces. In
considering this factor, the aim is not merely to determine who is the stronger, but rather to define
a general relationship between the combat capabilities of own and enemy forces.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-11

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS OF ADVANCE ROUTES/ACCESS ROUTES
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
e. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
f. Compare advantages/disadvantages of advance routes/access routes.
(1 line open)
OTHER FACTORS (25)
(1 line open)
34. ………………………………………………………………………...……….……..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
OPTIONS (26)
(1 line open)
35. Generate as many options as possible:
(1 line open)
a. Option 1. …………………………………………………….....…………….
………………………………………………………………….....….……….
…………………………………………………………………….……….
(1 line open)
b. Option 2. ………………………………………………………….....……….
……………………………………………………………….….....………….
……………………………………………………………….…………….
(1 line open)
c. Option 3. ……………………………………………………….....………….
……………………………………………….…………………………….
(1 line open)
d. Option 4. ……………………………………………………….....………….
………………………………………………………………………….….
(1 line open)
RELATIVE STRENGTHS (27)
(1 line open)
36. Relative strengths may be represented as a table or a graph.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-12 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
29. Enemy Courses of Action. Enemy capabilities and COAs will be determined when the
enemy has the initiative. When own forces have the initiative, enemy capabilities and COAs must
be determined provisionally as a test only after own COAs have been formulated.
30. It is necessary that vulnerable aspects of this capability be identified. This may provide a
subsequent indication of the possibility that this specific COA will be executed.
31. Enemy COAs are designated ‘Course of Action A’, ‘Course of Action B’, etc and are based
on the enemy capabilities summarised in the preceding paragraph. It is not necessary to arrange
the COAs in order of probability.
32. COAs are formulated in terms of the following:
a. Who? ‘Who’ refers to the formation, unit or subunit involved.
b. What? ‘What’ refers to the type of action that must be specified.
c. When? ‘When’ refers to the time at which an action will begin and/or end and must be
indicated.
d. Where? ‘Where’ refers to the area in or over which the action will take place and must
be specified.
e. How? ‘How’ refers to the method by which resources will be utilised.
f. What Then? ‘What then’ refers to what happens afterwards.

.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-13

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. The most important conclusion per option is whether the option
passes the test, ie are there enough own forces available to
execute the mission?
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE
(1 line open)
38. Each option is tested according to the timetable available, and is coupled to
real time.
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. The most important conclusion is whether the options pass the
test. If not, how can actions be modified in order to make the
options work?
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
ENEMY COURSES OF ACTION (29)
(1 line open) (30)
COURSE OF ACTION A (31)
(1 line open) (32)
40. General Sketch. The operation will be executed in ……. phases as follows:
(1 line open)
a. Phase 1. ………………………………………………….……………..
(1 line open)
b. Phase 2. …………………………………………….………………….
(1 line open)
c. Phase 3. ..…………………………………….………………………….
(1 line open)
41. ………………………………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
COURSE OF ACTION B
(1 line open)
42. ……………………………………………………………………………..…………
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-14 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
34. Own Courses of Action. Own COAs are referred to as ‘Course of Action 1’, ‘Course of Action
2’, etc.
35. Comparison. The following criteria are mandatory:
a. Aim.
b. Principles of warfare.
c. Principles of a specific type of operation.
d. Minimum personnel losses.
e. Other criteria stipulated by the commander.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-15

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
CONCLUSIONS
(1 line open)
43. Most likely course of action…………………………………….…………..………
………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
…………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
(1 line open)
44. Most dangerous course of action…………………………………………...……..
………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
(1 line open)
45. When is the enemy most vulnerable? ………………….….……………..………
………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
(1 line open)
46. When can the enemy be regarded as having been destroyed? ………....…….
……………………………………………………………………………….………………..
(1 line open)
OWN COURSES OF ACTION (34)
(1 line open)
COURSE OF ACTION 1
(1 line open)
47. COAs must be developed from the selected options, in sufficient detail so
that orders can be written.
(1 line open)
COURSE OF ACTION 2
(1 line open)
48. ………………………………………………………………………………..………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
ENEMY CAPABILITIES AND COURSES OF ACTION (Alternative)
(1 line open)
49. See Side Note 29-32.
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS
(1 line open)
50. Analysis is done only during the planning cycle.
(1 line open)
51. Use war games to test own COAs to ensure that the aim is realised, bearing
the enemy’s influence in mind. Actions of own forces must be executed
aggressively. Actions must not be reactive to enemy options.
(1 line open)
COMPARISON (35)
(1 line open)
52. The comparison can be made by means of an analysis of the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) or any other problem-solving
technique that will identify the best or most suitable COA for accomplishing the
mission.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-16 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
37. Decision. The commander selects the best COA. Final adaptation may also be presented
here as options.
38. Signature Block and Distribution. The signature block and distribution block must comply with
those given in Chapter 2.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7A-17

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
DECISION (37)
(1 line open)
53. Course of action……………………………………………………...……………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(4 to 6 lines open)
(E.J. COOK) (38)

GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING 43 SA BRIGADE: BRIG GEN
(1 line open)
EJC/LT (WRITE 9A)
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
……………………………… … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
ABC/S/123/4/5 1 Original
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7A-18 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 7
LAYOUT OF A FORMAL AIR FORCE APPRECIATION
1. The layout of a formal Air Force appreciation is provided in the following pages.
2. Framework of an Appreciation. In broad terms, the framework of an appreciation consists

of the superscription, the body of the appreciation and the subscription.
3. Superscription. The superscription follows the normal conventions of service writing.
4. Body of an Air Force Appreciation. The body of an appreciation is divided into various
sections, each of which is discussed under a main heading. The body of an Air Force appreciation
consists of the review of the situation, factors affecting the selection of the aim, the aim,
factors, own courses, selection of the best course, plan.
5. Subscription. The subscription consists of the signature block and distribution.

Year: 2021
7B-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
2. Copy Number. A copy number is used only when an appreciation is classified as ‘SECRET’
or higher and when copies are distributed. In such cases, a record must be kept of the copies
issued to addressees. The copy number is entered by hand when the appreciation is signed.
3. File Reference. A file reference is used, as applicable.
4. Subject Heading. The subject heading usually reads ‘AN APPRECIATION OF THE
SITUATION ARISING FROM ...’ or ‘AN APPRECIATION OF ...’. It must describe the subject or
existing situation as clearly as possible, but must not prejudice the aim or any possible COA. It
must be accurate and cover the appreciation fully, but must be impartial. To ensure that this
requirement is met, it is advisable to formulate the heading only on completion of the appreciation.
The date or time span covered by the appreciation should also be included.
5. Persons Involved. The appointment of the writer of an appreciation and the person for whom
an appreciation is written must be stated. This focuses attention on the level and scope of an
appreciation. Appointments and not names must be given.
6. Location. The place where the appreciation is drafted is inserted under the heading
‘Location’. It may, for example, consist of a grid reference, a place name or a position at sea.
7. Time and Date of Completion. The time and date of completion are important, since they
indicate how recent the information/facts were at the time of writing the appreciation. Any
information received after this time may require a reappreciation, a possible change of plan or even
that the aim be changed. The time and date of completion are entered by hand under the headings
‘At’ and ‘On’ when the appreciation is signed. The time zone used here may differ from the zone
used for the rest of an appreciation and may be the zone of the place where such an appreciation
was made.
8. Reference. References should be included, if applicable. A list is provided of all maps, charts
or documents to which reference is made in the text of an appreciation. In the case of a map, the
number, title, scale, issue and sheet number must be quoted. The writer must ensure that the
reference material is available to the reader.
9. Appendices. All appendices to an appreciation are listed. Appendices must be listed in the
order in which they are referred to in the body of the paper for the first time.
10. Time Zone. The time zone is important when the situation covers a wide area and must be
borne in mind when the plan is implemented. Capitals are used for the time zone, eg ‘BRAVO’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-3

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
SAAF/S/5/2/4 (3)
(1 line open)
AN APPRECIATION OF ……………………………………..…………………………… (4)
…………………………………………………………………………………….………….
(1 line open)
For: ………………………………………. Squadron/Unit: ……………………………… (5)
(1 line open)
By: …………………………………. Location: …………………………………………… (6)
(1 line open)
At: ………………………(Time and Zone) On: …………………….(Day, Month, Year) (7)
(1 line open)
Reference A: (Maps or Charts: Scale, Series, Sheet No, Edition) (8)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
D: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
Appendix A: …………………………………………… (9)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
Time Zone: ……………………………………………………………………. (10)
(1 line open)
This space is intentionally left blank for the purposes of the side notes
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
12. Reviewing the Situation. When a situation is being reviewed, only the necessary background
information is included. The example indicates a possible format, but this section may be set out as
the writer sees fit. The review of the situation should contain the following eight elements whenever
possible:
a. First Element. A brief description of the present situation.
b. Second Element. The change in the situation that has caused a problem to arise.
c. Third Element. A clear identification of the problem that occurred due to the change.
d. Fourth Element. The effect it could have if it were not obviated (the result that it could
cause).
e. Fifth Element. The necessity to solve the problem.
f. Sixth Element. The forces that are available to take action.
g. Seventh Element. Commands from higher authority.
h. Eighth Element. Restrictions laid down by higher authority.
13. Factors Affecting the Selection of the Aim. If the aim is not obvious, it may be necessary to
analyse and argue the underlying factors that could influence the selection of a suitable aim. The
facts are arranged in logical order and deductions are made to arrive at the aim. A logical approach
might be to analyse the intentions of higher authority as stated in the "Review" and to relate these
intentions to the nature and extent of possible enemy threats; from this, and taking into account the
time and location of the threats, it might be possible to reach a conclusion regarding the result to
be achieved to satisfy the requirements of higher authority. This conclusion should lead directly to
the aim. However, it is essential that the discussion be brief and concise yet clear; only the
essential facts (which will to a large extent emanate from the "Review") must be included, and they
must be discussed and argued in the narrative style. Any deductions must be incorporated in the
discussion and not listed separately. Particular care should be taken, firstly, to avoid unnecessary
detail, and secondly, not to discuss aspects that belong in the "Factors" section.
14. Aim. The aim must be singular, positive, clear and concise and must constitute a simple
statement of the task to be performed. It must not indicate any COA, ie it must say what has to be
done but not how it must be done.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-5

(2 lines open)
………………………………………………………………………………….…………….
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
1. A brief description of the present situation ………………………....……………. (12a)
……………………………………………………………………………….………………..
(1 line open)
2. The change in the situation that has caused a problem to arise ……....……… (12b)
………………………………………………………………………….……………………..
(1 line open)
3. A clear identification of the problem that occurred due to the change……....… (12c)
………………………………………………………………………………….……………..
(1 line open)
4. The effect it could have if it were not obviated (the result that it could cause) (12d)
.....................................................................................................................................
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
5. The necessity to solve the problem……………………………………...……….. (12e)
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
6. The forces that are available to take action……………………….……...……… (12f)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
7. Commands from higher authority…………………………………….….…..……. (12g)
……………………………………………………………………………………….………..
……………………………………………………………………………………….………..
(1 line open)
8. Restrictions laid down by higher authority………………………………...……... (12h)
……………………………………………………………………………………….………..
…………………………………………………………………………………….…………..
(1 line open)
FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION OF THE AIM (13)
(1 line open)
9. ………………………………………………………………………….............……
……………………………………………………………………………............…………..
(1 line open)
10. ………………………………………………………………............……….………
………………………………………………………………................……………………..
………………………………………………………………................……………………..
(1 line open)
11. Deductions. ……………………………………………….............………..………
………………………………………………………………………............………………..
(1 line open)
AIM (14)
(1 line open)
12. ……………………………………………………............…………….……………
………………………………………………………………................……………………..
………………………………………………………………................……………………..
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
16. Factors and Deductions. Factors refer to facts, opinions or reasonable assumptions and
relevant deductions and conclusions arising from them. Each factor must be reasoned in relation to
the aim and should lead logically to the deductions and conclusions.
17. Typical factors that may have to be considered in an appreciation on any impending
operation are as follows:
a. Time.
b. Weather.
c. Topography.
d. Political Considerations.
e. Population.
f. Infrastructure
i. Major Cities and Towns.
ii. Road Networks.
iii. Railways.
iv. Seaports and Harbours.
v. Airports and Airfields.
vi. Telecommunications.
vii. Water Supply.
viii. Power Supply.
ix. Logistics.
g. Morale.
18. The following factors will be considered as part of the intelligence and operations functions’
appreciation:
a. Enemy Vital Points (VPs).
b. Own Striking Force.
c. Enemy Defences.
d. Own Vital Points.
e. Enemy Striking Force.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-7

