South African Border War troops won't be honoured

[playtym]

http://www.24.com/news/?p=tsa&i=365480


Pretoria - South African soldiers who died in the bush war in Namibia and Angola will not be honoured in the Freedom Park's Wall of Names.

Mongane Wally Serote, CEO of the Freedom Park Foundation, says they don't deserve it because they didn't die for freedom and human dignity.
Responding to an article in the Sunday Times, Serote said the Cubans who died in Angola would be honoured.
The Wall of Names was unveiled at Freedom Park on Salvokop at the weekend.
The Wall purports to honour all victims of conflicts in South Africa, extending to those who lost their lives in the Anglo-Boer war, the two world wars and the freedom struggle.
"It was not our intention, from the beginning, to take into account those who opposed freedom and human dignity."
That includes agents who murdered people involved in the fight against apartheid, Serote said.
He says the details of border war deaths are being collected.
"We do not ignore the role they played, and we will allow the people of our land to debate the matter. South Africans must say if they think that (these soldiers) should be honoured."The Cubans helped fight for freedom in Africa, they played a role in ending apartheid and they should be honoured for that," he said.

This is completey insane - "freedom fighters" that died blowing up restaurants and planting landmines to kill civilians will be honoured, but not the South African troops who died fighting the spread of communism in southern Africa.

They can keep their ****ing communist inspired Freedom Park!!!

[Argyll]

Always the same mate, seems a lot of people can't see past Mr Mandella's prior "Terrorist" life.....

[playtym]

Always the same mate, seems a lot of people can't see past Mr Mandella's prior "Terrorist" life.....

I'm not sure how to take your comment - whether you're agreeing or disagreeing with my little rant - so to clarify a little.

I think Nelson Mandela was probably the best thing that could have happened to this country in 1994 - I think if we'd had any other ANC member voted in as president there would have a full on civil war in the country initiated jointly by both the Zulu's and the Afrikaaners.

I'm not in any way supporting the apartheid system - I just think it's wrong that folk who went around bombing restaurants, throwing hand grenades into churches and planting landmines on public roads are going to be honoured on this wall of remembrance, but that they specifically exclude the troops who died during the border war that was fought in Angola and South West Africa.

Those troops never oppressed the civilian population within South Africa – they were fighting an all–out war against Cuban mechanised brigades – the same Cubans who are now going to be honoured on the wall!

I fully agree that people who ran around, both within the country and overseas, assassinating members of the opposition parties shouldn’t be honoured as theirs were not acts of war, but rather state sponsored terrorism.

[Argyll]

Many SA's I know still class Nelson Mandella as a former Terrorist, who think that the Blacks in SA have become too powerfull, and that the original settlers in SA were Whites, and not Blacks, who arrived after them.
Honouring Cuban enemies of the State, and not those who fought agaisnt them is still a disgrace...

[supercontra]

Another sad case of "the winner makes the rules"

[zad]

Storming into Angola to support the band of psicos of UNITA to preserve the ideal of white supremascism it is not something to feel very pride of. Blaming blacks because of violence under apartheid sounds a bit biased for me. Between 1936-1939 many soldiers died in my country fighting for fascism. Many of them was just obeyding orders, some hundreds, maybe thousands died fighting guerrillas and repriming opositors in the 40s, during that time millions of people were prosecuted and represaliated as you can guess after our transition to democracy between 1975-1977 this people hasn´t been recognized or reivindicated by our goverments, same with soldiers who died fighting oposition in Argentina or Chile during dictatorships. Democratic countries don´t use to pay tribute to soldiers who died defending fascism in any form, I wonder why....

[Jobu]

Communism is as bad as fascism in my opinion.

[zad]

Many SA's I know still class Nelson Mandella as a former Terrorist, who think that the Blacks in SA have become too powerfull, and that the original settlers in SA were Whites, and not Blacks, who arrived after them.
Honouring Cuban enemies of the State, and not those who fought agaisnt them is still a disgrace...

Cubans repeled the South African invasion of Angola in 1975(Operation Savanah), this was the first defeat of a white army in Africa by a black force since zulu wars, from 1974 to 1989 cubans fighted South African apartheid army and their UNITA allies, black people under apartheid terror in South Africa saw this white army defeat as a light of hope, it was a demonstration that apartheid could be defeated. As history show us they were right.

In a speech given in Havana in July, 1991, Nelson Mandela declared, "The defeat of the racist army at Cuito Cuanavale has made it possible for me to be here today! Cuito Cuanavale was a milestone in the history of the struggle for southern African liberation!

That is why black people in South Africa prefer to honour cubans than apartheid militars.

[exarmyguard]

Young men just doing their duty for their country. Why should they not be praised? I feel sorry for their families who won't have that monument to give the dead recognition. To the people who shun their soldiers, I say Damn animals, F them and their monuments.

[California Joe]

The Cubans were not there for altruistic humanitarian reasons.

Nelson Mandela did blow up some stuff and some people before being imprisoned.

Apartheid was a dirty business.

The over reaction since is becoming nearly as bad.

There are several countries in Africa that are dying because of the policies of retarded predominantly black governments aimed at getting rid of the white Africans that made the country prosperous. These policies are killing their countries. But it's OK cause those damned whites and their farms will be shut down.

[Bokwa]

What do you expect of a country where a convicted murderer becomes the police chief of Johannesburg Metro Police!?

[playtym]

Storming into Angola to support the band of psicos of UNITA to preserve the ideal of white supremascism it is not something to feel very pride of. Blaming blacks because of violence under apartheid sounds a bit biased for me.

It's a little more complex than you seem to grasp.

After the Portuguese withdrew from Angola the country descended into civil war with the MPLA, FNLA and Unita all vying for political supremacy in the country – and as always – in Africa political power grows from the barrel of a gun.

China became involved by backing the FNLA, the USSR and Cuba backed the MPLA, and the USA and South Africa backed Unita. This was really nothing more than another Cold War era proxy war – the same as Vietnam, Afghanistan etc. The superpowers backed their favourites, who then fought to see which ideology would prevail – capitalism or communism.

I’m sure that it suited the powers in Pretoria just fine though that the USA asked us to intervene on behalf of Unita, as we were able to create a buffer zone in southern Angola to keep SWAPO out of South West Africa.

