We ended last week with the growing signs of an Angolan civil war becoming a major problem for South West Africa and the South African Defence Force. The number of incidents involving SWAPO had risen through early 1975 – but there was also UNITA which continued to attack Portuguese-developed infrastructure in southern Angola.

FJ Du toit Spies writes about this in his work, Operation Savannah, published in 1989. UNITA had threatened to destroy Calueque which fed water to Ovamboland and was part of the Ruacana hydroelectric power project. Calueque was based inside Angola but as far as the South African’s were concerned, it was a key point feeding their Ruacana power station.

By August 1975 UNITA had forced out the last Portuguese engineers based at Calueque – then men escaped seeking help from the South African Police based in Ovambo.

They left a handful of Portuguese soldiers and a few pump operators behind, but the system was shut down breaking the flow of the all-important water to the strategic town of Ovambo. On the 7th August, ten South African workers traveling along the border were held up by UNITA soldiers who demanded money and cigarettes.

The SADF was called in to protect the South Africans who travelled back to Calueque. But the three remaining Portuguese pump operators there refused to stay – despite the SADF being based nearby. The details of the crisis at the pumping station was now discussed by the SADF Director of Operations Brigadier W Black. IT just happened that he was in Rundu on the western edge of the Caprivi Strip and then travelled to Oshakati to meet other SADF officers.

They had to do something about the Ruacana Water project which was in danger. On the 8th August 1975 it was decided that 2 South African Infantry based in Walvis bay should be readied to be deployed to the border.