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Authored and signed by L Bothma
New and hot off the press.
I personally think that this book is brilliant. The Afrikaans edition sold over 11000 copies. This English edition is revised and updated, so even if you have the Afrikaans edition, this new one is a must.
South Africa's 32 Battalion - a tale of sacrifice
In this book we are not the heroes and the enemy the villains; but also not vice versa. After all was said and done, 32 Battalion was not a beaten force that capitulated to the enemy at the conclusion of a war. It was a unit that was disbanded by the supreme high commander of the country’s armed forces – the political head of state, F.W. de Klerk .
After a visit to “the border” in 2001, I decided to write a book about the Border (or Bush) War, and specifically 32 Battalion XE "32 Battalion" , where I was a platoon commander in 1978. It had to be a book not just for a military audience but, moreover, especially for those people who had never seen or understood the Border War; for our parents, wives and children – for all who have respect for history and who want to hear the truth about that war.
I did not know what people were going to say about this book, but this is how it was – those years when boys had to be men. It is the true story of white and black soldiers – South Africans, South-Westers (Namibians), Angolans, Australians, Britons, Rhodesians (Zimbabweans) and others – who, through a combination of circumstances, landed up in the same battalion where they had to fight secretly for South Africa in a “terrorist war” beyond the country’s borders. But rather than being the story of a cruel force of oppression, it is more a case study of how politicians can squander people in a war. It has been written for those who wish to see beyond race politics and economic growth, apartheid and democracy.
The book deals with more than just shooting. It is about who we were, how we came to be together, what we learned from each other, and what happened in the bush; our fears and expectations, our tears and happiness, our camaraderie and loyalty towards one other – even years after the battalion had been disbanded and we scattered in all directions.
We are not angry with our old enemies; they not with us. It is not necessary to lie about how brave we were, how cowardly they were; how many of them we shot dead, and how few of us fell. The war has left scars on both sides, also on the civilian population. That is why I dedicate the book to everyone.
But the liars must not be seen to be the heroes and the honest ones the villains in the story of the Border War
This is an honest story – a sincere search for the sense of the Border War.
To preserve the storyline, I constructed the narrative around my own experiences and recollections. But I am only the narrator of the greater story; I myself only a minor link in a long human chain spanning many years.
Incidents and characters had to be balanced. I had to approach the task scientifically, but that was very difficult. Recording military history is a slippery terrain. Most of the characters in the book are still alive. They can refute one. That is why I took great trouble to involve as many of them as possible in the research. Just to track them down was a tough proposition. After that I had to travel far and wide to record their recollections on tape, and to collect documents and photos. Many were hesitant about coming forward. After repeated calls and e-mails some of them still decided to stay on the sidelines. There are many reasons for this. Most of the ex-servicemen do not realise that they made history, they are too modest, they do not believe that what they did is important within the whole context of the war, they are afraid that even more labels will be strung about their necks, they feel bad about mistakes they made years ago, and, last but not least, some are still angry with one another.
Because personal recollections – almost 30 years after the war – cannot be accepted blindly, I also had to consult the official documentation at the army’s Documentation Centre in
Against this background it was sometimes very difficult – even impossible – to unearth the full truth. In some cases there are up to four versions of the same incident. Therefore I advise readers not to concentrate solely on the text but also to consult the endnotes and source references at the back of the book.
To compare what had happened in the bush with what people had heard or read at home, I had to work my way through piles of newspapers. Fortunately my good friend, Jaap Steyn, put his collection of press cuttings at my disposal and gave me good advice and guidance throughout.
Where I have made mistakes, they were unintentional. Where I point out the mistakes of other writers, it is not to criticise but to rectify.
Writing a history is something that is never finished. Accordingly, this book has also been a process.
The first edition of the Afrikaans version – Die Buffel Struikel: 'n storie van 32 Bataljon en sy mense – has had six reprints since it first appeared in November 2006. In the meantime I have been inundated with calls, e-mails and letters. Readers have generally applauded the book, but have wanted more. People with information and photos, which I otherwise would have traced with difficulty or possibly not at all, came forward. Some pointed out errors.
Consequently I revised and made further additions to the text, including an extra section with photographs, and altered the dust jacket. The 2nd Revised Edition of Die Buffel Struikel appeared in September 2007. It has had five reprints.
From sheer necessity I conducted some additional interviews and two further visits to the “border”. Following from those, the text and photos have been updated for the English version.