People must remember that the military serves the government of the day, regardless of who that government is. When the ANC came to power in South Africa they were very suspicious of the military as they thought they would oppose them regardless of the outcome of the elections, but that was not the case. That obviously doesn’t mean that there weren’t elements within the SADF that were motivated by racist ideals, but to tar everyone with the same brush is wrong.

There were definitely groups and individuals within the South African military structure that did operate against civilians, both within the country and abroad. The most famous of these would probably be Eugene de Kock, the commander of Vlak Plaas. He’s currently serving consecutive life sentences (AFAIR) for his actions during the apartheid era. He was a policeman though, not a soldier.

These groups went around “eliminating” opponents of the apartheid government and attempting to stir up conflict between the different political factions within South Africa - this was the “Third Force” that the ANC regularly referred to. This “Third Force” would attack ANC supporters knowing that they would retaliate against the IFP, while at the same time arming the IFP to fight the ANC. It has been confirmed that Eugene de **** sent seven truck loads of weapons to another former security policeman, Philip Powell, when he was working with the IFP during the height of the political violence in the 1990’s. Only 3-tons of these weapons have ever been recovered – the rest are no doubt contributing to the continued violence within the country.

Now, speaking for myself, I can tell you that I joined our military with the intention of making it my career. I never did this because I supported the apartheid system and government, nor to oppress my fellow South Africans; I just wanted to be a soldier, and would have done the same thing regardless of which country I was born in. I wasn’t even old enough to have a say in the policy of the country by voting at that point.

Something else that everyone seems to forget is that the majority of white South Africans, when asked to have their say in a referendum, voted to give all citizens of this country the vote. This referendum is what led to the dismantling of the apartheid system. That should indicate that the majority of South Africans aren’t the racists that we’re made out to be. If we were all such racists we would have gone to the polls that day and voted “NO” – and continued to resist the various freedom movements.

At the end of the day though I still feel it’s wrong to deny the soldiers that died in the Bush War their place on this wall of remembrance. That would be the same as saying that the German troops who died on the eastern front shouldn’t be remembered because of the Gestapo persecuting the Jews back home in Berlin, and they were, after all, part of the same military structure.

[rjamesinwootton]

what a bloody waste of time the border war was....still the 2 years wasted of my life in the SADF opened my eyes to reality :-(

Rundu was great but Oshikati was a ****hole like i have never seen since:roll:

and in my opinion whitey got off lightly from the majority -so far but who knows what the future holds out there...

i bailed out .....:)

[Clint_Durban]

I'm not surprised!

They won't stop untill every statue has been pulled down, every street name has been changed and anything that relates to the 'white in invaders' has been erased!

As for the Cubans and Russians.....they were in Angola to get a slice of the rich mineral resources! They would not have wasted their time or effort had it been a 'land struggle' in a country with no mineral wealth.
This probably explains their lack of involvement in other African countries.

Angola was an 'investment' for these countries......not a cause!

[Russian_dude]

I'm not surprised!

They won't stop untill every statue has been pulled down, every street name has been changed and anything that relates to the 'white in invaders' has been erased!

As for the Cubans and Russians.....they were in Angola to get a slice of the rich mineral resources! They would not have wasted their time or effort had it been a 'land struggle' in a country with no mineral wealth.
This probably explains their lack of involvement in other African countries.

Angola was an 'investment' for these countries......not a cause!

Why would Russia export minerals from all the wa from there? Russia has enough of it's own close by. It was all ideological.

[Clint_Durban]

Why would Russia export minerals from all the wa from there? Russia has enough of it's own close by. It was all ideological.

My mistake! It would be too expensive to ship this lot! :)

Angolan Natural resources: oil, petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium

[Lancero]

We saw how much Cuba and URSS cared when Angola was devastated by civil war :roll:

[playtym]

Cubans repeled the South African invasion of Angola in 1975(Operation Savanah), this was the first defeat of a white army in Africa by a black force since zulu wars, from 1974 to 1989 cubans fighted South African apartheid army and their UNITA allies, black people under apartheid terror in South Africa saw this white army defeat as a light of hope, it was a demonstration that apartheid could be defeated. As history show us they were right.

In a speech given in Havana in July, 1991, Nelson Mandela declared, "The defeat of the racist army at Cuito Cuanavale has made it possible for me to be here today! Cuito Cuanavale was a milestone in the history of the struggle for southern African liberation!

That is why black people in South Africa prefer to honour cubans than apartheid militars.

Try this for a more accurate account of what transpired during Operation Savannah. One foreign documentary I saw on the Angolan conflict stated the reason for the SADF withdrawal was "due to American duplicity" when the CIA back-tracked on their promises.


The 1st large scale cross border operation of the bushwar. A covert operation by 4 SADF battlegroups, (Foxbat, Zulu, Alfa, Bravo) in support of the pro Western Freedom movements (UNITA and FNLA) in Angola in the days prior to independence, and as a secondary role, to clear SWAPO/PLAN out of southern Angola. The purpose of the operation was to ensure a military and political victory for the pro-Western forces of FNLA and UNITA. The CIA covertly assisted as well up to a point, and then withdrew as the USA was busy dealing with the Vietnam defeat and withdrawal, and the USA was ill-informed about the real situation in Angola. This left the small SADF Taskforce to fight alone against massive odds. The enemy was the communist supported MPLA freedom movement, backed up by well equipped Cuban forces of ever increasing strength. The SADF raiding parties operated in support of and with UNITA and FNLA. The SA Government denied knowledge of any presence in Angola and the SADF operated covertly in American style "Greens" and vehicles where painted in a non-standard SADF camouflage scheme. The pressence of SADF troops in Angola was revealed to the world by the war correspondent, Fred Bridgeland, who's article appeared in the Washington Post. He later wrote an excellent book on the latter years of the bushwar called: "The War for Africa". Later, 2 SADF POW's captured in the battles north of Cela, were paraded on international TV, and SA could no longer deny its involvement in Angola.

The main battles of Operation Savannah were:
1. Battlegroup Zulu's running battles up the western part of Angola.
2. The defeat of the SADF at Ebo, in which an Eland 90 column and UNITA Infantery were ambushed by a combined Cuban/Fapla force, 6-7 Eland's were lost, and nearly 100 UNITA troops killed.
3. The defeat of the CUBAN/MPLA forces at the Battle of Bridge 14.
4. The capturing of the town of Luso on the eastern front.