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
FACTORS (16)
(1 line open) (17)
13. Factors usually consist of time and space, population, topography, weather,
enemy VPs, own striking forces, enemy defences, own VPs, enemy striking forces,
own defences, comparison of forces, enemy COAs. The list is, however, not limited
to the above-mentioned factors.
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE
(1 line open)
14. …………………………………………………………………...……………………
(1 line open)
15. Deductions. …………………………………………………....…………………….
(1 line open)
16. Conclusions. ………………………………………………...………………………
(1 line open)
ENEMY VITAL POINTS (18a)
(1 line open)
17. ………………………………………………………………...………………………
(1 line open)
18. Deductions. …………………………………………………....…………………….
(1 line open)
OWN STRIKING FORCES (18b)
(1 line open)
19. …………………………………………………………………...……………………
(1 line open)
20. Deductions. …………………………………………………....…………………….
(1 line open)
21. Conclusions. ………………………………………………...………………………
(1 line open)
ENEMY DEFENCES (18c)
(1 line open)
22. …………………………………………………………………...……………………
(1 line open)
23. Deductions. ………………………………………………………....……………….
(1 line open)
24. Conclusions. …………………………………………………………....……………
(1 line open)
OWN VITAL POINTS (18d)
(1 line open)
25. ………………………………………………………………………...………………
(1 line open)
26. Deductions. ………………………………………………………....……………….
(1 line open)
ENEMY STRIKING FORCE (18e)
(1 line open)
27. ………………………………………………………………………...………………
……………………………………………………………………………….……………….
……………………………………………………………………………….……………….
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-8 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
f. Own defence.
g. Enemy course.
20. Enemy Vital Points (for Intelligence and Operations Appreciation). Enemy VPs are enemy
facilities that might be suitable targets for us to attack. When dealing with enemy VPs, we are
looking for something, which, if neutralised or damaged, would help us to attain our aim. The
correct method for investigating a VP is as follows:
a. Define the VP.
b. State why, in terms of the aim, it is important that this facility be attacked.
c. Establish the degree to which dependence upon the VP affects the attainment of the
aim. Indicate whether the VP is vulnerable to attacks and, if so, its vulnerability in terms
of specific types of weapons, weights of attack and accuracy of weapons delivery, the
period it would be out of action, reparability and possible repetition of attacks.
d. Establish the vulnerability of the VP.
e. Make a deduction regarding the influence that a successful attack on the VP would
have on the attainment of the aim.
21. Comparison of Forces. Own and enemy forces are compared with each other.
22. Enemy Capabilities (Enemy Striking Forces) and Enemy Courses of Action. Possible enemy
COAs, as well as the enemy capability must be taken into consideration, as they may well
influence the choice of own COA. Each COA consists of four or more paragraphs. The paragraph
layout could be as follows:
a. Define the effect of a successful enemy COA on own forces’ ability to attain the aim.
b. Define the efficiency of enemy striking power, eg ability of aircrew, weapons load,
serviceability, accuracy, radius of action and the tonnage of bombs or extent of attacks
to neutralise own VP effectively or to execute the COA.
c. Describe the strong and weak points of the enemy COA.
d. Make a deduction and possibly a conclusion. State the success of the enemy COA in
jeopardising own forces’ attainment of the aim and the probability that the enemy would
pursue this course.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-9
(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
29. Conclusions. ………………………………………………...………………………
(1 line open)
28. Deductions. ……………………………………………………....………………….
(1 line open)
OWN DEFENCES (18f)
(1 line open)
30. What defences are available to protect the VPs (ground, air, naval)? Only
those elements of the enemy forces directly involved in opposing our forces must
be discussed (the capability, and only the capability, must be discussed (their radar,
surface-to-air missiles, ant-aircraft guns, fighters).
(1 line open)
31. Deductions. Different possibilities of what defence could be used to protect
which VP.
(1 line open)
32. Conclusions. What defence system must, therefore, be used to protect which
VP?
(1 line open)
COMPARISON OF FORCES (21)
(1 line open)
33. …………………………………………………………………...……………………
(1 line open)
34. Deductions. ……………………………………………………....………………….
(1 line open)
35. Conclusions. …………………………………………………...……………………
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
36. Course of Action A. To ………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
37. Course of Action B. To ………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
38. Enemy's Most Probable Course of Action. To ...............................................
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-10 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
24. List of Conclusions. All conclusions from the start of the factor analysis are listed in the same
sequence as discussed (copy and paste). Deductions made in the factor analysis which might
influence the execution of the COA may also be included in the list of conclusions (listed in same
sequence as discussed).
25. Own Courses of Action. When analysing own COAs, full use must be made of all relevant
deductions and conclusions made as a result of the preceding study of factors, which includes
enemy COAs. Each COA consists of four or more paragraphs. The paragraph layout could be as
follows:
a. Define the effect of the successful execution of the COA.
b. Define the efficiency of own striking power, eg ability of aircrew, weapons load,
serviceability, accuracy, radius of action and the tonnage of bombs or extent of attacks
to effectively neutralise the enemy’s VPs or to execute the COA.
c. Describe the strong and weak points (advantages/disadvantages) of this COA.
d. Make a definite statement regarding the ability of the COA to attain the aim on its own
or not.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-11

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
LIST OF CONCLUSIONS (24)
(1 line open)
39. The following are a list of the conclusions formulated:
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
40. Unprofitable Course(s) of Action. To ..............….… (Use only when
appropriate.)
(1 line open)
Discussion is done in narrative style and compiled from the relevant deductions and
conclusions from the factors and all facts necessary to argue the COA without
adding new information. COAs are discussed in the following order:
(1 line open)
41. Course of Action 1. To ………………………………………………………. The
COA is identified and discussed with the following in mind (utilise the who, what,
where, when, with what and for how long principles in the discussion):
(1 line open)
a. Describe the result of successful COA in terms of its ability to
attain the aim.
(1 line open)
b. Describe our abilities to execute the COA successfully in terms of all
the relevant factors.
(1 line open)
c. Describe the strong and weak points concerning our actions.
(1 line open)
d. Make a decision statement concerning the ability of the COA to attain
the aim or to influence the attainment of the aim. Also discuss any
action in jeopardy.
(1 line open)
42. Course 2. To ………………………………………………………………………....
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
a. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
c. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
d. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
43. Complementary Course(s). To ................…… (Use only when appropriate.)
(1 line open)
44. Security Measures. ………………………….. (Use only when appropriate.)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-12 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
27. Selection of the Best Course of Action. If there are three or more COAs, start by comparing
the two weaker courses; then compare the better of the two with the third COA and thereafter
select the best course. Selecting the best own COA is the culmination of the reasoning process.
This is achieved by applying the following principle:
a. Comparing the two (2) weakest COAs.
b. Choosing the best COA of the two (2) compared COAs.
c. Comparing the selected COA with the next strongest COA as in paragraph 22.b, and
then selecting the most suitable COA of those two (2).
d. This process is repeated until all the COAs have been compared. (End by
recommending a specific COA.)
28. Plan. The plan does not contribute to the solution, but may serve to indicate the tasks of the
forces that will be used and to reduce delays in issuing orders.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-13

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
SELECTION OF THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION (27)
(1 line open)
45. The various COAs, without adding new information, are compared in order to
determine which COA would be most suitable to attain the aim.
(1 line open)
46. Course of Action 1 would……… whereas Course of Action 2 would….....……
(1 line open)
47. Course of Action 3 would…………………………………………….....………….
(1 line open)
48. Therefore, it is recommended that Course of Action …….. be adopted,
namely to ....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
PLAN SUPPORTING DETAILS (28)
(1 line open)
COMMAND AND CONTROL
(1 line open)
49. ………………………………………………………………….………….…………
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
PERIOD OF OPERATIONS
(1 line open)
50. …………………………………………………………………….…….……………
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
FORCES TO BE EMPLOYED
(1 line open)
51. …………………………………………………………….…………….……………
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
ROUTES
(1 line open)
52. ……………………………………………………………………......………………
.........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
SECURITY MEASURES
(1 line open)
53. ………………………………………………………………………..………………
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
(1 line open)
54. ………………………………………………………....………………..……………
.....................................................................................................................................
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-14 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
30. Reappreciation. It is usually a matter of judging when new information is likely to be received
or when the situation may otherwise have changed sufficiently to make a new appreciation
necessary, ie when the current situation should be reappreciated.
31. Signature Block and Distribution. The signature block and distribution block must comply with
those given in Chapter 2.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7B-15

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
REAPPRECIATION (30)
(1 line open)
55. Reappreciated at/when…………………………………………………..………...
(4 to 6 lines open)

APPOINTMENT: RANK
(1 line open)
ABC/XYZ (WRITE 9B)
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
SAAF/S/5/2/4 1 Original
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7B-16 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 7
LAYOUT OF A FORMAL NAVAL APPRECIATION
1. The layout of a formal Naval appreciation is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
7C-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
2. Copy Number. A copy number is used only when an appreciation is classified as ‘SECRET’
or higher and when copies are distributed. In such cases, a record must be kept of the copies
issued to addressees. The copy number is entered by hand when the appreciation is signed.
3. File Reference. A file reference is used, as applicable.
4. Address Block. The standard address block is used. A copy number is required if an
appreciation is classified secret or higher.
5. Location. The location may be described by means of a place name, a position at sea or a
map reference.
6. Date-time Group (DTG). The DTG is the time of completion of an appreciation. The time
zone used here may differ from that selected for the appreciation.
7. Person for Whom an Appreciation is Written. The name of the person for whom an
appreciation is written must be stated in the title.
8. Subject Heading. The subject heading usually reads: ‘AN APPRECIATION FOR …. OF
THE SITUATION RESULTING FROM …’ or ‘AN APPRECIATION FOR ... OF … ’. The subject or
existing situation must be specified as clearly as possible, but must not prejudice the aim or any
possible COA. It must be precise and impartial.
9. Reference. References should be included, if applicable. A list is provided of all maps, charts
or documents to which reference is made in the text of an appreciation. In the case of a map, the
number, title, scale, issue and sheet number must be quoted. The writer must ensure that the
reference material is available to the reader.
10. Appendices. All appendices to an appreciation are listed. Appendices must be listed in the
order in which they are referred to in the body of the paper for the first time.
11. Time Zone. The time zone used throughout an appreciation is indicated here in capital
letters.
12. Review of the Situation. A review of the situation forms the introduction to an appreciation. It
should provide the essential background facts of a situation, but does not form part of the
argument. A review should cover the basic facts that have made an appreciation necessary. Any
directives from higher authority that have a bearing on the situation must be given and any
assumptions must be included.
13. Factors Influencing the Selection of the Aim. If the mission or aim is predetermined or is so
self-evident that it requires no argument, the section on factors influencing the selection of the aim
may be omitted. However, when a commander has been permitted such latitude that he or she
may question what his or her aim should be, he or she may find it necessary to argue the factors to
enable him or her to determine his or her aim. This aim should become clearly apparent from the
deductions.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-3

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
C NAVY/S/505/1/2 (3)
(1 line open)
Formation/Unit (4)
at (location) (5)
DTG…. (6)
(2 lines open)
AN APPRECIATION FOR ……………………OF……………………………..………… (7)

………………………………………………………………………………………………. (8)
(1 line open)
Reference A: Chart No SA 83 (Example) (9)
B: Map RSA 1:50 000, Sheet 3423AA, Second Edition
C: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
Appendix A: Table of Combat Radii for ….. (10)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
All Times ZULU (Example) (11)
(1 line open)
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION (Mandatory) (12)
(1 line open)
1. Since the breakdown of talks with ………………………………..………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
2. A South African merchant ship was fired upon in position ………....…………..
(1 line open)
3. An unidentified high-speed craft was observed crossing the bar on …....…….
………………………………………………………………………………………...……..
(1 line open)
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SELECTION OF THE AIM (Optional) (13)
(1 line open)
4. ………………………………………………………………………………..………
(1 line open)
INTENTIONS OF HIGHER AUTHORITY (Example)
(1 line open)
5. CJ OPS has a requirement for ………………………………………...………….
(1 line open)
6. C Navy has instructed Flag Officer Fleet to ………………………...……………
(1 line open)
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMAND (Example)
(1 line open)
7. Director Fleet Force Preparation is responsible for ………………....…………..
(1 line open)
PROBABLE ENEMY THREAT (Example)
(1 line open)
8. Air recce has revealed that …………………………………………..……………
………………………………………………………………………………...……………..
………………………………………………………………………………...……………..
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
15. Aim. The aim is the crux of an appreciation and is mandatory. The aim must be stated
singularly, positively, clearly and concisely, ie a simple statement of the task to be accomplished. It
should not be qualified by limitations, except by time and space and by those imposed by higher
authority. The aim of an appreciation is expressed in the infinitive, beginning with the word ‘to’. The
verb that follows must be carefully chosen, since it plays a key role. Avoid negative verbs, such as
‘prevent’, ‘stop’ or ‘delay’ and qualifying words, such as ‘if’, ‘by’, ‘in order to’ or ‘and’.
16. The aim must be tested as follows:
a. Will my aim secure a definite result in our favour?
b. Does the wording express exactly what must be achieved, without giving any indication
of how it must be effected?
c. Is the aim in accordance with my instructions and responsibilities?
d. Does it have a reasonable chance of attaining success in the situation?
e. Is it the utmost that I can do?
17. The aim must be borne in mind throughout the writing of every successive paragraph of an
appreciation and all reasoning must be related to its achievement.
18. Analysis of the Aim and Guidelines for Planning. If necessary, a commander may use
available basic intelligence concerning the situation when analysing his or her aim in order to
a. identify the type of operation to be conducted (if possible);
b. identify obvious and implied tasks;
c. make assumptions; and
d. provide his or her staff with guidelines for planning.
NOTE: These guidelines are generally among factors that one will analyse. They are not absolute
instructions and a staff officer will not necessarily adhere rigidly to them as this will lead to a flawed
analysis.
19. Factors. The section on factors is the beginning of the main argument and is mandatory. It
consists of statements of known facts or assumptions and deductions and conclusions arising from
them. It will form the basis for developing COAs. All the available relevant information must be
considered and all the facts must be assembled under their appropriate factor group headings. It is
not essential that all facts assembled be used immediately, as they may become useful at a later
stage.
20. The various factors must be arranged in a logical order so that, as far as possible, a
discussion of one factor leads logically to a discussion of the next. Factors that affect subsequent
factors must be dealt with first.
21. Each factor must be discussed in relation to the aim and should lead logically to one or more
deductions bearing on the attainment or otherwise of the aim. Each fact must be subjected to an
exhaustive and impartial examination. Test each fact by asking ‘so what?’ If a fact is not relevant, it
must be discarded. Each deduction must be subjected to the same test. When a factor yields a
series of deductions, it is useful if conclusions can be drawn from them. When several conclusions
exist, it may be necessary to draw main conclusions.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-5

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
AIM (Mandatory) (15)
(1 line open) (16)
9. To safeguard SA merchant ships in … from ………………….………...………. (17)
…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS OF THE AIM AND GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING (Mandatory) (18)
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS
(1 line open)
10. Type of Operation. It is envisaged that an escort operation……..……...……...
…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
(1 line open)
11. Obvious Tasks. The mission-essential unit must reach ………...……....……...
…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
(1 line open)
12. Implied Tasks. Early warning of enemy attacks must be obtained …..……...
…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
(1 line open)
13. Assumptions. I/We assume that all ships will be fully fuelled, supplied with
ammunition and crewed ……………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………….…………………………………..
(1 line open)
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING
(1 line open)
14. ………………………………………………………………………………..………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
FACTORS (Mandatory) (19)
(1 line open) (20)
COMPARISON OF FORCES (Example) (21)
(1 line open)
15. Enemy Naval Forces. ……………………………………………..……………….
(1 line open)
16. Own Naval Forces. ………………………………………………...……………….
(1 line open)
17. Enemy Air Forces. ………………………………………………....……………….
(1 line open)
18. Threats. ………………………………………………………………...……………
(1 line open)
19. Deductions
(1 line open)
a. Strengths that Must be Addressed. ……………………….......…………..
(1 line open)
b. Weaknesses that May be Exploited. …………………………….......……
(1 line open)
c. Types of Operations Suitable. ………………………….………......……..
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
23. The smooth flow of an argument must not be obscured by a mass of detail, such as
performance figures, which can be attached as appendices. However, references to appendices
must be made in the text of an appreciation and a summary of important facts or deductions must
be given to maintain the flow of an argument.
24. There is a danger of anticipating the conclusion (placing an appreciation in a situation) if

such weight is given to a factor that it leads to a preconceived idea of a COA before the other
factors have been considered. This danger may be avoided by dealing with each factor separately
and impartially. At the end of the entire factor analysis, it may become necessary to draw
integrated conclusions/integrated main conclusions to compare information across factors, which
will summarise the relevant part of the argument and constitute a logical step forward.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-7

