On controversies, battles, raids and elusive truth : opposing perspectives on Cassinga, 1978
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Humanities, University of the Free State
Abstract
The South African attack in 1978 on Cassinga, an alleged South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) base during the ‘Border War’, remains highly controversial. For some, Operation Reindeer, as it was called, was an undisputed military highlight, a most successful airborne operation and a victory over the SWAPO and its military arm, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). For others, it was an undisputed massacre of civilian refugees in an Angolan town far north of the Namibia/Angola border. The drifting dust and smoke of past battles interfere seriously with seeing a clearer picture. In this review article, works from different (even serious contradictory) perspectives by three authors are discussed in an attempt to get more clarity on this much-disputed event and its outcomes.
Description
CITATION: Liebenberg, I. 2019. On controversies, battles, raids and elusive truth : opposing perspectives on Cassinga, 1978. Journal for Contemporary History, 44(1):47-64, doi:10.18820/24150509/JCH44.v1.3.
The original publication is available at https://journals.ufs.ac.za
The original publication is available at https://journals.ufs.ac.za
Keywords
Cassinga (Angola) -- History, Military -- 20th century, South Africa -- Politics and government -- 20th century, South Africa -- History, Military -- 1961-, South Africa -- National Defence Force, Massacres -- Angola -- Cassinga, International relations, SWAPO, Southwest African People's Organization, People's Liberation Army of Namibia, PLAN, P.L.A.N.
Citation
Liebenberg, I. 2019. On controversies, battles, raids and elusive truth : opposing perspectives on Cassinga, 1978. Journal for Contemporary History, 44(1):47-64, doi:10.18820/24150509/JCH44.v1.3.