During this operation Col Jan Breytenbach leading battlegroup Zulu, earned the reputation as the Rommel of Angola by covering 3000kms into Angola in 33 days, while fighting MPLA forces and the roughness of remote Africa all the way.

The SADF decided to withdraw almost within striking distance of Luanda. Should Luanda be taken or not? The military objectives of Ops Savannah were continiuosly changed by the politicians and it can be said that the objectives were largely "made up on the way" as the situation changed. Politicians were faced with a dilemma that the 3000 strong SADF force was never intended to capture Luanda, or face a well equiped Cuban force. After-all it was a secret low-key operation to enure the pro-western FNLA and UNITA will have a winning chance in the upcoming independance election. CIA assistance was also promised, which quickly evaporated for the reasons mentioned above. The SA Goverment did not want to be sucked into the escalating chaos that was busy enveloping Angola at this stage. It was the start of one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars. The SADF withdrawal (not defeat) was based on political reasons and it frustrated the SADF military commanders in the field who believed Luanda was within their reach. (See Col Jan Breytenbach's book: Buffalo Soldiers.). Even to this day, both sides claim victory, though there was never a decisive military showdown.

This was taken from the SA_Bushwar site - http://www.geocities.com/sa_bushwar/opssavannah.html

[annihilation]

Why would Russia export minerals from all the wa from there? Russia has enough of it's own close by. It was all ideological.

Because like today and back then, natural resources and the control of are the name of the game. Humanitarian reasons are just a cover for the control of these natural resources, even though you might have your own stores you sure as hell don't want your oppenent on getting his hands on more.

[Russian_dude]

Because like today and back then, natural resources and the control of are the name of the game. Humanitarian reasons are just a cover for the control of these natural resources, even though you might have your own stores you sure as hell don't want your oppenent on getting his hands on more.


No, it was about ideology. What minerals were the Soviets surching for in Afghanistan or Vietnam?

[Clint_Durban]

No, it was about ideology. What minerals were the Soviets surching for in Afghanistan or Vietnam?

Why Angola? Why not Zimbabwe, Zaire, Kenya or a multitude of other African countries?

Minerals! Minerals! Minerals! :)

[DIU]

Why Angola? Why not Zimbabwe, Zaire, Kenya or a multitude of other African countries?

Minerals! Minerals! Minerals! :)
In the former South Rhodesia USSR backed ZAPU of Nkomo (it was based in Zambia and represented Ndebele), but the China-supported ZANU of Mugabe (acting from Mozambique in the name of more numerous Shona) prevailed, partly because Great Britain took their side during the peace negotiations in 1979-80 (they thought that “the USSR-aided alternative” was worse).

In the former Zaire (or Congo/Leopoldville) USSR tried to back Patrice Lumumba in the beginning of 1960s, but failed; the West-backed Mobutu won. At that time KGB/GRU had not enough experience in the African matters.
Since that time Moscow has the University of Patrice Lumumba specially for foreign students (so-alled “lumumbarium”, because it is situated near the main Moscow columbarium) and a kind of Soviet camouflage webbing of 1960s with wide trousers was unofficially called “mobuta” or “mobutovka”.

In Kenya no sufficient conditions for “people-liberation struggle” appeared during the USSR existence. Only now Russia has begun to sell jeeps and 5.56mm AK-101 to the local service of guarding the national parks.

At the same time, USSR succeeded in all ex-Portugal colonies – Angola (especially), Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau. Angola was the most important to them due to its resources and strategic situation. KGB/GRU (mostly GRU) had enough resources and experience by that time (the beginning of 1970s) to override and support the main people-liberation movement, MPLA, and led it to power after the Portuguese revolution of 1974.

The real purpose was not minerals which were unnecessary to USSR (unlike the caoutchouc of Vietnam which was necessary). And even the ideological slogans were rather declarations than real incentive (it was not serious to wait for “proletarian revolution” in the country where ritual cannibalism still occurred in some tribes). More important were “geo-strategic aspirations”, the base in South Atlantic near the main tankers’ route around the Cape (I remind that the Suez channel was blocked after the war of 1973). In essence, that involvement was rather an unconscious imperial catching reflex.

Now the Russian presence in Angola has shrunk considerably, but taken more healthy commercial shape. Russia is still supplier of 90% weaponry for the Angolan army (50 T-72 and more than 200 T-55, 65 BMP-1 and 7 BMP-2, Mi-35 and Mi-17-1B, Mig-23 and Su-22 etc.). There is the specialized site http://www.angola.ru/eng/ (http://www.angola.ru/eng/) (mostly in Russian), though the main Russian site is http://www.africana.ru/ (http://www.africana.ru/) and its Angolan section http://www.africana.ru/news/lands/Angola/index.htm (http://www.africana.ru/news/lands/Angola/index.htm) (only in Russian).

[exT70]

Try this for a more accurate account of what transpired during Operation Savannah.

Playtym, please do not dignify posts like Zad's with a response. It only encourges them.

[Clint_Durban]