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
d. Types of Command Suitable. ………………………….....………………..
(1 line open)
e. Possible Force Groupings. ………………………….....…………………..
(1 line open)
2
f. C Possibilities. …………………………………….....…………………….
(1 line open)
20. Conclusions. ……………………………………………...…………………………
(1 line open)
21. Main Conclusions. …………………………………………...……………………..
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE (Example) (23)
(1 line open) (24)
22. Land Detail. …………………………………………………..……………………..
(1 line open)
23. Sea Detail. …………………………………………………..………………………
(1 line open)
24. Air Detail. …………………………………………………...……………………….
(1 line open)
25. Deductions
(1 line open)
a. Access Routes with Key Terrain and Mobility Corridors. .…......………..
(1 line open)
b. Possible Manoeuvre Areas and Their Use. …………….....……………..
(1 line open)
c. Possible Ops that can be Executed by OPFOR and OF iro Time
and Space. .…………………………………………………....……………
(1 line open)
d. Possible Log Deployment Areas and Capacity. …………......…………..
(1 line open)
e. Possible LOC and Specific Routes, Type and Capacity. …….......……..
(1 line open)
f. Influence of Environment on Operations. ……………………......……….
(1 line open)
g. Critical Decisions that Must be Taken iro Time and Space. …….......….
(1 line open)
h. Possible Timings when Forces Must be/Will be in Position. ……......….
(1 line open)
INTERNATIONAL LAW CONSIDERATIONS (Example)
(1 line open)
26. In terms of section …………., the use of force …………..……………....….......
(1 line open)
27. Deductions. ……………………………………………………………..…………..
(1 line open)
WEATHER (Example)
(1 line open)
28. The prevailing wind in the coastal area for the month of …………...…………..
(1 line open)
29. Sea states of up to state …. can be expected ……………………...……………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-8 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
26. Enemy Courses of Action. When the enemy has the initiative or when neither side has the
initiative, enemy COAs are dealt with first under the main heading ‘FACTORS’, as shown here. In
this case, deductions from enemy COAs must be made solely in relation to the attainment of the
aim and are considered in the same exhaustive and impartial manner as the other factors. If the
initiative and a fair measure of freedom of action have been obtained, to consider enemy COAs
first leads to the danger of losing the initiative or of being overcautious. In this case, the
arrangement should be to deal with own COAs first and to discuss enemy COAs under the main
heading ‘SELECTION OF OWN BEST COURSE OF ACTION’. The effect of enemy COAs on own
COAs is included in this discussion.
27. Enemy Characteristics and Probable Tactics. Before considering the particular COAs open to
the enemy, an assessment may be made of the enemy’s character, national characteristics and
probable tactics. If these factors affect the situation, a short general statement at the beginning of
this section may clarify subsequent arguments.
28. Enemy COAs. Enemy COAs should be considered from the enemy’s point of view and only
COAs that affect the attainment of the aim should be included. The scope of the COAs must be
kept as broad as possible, since it may be dangerous to try to forecast too far ahead. COAs must
be expressed in brief and clear terms. Each individual enemy COA is lettered alphabetically. Each
COA must be examined with regard to
a. the likelihood of the enemy adopting a particular COA and this must be explained in
accordance with the deductions in the factor analysis; and
b. the effect on the attainment of the aim, should the enemy adopt a particular COA.
29. Comments. When it is difficult to classify deductions under the headings ‘Likelihood’ and
‘Effect’, it is permissible to list them as ‘Comments’.
30. Enemy’s Most Probable Course of Action. Possible enemy COAs that have been dealt with
may be summarised here and the ‘Enemy’s Most Dangerous Course of Action’ must also be
included here. The summary should logically lead to a conclusion regarding the enemy’s most
probable COA.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-9

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
30. Deductions
(1 line open)
a. Influence of Weather on Ops. .…………………………….....…….……..
(1 line open)
b. Influence of Weather on Sustainment. ..………………….....…………...
(1 line open)
TIDAL CONDITIONS (Example)
(1 line open)
31. …………………………………………………………………………...……………
(1 line open)
32. …………………………………………………………………………...……………
(1 line open)
33. Deductions. ……………………………………………………………...………….
(1 line open)
DECEPTION (Example)
(1 line open)
34. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE (Example)
(1 line open)
35. ……………………………………………………………………………...…………
(1 line open)
36. Deductions. ……………………………………………………………...………….
(1 line open)
ENEMY COURSES OF ACTION (Alternative Arrangement) (26)
(1 line open)
37. Enemy Characteristics and Probable Tactics. (Optional) ………..…………… (27)
(1 line open)
38. Course of Action A. To ………………………………………………...………….. (28)
(1 line open)
a. Likelihood. ……………………………………………………......…………
(1 line open)
b. Effect. ……………………………………………………….…......…………
(1 line open)
39. Course of Action B. To …………………………………………….......…………..
(1 line open)
a. Likelihood. ……………………………………………………......…………
(1 line open)
b. Effect. ………………………………………………………….......…………
(1 line open)
40. Course of Action C. To ……………………………………………….......………..
(1 line open)
a. Comments. ………………………………………………………........ (29)
(1 line open)
b. ………………………………………………………………......………
(1 line open)
41. Enemy’s Most Probable Course of Action. To…………………………….....….. (30)
(1 line open)
42. Enemy’s Most Dangerous Course of Action. To…………………………...……
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-10 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
32. Conclusions. It may be advantageous to summarise the conclusions reached after examining
the factors. Comparing the aspects of different factors may make it possible to make further
important deductions. See explanation for factors in the side notes.
33. Own Courses of Action. Own possible COAs are not dealt with as factors. The generation of
own COAs calls for creative (or lateral) thinking, and full use must be made of all relevant
deductions drawn from an earlier study of the factors. This means that the introductory sentences
will be drawn from the key parts of the deductions to create a statement that is complete. Own
COAs must not be considered merely in relation to the enemy’s most probable COA at this stage.
The latter must not be given any more consideration than is due. When formulating own COAs, the
principles of war and the commander’s core functions must be borne in mind.
34. A brief general statement at the beginning of this section is useful to clarify issues and to
avoid complicated COAs. Superficially attractive COAs that cannot attain the aim may be rejected
in this statement. Own doctrine may be included here. These are optional and merely serve to
ensure that the COAs will address the aim.
35. Own COAs are numbered in Roman numerals, beginning with ‘I’, and should be stated
clearly and concisely. Avoid complicated COAs and COAs that are similar to one another.
36. Each COA must be examined independently. Each COA must be followed by comprehensive
explanations of its advantages and disadvantages, ie its chances of attaining or contributing to the
attainment of the aim. It is also permissible to list these statements under the heading
‘Comments’.
37. Supplementary Courses of Action. All possible COAs that will attain the aim and are within
own capability, are dealt with as the main COAs. COAs that are not in themselves capable of
attaining the aim, but that contribute to the aim, are dealt with under the group heading
‘SUPPLEMENTARY COURSES OF ACTION’. These are determined through deductions in the
factor analysis and are subject to the same comprehensive explanations in main COAs.
38. Selection of the Best Own Course of Action. This section is the culmination of the whole
argument. The merits of one COA are weighed up against the merits of other COAs (see Side Note
18).
39. Enemy Courses of Action. When the initiative and a fair measure of freedom of action have
been obtained, enemy COAs may be dealt with here, before comparing own COAs. In such a
case, the effect of enemy COAs on own COAs may be discussed, but the enemy COAs must not
be given undue weight. This will follow the same format as for when the enemy has the initiative.
For every own COA (excluding supplementary), at least two COAs must be considered for the
enemy.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-11

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
INTEGRATED CONCLUSIONS/INTEGRATED MAIN CONCLUSIONS (32)
(1 line open)
43. ……………………………………………………………………………….……….
(1 line open)
44. ………………………………………………………………………….…………….
(1 line open)
OWN COURSES OF ACTION (Mandatory) (33)
(1 line open) (34)
45. ………………………………………………………………………….……………. (35)
(1 line open) (36)
46. Course of Action I. To ………………………………………………...……………
(1 line open)
a. Advantages. .…………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
b. Disadvantages. ……………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
47. Course of Action II. To ………………………………………….…………………
(1 line open)
a. Advantages. .…………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
b. Disadvantages. ……………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
48. Course of Action III. To …………………………………………......……………..
(1 line open)
a. Comments. ………….…………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
SUPPLEMENTARY COURSES OF ACTION (If appropriate) (37)
(1 line open)
49. Course of Action IV. To …………………………………………….…...…………
(1 line open)
a. Advantages. .…………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
b. Disadvantages. ……………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
50. Course of Action V. To …………………………………………….….…………..
(1 line open)
SELECTING THE BEST OWN COURSE OF ACTION (Mandatory) (38)
(1 line open)
51. …………………………………………………………………………….………….
(1 line open)
ENEMY COURSES OF ACTION (Alternative Arrangement) (39)
(1 line open)
52. Course of Action A. To ………………………………………………...…………..
(1 line open)
a. Likelihood. ……………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. Effect. …………………………………………………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-12 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
41. Comparison of Own Courses of Action. Comparing own COAs must be developed logically in
a concise and direct argument that leads to adopting the best COA as a natural conclusion.
Compare two weaker COAs with each other, then compare the stronger of the two with the next
stronger one. This process is repeated until the best COA is arrived at. The merits and demerits of
each aspect of these COAs are argued against each other.
42. Proposed Course of Action. A definite recommendation on the COA to adopt is given here.
Compare the best COA with the enemy’s most probable and most dangerous COAs to determine
the feasibility of what is proposed. This does not mean that one of the COAs described will be
selected exclusively. It may be desirable to combine two or more of the COAs or supplementary
COAs and this decision must be reasoned as such. This comparison must be explained as it is
critical for the reader to know how the aim will be achieved, whilst denying the enemy interference
in the decision-making cycle. No new ideas may be introduced at this stage. Such ideas must be
written into the appropriate section and all subsequent arguments must be revised and modified.
This will be the proposed courses, as well as the introductory sentences that accompany them.
This may not be a sequenced statement.
43. Plan. A plan indicates the roles of the forces to be employed and serves as a basis for
generating operation orders or further detailed planning. Avoid too much detail, but provide a clear,
definite and practical proposal for the employment of available resources. A plan must be written in
the infinitive, in concise and meaningful English. It may be illustrated by using a diagram. A plan
must reflect the proposed COA. However, this is a sequenced version of the proposed COA to help
subordinate commanders with planning.
44. The following questions must be asked when compiling an appreciation:
a. Is the reasoning sound?
b. Is the appreciation set out in logical order?
c. Is everything in the appreciation relevant to the problem?
d. Have any relevant aspects been omitted?
e. Is it free of uncertainty and ambiguities?
f. Is it accurate, ie are positions, times and distances correct?
g. Has the aim been borne in mind throughout and can the plan attain the aim?

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-13

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
53. Course of Action B. To …………………………………………...………………..
(1 line open)
a. Likelihood. ……………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. Effect. …………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
54. Enemy’s Most Probable Course of Action. ……….……..…....………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
55. Enemy’s Most Dangerous Course of Action. ………………...………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
COMPARISON OF OWN COURSES OF ACTION (41)
(1 line open)
56. Course of Action I vs Course of Action II. To……………..………….………....
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
57. Course of Action II vs Course of Action III. To……………....…………………...
(1 line open)
PROPOSED COURSE OF ACTION (42)
(1 line open)
58. The proposed course of action will be Course of Action I, combined with .......
............... Course of Action III and Course of Action IV…………….......………………
(1 line open)
59. To ………………………………………………………………………..…………..
(1 line open)
60. …………………………………………………………………………..……………
(1 line open)
PLAN (Mandatory) (43)
(1 line open) (44)
COMMAND AND CONTROL (Example)
(1 line open)
61. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
MISSION (Mandatory)
(1 line open)
62. ………………………………………………………………………..………………
(1 line open)
EXECUTION (Mandatory)
(1 line open)
63. ………………………………………………………………………..………………
(1 line open)
ELECTRONIC EMMISSION POLICY (Example)
(1 line open)
64. ………………………………………………………………………..………………
(1 line open)
LOGISTICS
(1 line open)
65. ………………………………………………………………………..………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-14 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
46. Reappreciation. This paragraph provides a statement of when a situation should be

reappreciated. It is based on a judgement after new information may have been received or when
a situation may have changed to such an extent that a reappreciation is required. The ideal guide
will be critical elements within the factor analysis upon which the COAs were formulated.
47. Signature Block and Distribution. The standard format is used for the signature and
distribution blocks. Copy numbers are allocated only if a document is classified as ‘SECRET’ or
higher. The guidelines for revision must be followed when revising an appreciation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7C-15

(2 lines open)
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
REAPPRECIATION (46)
(1 line open)
66. Reappreciated at/when……………………………………………..……………...
(4 to 6 lines open)

(1 line open)
ABC/XYZ (WRITE 9C)
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
C NAVY/S/505/1/2 1 Original
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7C-16 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 7
LAYOUT OF A FORMAL SAMHS APPRECIATION
1. The layout of a formal SAMHS appreciation is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
7D-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
2. Copy Number. Copy numbers are assigned to all copies of secret and top secret documents.
The distribution of copies is indicated in the distribution list.
3. File Reference. A file reference is used, if appropriate.
4. Location. The place where the appreciation is drafted is included. A map reference may be
enclosed if any doubt exists regarding the location of a place.
5. Date-time Group (DTG). The DTG indicates when an appreciation was signed. The DTG is
written in by hand when it is signed.
6. Subject Heading. The subject heading indicates the subject or situation dealt with in an
appreciation. It usually reads ‘AN APPRECIATION OF THE SITUATION ARISING FROM…’ or
‘AN APPRECIATION OF…’. It must describe the subject or existing situation as clearly as
possible, but must not prejudice the aim or any possible COA. It must be precise and not
compromising.
7. References. All references are listed below the subject heading. Maps are listed in normal
sequence.
8. Appendices. All appendices to an appreciation are listed below the references in normal
sequence.
9. Time Zone. Block capitals, eg ‘BRAVO’, are used for the time zone.
10. Review of the Situation. Only the necessary background information is included under this
heading. A possible layout is indicated in this example, but any format is permissible for this part of
an appreciation. The main thoughts regarding enemy and own forces must be included. Additional
details, as identified in a commander’s appreciation, may also be referred to.
11. Critical Success Factors. If a mission already exists, this part is omitted.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-3

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
8 MED BN/S/123/4/5 (3)
(1 line open)
8 Med Bn
Private Bag X 1103
Swartmodder
7143 (4)
250100B Jan 2019 (5)
(2 lines open)
AN APPRECIATION FOR ………………………………………TO SUPPORT (6)

