Up till now it was almost as if the the events of the last decade or two had simply been a prelude or setting up of the stage for the conflict that would play itself out in Southern Africa and culminate in the largest land battle on the African continent since World War II.
The cold war was coming to a head internationally, with the ultimate demise of the Soviet Union, around the end of this decade. However in Angola, the Soviet Advisers, Cubans and Angolan forces had developed a healthy respect for the SADF, SWATF, and the special units, Koevoet, 32 Battalion etc.
In return the SADF had a healthy respect for them and focused as much on SWAPO as possible without treading on these other forces toes.
South Africa had moved from a military with antiquated hardware to one that could produce its own weapons internally due to the arms embargoes that were biting down hard.
The SADF had mobilized conscript and volunteers from both SA and SWA and settled in for a long hard conflict. They had formalized their fighting strategies and created all the necessary specialized units, special forces and training facilities. They were prepared to go it alone if necessary against what they perceived as a growing communist threat that the world was ignoring.
South Africa with its apartheid policies would continue to become more and more isolated internationally but would continue to cry loudly and persistently about the communist threat on its doorstep in an attempt to gain some sort of international support or recognition.
In this decade I would enter my teens and the "border" or war would become an ever present reality.
In primary school already I would have friends with older brothers who were in "the army". At church mothers would always pray to "keep our boys on the border safe".
While driving between remote places it was not uncommon to give guys in uniform a lift that were going to and from home on leave. There were TV and radio adverts encouraging all drivers to do this, since men in uniform were not supposed to hitch hike.
Military Aircraft were a common sight and Large military convoys were not infrequent. We lived on one of the main air routes and on the main roads that headed out to the "operational areas".
Little did we know it at the time, but often getting stuck behind a convoy of tanks and armored personal carriers, for hours in the bus from school, actually coincided with some of the largest military operations of the 80's.
By high school all boys would have to participate in cadets once a week and wear the school equivalent of a military uniform, that was issued to us.
This would result in two hours of drill practice or marching up and down the sports fields, or band practice, or shooting practice if you managed to make the school team.
The government and propaganda machine was in full swing and we grew up under the cloud of a communist threat with a potential "commie" hiding behind every bush. They were beginning to indoctrinate us from the age of 12 weekly, where at younger ages it was limited to the occasional school camp or leadership course.
The narratives switched from "swart gevaar"(black danger) to "rooi gevaar"(red danger).
The eighties would see some intense combat operations and even more internal strife and civil unrest.
Its a miracle that South Africa didn't descend into all out chaos and civil war.
Previous posts in this series can be found at the bottom of this post:
The South African Border War - 1976, The end of a chapter and the beginning of a new phase.
The South African Border War - Mines, Mines did I say mines?
The South African Border War - Enter the Ratel
The South African Border War - The United Nations Security Council Resolutions
The South African Border War - Operation Reindeer begins.
The South African Border War - Operation Reindeer - The Cassinga Fiasco
The South African Border War - The South West Africa Territorial Force
The South African Border War - Operation K or Koevoet the crowbar (Warning-not for the squeamish)
Well done on sharing these stories. These are stories that are not told anymore to us young South Africans. With our parents being almost the last generations to go through the army and the only media we see being that of international army practices-it is difficult without these stories to understand the South African perspectives.
What was food like in the army?
perspectives on the food vary
Fascinating seeing this from your particular inside perspective, @gavvet. War for the civilians (especially kids) is always a weird mix of insider persepective and knowing nothing at all. They see the edge of big events that only make contextual sense years later when (a) they take an interest and (b) things get declassified.
No one won or lost. We all won and we all lost.
Simple as some people may not like, Rhodesia was handed over and Zimbabwe is now a pariah country... South Africa democratically voted for change and hence power was handed over to the majority.
All this is good but South Africa is slowly sliding down a slippery slope of hidden racism and corruption.
What I´m trying to say that the current South African government is like all African governments... Corrupt, lost and inept.
Would it be too presumptuous of me to think that you're implying that Africa would have been better of as it was?
Africa is developing. Its problems are less sophisticated and therefor more visible than the developed world, but these things are to be expected as part of any growth trajectory.
Even in biology we have teething pains, growing pains and teenage pimples.
With challenges however, come opportunities. The secret is to see past the glaring, in your face problems, to the many opportunities hidden just beneath that veneer.
thanks for an important paradigm
I have no disagreement with you @gavvet. What I'm trying to divine is if @kouba01 thinks we are worse off since his complaint seems to have popped out of nowhere irrelevant to your topic. In my experience such venting is often followed by a longing for "how things used to be". Of course I could be totally wrong.
Africa has, for the most part, houses some young political structures. I had first used "democracies" instead of "political structures", but realized that for the most part, i would have been portraying a false reality. War, is never a good thing, Fact! BUT...., what South African, Zimbabwean, or any corrupt African government has done, is to declare economical, social, or even political war on their own people. Those might not grab headlines for lives lost, but, lives are being lost daily. Hunger, poverty, displacement from homes, ..etc, Just because there is no exchange of bullets, does not mean the war is not raging. A a matter of fact, i think that type of "new" war is more brutal - you die slowly and painfully - on an empty stomach. The war is here already, and you are losing because you don't know you should be fighting it already.