Analysis of the Border War

The Border War lasted 23 years and involved South Africans, Namibians, Angolans, Cubans, Russians and Americans amongst others. During that period the SADF called up more than 25,000 white male conscripts each year (for a two year tour), totalling just over half a million men.
The war differed from the American experience in South East Asia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Asia), in that the technical and military superiority of the South African forces was capitalised upon throughout the campaign by the South African General Staff. In consequence, the war can also be seen as one-sided for the South African Army and Air Force - during engagements they had superiority of machinery and weaponry, utlised mine proof fighting vehicles such as the Casspir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casspir) and the Ratel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratel_IFV) and even employed one of the world's finest pieces of mobile artillery, the G6 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G6_howitzer) 155mm Howitzer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer).
Engagements were almost always won, or else were low-loss retreats (often as small as a rugby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_football) pitch); injured servicemen were treated in M.A.S.H.-type units supported by SAAF Aerospatiale Puma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospatiale_Puma) helicopters, which were faster and carried more than the UH-1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-1) in Vietnam. Soldiers would do a tour and generally were not required to return to unless voluntarily, although in some cases the Army offered incentives and in some cases for exceptional talents, enforced recruitment to Koevoet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koevoet) (a para-military Policing unit restricted to Namibian operations) and the Recces (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Special_Forces_Brigade) for more tours. For some men this lead to adverse effects causing much critical public reaction.
South African Air Force air-to-air engagements were also protracted, as tactics tended to resemble those of Israel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel) - destruction of aircraft on the airfield, in the manner of the prosecution of the Six Day War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Day_War) in 1967 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967), although the SAAF campaign only became full time in 1971-1972. Ground and air attack was executed by the Mirage F1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_F1) and Atlas Impala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Impala) which had air superiority throughout. Tactical reconnaissance was performed by the Mirage III (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_III) R2Z variant in 3 Squadron (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=3_Squadron_SAAF&action=edit). Also during this campaign, the English Electric Canberra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Electric_Canberra) and Blackburn Buccaneer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackburn_Buccaneer) were first employed as jet strategic bombers. During the later stages, SAAF involvement became circumscribed because of growth in the Angolan/Cuban SAM umbrella.
Despite the revolutionary and liberation causes, the rigid Soviet style regimes of many of South African foes had disillusioned many within their own ranks, resulting in defections such as the one in 1989 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989), when an Angolan pilot defected with his MiG-21 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-21)MF to Namibia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia), where the plane was captured by South African forces (and is now displayed at SAAF Museum, in Waterkloof (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterkloof)).
Where some Black (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacks), Coloured (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloured) and Indian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asians_in_South_Africa) South Africans were fighting a struggle against apartheid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid) inside South Africa's borders (many trained in Soviet Bloc countries), the Whites were conscripted to fight the rooi gevaar (Afrikaans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans) for "red danger") of communism on its borders. Only white South Africans were conscripted, though Coloured (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloured) (1 and 2 South African Cape Corps) and Black (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black) (21 Batallion) units served with distinction. The South West African Territory Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_West_African_Territory_Force&action=edit) was recruited from Namibians of all races. Some white South Africans felt afterwards that they were kept in the dark about what really happened in their own country and on its borders during these years.

This List of operations of the South African Border War details the military operations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_operation) conducted by the South African Defence Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Defence_Force) during the South African Border War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Border_War):

Operation Savannah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Savannah_%28Angola%29) (1975)
Operation Bruilof (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bruilof) (1978)
Operation Seiljag (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Seiljag) (1978)
Operation Reindeer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reindeer) (1978)
Operation Rekstok (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rekstok) (1979)
Operation Safraan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Safraan) (1979)
Operation Sceptic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sceptic) (Smokeshell) (1980)
Operation Protea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Protea) (1981)
Operation Daisy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Daisy) (1981)
Operation Super (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Super) (1982)
Operation Askari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Askari) (1983)
Cabinda Operation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinda_Operation) (1985)
Operation Wallpaper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wallpaper)
Operation Alpha Centauri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Alpha_Centauri) (1986)
Operation Modular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Modular) (1988)
Operation Hooper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hooper) (1988)
Operation Packer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Packer) (1988)
Operation ****e (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_****e) (1988)
Operation Displace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Displace) (1989)

[Masai]

fok hulle.

Let them do what they want. i'm never gonna visit the bloody memorial anyways.

i really dont care. I will always honour the soldiers that fought and died in that war. the mayority of the public dont even know what the war was about.

RIP and Salute all the soldiers of the bush war !!!!!

[playtym]

Ground and air attack was executed by the Mirage F1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_F1) and Atlas Impala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Impala) which had air superiority throughout.

This is not really a fair assessment - there were times when vehicle movement was restricted to hours of darkness due to the Mig threat.

My worst drill was when you received the radio call "Victor Victor" and had to herringbone and camo the vehicles until the aircraft had passed overhead. Those damn camo nets hook on EVERYTHING!!!

I've spoken to a guy who flew Mirages up there who told me he'd been in a situation where he was trying to engage a Mig-23 and this thing just kicked in its afterburner and left his Mirage standing.

So I don't think it's a fair assessment to say it was all one-sided in our favour.

[exT70]

This is not really a fair assessment - there were times when vehicle movement was restricted to hours of darkness due to the Mig threat.

So I don't think it's a fair assessment to say it was all one-sided in our favour.


Which in itself is already an understatement. If there is one phase of the war where the SADF could not claim victory, it is in the air. Of the long list of ops listed above, I'm pretty sure most of them were conducted under air state RED (enemy has air superiority). What must also however be remembered though, is that the SADF could simply not afford to lose any jets. Sanctions. Nothing lost could be replaced, so contact was mostly avoided. SADF Ack-Ack were also basically non-existant and what there was, antiquated. Number of SADF Stinger teams (US supplied) did however operate in "assistance/support" of UNITA, which had some success.
Fortunately two factors saved the day: 1. the Cuban/Angolan pilots were incapable of hitting anything on the ground (ground forces were more likely to be hit from the air by a Mig missing someone else than from a directed strike and 2. maybe part of 1 above, the thick bush made it very difficult to see anything on the ground. SADF had more success with the slow museumpiece Imps than with mirages in the groundstrike role. More time to ID targets etc.
As stated above, at times SADF movement were resticted. Artillery (SADF main weapon)(maneuvre force used to fix, art used to destroy) could at times only fire at night due to dust and associated problems of dust giving away positions.

[playtym]

Shhhh! You're not supposed to reveal our shortcomings like that - you've just burst the bubble of a lot of people that thought we were invincible.

[Clint_Durban]

Shhhh! You're not supposed to reveal our shortcomings like that - you've just burst the bubble of a lot of people that thought we were invincible.

Damn! :) Don't burst the bubble! :fork:

I should have mentioned that it was a 'copy and paste' from www.wikipedia.org (http://www.wikipedia.org)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Border_War

[exT70]

Damn! :) Don't burst the bubble! :fork:

I should have mentioned that it was a 'copy and paste' from www.wikipedia.org (http://www.wikipedia.org)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Border_War

Don't worry, one can smell/read/recognise the Wiki-monster miles away.

I just wish someone will someday do an accurate work on the bushwar. There is just way too much BS around. I've read some of what's around, and as soon as one speaks to the commanders who were there, took part, made the decisions and received the orders from Pretoria (I've only had very limited contact with members from the "other side" on only one or two occasions), everything written sounds like BS. Too much propaganda at the time, not enough interest later. Maybe with the plethora of new works lately, someone might "do" the war properly

[Bokwa]

This is a little off topic but wth.

