According to the airport management, the USA aircraft landed at Bram Fischer on Sunday for clearance purposes, en route to KwaZulu-Natal for military exercise purposes alongside the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

Meanwhile, the SANDF's Exercise Operational Communication Officer, Major Ricardo du Preez, says that the SANDF will be executing a joint military exercise in KwaZulu-Natal. 

He says the joint and multinational peace support operation and humanitarian relief exercise was approved in 2010 by Military Command Council (MCC) following the bilateral Defence Force Committee discussions that started in 2009.

He adds that the joint military exercise will take place for the fourth time - after previously being executed in 2011, 2013 and 2017 in the country. 

According to Du Preez, the purpose of the exercise is to improve bilateral military inter-probability, conduct maritime force protection operations against conventional and asymmetric threats at sea and in harbours, conduct Air Support Operation to Peace Support Operations (PSO) for landward forces and to exercise provision of medical assistance and humanitarian relief to own forces and local population.

Du Preez also adds that the last exercise was conducted in the Northern Cape at the SA Army Combat Training Centre (CTC) Lohatlha, and the following scheduled exercise was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. 

He says they already started embarking on a community outreach programme in partnership with the KZN Provincial Department of Health, a programme that is expected to finish on 28 July 2022.

Du Preez concludes that the programme entails providing primary health care, dental and veterinary services in a number of areas, including Richards Bay and Emapangeni in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, as well as the Mtubatuba Local Municipality.

OFM News