South Africa

The Republic of South Africa (Republiek van Suid-Afrika) was originally inhabited by Khoisan-speaking hunter-gatherers, but these were largely displaced in the 4th or 5th century CE by Bantu-speaking tribes, of whom the Xhosa and Zulu were the most prominent. Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to reach Southern Africa, naming the southern tip the Cabo da Boa Esperança (Cape of Good Hope) but building no settlements or making any land claims. The first Euoprean settlement was founded by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, and would eventually become Cape Town. Dutch settlers followed shortly thereafter and would engage the local Xhosa in what came to be known as the Cape Frontier Wars between 1779 and 1879, a struggle primarily over land use. Several Boer republics, including the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, would emerge out of the Dutch victories.

Having assumed control of the Cape of Good Hope in 1795 and established the Cape Colony, Britain began its own settlement program and became involved in a border dispute between Boers in the Transvaal and the Zulu nation, leading to the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 (ending with the defeat of the Zulus). With the discovery of gold and silver in the region still later, Britain intensified its plans to dominate the region. Rivalry over mineral rights and control of the land would spark the First Anglo-Boer War lasting from 1880-1881, and the much longer Second Anglo-Boer War which ran from 1899 to 1902. Following a British victory, the Boer republics would be incorporated into the new Union of South Africa, formed in 1910 as a British dominion. The Union achieved independence from the UK in 1931.

A policy of legally institutionalized segregation (later called apartheid) which had its origins in the Boer republics, would become systematized by the Nationalist Government after 1948, effectively putting control of the nation in the hands of the white (European) minority. In May 1961, the nation elected to leave the British Commonwealth and became the Republic of South Africa. Yet despite opposition the policy of apartheid was continued, leading to boycotts of South Africa by various Western nations, a growing movement of discontent, and an interest in African nationalism by the non-white population.

The African National Congress (ANC) had been founded in the early 20th century as a means of uniting all black Africans under one political ideal. Its opposition to apartheid began in the 1940s and 1950s, with a period of strikes, boycotts and civil disobedience. In response to the killing of 69 people by the government during a protest, the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK)the "Spear of the Nation," came into being. The ANC philosophy became one of armed resistance, as they did not feel non-violent campaigns towards change were working. Although apartheid-era policies of discrimination, illegal incarceration, and violent intimidation by the government are undisputed, the guerilla campaign of the MK would ultimately condone its own acts of terrorism, including sabotage, kidnapping, political intimidation, and attacks on rural families. The ANC would over the course of its war against the government, ally itself with several other nationalist insurgency movements, including SWAPO (Southwest Africa), ZANLA (Rhodesia), the MPLA (Angola), and FRELIMO (Mozambique).

Although politically motivated and widely supported by governments and organizations sympathetic to their cause, and by a significant percentage of the African population, Umkhonto we Sizwe never posed a serious threat to the government of South Africa. Its guerilla campaign was largely ineffective, and resulted in a much more concentrated and effective counter-insurgency campaign by the South African Defense Force (SADF) and the South African Police (SAP). It was largely as a result of intense international pressure that the Nationalist Government finally took steps to dismantle apartheid and move towards a more democratic society. Universal general elections were held in 1994, with the ANC winning an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats, and Nelson Mandela elected as the nation's first black leader. The ANC has dominated South African politics ever since, yet despite international support of the new democratic goverment, there is no question that the nation's stability, productivity, and standards of living have all been in decline since 1994. Whether the nation will be able to turn itself around remains to be seen.

Prior to 1994, the armed forces of South Africa were called the South African Defense Force (SADF), and the national police service were the South African Police (SAP). Another branch of service, the South African Railway Police (SARP), was a remnant of the old Harbor Police in Cape Town established in the late 19th century. Within each of the major services, in addition to a host of highly trained conventional and support units, several elite or special operations units were maintained, and many of these units would be issued with unique or highly specialized camouflage clothing. The standard operational uniform of the SADF would be a medium brown color, called "nutria."

Within the Army, the early Hunter Group and the Reconnaissance Regiment (later the SADF Special Forces) were two units issued a wide variety of camouflage patterns developed specifically for the units. Reconnaissance units, whose highly classified job was to infiltrate enemy territory for purposes of intelligence gathering, sabotage, or counter-insurgency, were furnished with a wide series of "copy" pattern uniforms, literally copied from the military clothing worn by various foreign military units and insurgency groups known to operate in the surrounding regions. The South African Police had their own camouflage pattern, that continues to be worn into the present period, and the SARP also issued with a unique camouflage design to their Special Task Force members.

After the change of government in 1994, the SADF was reorganized into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), which consists of the SA Army, Navy, Air Force, and Military Health Service. With 74,000 active duty personnel, this is the largest military force in all of Africa. The SAP were also renamed the South African Police Service (SAPS).

South African Defence Force Camouflage

• Soldier 2000. First large scale issue was in 1994. Before that issued in small numbers (eg. to 12 SAI Bn). In general use with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)

Paramilitary and Insurgent Group Camouflage

• The Mkonto We Sizwe (MK) of the ANC generally utilized whatever uniforms and military equipment were available to them, and often operated in civilian clothing. Nevertheless, over the course of their long insurgency campaign against the South African government, large quantities of certain uniforms were obtained through private sources and foreign governments sympathetic to the movement's political ideals. The two woodland patterns seen below were sourced through British companies.

• The leaf pattern seen here was produced in Europe and also exported to the MK.

• In service with the armed forces of Angola in the 1990s, the "swirl" design seen here originated in China, and was also exported in some quantity to the MK.

• Another Chinese export, a darker-colored variation of their standard woodland variant, is seen here. This pattern also saw service with Uganda's National Resistance Army (NRA).