Our (SA) convicted murderer ***, police chief Robert McBride had a high speed car crash. They claim he was not drunk just confused.

I'd say!

http://www.24.com/news/?p=ra&i=370061

[playtym]

Those "furtunate" enough to have been killed by the ANC during their terror attacks will be named on the Wall of Rememberance.

http://www.24.com/news/?p=tsa&i=382965


Johannesburg - Victims of the African National Congress's terror attacks against the previous government will be named on the wall of remembrance at Freedom Park.

The Freedom Park Foundation gave this assurance on Tuesday and acknowledged it had received a memorandum about this from Afriforum, a Solidarity trade union initiative.
Afriforum said it had asked that the hundreds of people who had died in such attacks also should be commemorated.
The foundation's Dr Mongane Wally Serote announced earlier that South African soldiers who died in the bush war in Namibia and Angola would not be honoured on the wall, because they had not fought for freedom and human dignity.

'Soft targets'
Afriforum said that the freedom struggle could not be portrayed in a balanced way if the names of victims of the ANC's attacks after 1985 were omitted, especially since 80% of the attacks were against "soft targets".
Ramzie Abrahams, Freedom Park's heritage manager, said they accepted that South Africa had a painful history.
"That's exactly why we are trying to balance the picture by taking different perspectives into account. The process continues," he said.
"We ask people not to pre-judge our efforts."
"I can give the assurance that the names of the people who died in ANC attacks are being collected and will be displayed."
Abrahams added that the details of those who died in the bush war also were being collected. "However, a debate on the names that will go up on the wall must take place within the context of reconciliation and nation building."

[Doublethinker]

All of southern Africa seems to be gradualy turning into one big Zimbabwe.

[Bokwa]

[QUOTE=playtym;2218171]Those "furtunate" enough to have been killed by the ANC during their terror attacks will be named on the Wall of Rememberance.

At least they acknowledge killing innocent people. Africa is though man.

[playtym]

"However, a debate on the names that will go up on the wall must take place within the context of reconciliation and nation building."

If they could only read this thread they'd maybe realise how little "reconciliation and nation building" they were actually inspiring.

[Dethstar]

This all makes me sick, im proud of this country but really, they are driving us out.

[playtym]

One man's terrorist ...

"He used to say, 'Old men start the wars and send the young men off to fight them,'" Ross Moody recalls of his brother Craig, who died 24 years ago while completing a mandatory two-year stint in the army.

Craig was among tens of thousands of South African Defence Force (SADF) conscripts whose only other choice would have been to serve a four-year prison term as a conscientious objector.

In 1982, during an operation in Angola, his helicopter was shot down and he died along with all 11 other paratroopers in his battalion. He was 20 years old.

"After the memorial service I went back to school and nothing could give me a reason for why it had happened. Not one bit of the South African history I learned could tell me why my brother was conscripted and why he died," Moody says. "Craig was part of many youngsters who went off to defend their whole country, [not just to] fight for the National Party … He was a hero to me."

But one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist, and it is this debate that is playing out at Freedom Park on Salvokop Hill overlooking Pretoria. The park's contentious Wall of Names has sparked a row about whether the names of former SADF soldiers should be displayed along with those of fighters from the liberation movement.

"What is this memorial about? Is it a list of names of people who died in war or is it to commemorate those who died for freedom? And if it is for freedom, then it is by definition a limited memorial," says Jody Kollapen, head of the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC).

Freedom Park is a work in progress. Construction workers are still attaching engraved sandstone plaques to the Wall of Names along the stone pathways of a memorial titled Sikhumbuto [SiSwati for "memorial"]. The wall towers above, blocking the sun from view and framing one in the names of the dead.

When it is completed in 2009, it should be a symbol of reparation for those who suffered under apartheid, but because it grew out of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), it is also meant to be a site of resolution and nation building.

However, for many, the courses of compensation and compromise are mutually exclusive.

"At some level, Freedom Park has to make the choice between reconciliation and commemorating struggle heroes," says a former TRC researcher who liaises with Freedom Park.

"Its mandate is a little confused," admits the researcher, who prefers to remain anonymous. "There is dissonance between the nature of political violence that took place , the casualties and the criteria chosen by Freedom Park … It has a very simple notion of heroism that doesn't take into account the complexity of political violence in South Africa."

There are now 75 000 names -- including slaves, indentured labourers, victims of the South African Anglo Boer War and both world wars, and individuals who fought for liberation and democracy -- being engraved on to the plaques at Sikhumbuto. Space remains for more than 60 000 names.

Exclusion
Many, like Ross Moody, feel that reconciliation and nation building can only be achieved if the names of SADF soldiers are not excluded, especially since many of them were forced into service, making them victims of apartheid in their own way.

"How can we reflect upon our past when it's not a complete past?" Moody asks. "For a long time we didn't have a full picture of what was happening in South Africa; we had a sanitised view … Now it's not about looking back and making judgements; it's about having the full picture."

Still, others feel that incorporating the SADF names into the memorial will dishonour the memory of those who died fighting apartheid.

In the 1980s, Mamsi Dweba lost her husband in Mtunzini in KwaZulu-Natal and her brother in Mozambique to SADF attacks. When they died, she lost her "pillars of strength", she says. "[Freedom Park shouldn't] team them up with the SADF. It will be an insult for them to be teamed up with the people who wanted to kill us."

Her brother, Mduduzi Guma, an Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) operative, was killed in a raid in Matola, Mozambique, in 1981 when the houses of MK operatives were bombed by SADF special forces. A few years after, Dweba's husband, Toto, also an MK operative, was taken in for interrogation by the special forces and later found dead in a cane field in northern Natal. His hands had been cut off and his head almost completely severed.

Dweba still has not made peace with all that happened, and says she couldn't even bring herself to attend the TRC hearings. Though she accepts that the families of SADF soldiers need to honour their dead, "they should try another way of honouring them", she says.

Recognition
However, those who sacrificed their lives, whether black or white, should be recognised, says Sean King, who was an SADF rifleman in the 1980s. "If you don't recognise the SADF … you put it under the carpet and forget about it. [South Africa] still has issues and needs to deal with that part of life. We were all fighting the same war."

Ross Moody says SADF soldiers had a duty to protect their country -- "not an ideology, a government or a certain group; they were defending South Africa".

