Not even a hundred years and the deepest recesses of the coldest sea could bury the spirits of the valiant troops who lost their lives when the SS Mendi sank not far from the Isle of Wight in the midst of the First World War.

Yesterday, South Africa marked the 100th anniversary of what has been described as one of the 20th century's worst maritime disasters in UK waters. On 21 February 1917, a large cargo steamship, Darro, collided with Mendi in the English Channel, south of the Isle of Wight. Mendi sank killing 646 people, most of whom were black South African troops.

About 616 South Africans, 607 of which were black troops plus 30 crew members, mostly from Britain, died in the tragedy. About 139 of the soldiers who died were from the Eastern Cape.

The SS Mendi ship was chartered by the British government as a troop carrier to serve in World War 1, carrying 823 members of the fifth battalion. They had completed 34 days of the voyage from Cape Town to England, and were on their way to France to the war when tragedy struck in the English Channel.

South Africa on Tuesday took the opportunity to mark the tragedy during Armed Forces Day. The day is held annually to display the country’s military prowess, and so it was a fitting tribute to the troops whose lives were lost in pursuit of a better world at peace with itself.

Addressing the crowds who braved the wet weather at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, President Jacob Zuma paid homage to the troops who lost their lives a century ago to the day.

“Black people had volunteered to join the First World War in order to fight against fascism. They were ahead of their time. They were internationalists who loved peace and justice.

“They also joined the war believing that their contribution would lead to better treatment back home after the war by the colonial masters.

“Unfortunately their sacrifice did not earn them any respect from the rulers of the time. They were not allowed to carry weapons and were to be utilised as labourers rather than as fighting soldiers. They were also never decorated or awarded any medals at the end of the war."

The sinking of the Mendi is a tragedy second only in scale to the tragedy at Deville Wood in France the year before in 1916, when 776 men of the South African Battalion died.

The commemoration of these great military events, President Zuma said, is meant to restore the dignity and humanity of the black soldiers who perished.

“We salute their courage, bravery and commitment. We salute their quest for a more equal and just world, for the better world we are still working to achieve one hundred years later.”