by Defence Circle/Image:Lieutenant Martha Munyai(SANDF)
Effective 1 October 2026, the future of how the South African Army prepares for war has a new and familiar name: Major General Lonwabo Zicina, the newly appointed Chief Director Force Preparation. His appointment is a fitting recognition of a military practitioner whose own life has been a masterclass in preparation, perseverance and purpose. Chief of the South African Army Lieutenant General Lawrence Khulekani Mbatha has officially congratulated Major General Zicina on his new appointment, lauding him as a battle-tested military practitioner capable of shaping the future of the land force.
This is a fitting crown for a journey that began far from any parade ground. In the quiet hills of Ntlakwefolo, Cofimvaba, a young boy walked from Mbudlu Junior Secondary School to Nyameko High School in Mdantsane, carrying books in one hand and a burning desire for freedom in the other. While others were memorizing formulas, he was organizing, debating and joining the East London Youth Congress. When the weight of apartheid became unbearable in December 1984, he made the unthinkable choice to go into exile and join the African National Congress and its military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.
His training reflects a journey across continents and disciplines. He completed basic soldiering in the sun-scorched camps of Caculama, Angola, experienced Cold War discipline in the USSR in 1988 and underwent further professional honing in Zambia into the early 1990s. These experiences shaped him into more than a soldier. He became a teacher of soldiers, a platoon commander, a drill instructor and a firearm instructor capable of developing warriors from willing hearts. As a company commander, he understood that command is a verb and not a noun.
In 1994, he exchanged his Umkhonto we Sizwe fatigues for the insignia of the newly established South African National Defence Force, integrating as a major. He then undertook every course the new force had to offer, advancing to the Joint Senior Command and Staff Programme in keeping with his belief that a leader must never stop learning. Thereafter, his career became a distinguished tour of duty at the heart of the South African Army. Following bridging training at Lohatla, he served as C-Company Commander of 151 SA Infantry Battalion in Thaba Nchu. From 2000 to 2005, he was the meticulous SO2 Operations at Group 6 in Port Elizabeth, before serving as SO1 Operations at 43 Brigade until 2011. He later became a builder of builders as Director at the School of Works Training and proudly represented the South African Army as Defence Attaché to Uganda from 2015 to 2020.
His operational depth spans combat, peacekeeping and diplomacy. He has known the smell of gunpowder in Operation Boleas in 1998, the complexity of the Democratic Republic of Congo under Operation Teutonic in 2005 and the diplomacy of peace as Principal Staff Officer to the Head of Mission in Bulisa in 2008. All of these achievements were reinforced by academic rigor when he earned his National Diploma in Joint and Multi-National Operations in 2010. Having commanded the formidable 46 South African Brigade with great aplomb over the past five years, Major General Zicina now assumes responsibility for the training, combat readiness and capability development of the land force, ensuring the South African Army remains a capable, ready and professional military power.