Again, great post on this subject. I am still amazed at the fact that we in the US know almost nothing about this conflict.
The only pictures of Africa we received in the 1980's were of the famine stricken areas of Kenya and Ethiopia from "charities" that were trying to scam money out of us.
Love this series! It opens my eyes away from the self-absorbed mainstream media reports here in the US.
David Bowie steps up to the microphone - the 80s begins.
true that
@gavvet,
My personal believe war never wins! And it's costly! But it makes inventions and it makes innovation also! But, it crash everything in few minutes of time! That's how I feel about any kind of war!
Your personal experiences of this border war shared very well! "Military Aircraft were a common sight and Large military convoys were not infrequent." After 30-40 years from this incident you still remember what happened at that time! Just imagine it's how impacted on your mind set! You still remember it! I wish to read your next article which can describe about another great mission launched by SA military front!
Cheers~
Good work, well written. This is pretty much how I remember the events when they actually happened all those years ago. Thanks for this.
Man that photograph brings back memories.
Upvoted
That is kind of good info. Thanks for posting :)
Right about this time I was doing my first tour in the US Army as a young paratrooper. I went reserves after my first tour and ended up working in a gunstore in Southern California.
My boss had been SADF Special Forces (or so he said). Didn't talk overly about it, so I felt like he was being truthful, but since I had served as a para we did talk about SA from time to time.
This was my first education into what was happening over there.
@gavvet - It is fortunate that all the young boys (including you) did not have to actually go shooting in a war or a civil war. It is sad when young blood is spilled for politics created by some biased souls. I can relate to the propaganda created for the "rooi gevaar" since I have seen it in many countries. I have faced some naxalism related sabotage and other issues in my working career and believe that both ideologies (rights and leftists) need to be rational in order to understand each other and try to resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner.
Thanks for sharing your views. Upvoted full
Regards,
@vm2904
South Africa's wars greatly colored the life of atrocities of the time (World War II). we hope this war will not come back again, the public are all worried about this.
ya sure .. all the people want peace and love .and every single person of this world deserve peace and love ..
I agree with your opinion! ^^
thank you dear
this army is in full spirit .. nice post
Africa, like black mangosteen but much like
Africa, do not see the skin is black but there is something there
I never liked history at school, but over the years I understood how important it is to my general culture. It's a very interesting post, every day I learn something new here.
thanks
Practice makes perfect
Hopefully there is no conflict anywhere enough to see enough victims around the country
Hopefully it will not happen again in the future
Let us all pray that there will be no more conflict
@gavvet - Sir, you shared your war experiences very excellent way.... As a school boy I could understand how you feel it.... Moreover, fear and uncertainty also there.... I had this bad feelings in last 2 decades Sir.... Very nice article Sir.... You wrote your experiences well.... Awaiting to read the next article Sir....
+W+ [UpVoted & ReSteemed]
cadets
Good add on top of all the others in this serie. Everytime I read somethig new, and everytime im surprised about the things war destroys, not only houses, lifes, but also nature, culture and history. ... But we should and would not forget !
i wish there were no wars in the world.
Upvote please 😊😊😊
it's great post The South African Border War.
Good friends
nice post
War is not the only solution. . I do not want things. It happened. Pity young seeds go to war. .
Nice post
I am just glad that SA continues to fight Apartheid and it also was able to defend itself from communist infestations into the SA society @gavvet
@gavvet
Actualy I dont like war...I think war like a the political game....
Cheers~~~
Apartheid oppressed people, the boys were trained, from 12 years to oppress people. No wonder South Africa is still rive with racism. It was drilled into people's minds.
The Article is very informative and also tells us how international politics is played along with the wars, which had surfaced. The Articles gives us lot of knowledge about the situation in the olden days.
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The war only brings destruction and hatred , nothing else.
The Angolan Civil War (Portuguese: Guerra civil angolana) was a major civil conflict in Angola, beginning in 1975. The civil war was (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). At the same time, the war was served as a surrogate battleground for the Cold War and indirect international involvement by opposing powers such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, South Africa and the United States.
Yah bro really this content just awesome.. keep it forever....and share with us....
Congratulations @gavvet!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
very interesting post!!!!! @gavvet please upvote my blog :)
Thanks for sharing gavvet, I didn't know much about this wars. Your series have been quite educating, maybe very soon I'll be writing about wars in Nigeria too.
I don't know much about those
Man wars are always full of casualties and i am glad it went out well at the end
It must have been very hard to go through at that time .
war is very painful .. in Aceh where I live 32 years of war raged between militants and thousands of lives lost.
Hi @gavvetYou have a lot of awesome posts, but this is by far one of your best ones man. I needed this one today! Thanks i want to know more about south africa and history yes nilson mandila forever
As 3 Sage Street is half a Block from Florida Park High School, This is where all of us Bunked Cadets!
Great post, a bit of an history lesson by somebody that has experienced those things first-hand. It was a pleasure to read this, unfortunately world is full of cruel things and unfairness, but we all have to live through it with the hope of changing something and seeing a better tomorrow.
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Wow this is the first post I've read in this series and it's incredible how different life is for each person and each country and to hear of the indoctrination going on at such an early age through schools.
Very thought provoking and so different from any history that we (or at least I) was taught in school. I've read that most of the history books are not true at all, so it's good to hear from people who lived through this situations.