MEDICAL BATTALION DURING OPERATION ….…………………………………….
(1 line open)
Reference A: Map 1: 50 000 (7)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
D: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
Appendix A: Casualty Estimates ….. (8)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
Time Zone: BRAVO (9)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
1. Own forces ………………………..………………………………...………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
2. Evacuation routes …………………………………….……………..……………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
3. Enemy force ……………………………………………………………..………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
4. Infrastructure ……………………………………………………………..…………
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(1 line open)
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (11)
(1 line open)
5. How the Following Factors Will Influence the Medical Battalion (Med Bn):
(1 line open)
a. Air evacuation.
(1 line open)
b. Endemic diseases.
(1 line open)
c. Clinical and mission readiness training.
(1 line open)
d. ………….………………………………………………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7D-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
13. Aim. The aim must constitute a simple statement of the task to be performed.
14. Mission. A mission must include the elements ‘who?’, ‘what?’, ‘where?’, ‘when?’, ‘how?’ and
‘what then?’ When a desired result must be decided upon, this heading becomes “DESIRED
RESULT AND ANALYSIS”.
15. Analysis of the Mission. It is advisable to compile a list of questions that must be answered.
The aim of an analysis is to
a. determine the type of operation (if possible);
b. identify specific and possible tasks;
c. make assumptions;
d. formulate the aim;
e. determine restrictions on the aim; and
f. lay down guidelines for planning.
16. Specific and Possible Tasks. All allocated and/or additional tasks that can be deduced
logically from the situation are listed under this heading.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-5

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
DEDUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
(1 line open)
6. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
MILITARY HEALTH AIM (13)
(1 line open)
7. ……………………………………………………………………………..………….
(1 line open)
MILITARY HEALTH MISSION (14)
(1 line open)
8. …………………………………………………………………………….………….
(1 line open)
FACTORS INFLUENCING DESIRED RESULT
(1 line open)
COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
(1 line open)
9. …………………………………………………………………………….………….
(1 line open)
INTENTIONS OF HIGHER AUTHORITY
(1 line open)
10. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
ENEMY SITUATION
(1 line open)
11. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
CAPABILITIES OF OWN FORCES
(1 line open)
12. …………………………………………………………………….………………….
(1 line open)
CONCLUSIONS
(1 line open)
13. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
DESIRED RESULT
(1 line open)
14. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS AND GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING (15)
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS
(1 line open)
15. Type of Operation. ……………………………………………..…………………..
(1 line open)
16. Specific Tasks (16)
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7D-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
18. Assumptions. Assumptions are used to fill gaps in the reasoning process that could
otherwise exist as a result of a lack of information. Guard against making assumptions in order to
reason problems away.
19. Guidelines for Planning. Guidelines for planning are given by a commander to his or her
staff. The guidelines constitute his or her aid to staff and reflect certain aspects based on the
fundamental information at his or her disposal and on the analysis of the mission, which he or she
regards as important enough to demand specific attention. Guidelines for planning may also
indicate certain actions that a commander especially wishes to be investigated. These guidelines
may not be complete initially, but will be developed and supplemented during the appreciation
process. However, they need not necessarily be followed.
20. Factors. There is no prescribed sequence for the consideration of factors, but the following
should be borne in mind:
a. First consider factors that may have the greatest influence on the choice of COAs.
b. Factors such as the assessment of tasks and enemy capabilities must naturally be
considered later, since these are dependent upon the consideration of other factors.
21. Time and Space and Terrain General. These two factors are completed in full during the
commander’s appreciation, with the aim of establishing a joint knowledge base for the
consideration of all factors following hereafter. For this reason, only summarising conclusions are
listed here.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-7

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
17. Possible Tasks
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
18. Assumptions. We/I assume that ……………………………………...………….. (18)
(1 line open)
19. Aim. The aim of ……….. is to …………….. the enemy………………....………
(1 line open)
20. Restrictions on the Aim
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING (19)
(1 line open)
21. …………………………………………………………………………….………….
(1 line open)
22. EEIs
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
23. Other Intelligence Requirements
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
24. Timetable
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
FACTORS (20)
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE GENERAL (21)
(1 line open)
25. Summarising Conclusions on Time and Space General from the
Commander’s Appreciation
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7D-8 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
23. Terrain. This section includes a detailed analysis of the military aspects of the terrain.
24. Enemy Detail. Analyse, amongst others, the enemy formation doctrines, tactics, equipment,
weapon capabilities and positions.
25. Own Forces. Formations, doctrines, tactics, equipment, weapon capabilities and positions of
own forces must be studied.
26. Analysis of the Objective. During the analysis of the objective, the deployment of the enemy
is analysed in detail by the intelligence staff and discussed with the operations staff during a sitting
or a coordinating conference. Thereafter, the operations staff will analyse the objective further from
an own forces’ point of view. This is done in order to determine how own forces can force their will
on the enemy and to visualise how the battle will unfold according to the objective. When own
forces are on the offensive, the objective is analysed first. When own forces are on the defensive,
advance routes/access routes are analysed first.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-9

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
TERRAIN GENERAL (23)
(1 line open)
26. Summarising Conclusions on Terrain General from the Commander’s
Appreciation
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
ENEMY DETAIL (if appropriate) (24)
(1 line open)
27. ………………………………………………………………………….…………….
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
OWN FORCES DETAIL (25)
(1 line open)
29. ……………………………………………………………………….……………….
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
TERRAIN DETAIL
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS OF THE OBJECTIVE (26)
(1 line open)
31. Argue the facts by way of deductions and conclusions that apply to own
forces in conjunction with the intelligence staff.
(1 line open)
32. Summarising Conclusion. .................................................................................
........................………………………………………………………………...…………….
(1 line open)
ANALYSIS OF ADVANCE ROUTES/ACCESS ROUTES
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. Compare advantages/disadvantages of advance routes/access
routes.
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7D-10 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
28. Other Factors. Other factors that are relevant to the mission and which contribute positively
or negatively to its execution must be considered.
29. Options
a. Options are a résumé of all summarising conclusions.
b. Options must be drawn up for both own forces and enemy forces.
c. Options must be as complete as possible and include time, groupings and phases.
30. Relative Strengths. This factor requires an examination of own and enemy forces. In
considering this factor, the aim is to define a general relationship between the combat capabilities
of own and enemy forces.
31. Enemy Capabilities and Courses of Action. Enemy COAs must be realistic and capable of
execution. It is, therefore, important that they be formulated within the framework of the enemy’s
already identified general capability.
32. It is necessary that vulnerable aspects of this capability be identified. This may provide a
subsequent indication of the possibility that this specific COA will be executed.
33. Enemy COAs are designated ‘Course of Action A’, ‘Course of Action B’, etc and are based
on the enemy capabilities summarised in the preceding paragraph. It is not necessary to arrange
the COAs in order of probability.
34. COAs are formulated in terms of the following:
a. Who? ‘Who’ refers to the formation, unit or subunit involved.
b. What? ‘What’ refers to the type of action that must be specified.
c. When? ‘When’ refers to the time at which an action will begin and/or end and must be
indicated.
d. Where? ‘Where’ refers to the area in or over which the action will take place and must
be specified.
e. How? ‘How’ refers to the method by which resources will be utilised.
35. Own Courses of Action. Own COAs are referred to as ‘Course of Action 1’ etc.
36. Analysis is done only during the planning cycle.
37. Use war games to test own COAs to ensure that the aim is realised, bearing the enemy’s
influence in mind. Own forces’ actions must be aggressively executed. Actions must not be
reactive to enemy actions.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-11

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
OTHER FACTORS (28)
(1 line open)
35. ………………………………………………………………..………………………
(1 line open)
OPTIONS (29)
(1 line open)
36. Generate as many options as possible
(1 line open)
RELATIVE STRENGTHS (30)
(1 line open)
37. Relative strengths may be tabled or graphically represented.
(1 line open)
(1 line open) (32)
COURSE OF ACTION A (33)
(1 line open) (34)
38. General Sketch. The operation will be executed in phases as follows:
(1 line open)
a. Phase 1. …………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
b. Phase 2. …………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
COURSE OF ACTION B
(1 line open)
39. ………………………………………………………………..………………………
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
a. The most important conclusion per option is whether the option
passes the test. In other words, are there enough own forces
available to execute the mission?
(1 line open)
b. ………….………………………………………………………………
(1 line open)
TIME AND SPACE
(1 line open)
41. Each option is tested according to the time available and is coupled to real
time.
(1 line open)
(1 line open) (36)
COURSE OF ACTION 1 (37)
(1 line open)
42. ………………………………………………………..………………………………
(1 line open)
COURSE OF ACTION 2
(1 line open)
43. …………………………………………………………..……………………………
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7D-12 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
39. Decision. The commander selects the best COA. Final adaptation may also be presented
here as options.
40. Signature Block and Distribution. The standard format is used for the signature and
distribution blocks. Copy numbers are allocated only if a document is classified as ‘SECRET’ or
higher. The guidelines for revision must be followed when revising an appreciation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7D-13

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
ENEMY CAPABILITIES AND COURSES OF ACTION (alternative)
(1 line open)
44. ………………………………………………………………………......……………
(1 line open)
DECISION (39)
(1 line open)
45. Course of Action …………………………………………………...……………….
(4 to 6 lines open)
(A.P. HALALA) (40)

OFFICER COMMANDING 8 MEDICAL BATTALION GROUP: COL
(1 line open)
ABC/XYZ (WRITE 9C)
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
………………………………. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
8 MED BN/S/123/4/5 1 Original
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
7D-14 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 7
LAYOUT OF A POINT PAPER
1. The layout of a point paper is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
7E-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
POINT PAPER ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR A PEACE
SUPPORT OPERATION IN NACIRFA
(1 line open)
Appendix A: Bibliography
(1 line open)
INTRODUCTION
(1 line open)
1. Our Defence Force will deploy about 200 members on a Peace Support
Operation (PSO) under the auspices of the Nacirfa Union (NU) in the Nacirfa country
of Burwa.
(1 line open)
2. Our Defence Force will form the South Nacirfa contingent and will be deployed
at the foot of the Moa Mountain near the town of Silda, which is about 20km outside
the capital of Buwama.
(1 line open)
PURPOSE
(1 line open)
3. The purpose of this point paper is to address the environmental considerations
for operations to minimise and control the military impact on the environment during
the PSO.
(1 line open)
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
(1 line open)
OWN FORCES
(1 line open)
4. ................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
MISSION AND MISSION CONSTRAINTS
(1 line open)
5. ................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
LOCAL POPULATION
(1 line open)
6. Attitude Towards Own Forces. The unfriendly population of Silda is opposing the
presence of the South Nacirfa contingents. The following effects and impact must be
considered:
(1 line open)
a. Effects on Own Forces. ...............................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. Impact on the Environment. ........................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7E-3
RESTRICTED 2
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
NATURAL RESOURCES
(1 line open)
7. Vegetation. The South Nacirfa contingent will be deployed at the foot of the Moa
Mountain, which is covered mostly in untouched local natural vegetation comprising
mainly of rain forest. The following effects and impact must be considered:
(1 line open)
a. Effects on Own Forces. There is a positive effect in that the vegetation
will conceal the force from ground observations. The negative effect
thereof is the increased fire hazard to deployed forces and the clogging
up of radiator systems on vehicles moving cross-country.
(1 line open)
b. Impact on the Environment. The increased fire threat will lead to species
depletion in the event of fires and uncontrolled utilisation of floral
resources will deplete this resource and influence biodiversity of the
region.
(1 line open)
8. Wildlife. Scientists from the London Science Museum recorded a number of rare
and endangered species of birds and gorillas in this area of the country in the 1900’s.
The following effects and impact must be considered:
(1 line open)
a. Effects on Own Forces. The presence of dangerous animals (snakes etc)
is a significant impact on force daily movement in deployment and camp
areas and must be avoided at all times. The urge to collect pets and
mascots may not be permitted. Vector animals of diseases must be
controlled at kitchen and waste collection areas.
(1 line open)
b. Impact on the Environment. Indiscriminate hunting and killing of wildlife
will negatively influence the ecosystem of the region and must not be
permitted. Uncontrolled management of pests and vectors will lead to
imbalances in the ecosystem and disease outbreaks will be inevitable.
(1 line open)
CULTURAL HISTORICAL RESOURCES
(1 line open)
9. Cultural Resources. This designated area, which dates back from the early
1700’s, has a lot of ancient burial sites and graves, which are under legal protection by
national legislation. The following effects and impact must be considered:
(1 line open)
a. Effects on Own Forces. Cultural resources must be identified as this may
restrict the movement of forces in certain areas, Destruction of cultural
resources has legal implications and the co-operation of surrounding
population.
(1 line open)
b. Impact on the Environment. Activities undertaken at these resources will
directly and adversely influence these resources that will require costly
rehabilitation and repair with the resulting legal liability.
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
7E-4 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 3
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
WASTE MANAGEMENT
(1 line open)
10. ………………………………………………………………….………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………… The following
effects and impact must be considered:
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF FUELS AND LUBRICANTS
(1 line open)
11. ………………………………………………………………….………………………….
………………………………………………………………… The following effects and
impact must be considered:
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
CONCLUSION
(1 line open)
12. ………………………………………………………………….………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
OWN FORCES
(1 line open)
13. ………………………………………………………………….………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7F-1
APPENDIX F
TO CHAPTER 7
LAYOUT OF A POSITION PAPER
1. The layout of a position paper is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
7F-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
POSITION PAPER FOR THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE
(1 line open)
“FOCUSING ON HUMAN SECURITY IS THE DEATH KNELL OF A DEFENCE
FORCE”
(1 line open)
by
(1 line open)
2045689PE Lt Col V. Sandalwood
(1 line open)
Appendix A: Bibliography
(1 line open)
INTRODUCTION
(1 line open)
1. While the world has gradually moved from a national security paradigm which
focused on state security to one which emphasises human security, defence forces
across the world have simultaneously engaged in re-evaluating and transforming their
roles for providing security in defence of their countries. One consideration is that in
order to remain relevant, grater prominence should be given to enhancing their role in
human security. Yet this is not without controversy- there are those who claim that this
is tantamount to sacrificing a defence force on the proverbial altar of political
expediency.
(1 line open)
2. According to the United Nations Development Programme, human security
addresses seven areas: economic security, food security, health security,
environmental security, personal security, community security and political security.¹
From this emerged two schools of thought on how to go about achieving acceptable
levels of human security.
(1 line open)
3. In this context two themes surfaced – freedom from fear and freedom from
want.² The former theme essentially focuses on protecting citizens from conflict,
conflict prevention emergency assistance and peace building. It has a narrow focus.
This latter theme has a wider scope and includes hunger, disease and natural
disasters – based on the viewpoint that these threats claim more lives than the
threats to fear.
(1 line open)
SCOPE
(1 line open)
4. This paper will address the first position of: ‘human security is the death knell for
a defence force’; where emphasis will be placed on the freedom from fear, where
protecting the state against military threats is paramount. The counter position of:
‘human security is not the death knell for a defence force’; will then be discussed to
place emphasis on the freedom of want, where armed forces provide essential support
and resources to protect people during disasters. In conclusion a clear position will be
given on the writer’s preference.
1 http://www.undevelopmentprogram.com. Security-issues,p3,accessed 12 April 2020