King agrees. Soldiers follow the orders they are given, he says -- but he also compares the country's conscription laws to slavery. "I don't think a lot of people would have gone to the army voluntarily. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have gone … sometimes I think it could have been better in prison."

Those who were on the side of the liberation struggle disagree.

"The SADF and the liberation movement had two totally different sets of ideologies … you can't put all those eggs in one basket," says Sonny Singh, a former MK member who was a political prisoner on Robben Island. "It's a touchy subject, but we must be honest … the soldiers of the old defence force were not representative of a democratic system; human rights weren't respected."

Including the names of SADF soldiers on the Wall of Names would be "like Nazi victims and fascist troops having the same wall of remembrance", he says.

Dudu Guma, the niece of the late Mduduzi Guma, feels "everybody is trying to save face" now. "I know of people who refused to go to the army and they helped us," she says, "so why couldn't others refuse?"

She acknowledges that MK operatives also killed innocent civilians, but "there was a difference", she says. "It started as a liberation thing, but then it became a war … If there is a war, somebody has to strike first. Somebody did that first and then there was a reaction [from the liberation movement].

"It's a very difficult situation … But it also doesn't make sense that people who killed us should now be seen as heroes. When I think about it, it makes me feel sick."

Reconciliation
Jacqui Thompson, the author of [I]An Unpopular War, about the experience of SADF soldiers under apartheid, also sees a correlation between World War II Germany and the SADF. However, she has a different take on it.

At a stakeholders' workshop last month to discuss the Freedom Park dilemma, Thompson spoke of an experience she had while visiting Normandy on the 60th anniversary of D-Day. "The allied cemeteries were filled with people celebrating -- a stark contrast to the German cemetery, where the rows upon rows of graves were empty save for five mourners. The astounding similarity between the perception of Germans and the SADF soldiers struck home.

"There was a time when every German was branded a Nazi simply because of nationality. It seems unfair that every SADF soldier be branded a criminal. There is no denying that the SADF was the aggressor. Being the aggressor does, however, not revoke the right to mourn," she said.

"It took the allies 60 years to invite the German chancellor to the D-Day festivities -- it is my sincere hope that we do not take that long to reconcile."

Freedom Park should be an opportunity for South Africans to "reflect on how screwed up this country was", says Ross Moody. "People died and we have to make sure we remember all those people, otherwise their deaths were in vain."

South African history is not cut and dried. "We need something that says, 'This is what the history of South Africa is about.' … We can't have a selective memory with history," he says.

Though the management of Freedom Park would like the public to decide the future of the Sikhumbuto memorial, consensus seems far away. As the HRC's Kollapen suggests, it may be premature to discuss the future of the Wall of Names when South Africans still need to deal with greater issues.

Maria Ntuli, whose 17-year-old son Jeremiah was killed by the SADF in the 1980s along with another nine boys, understands the need for reconciliation. She is still searching for his remains all these years later and, although she is "very sad", she would like to move on.

"[The SADF] killed a lot of people … the killing was a big mistake. if you don't reconcile, what is the use?" she asks. "The only thing is not to forget what happened, but you must forgive."

[B]A PLACE OF COMMEMORATION
Situated opposite the Voortrekker Monument, Freedom Park seeks to contrast the past with the idea of moving forward. As a presidential heritage project that "heals and reconciles the South African nation", it is intended as a monument to the struggle for humanity and freedom.

Along the Mveledzo, a spiral pathway that connects the different aspects of the park, stone walls curve around and blend into the area's hilly landscape.

Towards the right, Isisvivane, the Gardens of Remembrance, comprises a circular formation of rocks, representing the country's nine provinces, the government and the international community. The formation is symbolic of unity and peace.

Towards the right of the pathway, Sikhumbuto's Wall of Names, made of interconnecting sandstone plaques, will eventually commemorate 136 000 past heroes -- war veterans, members of mass movements and uprisings, church and traditional leaders, treason trialists, journalists, miners, indentured and forced labourers, and politicians, among others.

The names are split up according to eight major conflicts that Freedom Park says were turning points in the history of the country: the pre-colonial conflicts, genocide (of the San, Khoi and other African communities), slavery, the wars of resistance (such as those between the Dutch and Khoi and the British and Dutch), the South African Anglo-Boer War, the first and second world wars, and the liberation struggle.

Appended to the wall is an amphitheatre that encloses a sanctuary and the Hall of Leaders. It will house monuments dedicated to 10 former leaders, including Oliver Tambo and Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who made great contributions towards the struggle for freedom. It will also be a place of contemplation and prayer.

At the entrance to the hall, an "eternal flame" will burn, symbolising all the unknown, unnamed victims who fell during the country's past struggles.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=302086&area=/insight/insight__national/#

[baboon6]

Have you guys seen the Airborne Memorial at the War Museum (in Saxonwold)? It's at the entrance, lists the names of all 44 Parachute Brigade and Special Forces boys who died in the conflict of the 70s and 80s. I believe it was a private initiative by the various airborne and SF associations.

[playtym]

Have you guys seen the Airborne Memorial at the War Museum (in Saxonwold)? It's at the entrance, lists the names of all 44 Parachute Brigade and Special Forces boys who died in the conflict of the 70s and 80s. I believe it was a private initiative by the various airborne and SF associations.

I haven't seen it, but wouldn't be surprised that it had to be done as a private initiative in order for it to get done.

Could someone snap some pics if they're out that way please?

[h22chen]

So many people thinking of the short term, unfortunately. Hate is always a great weapon to use.

[1652HCU]

This is an extremely shortsighted approach the Freedom Park Foundation has taken. They tend to forget the SA people’s norm for hanging on to what is seen as an injustice. Instead of this problem going away it is bound to snowball into a bigger issue.

Honouring "Che" Guevara whilst excluding South African conscripts leaves a very sour taste indeed.

I wonder whether Koos de la Rey, or Beyers and the “Maritz Rebels” will be honoured?
What about ‘Sailor’ Malan and the members of the Torch Commando? All more deserving than "Che" Guevara!

What about South Africans such as ‘Pat’ Pattle and all the lesser known who died fighting for freedom but under different Colours, do they get a space in this park?


Hopefully the +50 000 (Blacks and Whites) who died in the concentration camps will find a place on some wall in the park.

