South African Border War
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| South African Border War | |||||||
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| Part of Wars of Independence and Cold War | |||||||
 The flags of the combatants. |
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| Combatants | |||||||
 Republic of Angola, Republic of Cuba,SWAPO,  USSR, GDR, Republic of Zambia |
 Republic of South Africa,UNITA |
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The South African Border War refers to the conflict that took place from 1966 to 1989 in South-West Africa (now Namibia) and Angola between South Africa and its allied forces (mainly UNITA) on the one side and the Angolan government, SWAPO (South-West Africa People's Organisation) and their allies (mainly the Soviet Union and Cuba) on the other.
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[edit] Roots of the conflict
The roots of the conflict can be traced back to World War I, when South Africa invaded and conquered the then German South-West Africa on behalf of the Allied Forces. In the aftermath of the war, the League of Nations gave South Africa a mandate to administer the territory.
After World War II, South Africa refused to surrender its mandate for replacement by a United Nations Trusteeship agreement requiring closer international monitoring of the territory's administration. Although the South African government wanted to incorporate South-West Africa into its territory, it never officially did so, although it was administered as the de-facto fifth province, with the white minority having representation in the (whites-only) Parliament of South Africa.
[edit] Beginning of a 23-year conflict (1965–1974)
- See also: Portuguese Colonial War
In the wake of the South African government's refusal and the implementation of its apartheid policies in South-West Africa (SWA), SWAPO became increasingly militant and in 1962 its military wing, the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), was formed.
In the mid-1960s, a number of SWAPO bases had been established in neighbouring Zambia and its insurgents began infiltrating SWA. The first such incursion took place in September 1965 and the second in March 1966 but it was only on 26 August 1966 that the first major clash of the conflict took place, when a unit of the South African Police (SAP) — supported by South African Air Force (SAAF) helicopters — exchanged fire with SWAPO forces. This date is generally regarded as the start of what became known in South Africa as the "Border War".
The chaotic situation in Angola and the discovery of Cuban weapons dumps near the SWA border, combined with clashes between South African troops and Angolan insurgents at the Calueque pump station — an important site in a combined South Africa-Portuguese hydro electric project — convinced South Africa to enter the fray, with the covert backing of the United States of America, to assist the anti-MPLA movements, UNITA and the FNLA.
In late 1966 UNITA joined the fight against the Angolan colonial power of Portugal, who were already in conflict with the MPLA and FNLA. UNITA was mainly active in southern and eastern Angola, while the MPLA and FNLA were mainly active in northern Angola. SAAF helicopters were first sent to support the Portuguese against UNITA in 1967, thus beginning South Africa's decades-long involvement.
During this time the South African Police and its local adjunct, the South-West African Police, bore the brunt of the ground fighting on the South African side, with the SAAF backing them up from the air. In the late 1960s a police counter insurgency unit named Koevoet (Afrikaans for Crowbar) was formed.
[edit] Angolan independence: Cold War theatre of war (1975–1988)
- See also: Angolan Civil War
Angola achieved independence on 11 November 1975 and by 29 February 1976 all Portuguese forces had hastily left the country. Cuban forces and Soviet advisors had begun to enter Angola on invitation of the MPLA in April 1975 and South Africa thus faced the prospect of a communist state on the border of SWA. As a result South Africa, with covert assistance from the United States' Central Intelligence Agency, began assisting UNITA and the FNLA against the MPLA and its allies.
A major incursion by South Africa into Angola occurred during Operation Savannah, when South African forces advanced 3,159 km in 33 days to within artillery range of the Angolan capital of Luanda. South Africa was forced to withdraw when its covert Western support (mainly from the United States) was withdrawn. After its withdrawal, South Africa continued to support UNITA in order to ensure that SWAPO did not establish bases in southern Angola from where they could launch attacks into SWA.
The first air-to-air combat in which SAAF jet fighter aircrafts were involved in since the Korean War took place on 4 May 1978 at Cassinga in Angola. During the same operation the SAAF's aircrafts also took part in numerous sorties to support the troops on the ground, which were mainly drawn from its airborne and special forces.
During the late 1970s there were numerous ground and/or air operations by the South African forces into Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. South Africa also became involved in the conflict between UNITA and the Cuban-assisted MPLA forces.
[edit] Cold War & Border War ends: 1989
- See also: Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
Following operations Modular and Hooper in 1987 and 1988, United Nations-mediated negotiations took place with the aim of achieving peace in and independence for South-West Africa/Namibia.
This coincided with a change of government in South Africa, when hardline apartheid president P.W. Botha was forced to resign and the more liberal F.W. de Klerk came to power. Within months, De Klerk had announced the unbanning of anti-apartheid groups, including the African National Congress, the release of Nelson Mandela and the beginning of negotiations towards a democratic South Africa.
The final withdrawal of South African ground troops from Angola (in particular, the town of Cuito Cuanavale) was completed on 30 August 1988 and in 1989 South African forces also left Namibia.
[edit] Namibian independence: 1990
Namibia's Independence Day took place on 21 March 1990 and was attended by numerous international representatives, including the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of South Africa, who jointly conferred independence on Namibia. The president of SWAPO, Sam Nujoma, was sworn in as the first President of Namibia.
[edit] Opposition to the war
While many (mostly white male) South Africans served in the South African Defence Force during the war, by 1989 a total of 771 conscripts had publicly declared they would not serve. At least 1289 objectors subsequently registered their objection.[1][2] It was announced in parliament that 7589 conscripts failed to report for National Service in January 1985, as opposed to only 1596 in the whole of 1984.[3] An estimated 7000 "draft-dodgers" were said to be living in Europe. The London-based Committee on South African War Resistance estimated that about 10000 people emigrated to avoid conscription since 1978.[4] Hundreds more went AWOL, deserted, or simply refused to participate in what they saw as an illegitimate and illegal war. Groups such as the End Conscription Campaign and Committee on South African War Resistance actively campaigned against the conflict and were later banned after the then banned ANC called for combatants on the South African side to desert.
[edit] See also
- Angolan Civil War
- List of operations of the South African Border War
- Portuguese Colonial War
- Rhodesian Bush War
- Military history of South Africa
- Military history of Africa
[edit] References
- ^ The National Registry of Conscientious Objectors was launched in 1989, listed some 700 plus objectors for that year alone. Source: Argus, Thursday, September 21, 1989.
- ^ Jacklyn Cock, Colonels & Cadres — War & Gender in South Africa, Oxford University Press, 1991, p. 90.
- ^ At Ease, ECC newsletter, May 1986, cited in Jacklyn Leidenheimer, Colonels & Cadres — War & Gender in South Africa, Oxford University Press, 1991, p. 81.
- ^ Jacklyn Cock, Colonels & Cadres — War & Gender in South Africa, Oxford University Press, 1991, p. 82.
- Commandant Dick Lord, public lecture, University of Stellenbosch, 14th December 2001.
[edit] External Links
- [1] 32 Battalion "The Terrible One's"
- [2] Willem Steenkamp's book "South Africa's Border War 1966-1989"
- [3] Accounts of both sides: a South African Soldier and an MK operative
- [4] Military Memories of ex-SADF rifleman D.R. Walker
- [5] The Stick (1987) synopsis on IMDB
- [6] Steenkamp, Willem. Borderstrike! South Africa into Angola. 1975-1980., Just Done Productions , Durban, 2006
- [7] South African Roll of Honour