2 http://www.undevelopmentprogram.com. Security-issues,p6,accessed 12 April 2020
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 7F-3
RESTRICTED 2
(2 lines open)
POSITION
(1 line open)
5. The following position is examined: human security is the death knell of a
defence force.
(1 line open)
POSITION FOR: FOCUSING ON HUMAN SECURITY IS THE DEATH KNELL OF A
DEFENCE FORCE
(1 line open)
6. Defence forces are designed to deal with conflict, especially military threats.
While there may be a wide- held belief that large scale conflict is unlikely in the present
times, it does not mean that there is no likelihood of its occurrence. Events in Iraq and
Afghanistan show that in the event of a country ostensibly threatening the interests of
another, military conflict will follow. This means that a defence force has an obligation
to maintain a level of readiness to meet such a threat. Moving into areas related to
human security dilutes the capacity as it impacts on equipment acquisition, doctrine
and force preparation, leaving a country vulnerable. Emphasising human security
leaves defence force incapable of responding to conventional threats
(1 line open)
7. The first Gulf War saw the establishment of a multinational coalition consisting
of forces from 34 countries for the liberation of Kuwait.³ Key to the success of the
campaign was the ability of partners to plan, execute and support joint operations by
forces which were primarily conventional in nature. Human security played no role in
the defeat of Saddam Hussein.
(1 line open)
8. Compromising the state’s capacity to deal with military threats leaves it
vulnerable and exposed and the requirement to maintain a defence force capable of
dealing with such threats is crucial to national security.
(1 line open)
POSITION AGAINST: FOCUSSING ON HUMAN SECURITY IS NOT THE DEATH
KNELL OF A DEFENCE FORCE
(1 line open)
9. Given the experience of defence forces in dealing with conflict they are the
primary actors in this area and in a certain sense this is their core business. This
means that they are the instrument of choice to deal with threats to freedom from fear.
Examples are legion: United Nations peace-keeping operations, the so called Blue
Helmets, have across the world ensured that conflict is contained or resolved. Africa,
in particular has reaped the benefits from the deployment of Unite Nations peace-
keepers particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and elsewhere.
(1 line open)
10. A defence force, in its quest to remain relevant in a rapidly changing
environment, must continuously adapt to meet threats to national security. Non-
military threats such as disasters, both natural and man-made, disease, hunger and
poverty are likely to increasingly threaten the very survival of the state. It would
therefore be irresponsible of a government not to use the full range of instruments at
its disposal, including its defence force, to address such threats. Although defence
forces may not be the primary role players in dealing with threats to freedom from
want, they are positioned to make a significant contribution.
3 Kane, B, The Gulf War (Texas: Jerry More, 1994), p23.
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
7F-4 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 3
(2 lines open)
11. It is recalled that the Indonesian armed forces, were for example, instrumental in
rendering assistance to the victims of the Tsunami in December 2004.⁴ Moreover the
role played by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army after the earthquakes which
devastated Sichuan Province on 12 May 2008,⁵ attest to the ability of a defence force
to rapidly respond to a natural disaster.
(1 line open)
12. A defence force can incorporate human security into strategy without
compromising its ability to deal with conventional threats. The actions of the
Indonesian armed forces, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the United
Nations Peace Support Operations indicate that dealing with situations arising from
threats to human security is both possible and crucial to the survival of the state and its
citizens. Emphasising human security, positions a defence force to meet military and
non- military threats, thereby enhancing its utility for assisting the state to maintain
stability and security.
(1 line open)
CONCLUSION
(1 line open)
13. The writer supports the position that focuses on: ‘human security is not the
death knell of a defence force’. It is clear in many instances that contemporary conflict
are associated with people who has a need for better living conditions and thus
ultimately requires sufficient resources. The state would be irresponsible not to realise
the utility of its armed forces during times of disaster and other related circumstances,
to provide essential services.
4 Peter, C, ‘Lessons Learnt from Indonesia’, The Journal of Military History, Vol 72, No 2 April 2005,p.277-299
5 Chau, M, ‘The red Army in support’, The International Forum, Vol 20, no 3, June 2007, p.56-59
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-1
CHAPTER 8: PLANS, ORDERS, INSTRUCTIONS AND DIRECTIVES
Appendix A: Layout of an Operational Instruction

B: Example of a Warning Order
C: Layout of an Operational Order
D: Example of a Fragmentary Order
E: Example of a Policy Directive
F: Unit Order (Part 1)
G: Unit Order (Part 2)
PLANS
INTRODUCTION
1. A plan is a predetermined, formulated and organised course of action (COA) according to

which a task is performed or a mission accomplished. As part of the planning process, a plan
represents a commander’s preparation to deal with or to organise a specific event.
2. The form and scope of a plan can vary and its layout will depend on the type of plan and the
purpose for which it is intended. A plan may be a detailed document or a brief outline. It may
merely consist of a few recommendations or exist only as an abstract formulation/theory.
3. A plan often stems from a decision made at the end of an appreciation. It must have a clearly
defined objective or aim and, when carried to its logical conclusion, provide the basis for orders.
The development of a plan, from the initial appreciation to the final orders, is determined by the
staff and time available and the scope of the operation or project.
4. Although there are numerous planning procedures, the general process is as follows:
a. Formulation of an outline plan.
b. Development of the detailed plan.
c. Formulation of the orders or instructions.
d. Supplementary planning to maintain the operation or project.
5. Although plans are based on specific conditions or assumptions, they are not static. They are
modified, improved and kept current by means of continued appreciations and studies during the
planning process. Should circumstances change, the planner must be prepared to amend or revise
previous decisions, rather than solely striving to justify them. The successful planner must be able
to recognise and correct weaknesses timeously.
APPLICATION OF PLANS
6. Plans are drawn up for many purposes. The purpose of a plan is often indicated by qualifying
terms that precede the word ‘plan’. Examples of such plans are discussed in the paragraphs
below.
7. Operational Strategic Plans. An operational strategic plan is a plan for overall warfare.
8. Campaign Plans. A campaign plan is a series of related military operations directed at

accomplishing a common objective, usually within a given time and space. Such plans are usually
prepared by a joint staff.

Year: 2021
8-2 RESTRICTED
9. Operational Plans. An operational plan is drawn up for a military operation. It may cover a
single operation or a series of interrelated operations to be conducted simultaneously or
successively. An operational plan is similar in form to an operational order (OPSO) and can easily
be adapted.
10. Administrative Plans. An administrative plan makes provision for the administrative and
logistic details of operations. It is based on the requirements of an operation, as determined by
appropriate appreciations. It is put into effect by an administrative order. The differences between
operational plans and OPSOs also apply here.
TYPES OF PLANS
11. When planning, avoid the material risk of planning in too much detail before the outline plan
is formulated. First formulate the outline plan and add the subsection of the outline plan thereafter.
12. Outline Plans. An outline plan is the framework of the plan under consideration. It is drafted
according to the separate components of a plan when each component comprises a broad aspect.
It consists primarily of headings and subheadings and, in military terms, states the mission or
objective, the broad design for battle, the basic undertakings and the scope of initial and
subsequent operations. It may be used by commanders and their staff to
a. test the feasibility of an operation;
b. provide higher headquarters with information;
c. obtain opinions and recommendations from subordinate commanders;
d. initiate and facilitate planning at lower levels; and
e. be included at the end of an appreciation.
13. Detailed Plan. Once the broad components of the plan are considered, the detailed planning
of each component must be undertaken. During this phase, the outline plan may have to be
reassessed and amended.
14. Contingency Plan. A contingency plan is a plan that takes into account the uncertainty of
future events. It is a plan formulated to deal with a particular event. It may be presented in various
formats, ie it may be only an outline plan or it may include detailed plans. It must be updated and
amended constantly to keep abreast of changes in a situation.
ELEMENTS OF A PLAN
15. There is no set form for a plan and there is no fixed method of planning. The format of a plan
must be adapted to the requirements of the planners and their superiors.
16. During planning, the various programming and scheduling techniques that can be used as an
aid to planning must be considered. Where appropriate, plans should also be represented in the
form of flow charts or some other kind of graphic representation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-3
17. A plan must address all POSTEDFILT(B) aspects (see Chapter 5), include the achievement
of the objective and be comprehensive, valid, economical, simple, flexible, sustained, creative and
in logical sequence. POSTEDFILT(B) assesses the capabilities of each of the following system
elements:
a. P – Personnel. Consider which personnel were deployed in your domain. Were

management directives and/or duty sheets issued to them? Reflect on what you would
add or do differently if you were given a second opportunity.
b. O – Organisation. Consider how your specific function is structured and how your
command and control was executed. Reflect on what you would add or do differently if
you were given a second opportunity.
c. S – Sustainment. Consider how you accessed supplies, hospitality, maintenance,

transport, health and personnel maintenance services. Reflect on what you would add
or do differently if you were given a second opportunity.
d. T – Training. Identify which knowledge and skills are key to your domain and what
mission-readiness training was done. Reflect on what you would add or do differently if
you were given a second opportunity.
e. E – Equipment. Consider which capital assets and goods were deployed in your
domain. Were they adequate and serviceable? Reflect on what you would add or do
differently if you were given a second opportunity.
f. D – Doctrine. In applying your doctrine, what were your results? Identify the gaps in the
doctrine. Reflect on what you would add or do differently if you were given a second
opportunity.
g. F – Facilities. Identify how your spatial requirements (workspace/living space) were

met. Were they functional, safe and healthy? Reflect on what you would add or do
differently if you were given a second opportunity.
h. I – Information. Identify which information systems were utilised to meet your situational
awareness requirements. Consider whether the information worked. Reflect on what
you would add or do differently if you were given a second opportunity.
i. L – Leadership. Consider what leadership role you played in the organisation and if it
was to the benefit of the organisation and the personnel under your command. Reflect
on what you would add or do differently if you were given a second opportunity.
j. T – Technology. Identify what type of technology you utilised and whether it was
current, outdated or obsolete. Reflect on what you would add or do differently if you
were given a second opportunity.
k. (B) – (Budget). Consider whether the budget that was allocated was sufficient and
whether you utilised the entire allocation within the financial year. Indicate what needed
to be done if the budget was not sufficient and what you would have done if you had
underspent and had to return funds within the financial year. Reflect on what you would
add or do differently if you were given a second opportunity.

Year: 2021
8-4 RESTRICTED
EXECUTION
18. Once a commander has issued a written plan of action, this plan will form the basis for
orders, instructions or directives.
19. The method selected for executing a plan will depend on the following:
a. The degree of freedom that the recipient of such a plan has regarding how the relevant
task will be executed.
b. The level of C2 involved.
SUPPORT PLANS
20. The following support plans are included as appendices to an OPSO:
a. Appendix A: Operational Plan (Air Defence Plan/Air Traffic Management

Plan/Proclaimed Airspace/Rules of Engagement/Control Plan).
b. Appendix B: Intelligence Plan.
c. Appendix C: Counter-intelligence/Protection Plan.
d. Appendix D: Personnel Plan/HR Plan.
e. Appendix E: Logistics Plan (Supply and Support).
f. Appendix F: Search and Rescue Plan.
g. Appendix G: Corporate Communication Plan.
h. Appendix H: Communication Plan.
HIERARCHY OF DOCUMENTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF OPERATIONAL ORDERS AND

INSTRUCTIONS
21. The hierarchy is as follows:
a. Presidential note to MOD&MV for the placement of the SANDF in service.
b. Cabinet memoranda to C SANDF for the appointment of the SANDF in service.
c. C SANDF directives to Chief of Joint Operations (CJ Ops) for direction or compliance.
d. CJ Ops directives to Joint Operational Headquarters (J Op HQ) for the services’ and
divisions’ force preparation.
e. J Op HQ instructions to services and divisions for force preparation and provision.
f. OPSOs from services and divisions for compliance and implementation.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-5
INSTRUCTIONS
DEFINITION
22. An instruction is a written, verbal or signal communication in which a commander tells his or
her subordinates what to do, but not how to do it.
GENERAL
23. Instructions contain a commander’s general intention and allow his or her subordinates to
plan and prepare in advance. They are normally issued instead of an order under the following
circumstances:
a. To a subordinate commander with an independent mission.
b. When the speed of movement or lack of initial information makes specific orders
impracticable or undesirable.
c. When a commander wants to communicate further intentions or influence events and

when detailed, written orders cease to be appropriate.
d. To meet contingencies that can only be partially foreseen, such as internal security
operations or natural disasters. Such instructions will usually contain alternative
courses of action that may be opted for according to circumstances.
e. The following must be made absolutely clear to the recipient:
i. What the superior commander is thinking and what he or she is going to do.
ii. The recipient’s own task or tasks.
24. The recipient of such an instruction will have to act on own initiative, since an instruction
gives him or her wider scope than an order. Although a mission is still expressed in the infinitive
(‘to’), a commander’s intention concerning its execution may be expressed by ‘should’ rather than
‘must’. As in the case of OPSOs, instructions must be issued in good time to allow subordinates at
all levels to prepare for and execute the required action.
OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
25. Contents. In an operational instruction, the future intentions of the commander must be clear
so that the addressees will take the correct course of action. It must, therefore, contain all available
information about the enemy forces/threats/belligerents/OPFOR and the commander’s future
plans. It may even include alternative plans.
26. Security. Since an operational instruction usually contains a commander's intentions, security
is especially important. Operational instructions may, therefore, have to be classified up to ‘TOP
SECRET’.
27. An operational instruction is always addressed to the recipient by name and is signed
personally by the commander.
28. Layout. The layout of an operational instruction is the same as that of an OPSO (see
Appendix D).

