A Site about the South African Bushwar from 1966 till 1989.

SOUTH AFRICAN BUSHWAR 1966 - 1989

DANIE REITMANN'S photo-story of our National Service: - Page 2 (goto page 1)

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TIP!!! Submit your photos and experiences by clicking on this email link, or the photos above. These might be used on this page, or in the future BOOK on the SOUTH AFRICAN BUSHWAR. Help to tell the story about this very clandistine and contraversial conflict!!!

TIP!!! To easily copy your old photos, simply photograph them with a digital camera with the flash off. Results are often better than scanning. Good indirect sunlight such as on a cloudy day is perfect. Save it in jpeg format.

The webmaster did military service with Danie Reitmann. For a write-up goto Page 1 of Danie's photo-story.

More on Danie Reitmann and myself's national service will follow here later...

See photos below...

As part of operational training, we were airlifted by helicopter from the farm Duncan near Bray, in a Northery direction to the Botswana border. Here we were tasked to patrol the border and look for illegal border crossing points, deserted farms, possible insurgents, airstrips, etc. The border consisted of the dry riverbed of the Molopo river, with white concrete border markers - no fence! We walked for 2 faily uneventful days, covering about 30 kms, and were looking forward to see the helicopters arrive for the airlift back to camp.

Radio contact was made with the choppers, and once a visual was established, we marked our position with a 1000ft flare and smoke grenades. Only the Allouette III arrived and landed on the road. The pilot briefly talked to our Seargents Claasen and Botha and informed them that we cannot be airlifted as the fuel in base camp was contaminated. They ofloaded a box of canned food, and we were told to walk back to base, a distance of about 80kms! We were furious and NAFI!

Here we leaving a deserted farm, after sepending the night there. It was surrial to pass these farms, some with still furnished houses, but totally deserted as a result of regular droughts in this semi-desert area, as well as the result of the terrorist threat along the border.

This day some one of the guys bought a chicken and a pot of "pap" (porridge) from the locals, while we had to do with 3 tins of canned food between 4 of us. Even the liquid in the canned food was drank for nutrition, and we obtained water from very dirty cattle troughs.

Taken through a window in a bungalow at Katima Mulilo. The shutters were to keep the fierce sun out, and served as a security screen as well, blocking light at night.

Another view from the bungalow in Katima Mulilo. Note the rapid escape door below the window, and the tents in the distance.

A magnificent part of the world, teaming with wildlife such as elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and other African game. View over the Cubango river towards Angola.

Same as previous picture.

One of Danie's troops in front of a herd of Nguni cattle in the Caprivi strip.

The next 9 photos show Bdr Danie Reitmann and his team, with their main function while in the Caprivi. Being a totally flat bush landscape, made navigation and position determination very difficult. Survey beacons were few and far between.

South Africa was the inventor of the "telerometer"; an instrument that could determine distance between 2 points by sending out a microwave signal to a beacon, and electronically measuring the distance. On the picture, the telerometer is in the wooden box on the Buffel. Lt Faf van der Merwe sits behind the Buffel.

Making use of the only available height - a giant antheap, the team is busy preparing to errect the telescopic tower of the telerometer. danie Reitmann is the Buffel driver, and Faf van der Merwe with his back to the camera.

The telescopic tower with its 3 legs are being put into position, and ancorred with stay-cables. Danie Reitmann on the right.

Faf van der Merwe holding a fence pole used as an anchor for the telescopic tower for the telerometer.

Fitting the base of the instrument on top of the telescopic tower. Faf van der Merwe with back to camera, others names have been forgotten in the 29 years since passed!

The telerometer signal unit being mounted on the tower.

Task completed! - the telescopic tower is elevated with the built-in compressor of the Buffel. The instrument is turned in the direction of the reflecting tower several km's away, until a signal reception is received. It could only measure distance, but did so very accurately. Prior to having this instrument, distance was measured by ("trek meting") surveying from one known point to the next, a very time consuming process. Bearing in mind that triangulation was not possible due to the very flat featureless bushed terrain and the lack of survey beacons.

Playing with a Buffel in the Caprivi Strip, racing through a muddy patch. Note the stowage box for the telerometer.

Lunch time!. Danie Reitmann in the Buffel drivers cab, with the contents of a rat-pack (ration pak). Visible is the small tin of viennas and "dog biscuits".

They often came across herds of elephants, and was once chased by an angry herd.

Danie's team in transit at Rundu base on the SWA/Angolan border. Bdr Danie is standing on the right, Lt Faf vd Merwe (later a doctor in the W. Cape) 2nd from left back, and Bdr. Paul Burchell sitting in the front. Note the telerometer on the tripod, and the ("aapkas" = monkey cage) lookout tower in the background.

Back from the border, at 4th Field Regt, Potchefstroom.

Paul Burchell in "stepouts", just before a weekend pass, 4th Field Regt, Potchefstroom, 1979.

Danie's VW which he got from his grandma, with a troop he gave a lift to Pretoria for a weekend pass. Note all the kit on the back seat, as the beatle did not have much storage space under the hood.

Later we had much fun with the beatle at university, such as driving on the beach and getting stuck in the sand, visiting the girls hostels, racing as fast as we could down the spiral ramp in the parkade at Sunny Park shopping centre, Sunnyside, Pta with Pink Floyd - The Wall full blast..