[Piepalook]

Cubans repeled the South African invasion of Angola in 1975(Operation Savanah), this was the first defeat of a white army in Africa by a black force since zulu wars, from 1974 to 1989 cubans fighted South African apartheid army and their UNITA allies, black people under apartheid terror in South Africa saw this white army defeat as a light of hope, it was a demonstration that apartheid could be defeated. As history show us they were right.

In a speech given in Havana in July, 1991, Nelson Mandela declared, "The defeat of the racist army at Cuito Cuanavale has made it possible for me to be here today! Cuito Cuanavale was a milestone in the history of the struggle for southern African liberation!

That is why black people in South Africa prefer to honour cubans than apartheid militars.
There never was a battle for Cuito Cuanavale.
The town never was the objective.
You thought is was!

[Havoc345]

All of southern Africa seems to be gradualy turning into one big Zimbabwe.

x2

12345678

[boreal]

Storming into Angola to support the band of psicos of UNITA to preserve the ideal of white supremascism it is not something to feel very pride of. Blaming blacks because of violence under apartheid sounds a bit biased for me. Between 1936-1939 many soldiers died in my country fighting for fascism. Many of them was just obeyding orders, some hundreds, maybe thousands died fighting guerrillas and repriming opositors in the 40s, during that time millions of people were prosecuted and represaliated as you can guess after our transition to democracy between 1975-1977 this people hasn´t been recognized or reivindicated by our goverments, same with soldiers who died fighting oposition in Argentina or Chile during dictatorships. Democratic countries don´t use to pay tribute to soldiers who died defending fascism in any form, I wonder why....

what a load of crap

[Laworkerbee]

the same Cubans who are now going to be honoured on the wall!

That is a complete and utter disgrace!!!

[Pete031]

what a slap in the face. Utter BS.

[Clint_Durban]

Why can't the troopies be proud too?

http://groups.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=MyPhotos_GetPubPhoto&PhotoID=nGwA8GyoHbUagrkimWmkVBFvzZqYX*PgV2j9MICDAZuP3pyl1lB!N8T2QH7k8qlfn

"The troopie…we built the bloody place and are oh so sad to see it crumbling apart! We are the National Service generation. The youngest of us is about 35 and the oldest of us are in to our 60’s. We have built the New South Africa!

Read this letter and its comments on this thread below:
http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539 (http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539)

'We are the generation who provided our time to the nation in many different ways. Many of our dads and granddads had Africa Stars and other 1939-45 war medals.

"We sometimes got a Pro-Patria, but now are just getting contempt and denigration and a kick in the butt.

"We were a polyglot bunch made up of many nationalities, thrust together and welded into a fairly damn effective outfit. Some 300,000 of us were born on the wrong side of history.

"Today, we are branded as the “baby killers” of Africa. That is, of course, if anyone even remembers us and our contribution.

"From ages of seventeen and whatever, we took time out from lives, loves, jobs, education and “normal things” and donned nutria brown.

"We were subjected to the rigours of “Basics” and many of us chose to endure even further hardships of advanced training, as leaders, special forces, parabats, mecchies, ops medics and a multitude of other specialities.

"We learnt quickly and assumed the mantle of professionals, all within a very short time.

We performed! 18, 19 and 20 year-olds carried out the tasks, which, in other military forces, would be carried out by seasoned career professionals. We did the business as youngsters!

We served in so many ways, sometimes enthusiastically and sometimes with no great fervour.

Many endured the peculiar experience of Border duties. Heat and dust (sometimes cold and mud), mozzies, snakes and crap food. The odd mixture of tedium, interspersed with bouts of high adrenaline and occasional arse-clamping terror.
And the camaraderie that lasts a lifetime.
Others kept the system working, as clerks, storemen, chefs, drivers and “maintainers” of many things.

”Tiffies” of every sort abounded and we all developed special skills and insights. We met people from every strata, group and division in society. By and large we got on with one another. And these were experiences that stood us in good stead in later life.

We were no angels, more like lusty tomcats with a terrible thirst! But we did the needful and did not shoot or “frag” our officers.

After initial service, we resumed our “civvy” lives and became the students, farmers, apprentices, trainees, learner officials and office juniors of the working world.

Later on, we became the shift bosses, sparkies, plumbers, miners, doctors, technicians, accountants and middle managers of the country. In the mining industry, we made a lot of people in London very rich.

As engineers, we kept the ESCOM grid alive and expanding, bringing electricity to the furtherest reaches of the country, without blackouts.

Also, as engineers we built some of the finest structures in Africa and completed projects of the greatest complexity, in the face of sanctions and fuel restrictions.

We built hospitals and staffed them with world-class doctors, nurses and other professionals and kept places like Bara and Natalspruit open under full-scale war conditions.

We built schools and colleges, with world-class educationalists. We built an international and commercial powerhouse in Africa, the only one! We were leaders, creators and innovators. We made things happen! We “made a plan”.

And still later, we continue to lead, build, protect and make things happen – all over the world. Many of us started or took over small businesses. Some were high-fliers and progressed rapidly through the corporate and business world.

Some too “crashed and burned” or took some wrong turns in their lives. They paid a price. We contributed too in wider society.

As parents, members of the community, through churches, cultural groups, schools and universities, youth and sporting organizations we helped to build a wider community.

Many of us were volunteers in a service capacity. Fire, ambulance, sea-rescue, life-saving, scouting, Voortrekkers, Rotary, Round Table, St Vincent de Paul, police reserve and a multitude of charities and groups all derived leadership, effort and support from our generation. Plenty of us were passionate about the environment and we did things about that too. Hopefully this legacy will last.

But lurking in the background was always nutria brown.

From time to time, some more often than others, we got the call-up again.
As part-time soldiers, we engaged in the last ”hot battles of the cold war”. Indirectly we helped to bring “the wall” down.
We confronted Russians, Cubans and legions of “freedom fighters” of every description. And some of them were tough. They gave us a run for our money. But we prevailed.
Later on, we served in the townships. We maintained a form of stability and were often RESPECTED and WELCOMED.This is an inconvenient fact that the “establishment” would seek to bury.
In urban operations, we stood between warring factions. We protected ordinary residents as far as we could and separated violent ANC and Inkatha protagonists regularly. In so doing, some of us got hurt.

The most effective units got vilified and succumbed to propaganda.
We served in the countryside too and ensured that rural life and the farming communities could get on with the business of providing food to sub-Saharan Africa. Sometimes two or more generations served in the same Commando.
We also established the necessary stability to allow the 1994 elections to take place. These democratic elections would not/could not have happened without the “National Service” generation.