Year: 2021
8-6 RESTRICTED
ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS
29. As in the case of operational instructions, a commander may find it necessary to issue an
administrative instruction instead of an order, eg during mobile operations or when it is impossible
to foresee the course of operations. An administrative instruction may often be issued in
conjunction with an operational instruction.
30. An administrative instruction lays down the general policy for an administrative plan and, in
this way, allows the supporting staff to think ahead and make preparations. Once operations are in
progress, administrative orders (admin Os) should be issued only when necessary.
31. The layout of an administrative instruction should be similar to that of an admin O.
ORDERS
DEFINITION
32. An order is a written, verbal or signal communication in which an individual or an

organisation communicates the tasks and the methods for executing them to the
executor/individual/organisation required to execute the task.
GENERAL
33. Orders are used to convey a commander’s plan to subordinates who are responsible for
executing the plan.
34. Orders must be issued timeously to allow subordinates at all levels to prepare for and
execute the required action.
35. The sequence and form of various types of orders have been standardised and are subject
to certain mandatory principles to safeguard against negligence and for clarity. However, the
principles must be interpreted intelligently so that an order may be formulated simply and
concisely.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ORDERS
36. Clarity. Clarity is the first essential element of an order. A subordinate who refers to such a
document must be able to understand it thoroughly. The writer must use accepted military
terminology and abbreviations. Avoid the use of ambiguous expressions and complicated and
technical language.
37. Comprehensiveness/Completeness. An order must contain all the information necessary to

coordinate an operation. However, it contains only those details or methods of execution
necessary to ensure that the actions of subordinates conform to the battle design prescribed for
the entire force.
38. Brevity. Avoid superfluous words and unnecessary detail. However, do not sacrifice clarity
and completeness merely for the sake of brevity.
39. Simplicity. Use simple, understandable language. Eliminate any possibility of

misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
40. Recognise a Subordinate Commander’s Initiative. Orders or plans must not encroach on the
initiative of subordinate commanders by prescribing the details for executing a plan that lies within

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-7
their area of expertise. Instructions should not be given in such detail that command initiative is
taken away from a commander. Only in exceptional circumstances, such as during an operation
requiring extremely close coordination and timing, should a subordinate commander be told
precisely how to perform an assigned task.
41. Use of the Affirmative Form. In the interest of simplicity and clarity, the positive form of
expression must be used throughout all orders and plans. Subordinates must be told what they
must do and not what they must not do.
42. Qualifying Orders. Expressions, such as ‘attack vigorously’, are not only verbose but also
weaken the impact of subsequent orders that contain no qualifying adverbs. Expressions, such as
‘try to hold’ and ‘as far as possible’, accomplish nothing, except to diminish responsibility and
urgency and must be avoided.
43. Authoritative Expressions. The order or a plan reflects a commander’s intention and will.
Indecisive, vague and ambiguous expressions indicate indecision and a lack of confidence in
subordinates and give rise to uncertainty. Subordinates must be told in clear and concise terms
exactly what a commander wants them to do. The expression ‘must’ must be used to give a direct
order, eg ‘All members participating in sport must report to the RSM’.
44. Timeliness. Orders and plans must be disseminated timeously to allow subordinates time to
plan and prepare. Warning orders will enable subordinates to commence their preparations before
they receive orders or plans. Concurrent planning saves time.
TYPES OF ORDERS
45. Warning Order (WO). A WO is a preliminary notice of action on an order that is to follow. Its
purpose is to give subordinate elements advance notice so that they have time to make the
necessary arrangements. WOs are appropriate at all levels of command, whenever they can be
used to save time or energy. They are usually issued as a brief or as verbal or written reports.
There is no prescribed layout for the contents or format of a WO (it can be in the format of a routine
letter or a signal). The test should be whether the information is relevant in order to save time. All
written WOs must be numbered. An example of a WO is given in Appendix A.
46. Verbal Order
a. Verbal orders are used by all services and divisions.
b. Whenever possible, a commander issues orders in person to subordinate

commanders. The commander is then able to place a personal stamp of authority on
an operation to inspire confidence and boost morale. When there is no opportunity to
call subordinate commanders together, a commander may issue orders by radio or
telephone. The commander delegates responsibility to staff or liaison officers only as a
last resort.
c. The layout of verbal orders is as for OPSOs.
d. Confirmatory Notes. Whenever possible, verbal orders must be accompanied by

confirmatory notes. Confirmatory notes may be issued before or after verbal orders are
given. The wishes of the commander will probably dictate the sequence of events.
Some commanders feel that verbal orders come as an anticlimax if subordinate
commanders have already received confirmatory notes. However, subordinate
commanders probably prefer to receive prior warning of their tasks before their
commanders speak. Irrespective of when they are issued, confirmatory notes are most

Year: 2021
8-8 RESTRICTED
valuable to lower formation staff officers and others who were not present when the
verbal orders were issued. The amount of detail contained in confirmatory notes will
vary according to the wishes of a commander. Confirmatory notes are normally short
and contain only the most important aspects of the verbal orders issued at the briefing.
The format is similar to that used for orders. In some cases, confirmatory notes may
contain all the information given at the briefing.
47. Graphic Order. A graphic order is an order used during mobile conventional land battles to
convey orders graphically to subordinates after the planning cycle has been completed. This order
can be a graphic representation or a sketch of the intended action.
48. Operational Order (OPSO). An OPSO is a document in which a commander directs and
coordinates the action of the relevant force to be utilised during the operation. ‘OPSO’ is a general
term and includes movement orders. An OPSO must contain a complete picture of a commander’s
intentions with clear instructions to subordinate commanders that are sufficiently detailed to enable
them to issue their own orders. Supporting and specialist units have their own orders concerning
the details of how they are to carry out their particular tasks. All OPSOs are subdivided as follows:
a. Situation
i. Enemy Forces/Threats/Belligerents/OPFOR.
ii. Friendly/Own Forces.
iii. Attachments and Detachments.
b. Mission.
c. Administration and Logistics.
d. Command and Signal.
e. Appendices. Plans to contribute to the achievement of objectives.
49. Administrative Order (Admin O). An admin O deals with personnel, logistic and medical
matters. The various services and divisions use admin Os in different ways. Note that a change of
administrative command is related to the replenishment cycle. There are nine mandatory headings
in an admin O. If there is no entry under one of these headings, the word ‘Nil’ must be written after
the heading. The headings are as follows:
a. Situation
i. Enemy Forces/Threats/Belligerents/OPFOR.
ii. Friendly/Own Forces.
iii. Attachments and Detachments.
b. Mission.
c. General.
d. Personnel.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-9
e. Supply and Support Services.
f. Medical.
g. Civil-military Cooperation (CIMIC).
h. Miscellaneous.
i. Command and Signal.
50. Fragmentary Order (FRAGO). A FRAGO contains instructions of immediate concern to one
or more subordinates. The purpose of a FRAGO is to provide those concerned with brief, specific,
clear and timeous instructions (see Appendix C). There is no prescribed layout for the contents or
the format of a FRAGO (it can be in the format of a routine letter or a signal).
51. Unit Orders. OCs are responsible for the issuing of unit orders. The following are types of
unit orders:
a. Unit Orders (Part 1). Unit Orders (Part 1) are issued from time to time for the regulation
of administrative and personnel matters. They are numbered consecutively on an
annual basis and are only valid for one year, after which they must either be cancelled
or reissued, if required, to remain in force. Unit Orders (Part 1) should be displayed on
notice boards and in access areas where subordinates will have access to the
information. Subjects such as the following are promulgated:
i. Appointment and collateral duty assignments.
ii. Delegation of stores account holders by name.
iii. Publication of awards, commendations, etc.
iv. Court martial and summary trial sentences.
v. Parades and inspections.
vi. Dress and dress regulations.
vii. Discipline.
viii. Reference to and an explanation of orders and instructions issued by higher

headquarters.
ix. Change of command.
x. Duties.
xi. Sport.
b. Unit Orders (Part 2). Unit Orders (Part 2) are published to ensure that all concerned are
kept informed of all occurrences affecting personnel. For the purpose of readability and
taking the appropriate action, where necessary, Unit Orders (Part 2) are normally
subdivided into Regulars and Reserves. Relevant information is grouped together
under the various group headings, which can include the following (note that not all
types of entries that may be included, are reflected below):
i. Duty allowances (eg guard duty, field officer on duty, recovery standby, officer on
duty and NCO on duty).

Year: 2021
8-10 RESTRICTED
ii. Operational allowances (standby, danger, etc).
iii. Overtime allowances.
iv. Call-up of Reserves (continuous duty).
v. Call-up of Reserves (non-continuous duty).
vi. Board and lodging (implementation, cessation).
vii. Leave (only where it will affect the member’s salary, eg sick leave with half pay).
viii. Hospitalisation (living-in or living-out).
ix. Allocation of married quarters.
x. Vacating of married quarters.
xi. Punishments.
xii. Off strength.
xiii. On strength.
xiv. Operational deployment.
xv. Detached duty.
xvi. Courses.
DIRECTIVES
DEFINITION
52. A directive is a communication with no legal mandate that initiates or guides action, conduct
or procedures. Directives concern major policy matters and their implementation. Directives may
also give guidance on priorities. Services and divisions have to compile orders in order to enforce
directives in a legally binding manner.
COMMAND DIRECTIVES
53. Command directives, issued in peacetime, may include paragraphs, such as the following:
a. You have been appointed ... .
b. You are responsible for the efficiency and readiness of the following forces that will be
under your command wef … .
c. You must maintain your forces in time of peace with the primary objective of ... .
d. In time of war you may be required to … .
e. Your particular tasks are as follows:
i. Personnel Management.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-11
ii. Logistics Management.
iii. Procurement Delegation.
iv. Logistic Delegation.
v. Disposal of Equipment.
vi. Financial Management.
vii. Operational Expenditure.
viii. Security of SANDF.
ix. Command and Control.
x. Leisure-time Utilisation (LTU).
xi. Internal Corporate Communication.
xii. Advice to Higher HQ.
xiii. Reports and Returns.
xiv. Law and Discipline.
xv. Chaplain Services.
xvi. Communications.
xvii. Leave.
xviii. Visits.
xix. Code of Conduct.
NOTE: The list may vary according to the situation. Identified tasks must be elaborated on.
POLICY DIRECTIVES
54. Policy directives are normally related to a particular aspect of a commander’s responsibilities
and, by definition, concern matters of importance, such as the training policy within a formation.
The style is normally formal without being abrupt. Phrases such as ‘you will be required to’ and
‘your objectives will be’ are often used instead of ‘must’. The following aspects are included in the
layout of policy directives:
a. Policy Decision. The policy is set out in detail under the heading ‘Policy Decision’.
b. Origin and Date. The origin and date of the decision must be stated.
c. Authorities Involved. All authorities that are responsible for implementing a policy must
be stated. The authorities may be subdivided as follows:
i. Controlling authority.

Year: 2021
8-12 RESTRICTED
ii. Executive authorities.
iii. Information authorities.
d. Time Factor. The date from which a policy will be effective and the date for reviewing a
policy must be indicated.
e. Supplementary Instructions. Supplementary instructions include all the additional

information required for executing the policy.
PLANNING DIRECTIVES
55. Planning directives are commonly issued in the preparatory stage before major operations
are undertaken. A commander may issue a planning directive to set subordinate commanders and
staff to work or if there is no time for detailed orders. A planning directive may contain the
following:
a. Outline plan.
b. Reconnaissance required before an operation.
c. Preliminary deception arrangements.
d. Contemplated movements.
e. Preliminary administrative arrangements.
f. Rehearsals for special phases.
g. Security on a need-to-know basis.
LAYOUT OF DIRECTIVES
56. There is no formal layout for a written directive.
ADDENDUM VS AMENDMENT
ADDENDUM
57. Definition of an Addendum
a. An addendum is an attachment to a document that modifies the current information in

that specific document. Addenda are used to efficiently update the information of many
types of documents.
b. An addendum is informational or explanatory notes added to and made part of the

existing document once all parties involved have accepted it. Addenda are usually
items that were left out when the document was being drafted.
c. An addendum can be created by persons other than the ones who signed the original
contract.
58. Use of an Addendum. An addendum usually contains items that were not included when the
document was being drafted. Addenda are changes that are made to an existing document to add

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8-13
information or change current information contained in the specific document. It does not replace
the original document.
59. How to Use an Addendum
a. Use a style and format consistent with the original document. This includes using the
same font, size, and margins as the original document.
b. Create a title clearly identifying the relationship with the original document. For
example, title the attachment, "Addendum to Unit Order (Part 2) No 15/19 dated 3 July
2019.”
c. Note the effective date of the addendum.
d. Identify the related sections of the document. Clearly list affected parts of the document
and corresponding modifications.
e. Include the signature block of the original signatory in the addendum.
AMENDMENT
60. Definition of an Amendment
a. An amendment is attached to the original document and alters the information

contained in the original document. It replaces the specified portion of the original
document.
b. An amendment may be referred to as an alteration, since it alters the original

document, which may include supplementary information.
61. Use of an Amendment. Use an amendment to change details in the original document after it
is drafted by the originator.
62. How to Use an Amendment
a. Amendments are allowed to be made by the persons who signed the original
document.
b. When creating an amendment, it is important to ensure that the language is clear,

concise and specific. The document can be in an informal format, such as a letter, or it
can be created to resemble the format used in the original document, including the
same font and layout.
63. Creating an Amendment
a. Formatting. Any changes to the original document are shown using red lines and
strikethroughs of the text. Additions are indicated with underlined text and deleted text
is crossed out. Most word processing programs have a strikethrough option. Precede
the amended information with a clarifying statement about the amendment process and
an indication of the section to be modified. For example, "The parties agree to amend
the agreement by the following additions (indicated by underlining) and deletions
(indicated by strikethroughs): Section 10 is amended to read as follows:"

Year: 2021
8-14 RESTRICTED
b. Replacement. Replace entire paragraphs or clauses completely. State which clause is

being replaced and add the new clause that will replace it.
c. Description. A description of the portion of the amendment being replaced can be

included. For example, "The rate in the second sentence of the third paragraph is being
modified from 'R150' to 'R175' per hour."
64. General
a. Keeping track of all the document components, including addenda and amendments,
can be logistically burdensome and a compliance challenge. Missing addenda or
overlooked amendments can result in significant consequences for the DOD.
b. Amendments are considered part of a document until it is next negotiated, while an

addendum is a legal and binding part of the document.
c. Both an addendum and an amendment may have the same format as an appendix,
except that it will not be listed or recorded in the main document.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8A-1
APPENDIX A
TO CHAPTER 8
LAYOUT OF AN OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTION
1. The layout of an operational instruction is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8A-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Security Classification. All documents must have a security classification depending on the
content of the document and who may have access to it.
2. Copy Numbers. Copy numbers are allocated to secret and top secret documents only. A
record of all copies issued to addressees must be kept. The copy number is inserted by the
despatching authority.
3. File Reference. A file reference is always used.
4. Address Block. A grid reference indicating the position of the HQ may be added for clarity.
The DTG is filled in when the order is signed.
5. Date-time Group (DTG) of Signing. The DTG is completed by hand when an instruction is
signed by the releasing officer.
6. Message Reference Number. The message reference number is inserted so that the
instruction may be acknowledged. It is the same number that appears in the originator's block of
the original signal.
7. Operational Instruction Number. Operational instructions are numbered consecutively

throughout a calendar year.
8. References. References may include maps and other documents required to clarify the
instruction. Should any ambiguity exist, the map edition number is specified to ensure that the
correct map is used.
9. Appendices. All appendices to an instruction are listed. Appendices must be listed in the
order in which they are referred to in the body of the instruction for the first time.
10. Time Zone Used Throughout an Instruction. In order to avoid mistakes in transmission, the
time zone must be written out in full opposite this heading, eg ‘BRAVO’.
11. Addressees. An operational instruction is addressed personally to the officer commanding of

the formation or unit that must perform the task.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8A-3