After the 1st year at the University of Pretoria, we were back in uniform with University of Pretoria Military Unit; doing a 2-month camp at 4 SAI Middleburg. Being NAFI, and with "ouman" attitude, we were due to board the train at Pretoria late afternoon. While waiting for that, we went to Hannes Wessels house in Lyttleton, but had to stop at the liquor store first. Here we met some civvies in bathing suits, flippers and snorkels. Being drunk already, they invited us to a party on a smallholding nearby. While the civvies smoked dagga at this stange house with matresses as the only furniture, we all got very drunk before boarding the train. Seen here Hannes Wessles pouring beer over Danie Reitmann in the train.

In the train on the way to 4 SAI. fltr: L Bdr Hannes Wessels, Danie Reitmann, L Bdr Fowler, Bdr. "Weerman Doppie" Fourie in front, Bdr Trevor Green, Lt Maartin Kamper (from Delmas), and Lt Marius van Aardt (myself!). We caused havoc on the cililian train that night - went into the cargo carraige and letting out all the 1-day chickens from their boxes, drinking beer from one of the civilian lady's shoe, getting off the train at every stop and running around a distant lampost or tree, hoping to make it back onto the train before it departs.

Arriving at 4 SAI, the Infantery commander did not know what to do with the 8 artillery soldiers, so he just ignored us. Nobody knew about our arrival so we just moved into vacant tents. A few days later of doing nothing, we volunteered to help with the new intake arriving, but spent most of our time with the pretty Volskas Bank ladies opening accounts for the new recruits. Then we we tasked to return captured AWOLS from Durban, PE and Cape Town. Danie went on 2 trips, one to PE, and one with me to Cape Town. On the PE trip the prisoner jumped off the train at night and was never seen again - almost big trouble for letting a captured AWOL escape!

On this photo me (Marius van Aardt) and Danie just swam through the nurses colllege pool - totally off limits for any males! Hannes Wessles had a girlfriend here, and we gladly went along for some civilian company.

More fun at 4 SAI. Martin Kamper's 1200 Datsun, myself and 2 girls from the nurses college. At the nurses college we had no regard for their rules regarding visiting hours, off-limits areas for males, etc, and took pleasure in scaring and teasing the girls. Army life made us reckless, with little regard for civilian life, which carried through university years.

Danie Reitmann and Myself were tasked to fetch an AWOL in Cape Town. We went by train from Middleburg, a 2day 1-night trip. Luckily we ended up next to a 3 girls in a compartment; a divorcee going to a funeral in Capetown, a mother with a small baby, and a young student. Drinking as much as we can, we terrorised the civilians so the all left our carraige, except the girls. Spent the night with them in a 4 bed compartment - paraplegic! The next day there was a long stop on De Aar station and we were out of booze, so another "troep" that joined the train decided to run to the liquor store in town, He came back about an hour later, babelaas, very tired and sweating - with NO booze! We forgot it was weekend and the bottlesores were closed!

We arrived in Capetown and reported to the Detention barracks in Cape Town to arrange the return of the prisoner. The next day, the railway line washed away in the terrible Liangsburg flood of Jan. 1981. So we had no means of returning immediately!. We decided to not-hurriedly arrange a return flight on a SAAF Flossie. The next available flight was only a week later, so me and Danie spent a week partying in Cape Town while staying with his parents in Stellenbosch. A week later we flew back to Pretoria with the handcuffed prisoner. So ended a 2-month Camp during which we did not do much constructively.

Faf van der Merwe and Danie Reitmann in the front, on the RSA/Botswana road walking back to camp, after the helicopters decided not to airlift us back to camp. We were convinced that the SAAF chopper pilots made up the excuse of contaminated fuel, as it was a long-weekend, and they wanted to go back to the States (Pta) - which they did!.

With only 1:50000 maps and compasses (that did not work due to the geology); and no reference points as the land was as flat as a table as far as you can see, we got lost a few times.

One could only see about 20m in the bush, and Sergeant Botha leading the way was walking left around each bush, taking us off-course. Our suggestions to change course fell on death ears, making us walk much further than neccesary. Navigating with fences and the odd farm track, we arrived in camp 2 days later and very tired.

Every opportunity was taken to rest and sleep during the 80km walk back to camp.

Luckily the C27 radio could receive Radio 702 on MW, and although it was heavy to carry, it provided welcome distraction from the Kalahari heat.

Often we walked in single file in the thick Kalahari sand, consentrating to step into the footprints of the person in front of you, as this makes walking easier. One is supposed to look up and observe as part of patrol procedures, be quiet, only hand signals are used. If the person in the front suddenly stops while walking in the loose sand in single fire, the whole lot bumped into each other like dominos.

In tactical maneuvres the platoon members are spread further apart and will keep a specific formation as agreed during orders.

Resting in the shade on another deserted farmhouse.

Water was very scarce, and we replenished in dirty cattle troughs.

We eventually arrived back in camp on the 3rd day. Tired, thristy and hungy we stormed the water bowser first and drank as much water as we could, then went to the canteen truck and bought 2 Fantas and 2 Stoney's and finished them off in quick succession as well.