Historical landmark in ruins as old Commandos’ building crumbles

ALEX Theron lets out a crestfallen sigh, his eyes downcast in disenchantment as he prepares to give a tour of what he considers one of Vryheid’s historical treasures.

In his mind’s eye, he can still see the old Commandos building as it was 13 years ago, when he was the unit’s Commanding Officer.

The inevitable decay that settles in when a project is handed to local government has left an eyesore husk in the place of where pride and honour used to be the order of the day.

Accompanied by Dirk Jansen, who served as the Commando’s Second in Charge, Mr Theron speaks proudly of the neat yard and well-tended flower gardens, the immaculate condition of the building and the many, many memories of fighting crime, sharing intelligence and doing what it took to make sure that Vryheiders were safe and secure.

“I wish I could travel back in time and show you what this building used to be so you could feel the pride and honour we felt in being members of an organisation that played such an important role in the community,” said Mr Theron.

“We were considered the best Commando unit in South Africa for years before the Commandos were closed down in March 2005, and boasted 183 members. We had a huge impact in the safety and security of the area and were proud of our achievements. When the unit was closed, we handed the keys of the building to the municipality and had hoped that it would be used to the benefit of the community. There was nothing to be done in terms of maintenance or repair. An entire municipal department or community organisation could have just moved in here,” begins Mr Theron.

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Gripped by a sense of nostalgia as he was driving past the buildings last week, Mr Theron decided to stop and have a look at what it was being used for.

“I got the shock of my life,” he said.

“The gates and fence are gone. The grass is almost as tall as I am. Parts of the roof have been stolen. The electrical cables, doors, windows and plumbing are gone and the whole building has been terribly vandalised. There are people squatting inside. What really makes my heart sore is that this building was completed with donations from members of the community.”

Outside the Commandos building, Mr Jansen points to a board that says, “For the community, By the community,” to illustrate Mr Theron’s point.

“It was the highlight of my life to safeguard the community and to be the best at what we did. I remember in 2003, while we were busy with an operation in the Helpmekaar area cleaning out guns, dagga and stolen cattle, we were asked for help with a cash in transit gang that were heading back to their hideout. We sent our helicopters out to the Elandslaagte area and captured 18 gang members, and recovered 28 illegal weapons with no loss of life. This was just the cherry on the cake on what had been a very successful week of operations. The fact that the SAPS would call us for help on operations like this shows you the level of training our men had.

“The day the unit closed, many of us attended the closing ceremony with tears in our eyes. It felt like a family member had died. Cllr Jerry Sibiya, who was the Deputy Mayor then as well, said he wished the Commando unit had not closed down at all and commended us for the work we did.”

Mr Theron and Mr Jansen intend on removing the cornerstone off the Commandos building and donating it, with other memorabilia, to the local museum to preserve for future generations.

Cllr Sibiya met with Mr Theron and Mr Jansen on Tuesday morning in order to discuss a way forward. “It is true that I actually attended the last parade of the Northern Natal Commandos. I also gave the speech at the closing ceremony. I had a meeting with them while they were preparing for the closing ceremony 13 years ago and I respected their discipline and the value they added to the town in terms of security and fighting crime,” said Cllr Sibiya.

I also can attest to the fact that the building was in tiptop condition. From my side, I feel terrible to see how the building has been vandalised. It is part of the history of Vryheid and I think it is an asset that should have been preserved as part of Vryheid’s heritage. It is a failure of our administration of the day.”

Visit www.vryheidherald.co.za to watch a video tour of the Commandos building.