- Hardcover: 512 pages
- Publisher: Galago Publishing Pty Ltd (23 Jun 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1919854037
- ISBN-13: 978-1919854038
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 17 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
599,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > Southern > Namibia
- #65 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > 20th Century
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
This book deals with Zimbabwe's independence, and the elections crooked in ZANU-PF's favour in 1980 and at every election since. It also covers such topics as South Africa's destabilization and genocide by Mugabe's 5-Brigade in Matabeleland.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
This book, the third in a trilogy, stands alone as a masterful account of South Africa's operations to quell the insurgency in Namibia between 1967 and 1989 and provides an in depth hundred page description of events between March 31st, 1989 and April 9th, 1989 when 1,700 SWAPO guerillas invaded Namibia on the eve of independence.
This book is a personal account dealing with individuals that fought in Namibia and the story is based almost entirely on interviews with key participants such as the founder of Koevet, Lt-general Hans Dreyer. A huge number of people were interviewed and this means that much of the storytelling is as close to being there as possible for the reader. This is not an academic book, it is an adventure from the first page to the last presenting, in the end, the history of Namibia during this period and presenting text-book lessons in counter-insurgency warfare that many nations could well learn from. Excellent color pictures complete the story.
The story begins with the "stirring of black nationalism" in Northern Namibia, known as Owamboland because of the tribe that resided there. With the Portuguese flight from Angola, Operation Savannah and the intervention of South Africa and Cuba in that country in 1974 the `frontline' of insurgency now came to the doorstep of Namibia which was being administered by South Africa. The first counter-insurgency school was opened in South Africa in 1968 but it was not until 1978 that `Operation K' or Koevet, Afrikaans for crowbar, would be put into action in Namibia to quell the insurgency launched by SWAPO guerillas. However what distinguished operations in Owamboland was the use of local black Africans to work alongside the South Africans. In addition the use of landmines by the guerillas necessitated the creation of special armored vehicles to deal with them. The book then becomes a story about operations in the north along the Angolan border. Maps and diagrams complete the stories so the reader is rarely lost and his attention is always drawn to what will happen next. Peter Stiff is a first class storyteller in this respect. This book is yet another masterpiece in his trilogy. Another must read for all South Africans.
Seth J. Frantzman
This book is a personal account dealing with individuals that fought in Namibia and the story is based almost entirely on interviews with key participants such as the founder of Koevet, Lt-general Hans Dreyer. A huge number of people were interviewed and this means that much of the storytelling is as close to being there as possible for the reader. This is not an academic book, it is an adventure from the first page to the last presenting, in the end, the history of Namibia during this period and presenting text-book lessons in counter-insurgency warfare that many nations could well learn from. Excellent color pictures complete the story.
The story begins with the "stirring of black nationalism" in Northern Namibia, known as Owamboland because of the tribe that resided there. With the Portuguese flight from Angola, Operation Savannah and the intervention of South Africa and Cuba in that country in 1974 the `frontline' of insurgency now came to the doorstep of Namibia which was being administered by South Africa. The first counter-insurgency school was opened in South Africa in 1968 but it was not until 1978 that `Operation K' or Koevet, Afrikaans for crowbar, would be put into action in Namibia to quell the insurgency launched by SWAPO guerillas. However what distinguished operations in Owamboland was the use of local black Africans to work alongside the South Africans. In addition the use of landmines by the guerillas necessitated the creation of special armored vehicles to deal with them. The book then becomes a story about operations in the north along the Angolan border. Maps and diagrams complete the stories so the reader is rarely lost and his attention is always drawn to what will happen next. Peter Stiff is a first class storyteller in this respect. This book is yet another masterpiece in his trilogy. Another must read for all South Africans.
Seth J. Frantzman
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A brilliant book and as usual the research and detail were excellent - would highly recommend this set of 3 books, to anybody who has an interest in Southern African affairs.
One minor niggle with last edition, was that there had been some degradation in the quality of the proof-reading - I noticed several grammatical errors and incomplete sentences within the text.
However a thoroughly gripping book and a great read - full marks to the author once again!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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Koevoet, sounds very similar to Covert, is Afrikaans for "crow-Bar", A steadily progressing conflict with SWAPO and FAPLA - the military arm of the Angolan ruling party MPLA with lots of shadowy western coercion, a War by proxy if you will between the Marxists and Western powers in the borderlands of Angola and Namibia.
The book despite its crude Grammatical and spelling errors is worth a read and is very detailed with virtually every Contact between belligerants recorded, Of course its overwhelmingly leaning toward the SADF and the KOEVOET units with detailed tracking and spoor detections, methods of operations gained through dogged determination--Politics aside--KOEVOET were very very good, too good infact against SWAPO and FAPLA units crossing over "The Cut" between namib and Angola, but as you read you get an idea how determined SWAPO were in their efforts to combat the South African Forces using sheer persistance and seemingly never-ending numbers out there in the bush, Crossing between the dramatic encounters and the mundain policies of command and eventual UN control, the book is an interesting journal written by an author who was very often out there with KOEVOET and the SADF units in what was a very unpopular war back in South Africa, as it progressed KOEVOET took more and more involvement in the conflict until it was entirely running the show. Rumors, Mis-information, lack of interest, world political changes and the never-ending state of affairs soon bought about table discussions with UN mandates dished out to all concerned. Peter Stiff just about keeps the messy political stuff out of the book, and focuses on the Military element of the conflict, toward the end Peter explains the propaganda and counter-propaganda being used by both sides without really getting involved--just reporting what he has seen.
What is needed is Peter to write of this conflict--if possible from the SWAPO side and if he kept up the standards as written in this book, that would be an interesting counter-balance to KOEVOET, Covert War. a good addition to readers of African conflicts, and the tracking and tactics used could today still be applied to certain current conflicts. Recommended.
The book despite its crude Grammatical and spelling errors is worth a read and is very detailed with virtually every Contact between belligerants recorded, Of course its overwhelmingly leaning toward the SADF and the KOEVOET units with detailed tracking and spoor detections, methods of operations gained through dogged determination--Politics aside--KOEVOET were very very good, too good infact against SWAPO and FAPLA units crossing over "The Cut" between namib and Angola, but as you read you get an idea how determined SWAPO were in their efforts to combat the South African Forces using sheer persistance and seemingly never-ending numbers out there in the bush, Crossing between the dramatic encounters and the mundain policies of command and eventual UN control, the book is an interesting journal written by an author who was very often out there with KOEVOET and the SADF units in what was a very unpopular war back in South Africa, as it progressed KOEVOET took more and more involvement in the conflict until it was entirely running the show. Rumors, Mis-information, lack of interest, world political changes and the never-ending state of affairs soon bought about table discussions with UN mandates dished out to all concerned. Peter Stiff just about keeps the messy political stuff out of the book, and focuses on the Military element of the conflict, toward the end Peter explains the propaganda and counter-propaganda being used by both sides without really getting involved--just reporting what he has seen.
What is needed is Peter to write of this conflict--if possible from the SWAPO side and if he kept up the standards as written in this book, that would be an interesting counter-balance to KOEVOET, Covert War. a good addition to readers of African conflicts, and the tracking and tactics used could today still be applied to certain current conflicts. Recommended.
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