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
ABC/S/123/4/5 (3)
(1 line open)
HQ 43 SA Brigade (4)
Somewhere
0029
DTG of Signature (5)
(1 line open)
Message Reference No ........ (6)
(2 lines open)
OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTION NO ........../2021 (7)
(1 line open)
Reference A: …………………………………………… (8)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
D: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
C: Map
(1 line open)
Time Zone Used Throughout the Instruction: ....................................................... (10)
(1 line open)
To: Rank: .................. Initials and Surname: ........................................................ (11)
Commander of .................................................................................
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8A-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
13. Situation. This section of the instruction contains information about the general situation that
is essential for understanding the instruction. It is devoted exclusively to information and contains
no part of the commander’s intentions.
14. Enemy Forces/Threats/Risks/Belligerents/OPFOR. Factual intelligence about the enemy

forces/threats/risks/belligerents/OPFOR required by the recipient of an instruction is included here,
eg the enemy’s disposition, strength and air activity. The enemy’s possible courses of action and a
forecast of probable enemy action may be included if this intelligence is relevant to the recipient.
In the case of a disaster or emergency, the possible development of the current situation must be
addressed.
15. Friendly/Own Forces. Under this heading, details are provided of, firstly, the friendly/own
forces not under own command that will be operating in a supporting or supplementary role during
the operation. Secondly, details of any other forces, whether under own command or not, whose
activities may affect the action of the addressee, are provided. An indication of the commander’s
own situation and future plans may be included, provided an informal but clear statement of what
he or she intends to achieve with his or her main force is given.
16. Attachments and Detachments. Attachments and detachments are included only if
appropriate. Under this section, a list is provided of units or formations, whether operational or
administrative, that are not organic to the formation issuing the instruction and that higher
command is either allotting or detaching for the operation concerned.
17. Mission. The mission is a precise, clear statement of the task that must be performed by a
formation or unit. When possible, the mission must specify the following:
a. Who? The formation or unit that will be conducting the operation.
b. What? The type of operation.
c. Where? The place where the operation must be conducted.
d. When? The time at which the operation must commence.
18. Execution. The following points are applicable:
a. Separate paragraphs may be required for ‘general tasks’ and ‘particular tasks’, eg in an
instruction for a reconnaissance mission in which specific questions are asked.
b. Questions on the reconnaissance mission must be to the point. Clearly phrased

questions elicit clear answers. Vague requirements, such as ‘information on any enemy
in Valhalla’, invariably result in vague information.
19. Administration and Logistics. Details of administrative and logistic arrangements are provided
in this section.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8A-5

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
SITUATION (13)
(1 line open)
1. Enemy Forces/Threats/Risks/Belligerents/OPFOR. ...................................... (14)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
2. Friendly/Own Forces (15)
(1 line open)
a. ...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. ...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
(1 line open)
3. Attachments and Detachments (16)
(1 line open)
a. ...........................................................................................................
(1 line open)
b. ...........................................................................................................
(1 line open)
c. ...........................................................................................................
(1 line open)
MISSION (17)
(1 line open)
4. ........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
EXECUTION (18)
(1 line open)
5. ........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
6. ........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS (19)
(1 line open)
7. ........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
8. ........................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8A-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
21. Command and Signal. This section should provide
a. details of radio frequencies;
b. code words and nicknames;
c. any restrictions on the use of radio; and
d. instructions for recognition and identification.
22. Acknowledgement of Instruction. An instruction is normally acknowledged by quoting the

message reference number (see paragraph 6 of this appendix).
23. Signature of Commander. The name, rank and appointment of the commander appear on all
copies of an instruction.
24. Distribution. The copy numbers of copies of the instruction issued to addressees must be
provided in the distribution block.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8A-7

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
COMMAND AND SIGNAL (21)
(1 line open)
9. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
10. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
11. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF INSTRUCTION (22)
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................................
(4 to 6 lines open)

APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER: RANK
(1 line open)
ABC/XYZ (WRITE 9B)
(1 line open)
DISTR (24)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8A-8 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8B-1
APPENDIX B
TO CHAPTER 8
EXAMPLE OF A WARNING ORDER
1. The layout of a warning order is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8B-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Precedence. Precedence is normally ‘Priority’, since time is usually limited.
2. Addressees. Addressees are normally those units involved in operations indicated in

standing operation procedures (SOPs). Unit OCs not involved in the operation may be included as
information addressees.
3. Security Classification. The security classification must be consistent with security

requirements.
4. Originator’s Number. The originator’s number is derived from the serial register.
5. Warning Order (WO) Number. The WO number is specified in the first paragraph of the
signal message.
6. Situation and Enemy. Particulars of the situation and enemy are provided in the second
paragraph. In this example, reference is made to an appropriate intelligence report.
7. Scope and Probable Tasks. The scope of the operation is specified and probable tasks are
given, if available. Grouping should be included, if known.
8. Time. The WO specifies the earliest time at which the force will be required to move or the
degree of notice on which they are placed.
9. Special Instructions. Special instructions are included, eg special maps required and time
and place of order group.
10. Preliminary Moves and Administrative Arrangements. A WO may be used for preliminary
moves or administrative arrangements, provided that it is made absolutely clear which parts of the
order are executable.
11. Acknowledgement. There is no specific rule regarding acknowledgement. The originator will
decide whether an acknowledgement is required.
NOTE 1: The WO should include as much information as possible in order to facilitate

subordinates’ planning.
NOTE 2: Supplementary WOs should be issued timeously as more information becomes available.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8B-3

Year: 2021
8B-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8C-1
APPENDIX C
TO CHAPTER 8
LAYOUT OF AN OPERATIONAL ORDER
1. The layout of an operational order is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8C-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
2. Deviations from Verbal Orders. If no verbal orders were issued, this element is omitted. If
prior verbal orders were issued, expressions such as ‘no deviation from verbal orders’ or ‘no
deviation from verbal orders, except for paragraph ...’ must be used.
3. Copy Numbers. Copy numbers are assigned to secret and top secret documents only. They
are filled in by the despatching authority and a record is kept of copies issued to addressees.
4. Address Block. The place of issue may be indicated in code and the grid reference may be
included for clarity.
5. Date-time Group (DTG) of Signing. The DTG is completed by hand when an order is signed
by the releasing officer.
6. Message Reference Number. The message reference number is the same number that
appears in the originator's block and is used for acknowledgement.
7. Subject Heading of an OPSO. Consists of three components:
a. Type. In the subject heading, the type of OPSO indicates whether an order is an SA
Army, SAAF, SA Navy, SAMHS, combined or joint OPSO, eg ‘JOINT SA ARMY/SA
NAVY OPSO’ or ‘SA ARMY OPSO’.
b. Serial Number. The number of the order normally indicates the cumulative total number
of orders issued by a headquarters during a year, eg ‘JOINT SA ARMY/SA NAVY
OPSO 7/10.
c. Title. Short statement of the subject, eg JOINT SA ARMY/SA NAVY OPSO 7/10:
ROTATION OF PERSONNEL FOR OP MISTRAL.
8. References. The relevant maps and charts are listed under the heading ‘References’. Any
other documents that are required by the recipient may also be listed. It is unnecessary to list
standing orders etc. However, they may be referred to in the text of an order. When reference is
made to maps, information, such as scale (if required), map series (and country or geographic
area, if required), sheet number, name and edition, must be given.
9. Appendices. All appendices to an order are listed. Appendices must be listed in the order in
which they are referred to in the body of the order for the first time.
10. Time Zone Used Throughout an Order. In order to avoid mistakes in transmission, the time
zone must be written out in full opposite this heading, eg ‘BRAVO’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8C-3

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
(Deviations from verbal orders, if any, are discussed here) (2)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
ABC/S/123/4/5
(1 line open)
HQ 43 SA Brigade (4)
Somewhere
0029
DTG of Signature (5)
(1 line open)
Message Reference No ........ (6)
(2 lines open)
TYPE AND SERIAL NUMBER OF OPERATIONAL ORDER (7)
(1 line open)
Reference A: …………………………………………… (8)
B: ……………………………………………
C: ……………………………………………
D: ……………………………………………
(1 line open)
C: Map
(1 line open)
Time Zone Used Throughout the Order: ....................................................... (10)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8C-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
12. Task Organisation, Attachments and Detachments. Those formations and units that are
under the command of the issuing authority or that fall under or are detached from their command
during an operation and that have a task to perform to accomplish a mission are listed under the
heading ‘Task Organisation’. Formations and units grouped together for a particular task are listed
in order of seniority. In an SA Army OPSO, units attached to or detached from the issuing
formation/unit are listed under the heading ‘Attachments and Detachments’ under the group
heading ‘SITUATION’. Alternatively, this list may be provided in an appendix.
13. Situation. It may be necessary to introduce this section with a brief introductory paragraph if
the overall situation cannot be described adequately under the headings ‘Enemy
Forces/Threats/Belligerents/OPFOR’, ‘Friendly/Own Forces’ and ‘Attachments and Detachments’.
The SA Army normally uses the heading ‘Own Forces’ for this paragraph, whereas the SAAF and
SA Navy use the heading ‘Friendly Forces’.
14. Enemy Forces/Threats/Belligerents/OPFOR. An indication must be given of the composition,

disposition, location, movements, estimated strengths, identification and capabilities of the enemy
forces/threats/belligerents/OPFOR. It may be sufficient merely to refer to a previous intelligence
report. Alternatively, all the information may be included in a separate appendix.
15. Friendly/Own Forces. Under ‘Friendly/Own Forces’, details are given firstly of friendly forces,
ie forces that are not under command, but that will be operating in a supporting or supplementary
role in an operation.
16. Attachments and Detachments. Details are given of any other forces, whether under
command or not, whose own operations may affect the actions of those units listed under ‘Task
Organisation’ or ‘Attachments and Detachments’. The action to be taken by such friendly/own
forces may be outlined briefly.
17. Mission. The mission is stated in the infinitive, eg ‘to capture ...’, and comprises a clear,
concise statement of the task and purpose of a formation or unit. In the SA Army, a mission is
expressed by using the verb ‘must’, eg ‘ ... must destroy ... by 211100B’. This paragraph must not
be subdivided. Avoid alternative missions, multiple missions, conditional statements depending
upon developments and all qualifications except those of time and place. Do not refer to the
method by which a mission will be accomplished.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8C-5

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
TASK ORGANISATION (12)
(1 line open)
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
(1 line open)
SITUATION (13)
(1 line open)
1. Enemy Forces/Threats/Belligerents/OPFOR’. ............................................... (14)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
2. Friendly/Own Forces. ..................................................................................... (15)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
3. Attachments and Detachments. ..................................................................... (16)
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
MISSION (17)
(1 line open)
4. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8C-6 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
19. Execution. The headings under ‘EXECUTION’ are set out in accordance with the
requirements of a particular operation. The first paragraph is normally headed ‘General Outline’
and provides a summary of the plan for the intended operation. The SA Army uses the term
‘General Sketch’. Subsequent paragraphs assign specific tasks to each element of the formation or
unit charged with performing various tactical duties. In this paragraph, details of coordination and
the task organisation/grouping are provided if these have not been included under ‘Task
Organisation’ or in an appendix. In the SA Army, the subsequent paragraphs are allocated to and
subdivided according to
a. the formation/unit;
b. grouping;
c. commander;
d. tasks per phase; and
e. instructions applicable to two or more elements of a formation or unit and these are
incorporated under a final paragraph heading ‘Coordinating Instructions’.
20. Administration and Logistics. Under this heading, a statement of the administrative and
logistic arrangements to support an operation is dealt with. Administration and logistics are of
primary importance to the units and formations that are being supported. Such a statement also
relays the commander’s directions to logistic unit commanders. If detail is lengthy or not ready for
inclusion in an OPSO, it may be issued separately and reference may be made to it here.
However, matters of immediate concern must be included together with references. At higher
formations, this paragraph will probably read ‘See administrative order/logistics appendix’.
21. Command and Signal. If necessary, the headquarters’ location and movement, liaison
arrangements, recognition and identification instructions and general rules concerning the use of
communications and other electronic equipment may be dealt with under this heading. At higher
formations, signal instructions will also be dealt with in this paragraph.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8C-7

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
EXECUTION (19)
(1 line open)
5. General Outline. .............................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
6. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
7. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
8. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
9. Coordinating Instructions. ..............................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS (20)
(1 line open)
10. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
11. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
COMMAND AND SIGNAL (21)
(1 line open)
12. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
13. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8C-8 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
23. Acknowledgement of Instructions. Acknowledgement is normally done by quoting the

message reference number (see Side Note 5). Acknowledgement of an OPSO means that it has
been received and understood.
24. Signature of Commander and Authentication. The name, rank and appointment of the
commander appear on all copies of an order. The original copy must be signed by the commander
or his or her authorised representative. Should the commander or his or her representative have
signed a master copy and automatic reproduction of the signed document is permitted, no further
authentication is required. If the signature is not reproduced, authentication by the appropriate staff
officer is required on all subsequent copies and only the surname and rank of the commander
appear in the signature block.
25. Distribution. In the distribution block, the copy number of the copy issued to each addressee
is indicated. When the appendices issued are different to those used for the contents of the order,
this is also recorded in the distribution block.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8C-9

(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF INSTRUCTIONS (23)
(1 line open)
14. ........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(4 to 6 lines open)

APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER: RANK
(1 line open)
AUTHENTICATION
(1 line open)
.....................................................................................................................................
(4 to 6 lines open)

APPOINTMENT OF AUTHENTICATING OFFICER: RANK
(1 line open)
ABC/XYZ (WRITE 9B)
(1 line open)
DISTR (25)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)

