Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i On Target Africa

Fact is, women are targeted daily in South Africa and it is up to us to defend not only ourselves but our families, too. We are the protectors, the matriarchs, the mothers, sisters, wives … but we are often the underestimated gender and therefore have the element of surprise on our side. Those who know me know I have always been an advocate for women who choose to protect themselves and have dedicated much of my career to sourcing and testing various products in the Every Day Carry (EDC) market, specifically to find products suited to women. The factors I consider important are, in no particular order: ■ Can I access my firearm safely and quickly in most circumstances?■ Does it conceal well?■ Do I have to adjust my wardrobe?■…

South Africa has a diverse air rifle sports-shooting community that gives old and young shooters a chance to test their shooting skills. As I grew up, I saw that selective schools around the country had 3 Position shooting. The objective here is to shoot at a bullseye target 10 m away in a standing, kneeling, and prone position. The air rifle you use is a low power Pre-Charge Pneumatic (PCP) that shoots a .177 calibre pellet in a form of a wadcutter. This shooting sport really intrigued me. However, I was used to shooting at longer distances when hunting. I wanted to really push myself in an outdoor environment, and this is where I found myself fascinated by benchrest shooting. You need extreme accuracy and precision to achieve good scores,…

I have been reading a book by Justin Cartwright, an ex Cape Town boy now living in London, called The Song Before it is Sung, a fictionalized account of one of the plotters who planned to assassinate Hitler and, after it failed, his terrible end strangled and hanging from a meat hook in a cellar. In the book the main character, Axel von Gottberg, was modelled on the diplomat, Friedrich Adam von Trott zu Solz. On returning to the family property in Pleskow, his wife wrote: “… I knew that he would enjoy the ride back from the station and a chat with Wicht, the chance to breathe in his beloved landscape, and revel in the sense of arriving back home … catching sight of the house just before the…

Changing military talent into something helpful quickly followed, and therefore the hope to transform it into a new direction to save life, rather than taking it. So, the driving force was, and still is, mainly to teach people self-protection. Violence in the hands of a good man inevitably saves lives … In 2007, myself and the late JJ Marè started a business then known as SOC Survival Training. At first it offered survival and adventure-orientated leadership and team-building training that was extremely valuable to the local schools in the area. It had very little revenue and resources but used what it had to its best capabilities, for example, in terms of its experience and human skills. Numerous unforeseen circumstances saw the two friends end up in different parts of the…

But before everyone runs off and signs up for the next available vehicle-centric tactical course, maybe the first step should be to investigate the realities of vehicle-based attacks, their likelihood, and real situations in which such attacks have happened, as well as the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) employed by both attackers and defenders. It’s almost never an ambush! Let us first look at the nature of these attacks and the misconceptions surrounding them. Many out there advocate techniques without having been indoctrinated into formal vehicle ambush and counter ambush training. Of note is the school of thought which purports that vehicle-centric, as well as many other types of attack in civilian situations, are ambushes. This is simply not true for all but a minute percentage of situations. However, the…

To date, Send IT has hosted two 2-Mile Challenges, in March and May 2023, yielding fantastic results. At both events, match participants successfully engaged targets at 2 017 m, 2 485 m, 2 681 m and the mighty 2-Miles (3 270 m) – with numerous impacts. In fact, at both matches a remarkable four hits were recorded at 3 270 m from a relatively small group of aspiring ELR shooters. We derive a great deal of satisfaction when Send IT shooters achieve success at our matches and compared to what is accomplished internationally at competitive ELR events. In this regard, we publicly circulate our detailed match results on social media and in On Target Africa magazine for all to evaluate. Furthermore, we submit all match information to Safety First Tactical…

Camping Sites Enter Sterland and you will find camping facilities with 30 stands and four ablution blocks with electric geysers. Each stand is fenced off with Chinese Poplar trees and Saltbush, with three-point electric plugs, a private braai area, and three bomas for a group braai. For the kids and elderly there is a splash pool to cool down in the summer or just to relax in. Special paths for the very young to walk or cycle along keep them occupied in the open garden. Teenagers can play soccer, netball, or volleyball. Lovers’ Walk For the adventurous, there is a Lovers’ Walk with poems from yesteryear by Christopher Marlowe (1464 to 1593) and Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 to 1618). Stop, sit, read slowly, take in each word like something very…