'Operation Savannah

October -The baths

Southern Angola : We dug the riverbed into deep holes and the topsoil would collapse into the hole as we dug till we got water. We only had 40 Litres of water per car  for 3 guys for two weeks. 

One day SF had just dug his hole for his bath when a shot whistled overhead. He finished his bath despite the firing. The ground was peaty and then sandy. Peinaar dug a 3m deep hole and it fell on him we found just his head poking out. 

S. F. had bad experiences with his ablutions. He decided to go and do his number two.  Now this took the rest of us a few minutes- we found a tree dug a hole and got it over with. Not S. F. This was a production. First there was a search for the perfect spot. then the hole was dug to high quality standards. Then he searched for big leaves. Finally the leaves deemed suitable, were placed around the hole. Still the act was not done. The poncho was pulled around the body so no piece was displayed in this unseemly position. Well it was more than body and soul could stand so we put a shovel underneath, stole the evidence and let him freak out looking for it. It was a real show for us all watching him check his poncho and rods thoughly!

 The water in that river tasted like dirty drain water- but  we were thirsty so we drank it. 40 l for two weeks does not go far in tropical heat and almost dessert conditions.

Ovamboland

There were the South African Police and for the locals-the Ovambo Flying Squad mounted on bikes; they were blacks who had to keep order in the Kraals and took themselves very seriously.  Stephan got a knife from them, someone was killed and he convinced a policeman to give it to him as a keepsake- the others wanted the knives too, but they paid R20 for theirs. 

The Ovambos had community centres with a stage and a well because the place is so dry.We called them How many centres, a play on the name Harmony centre. Here the Ovamboland flying squad were paid.

An MPLA solider shot by our forces. Note the civilian  clothes

                                                                               Another MPLA fatallity