It is worth adding that, in all of these conflicts, black and white soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder. And then national service ended.

Some continued to serve in an integrated force and still do so. The whole nation reveled in the spirit of Rugby World Cup 1995.

Reconciliation was the order of the day. A Rainbow Nation was born.
And now?
Bit by bit, it all seems to be sliding away. And the ENORMOUS contribution of the National Service Generation is being written out of history.

If indeed it is included in history, then the “baby killer” tag is applied. This is pure revisionist claptrap. We built the Bloody Place!


We have every right to be proud of our contribution. And we must make it known.
http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539 (http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539)

[Piepalook]

Why can't the troopies be proud too?


http://groups.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=MyPhotos_GetPubPhoto&PhotoID=nGwA8GyoHbUagrkimWmkVBFvzZqYX*PgV2j9MICDAZuP3pyl1lB!N8T2QH7k8qlfn

"The troopie…we built the bloody place and are oh so sad to see it crumbling apart! We are the National Service generation. The youngest of us is about 35 and the oldest of us are in to our 60’s. We have built the New South Africa!

Read this letter and its comments on this thread below:
http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539 (http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539)

'We are the generation who provided our time to the nation in many different ways. Many of our dads and granddads had Africa Stars and other 1939-45 war medals.

"We sometimes got a Pro-Patria, but now are just getting contempt and denigration and a kick in the butt.

"We were a polyglot bunch made up of many nationalities, thrust together and welded into a fairly damn effective outfit. Some 300,000 of us were born on the wrong side of history.

"Today, we are branded as the “baby killers” of Africa. That is, of course, if anyone even remembers us and our contribution.

"From ages of seventeen and whatever, we took time out from lives, loves, jobs, education and “normal things” and donned nutria brown.

"We were subjected to the rigours of “Basics” and many of us chose to endure even further hardships of advanced training, as leaders, special forces, parabats, mecchies, ops medics and a multitude of other specialities.

"We learnt quickly and assumed the mantle of professionals, all within a very short time.

We performed! 18, 19 and 20 year-olds carried out the tasks, which, in other military forces, would be carried out by seasoned career professionals. We did the business as youngsters!


We served in so many ways, sometimes enthusiastically and sometimes with no great fervour.

Many endured the peculiar experience of Border duties. Heat and dust (sometimes cold and mud), mozzies, snakes and crap food. The odd mixture of tedium, interspersed with bouts of high adrenaline and occasional arse-clamping terror.
And the camaraderie that lasts a lifetime.
Others kept the system working, as clerks, storemen, chefs, drivers and “maintainers” of many things.

”Tiffies” of every sort abounded and we all developed special skills and insights. We met people from every strata, group and division in society. By and large we got on with one another. And these were experiences that stood us in good stead in later life.

We were no angels, more like lusty tomcats with a terrible thirst! But we did the needful and did not shoot or “frag” our officers.

After initial service, we resumed our “civvy” lives and became the students, farmers, apprentices, trainees, learner officials and office juniors of the working world.

Later on, we became the shift bosses, sparkies, plumbers, miners, doctors, technicians, accountants and middle managers of the country. In the mining industry, we made a lot of people in London very rich.

As engineers, we kept the ESCOM grid alive and expanding, bringing electricity to the furtherest reaches of the country, without blackouts.

Also, as engineers we built some of the finest structures in Africa and completed projects of the greatest complexity, in the face of sanctions and fuel restrictions.

We built hospitals and staffed them with world-class doctors, nurses and other professionals and kept places like Bara and Natalspruit open under full-scale war conditions.

We built schools and colleges, with world-class educationalists. We built an international and commercial powerhouse in Africa, the only one! We were leaders, creators and innovators. We made things happen! We “made a plan”.

And still later, we continue to lead, build, protect and make things happen – all over the world. Many of us started or took over small businesses. Some were high-fliers and progressed rapidly through the corporate and business world.

Some too “crashed and burned” or took some wrong turns in their lives. They paid a price. We contributed too in wider society.

As parents, members of the community, through churches, cultural groups, schools and universities, youth and sporting organizations we helped to build a wider community.

Many of us were volunteers in a service capacity. Fire, ambulance, sea-rescue, life-saving, scouting, Voortrekkers, Rotary, Round Table, St Vincent de Paul, police reserve and a multitude of charities and groups all derived leadership, effort and support from our generation. Plenty of us were passionate about the environment and we did things about that too. Hopefully this legacy will last.


But lurking in the background was always nutria brown.

From time to time, some more often than others, we got the call-up again.
As part-time soldiers, we engaged in the last ”hot battles of the cold war”. Indirectly we helped to bring “the wall” down.
We confronted Russians, Cubans and legions of “freedom fighters” of every description. And some of them were tough. They gave us a run for our money. But we prevailed.
Later on, we served in the townships. We maintained a form of stability and were often RESPECTED and WELCOMED.This is an inconvenient fact that the “establishment” would seek to bury.

In urban operations, we stood between warring factions. We protected ordinary residents as far as we could and separated violent ANC and Inkatha protagonists regularly. In so doing, some of us got hurt.

The most effective units got vilified and succumbed to propaganda.
We served in the countryside too and ensured that rural life and the farming communities could get on with the business of providing food to sub-Saharan Africa. Sometimes two or more generations served in the same Commando.
We also established the necessary stability to allow the 1994 elections to take place. These democratic elections would not/could not have happened without the “National Service” generation.

It is worth adding that, in all of these conflicts, black and white soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder. And then national service ended.


Some continued to serve in an integrated force and still do so. The whole nation reveled in the spirit of Rugby World Cup 1995.

Reconciliation was the order of the day. A Rainbow Nation was born.
And now?
Bit by bit, it all seems to be sliding away. And the ENORMOUS contribution of the National Service Generation is being written out of history.

If indeed it is included in history, then the “baby killer” tag is applied. This is pure revisionist claptrap. We built the Bloody Place!


We have every right to be proud of our contribution. And we must make it known.

http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539 (http://www.witness.co.za/?showcontent&global[_id]=6539)


Thanks for placing this.
76527829BT
Spent 5 years in the army.
SADF Equestrian centre.
Potchefstroom