Inside the Danger Zones by Paul Moorcraft

Author:Paul Moorcraft [Paul Moorcraft]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849542807
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2011-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

We filmed as we drove along the road that ran beside the ‘cutline’, the border with Angola. The troops rode up and down in Buffels like cowboys checking range fences. I went up in a Puma helicopter to get aerial shots. Dust was the real enemy of choppers, not SA M missiles. Then a change of pace: a motorbike patrol with hardy cross-country scramblers. The motorcyclists acted as outriders for our small convoy. The enemy here was camel thorn – punctures, not mines. Next a horseback patrol: ‘SWAPO doesn’t hear us coming until it’s too late. The terrorists are dead scared of horses, you know.’

I always tried to avoid walking too far, especially with heavy film equipment, but we needed some foot patrols for the documentary. I disliked violating homes in kraals, although the soldiers were polite in front of a camera.

Suddenly I heard shouting and two shots half a mile ahead.

Four SWAPO insurgents had been captured with just a whisper of resistance. I thought it might be a set-up but I sat in on the interrogations. They were genuine. The guerrillas were not terrified. They were not mistreated (in front of me). They knew they were destined for a long captivity, unless they opted to be ‘turned’ and join Windhoek’s army. They would have better training, food, proper pay – for the first time – medical attention, entertainment … Why not? They could later say they were infiltrating the enemy to learn further skills before defecting back. Two of the captives, however, quietly explained that they were committed to SWAPO ideology and would never fight for ‘the puppets in Windhoek’.

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