Editing Valour-class frigate (section)

=== Naming ===
The MEKO A-200SAN ships of the South African Navy are collectively called the Valour class, and each commemorates an incident of conspicuous bravery. "The symbolism, however, is not in the battle itself, and who the victors were, but the extreme valour shown by the forces involved — both the victors and the defeated" said navy spokesman Commander Brian Stockton.

''[[Amatola]]'' is named for the redoubt of the famed [[Xhosa people|Xhosa]] chief Sandile, who fought British colonial expansion in the 19th century,

''[[Isandhlwana]]'' is named after the hill dominating the site of one of the most famous [[Battle of Isandhlwana|battles]] of the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879.

''[[Spioenkop]]'' is named for the January 1900 [[Battle of Spion Kop|battle]] between Boer and British forces for the possession of the hill on the banks of the [[Tugela River|Thukela (Tugela) River]] in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. Spioenkop hill marks the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1899–1902 Anglo Boer War.

There is a progression in the names and the fourth frigate takes its name from a naval incident in [[World War I]] – but unlike the others, her name commemorates not a battle, but valour during a maritime disaster. The 4,230-gross-register-ton (GRT) passenger ship {{SS|Mendi}} was ferrying the mostly-[[Pondo people|Pondo]] 5th Battalion, [[South African Native Labour Corps|SA Native Labour Corps]] (SANLC) from Britain to France when the steamer collided with the 11,000 GRT liner SS ''Darro'' during the early hours of 21 February 1917. Described as South Africa's worst naval disaster, 607 members of the SANLC, nine of their white countrymen and 33 British sailors died when the troopship sank {{convert|11|mi|spell=in}} off St Catherine's Light in the English Channel. The Rev. Isaac Wauchope Dyobha led the doomed men in funeral song and dance as their ship went down. On her way home from Germany, SAS ''Mendi'', with {{HMS|Nottingham|D91|6}}, laid a wreath at the coordinates of the disaster on 23 August 2004.