About the Skopos Director

J. André van Tonder, Managing Director of Skopos Guns and Skopos Firearms Academy – hereafter referred to as Skopos, is a military veteran and retired Colonel of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) with more than 24 years service.

His military experience includes several terms of operational duty in the northern parts of the former South West Africa (now Namibia), and the northern border of South Africa with the former Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

His career was shaped as an Infantry Platoon Commander with the former 32 Battalion Platoon and Company Commander with 6th SA Infantry Battalion and then Staff Officer with Eastern Province Command and 60 Mechanized Brigade. He was an Instructor and Staff Officer at the Army Battle School, Lecturer of Military Strategy and then Commander of Military Training at the Military Academy. He then became Deputy Director of International Cooperation and Peacekeeping Operations at Chief Staff Operations, which was transformed into section Chief Policy and Planning (at SANDF Head Office).

He saw operational duty as Infantry Platoon, Anti-tank Platoon and Mortar Platoon Commander, as well as Infantry Company Commander in the long period of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism policies and strategies of the then Republic of South Africa and the SADF.

It was his exposure to a criminal assault on his person in 1980 that led to his interest in practical sport shooting as a way to further develop his abilities in personal self-defense. His 6 years of gojuru karate established a basic understanding of street survival skills and was expanded by a SANDF Basic Self-Defense Course he attended in 1999.

His passion for, more than 35 years experience, in firearms was also greatly enhanced during his years of sport shooting in Service Shooting, IPSC Three Gun-type shooting, and the refined skills of defensive shooting of IDPA. Amongst his major achievements in these various sport disciplines are:

1. IPSC (IROA&I) Chief International Range Officer since 1996
2. SADPA SSP (Double - Action Pistol) Champion - 2003
3. SAPSA 3-Gun Champs, Standard Rifle, Bronze Medal - 2001
4. SANDF Colours - Practical Shooting (Standard Gun) - 1999
5. SANDF Champs - Standard Gun, Silver Medal - 1997
6. Western Province Colours - Practical Shooting (Standard Gun) - 1996
7. SADF Champs - Shotgun, Silver Medal - 1990

These achievements combined with a full fledged military background led to a proper understanding of the following tactical matters regarding firearms:

• The safe use of firearms
• The proper defensive carry and use of handguns
• The tactical deployment of rifles
• Precision Rifle Skills for Long Range Applications
• The tactical use of shotguns

When the road to unit standards was pioneered at the end of the 80’s and in the early 90’s, he was very involved with the groundwork of the early unit standards.

He has contributed to a number of firearm publications:

• An Official Guide to the use of Firearms/Handgun/Rifle/Hand Carbine/Shotgun, Bezuidenhout, J., et al, Dotsquare Publishing, Centurion, 2004.
• Francois Mostert Training Material
• Use of a Handgun, Middleton, E.L. & van den Berg, J.M., SMTTA, 2004.