Year: 2021
8C-10 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8D-1
APPENDIX D
TO CHAPTER 8
EXAMPLE OF A FRAGMENTARY ORDER
1. The layout of a fragmentary order is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8D-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
1. Addressees. Elements contained in the complete order may be omitted in a FRAGO if the
action does not concern addressees. Authorities who must be informed of the order may be listed
as info addressees.
2. Opening Paragraph. In the opening paragraph, the FRAGO number and references to
applicable OPSOs are specified. Reference should also be made to verbal orders, instructions, etc,
where appropriate.
3. Contents. A FRAGO contains brief, specific and timely orders to those concerned. It may
also contain a change in plan that affects only certain elements of a force.
4. Acknowledgement of Instructions. An instruction to acknowledge the order is always

included.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8D-3

Year: 2021
8D-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8E-1
APPENDIX E
TO CHAPTER 8
EXAMPLE OF A POLICY DIRECTIVE
1. The layout of a policy directive is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8E-2 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
2. Copy Number. A copy number is used only when the security classification is secret or top
secret.
3. Identifying Reference. The file reference number is the identifying reference.
4. Originating Authority and Policy Directive Number. The originator (abbreviated) and policy
directive number are included in the reference block one lines below the identifying reference and
in line with ‘Telephone’. The following is applicable:
a. Originator. The following are examples of the abbreviations to be prefixed to a policy

directive number to indicate the headquarters of the originator:
C SANDF, C ARMY, CAF, C NAVY, SG, CPLN GEN
b. Number. The number of a policy directive consists of the following:
i. The number of the staff division from which the document originated followed by
an oblique stroke.
ii. The serial number in the series for the calendar year concerned followed by an
oblique stroke.
iii. The last two figures of the year in which the policy directive was initially
promulgated.
5. Date of Issue. The date on which the policy directive was initially signed is specified here.
6. Date Reviewed. The date upon which a directive was actually reviewed is specified here. It
will, therefore, only be possible to write this after a directive has been reviewed.
7. Subject Heading. The subject heading consists of two parts:
a. Level of Issue. The level of issue is indicated by means of the headquarters’

identification as specified in paragraph 4.a above and is followed by the word ‘POLICY
DIRECTIVE’ and a colon.
b. Subject. After the colon, the subject of the policy directive is given.
8. References and Supplementary Documents. References and supplementary documents are

listed in the usual manner. Care must be taken that all pages are initialled by the signatory of the
directive.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8E-3
SECRET 1 (1)
(2 lines open)
CHR/CD HRM/S/512/2/2/1 (3)
Telephone: 012 313 4611 Policy Directive No: C SANDF/11/28/10 (4)

Extension: 5469 Date of Issue: 1 June 2018 (5)
Facsimile: 012 313 4207 Date Reviewed: 1 June 2018 (6)
Enquiries: Lt Col B. Rothman
(2 lines open)
C SANDF POLICY DIRECTIVE: FAREWELL PARADES AND FUNCTIONS FOR (7)
RESERVE MEMBERS
(1 line open)
Reference A: SANDFO 11/80 (8)
(1 line open)
Appendix A: Supplementary Instructions
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
8E-4 RESTRICTED
SIDE NOTES
10. Policy Decision. The policy decision is stated in a concise and factual manner. Details such
as definitions and procedures should be set out in supplementary instructions.
11. Origin and Date. The origin and date of the decision must be specified.
12. Authorities Involved. The originator decides which authorities should be involved under the
three subheadings.
13. Time Factors. The following are indicated under the heading ‘Time Factors’:
a. The effective date of the present (or reviewed) policy directive. The date may be either
retrospective or post-dated according to circumstances.
b. The following (or first) review date, which may be three-monthly, six-monthly, annually
or as determined by the originator.
14. Supplementary Instructions. Supplementary instructions must be
a. issued separately as an administrative, technical or other applicable instruction; or
b. published as a Department of Defence instruction (DODI), SANDF order (SANDFO) or

in other orders or manuals.
15. Signature of Commander and Authentication. The name, rank and appointment of the
commander appear on all copies of an order.
16. Distribution. Policy directives are distributed to all authorities and the parties concerned.
Copy numbers are indicated only when the security classification is ‘SECRET’ or ‘TOP SECRET’.

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8E-5
SECRET 2 (1)
(2 lines open)
C SANDF POLICY DIRECTIVE: FAREWELL PARADES AND FUNCTIONS FOR (9)
RESERVE MEMBERS
(1 line open)
1. Policy Decision. Services and divisions may make arrangements on a (10)
decentralised basis for farewell parades and/or functions for retiring Reserve
members.
2. Origin and Date. PDSC meeting held on 21 October 2017. (11)

(1 line open)
3. Authorities Involved (12)
(1 line open)
a. Controlling Authority. Chief Human Resources.
(1 line open)
b. Executive Authorities. Services and divisions.
(1 line open)
c. Information Authorities. None.
(1 line open)
4. Time Factors (13)
(1 line open)
a. Effective Date. 1 June 2018.
(1 line open)
b. Next Review Date. 1 January 2019.
(1 line open)
5. Supplementary Instructions. See Appendix A. Further consult SANDFO (14)
11/09 in this regard.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(I. MACDOUGAL) (15)

CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE: GEN
(1 line open)
BR/BR
(1 line open)
DISTR (16)
(1 line open)
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
……………………………….. … ……………
……………………………….. … ……………
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
CHR/CD HRM/S/512/2/2/1 1 Original
(2 lines open)
SECRET

Year: 2021
8E-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8F-1
APPENDIX F
TO CHAPTER 8
EXAMPLE OF A UNIT ORDER (PART 1)
1. The layout of a Unit Order (Part 1) is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8F-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
PERSONNEL SERVICE SCHOOL
(1 line open)
UNIT ORDER (PART 1) NO /2019
(1 line open)
by
(1 line open)
COL D.T. MUMANYI
COMMANDANT PERSONNEL SERVICE SCHOOL
(1 line open)
PSS/R/103/1
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 317 4570/4697 Personnel Service School
Facsimile: 012 317 1282 Thaba Tshwane
Enquiries: Col D.T. Mumanyi 0143
June 2019
(2 lines open)
PS SCHOOL REGIMENTAL DUTIES
(1 line open)
1. HQ Routine. PS School routine from 1–31 Jul 19 as stated hereunder:
(1 line open)
Ser Routine Time Period
No a b
1 Reveille 05:30
2 Breakfast - Combined Mess 06:00–06:45
3 Sick Parade
i. Course Members. 08:00–10:00
ii. Staff Members. 10:30–15:00
4 Roll-call 07:30
5 Tea 10:10–10:30
6 Hoisting of Flags
i. National Flag
(1) Lights out of order. 08:00
(2) Lights in working order. Flag stays hoisted
ii. Other Flags
(2) Lights in working order. 08:00
(1 line open)
RESTRICTED

RESTRICTED 8F-3
RESTRICTED 2
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Ser Routine Time Period
No a b
7 Lunch (All Messes) 12:45–13:30
8 Guard Routine
i. Guard (Working Days)
(1) Guard Report. 15:00
(2) Guard Parade. 15:30
ii. Guard (Weekends)
(1) Guard Report. 06:45
(2) Guard Parade. 07:15
9 Off and NCO on duty report (Workdays) 15:00
10 Off and NCO on duty report (Weekends) 07:00
11 Workday ends 16:15
12 Supper - Combined Mess 17:00–17:45
13 Lowering of Flags
i. National Flag
(2) Lights in working order. Flag stays hoisted
ii. Other Flags. 18:20
14 Sport Parade (Wednesdays) 08:00
15 Compulsory Sport Period (Tuesdays/Thursdays) 15:00
16 OC Order Group (Mondays) 08:30
17 BN Parade (Wednesdays) 07:30
18 Assembly (Mondays) 07:40
19 Inspections: Living-in Members
i. Female Officers and NCOs. 06:00
ii. Male Officers. 06:45
20 Mealtimes (Weekends) – Combined Mess
i. Saturday
(1) Brunch. 11:00–11:45
(2) Supper. 17:00–18:00
ii. Sunday
(1) Breakfast. 07:00–08:20
(2) Lunch. 12:00–12:50
(3) Supper. 17:00–17:50
(1 line open)
2. The following members are on duty at the MSDS Training Wing as indicated for
the period 1–31 Jul 19:
(1 line open)
Ser Date Day Force No Rank Initials and Signature
No Surname
a b c d e f
1 01/07/2019 Monday 99999999MC Cpl Z. Tyutu
2 02/07/2019 Tuesday
3 03/07/2019 Wednesday
4 04/07/2019 Thursday
5 05/07/2019 Friday
6 06/07/2019 Saturday
7 07/07/2019 Sunday
8 08/07/2019 Monday
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
8F-4 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 3
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
Ser Date Day Force No Rank Initials and Signature
No Surname
a b c d e f
9 09/07/2019 Tuesday
10 10/07/2019 Wednesday
11 11/07/2019 Thursday
12 12/07/2019 Friday
13 13/07/2019 Saturday
14 14/07/2019 Sunday
15 15/07/2019 Monday
16 16/07/2019 Tuesday
17 17/07/2019 Wednesday
18 18/07/2019 Thursday
19 19/07/2019 Friday
20 20/07/2019 Saturday
21 21/07/2019 Sunday
22 22/07/2019 Monday
23 23/07/2019 Tuesday
24 24/07/2019 Wednesday
25 25/07/2019 Thursday
26 26/07/2019 Friday
27 27/07/2019 Saturday
28 28/07/2019 Sunday
29 29/07/2019 Monday
30 30/07/2019 Tuesday
31 31/07/2019 Wednesday
(1 line open)
3. Notice to Duty Personnel
(1 line open)
a. Exchange of duties must be authorised by the chief instructor (CI) or
CSM five (5) days before the day of the duty.
(1 line open)
b. If you will be late for any reason, make prior arrangements with the
CI/CSM. If you are ill on the day of your duty, you must still report to the
CI/CSM that you know you are on duty after which you may proceed in
accordance with medical advice. If you are booked off, the CSM must be
notified before you leave the unit.
(1 line open)
c. Duty personnel are not allowed to do duty in civilian clothes. Only dress 4
may be worn when doing your duty. If a member is found in civilian
clothes whilst on duty, he or she will be taken on office orders. Members,
who do not arrive for their duty will be taken on office orders.
(1 line open)
d. Section Heads are to ensure that all members under their command sign
an acknowledgement and understanding of these instructions.
(1 line open)
e. The telephone is for official use only not for private or personal gain.
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8F-5
RESTRICTED 4
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
4. For your further action.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(D.T. MUMANYI)
COMMANDANT PERSONNEL SERVICE SCHOOL: COL
(1 line open)
EF/EF
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
2IC
Adj
RSM
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
HR Manager
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
File: PSS/R/103/1
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
8F-6 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
RESTRICTED 8G-1
APPENDIX G
TO CHAPTER 8
EXAMPLE OF A UNIT ORDER (PART 2)
1. The layout of a Unit Order (Part 2) is provided in the following pages.

Year: 2021
8G-2 RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED 1
(2 lines open)
(1 line open)
PERSONNEL SERVICE SCHOOL
(1 line open)
UNIT ORDER (PART 2) NO /2019
(1 line open)
by
(1 line open)
COL D.T. MUMANYI
COMMANDANT PERSONNEL SERVICE SCHOOL
(1 line open)
PSS/R/103/1
(1 line open)
Telephone: 012 317 4570/4697 Personnel Service School
Facsimile: 012 317 1282 Thaba Tshwane
Enquiries: Col D.T. Mumanyi 0143
June 2019
(2 lines open)
PAYMENT OF REGIMENTAL DUTY ALLOWANCE
(1 line open)
Reference A: Special Unit Order Part 1 No 55/2019 dated 1 June 2019
B: DODI 66/2002: Overtime Payment to DOD Personnel
(1 line open)
1. Refer to Special Unit Order Part 1 No 55/2019 dated 1 June 2019 (Ref A) as
proof of the details of the instructions.
(1 line open)
2. The undermentioned members did regimental duties over the period 1–30 June
2019:
(1 line open)
a. 99012564MC Lt M.A. Zwane.
(1 line open)
b. 91001596PE Cpl J.K. Morake.
(1 line open)
3. Members qualify for the payment of regimental duty allowance (Ref B) for the
period 1–30 June 2019, payment code 0199.
(1 line open)
4. This Part 2 Order serves as proof of payment for the above mentioned
members. This is a once-off payment and not a recurring payment.
(1 line open)
RESTRICTED

RESTRICTED 8G-3
RESTRICTED 2
(2 lines open)
PAYMENT OF REGIMENTAL DUTY ALLOWANCE
(1 line open)
5. For your further action.
(4 to 6 lines open)
(D.T. MUMANYI)
COMMANDANT PERSONNEL SERVICE SCHOOL: COL
(1 line open)
EF/EF
(1 line open)
DISTR
(1 line open)
For Action
(1 line open)
2IC
Adj
RSM
(1 line open)
For Info
(1 line open)
HR Manager
(1 line open)
Internal
(1 line open)
File: PSS/R/103/1
(1 line open)
(2 lines open)
RESTRICTED

Year: 2021
8G-4 RESTRICTED

Year: 2021

Signed CSW 2021 Version (Nov 2022)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Signed CSW 2021 Version (Nov 2022)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Signed CSW 2021 Version (Nov 2022)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

RESTRICTED i

CONVENTIONS OF SERVICE WRITING

2. The unauthorised withholding or destruction of this document is an infringement in

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

2. Additional examples of government branding have been added.

3. Guidelines addressing PowerPoint presentations have been added to Chapter 2.

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

FRONT PAGE MATTER

1 STANDARD WRITING PRINCIPLES

Service Writing 1-1

2 STANDARD LAYOUT PRINCIPLES

Standard Layout 2-1

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

Tab Settings 2-4

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

Formal Letter 3-3

4 AGENDAS AND MINUTES OF MEETINGS

Introduction to Meetings 4-1

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

6 HANDLING AND DRAFTING OF SIGNAL MESSAGES

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

Instructions for Signing and Filling the Bottom Blocks 6-11

8 PLANS, ORDERS, INSTRUCTIONS AND DIRECTIVES

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

CHAPTER 1: STANDARD WRITING PRINCIPLES

3. ‘Service writing’ applies to all forms of writing in the DOD.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICE WRITING

b. Conciseness/Brevity. Ideas must be stated fully and completely in as few words as

c. Clarity. Service writing must be intelligible, logical and unambiguous. It must be

d. Relevance. ‘Relevance’ refers to the exclusion of any irrelevant words, phrases or

f. Consistency. The overall appearance of the presentation and content of a document

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

GOLDEN RULES OF SERVICE WRITING

5. The following rules serve as a guide to effective service writing:

a. Produce researched information based on objective and accurate facts.

c. Punctuate sentences correctly to enhance meaning.

i. Who? Who is involved and who must take action?

ii. What? The actions that must be taken.

iii. Where? Where the actions must take place.

iv. When? Any applicable timings and dates.

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

l. Use gender-neutral words, eg ‘chairperson’ or ‘chair’ instead of ‘chairman’ and

i. 1 x vehicle. (Not capitalised because vehicle is a common noun.)

iv. 10 x Mambas. (Capitalised because Mamba is a proper noun.)

EFFECTIVE WRITING STYLE

i. Who am I writing for?

ii. Why am I writing?

iii. What is the most important point?

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

f. Well-constructed Sentences and Paragraphs. Express your thoughts in logical, well-

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

SERVICE WRITING PRINCIPLES

b. ‘Should’. The word ‘should’ is used in directives or instructions to express

b. ‘Propose’. ‘Propose’ is used, particularly in signals, to suggest a course of action that

d. ‘Shall’. ‘Shall’ is normally used in legal and semi-legal documents.

e. ‘Request’. When used by a senior to a junior, ‘request’ is a polite form of conveying an

CSW RESTRICTED Edition No: 2

USE OF THE TERMS ‘GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING’, ‘OFFICER COMMANDING’,