Cape Corps The Cape Corps and its predecessor units were the main military organizations in which the Coloured members of South Africa ' s population served . History . 1781 – 1878 . As one of the military units of South Africa with one of the longest histories , the Cape Corps reflects the history of South Africa ' s Coloured population to a great extent . The first Coloured unit to be formed was the " Corps Bastaard Hottentoten " ( Dutch for " Corps of Bastard Hottentots " ) , which was organized in 1781 by the Dutch colonial administration of the time . Based in Cape Town and drawing its members from men of mixed Hottentot and White ancestry , this unit had about 400 members . However , the unit was disbanded in 1782 . In 1793 this unit was re - formed in Cape Town as the " Corps van Pandoeren " ( Pandour Corps ) , only to be disbanded again in 1795 . The unit was re - formed again under the British colonial administration in May 1796 , this time under the name " Hottentot Corps " . It was headquartered in Wynberg and consisted of about 300 men . In 1798 the headquarters were moved to Hout Bay . On 25 June 1801 the " Cape Regiment " was formed . It was organized as a British imperial regiment of ten companies and retained all the personnel of the " Hottentot Corps " . With the Dutch taking over colonial administration of the Cape once again , the " Corps Vrye Hottentotten " ( " Corps of Free Hottentots " ) was formed on 21 February 1803 . It was later renamed the " Hottentot Ligte Infanterie " ( " Hottentot Light Infantry " ) . When the British returned to the Cape , they formed " The Cape Regiment " in October 1806 . Headquartered in Cape Town , it was organized as a typical colonial unit with British officers and Coloured other ranks . In later years , the Regiment also had a troop of light cavalry added . On 24 September 1817 the Regiment was reduced in size ( a previous order to completely disband having either been ignored or rescinded ) to two small units of about 200 men for the defence of the Cape Colony ' s eastern frontier . The two units were named the " Cape Cavalry " ( consisting of one troop of dragoon s ) and the " Cape Light Infantry " . Mathew Richmond , coming from the Royal Military College , joined them in 1817 . In 1820 these two units were again combined under a unified command and renamed the Cape Corps . The " Cape Mounted Riflemen ( Imperial ) " were formed on 25 November 1827 ; the cavalry wing was disbanded and the Corps reorganized as battalion of mounted infantry . In 1850 some soldiers effectively mutinied by joining Coloured rebellion in the eastern Cape ; the regiment was subsequently reconstituted as mixed unit with both White and Coloured members . Some years later , in 1854 , the recruitment of Coloured members for the battalion was completely halted . The battalion was completely disbanded in 1870 when military service abolished for Coloureds , although its name and traditions were appropriated in 1878 by another ( all - White ) Cape Mounted Riflemen . 1915 – 1991 . As part of South Africa ' s efforts for World War I , the " Cape Corps " was re - formed in the Cape Province by Sir Walter Stanford , as a single battalion in December 1915 as part of the Union Defence Force . In 1916 the Corps was expanded and a second battalion raised . The original battalion was redesignated the 1st Battalion and the new unit ( which was disbanded in 1918 ) as the 2nd Battalion . In order to provide additional troops for South Africa ' s participation in World War II , the " Cape Corps " was reconstituted again on 8 May 1940 , partly from the Association of the 1915 - 1918 Corps . This unit was assigned the role of a non - combatant service corps with a pioneer battalion and five motor transport companies . It was later expanded to include several motorized infantry battalions , infantry battalions , prisoner of war ( POW ) guard battalions and POW escort battalions . At its peak strength , the Corps had about 23 , 000 members . On 13 October 1942 the Corps absorbed the South African " Indian and Malay Corps " but was disbanded at the end of hostilities in 1945 . In 1947 the " Cape Corps " was reconstituted as a Permanent Force Coloured service corps only to be disbanded in 1948 by the newly elected National Party , which abolished military service for Coloureds . The " Cape Corps " was reformed again in 1963 , as a non - combatant Coloured service corps ; it was considered to be the successor to all the previous Coloured and Cape Corps units since 1796 . The Corps was designated a Permanent Force unit of the South African Defence Force in 1972 . In 1973 the unit was renamed the " South African Cape Corps Service Battalion " . When the South African Defence Act was amended in 1975 to give Coloureds " equivalent status to whites " in the South African Army , the battalion was renamed the " South African Cape Corps Battalion " , its combatant status was restored and the first Coloured officers were commissioned . During the period 1979 to 1989 the " South African Cape Corps " ( SACC ) was substantially expanded : In 1990 the SACC was reduced to a single battalion and redesignated 9 South African Infantry Battalion which was reroled as a seaborne light infantry unit . Currently , as a result of the post - 1994 transformation of South Africa , Coloured soldiers , sailors and airmen serve alongside their fellow South Africans in a fully integrated South African National Defence Force . Battle honours . The 1915 Cape Corps did not inherit the battle honour of the Cape Mounted Riflemen .