The SA Defence Force acknowledgement last week of the death of 31 of its men in Angola raises serious questions about recent South African and Namibian casualties in the "operational area". Not only is there a growing disparity between SADF figures and those provided by the Angolans and independent sources, but there also appears to be a discrepancy between the latest figure and previous defence force death announcements.
Ten days ago the SADF announced that since May last year 31 of its men had been killed in action in Angola and 90 were wounded. But by adding up the SADF and South West African Territorial Force deaths listed in official press releases as having occurred in Angola or the "operational area" since September last year the total arrived at is at least 57, with one soldier and one airman still listed as missing.
Forty-six of these deaths were specifically listed as occurring in Angola and the rest were listed as occurring in the "operational area", which includes both Angola and Namibia. Other deaths mentioned as having occurred in Namibia are not included in this figure of 57. Also not included are the accidents listed as having occurred in the operational area, or the nine Angolan-related malaria deaths acknowledged by the SADF. The deaths included 52 South African soldiers and airmen and five members of SWATF.
The South Africans, all of whom were white, are believed to include 40 conscripts and 12 members of the Permanent Force. At least 33 of the South Africans were either officers or non-commissioned officers. The SADF has not announced the death of a single black troop or of any members of its "special forces", such as the "Reccies" or the Parabats. In response to a series of questions from Weekly Mail, the SADF directorate of public relations in Pretoria stressed that both the SADF and SWATF had a "long-standing policy" of "announcing all operational deaths after the next-of-kin have been informed".
The Weekly Mail specifically asked whether any black troops or members of the "special forces" had been killed, but in the SADF'sreply no mention was made of any such deaths. This contrasts sharply with the accounts given by the Angolan news agency, Angop, and the independent British journal, Africa Confidential, of SADF and SWATF deaths.
According to Angop a total of 342 South African and Namibian (SWATF) troops were killedin Angola last year, with 230 of them having been killed between September and November 1987. Africa Confidential, a journal with close access to Western intelligence information sources, also stated that "at least" 230 SADF and SWATF troops were killed in Angola between September and mid-November last year.
Africa Confidential also said that at least 27 SADF soldiers had been killed in Angola between December 5 (when the SADP announced its "withdrawal" from Angola) and the end of March this year. Angop has released the names of two SADF members, national serviceman Melvin Reeneke and black regular JR Mananal, whose bodies and identity documents Angola says it has found. It also said recently that it had the identity documents of Presidental Regiment soldier Sean Collins. The SADF has not acknowledged that any of these men are dead or missing.
In response to WM's questions the SADF denied "covering up" any of its casualties, saying that it was "impossible to conceal these losses".
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
