# Unofficial ranks in SADF National Service.



## Soutie (May 13, 2008)

As is the mentality of recruits and old timers in the defence force, we of the SADF also had our hazing rituals and rites of passage. One of these was the self appointing of ranks to National Servicemen.

During the years when 24 mths service was obligatory we had our own special ranks given for each 6 months service and the badge of honour was a crease, ironed horizontally across the top of your browns shirt. Each stripe had its own label for the rank displayed. These are/were;

One stripe (6 mths) = Roef or Roeffie, afrikaans for thief.
You were a thief, stealing food and blankets and resources from real soldiers and utterley useless, your only redeeemable attribute was that you survived basics and six months in the army.

Two stripes (12 mths)= BlouGat, Afrikaans for Blue hole (arse), some said it meant blue arse as in the blue arsed baboons that lead a troop of monkeys, some said it meant that you were part of the furniture now and ran around like a blue arsed fly for everyone.

Three stripes (18 mths) = OuManne, Afrikaans for old man. You'd been through the worst and survived. You'd possibly picked up a genuine rank along the way, a L/Cpl or Cpl stripe ('which is worth F&^%k all because even an army blanket has three stripes and that is worth F*&k all!').

During my time in national service I'd been through the township riots, done some border duty and some homeland protection. The guys who were posted to border duty and the like went through much more and lived life on the edge everyday and they deserved recognition. Sometimes, all they would get were their blougat and ou manne stripes.

So heres to all my friends and others who did 24 mths service but never lived to get their ou manne stripes.sal;


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## Soutie (May 13, 2008)

*My minker.*

BTW: my moniker 'Soutie' pronounced SOW tea is a abbreviation.
It comes from the Afrikaans word Soutpiel translating as SALT DICK and was given to many english/european persons who had one foot in Afrika and one foot in Europe/Britain/wherever and their tackle dangled in the briny ocean between.


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## John A Silkstone (May 13, 2008)

Hi Soutie, and welcome to the site. Thank for the info on your N.S ranks in Africa. I can’t remember anything like that in the UK army.

Silky


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## Bombardier (May 14, 2008)

Interesting Rank structure mate


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## Unregistered (Jan 1, 2010)

*SADF Ranks*

In my days in the SADF circa 1976, the rank after Ouman was Bos Oupa.

But the highest rank of all was Civilian.


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## MacAdder (Jul 23, 2010)

Soutie boet I was also a rooineck / red neck but called sout-huppie = salty biscuit. I played the dangerous game that I was a Scottish immigrant and even though I had matric Afikaans and was born in SA made as if I had no idea. 
Nice being able to understand what was being said but never letting on that I knew what was going on. Kind of upset the rank when I had to be addressed personally. LoL


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