General Solly Shoke

General Solly Shoke has served as Chief of the SANDF since 2011. He has completed an intermediate staff course in Zimbabwe, senior command and staff duties courses in South Africa, as well as the joint staff course – the highest military qualification offered in South Africa.

He also holds a diploma in Human Resources Management and a certificate in Defence Management. General Shoke’s military career began when he joined the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto weSizwe, in the 1970s. After 1994, General Shoke served as director for manpower planning, and later as director for army integration and personnel acquisition.

In 2000 he was promoted to major-general as chief of human resource support. Four years later he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General as Chief of the Army.