Origin edit

16 Reception Depot was activated as the reception depot to service the then Western Cape Command.^[1]

SADF era and the Bush War edit

The unit was used to mobilize white troops in the greater Western Cape area. This involved:

• the registering of young white males at schools
• the issuing of call-up papers
• confirmation of the recruits arrival
• the transport of these recruits to various allotted training units

SANDF era edit

By the early 2000s, Commands were no longer responsible for individual recruitment, making Reception Depots essentially redundant.^[2]