ANGOLA INCURSION HOT DEBATE TOPIC IN SOUTH AFRICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000706550006-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 2, 2011
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: May 27, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000706550006-6
1.
APP RED
WASHINGTON TIFF'S
27 !'ay 1985
Angola incursion
hot debate topic
in South Africa
By Mike Sullivan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES FOREIGN SERVICE
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
- South Africa's admitted military
involvement in Angola will be a
major issue in parliament this week.
During the defense vote debate
Gen. Magnus Malan, the Minister of
Defense, will be called on to explain
the presence of South African sol-
diers in northern Angola. A recon-
naissance team of unannounced size
had clashed with Angolan forces,
!South Africa has acknowledged,
adding that two of the men had been
killed and one captured.
The prisoner was identified as
Wynand Johannes du'Ibit, and those
killed as Louis Pieter van Breda and
..Rowland Liebcnberg. They were
thought to have been members of
South Africa's crack rcconnaisancc
commando. Pretoria has stated they
had been on an intelligence mission
gathering information on the out-
lawed African National Congress,
the South West Africa Peoples'
Organization and other foreign
forces in Angola.
Angola, however, has insisted the
men had been on a sabotage mission
aimed at oil production facilities in
the- country's northern Cabinda
province where a subsidiary of Gulf
'Oil operates installations. The oil
l operations, guarded by Cuban
,'forces, are a major foreign currency
source for the country and help pay
for the sizeable Cuban military pres-
ence in the country.
Angola has defended the esti-
mated 30,000-strong Cuban
presence as vital to counter South
African aggression.
The South African press over the
weekend carried pictures of the
men, with Mr. du ')bit shown ban-
daged in a hospital in Angola's capi-
tal of Luanda and Mr. Van Breda and
Mr. I.iehenbcrg in coffins.
South Africa's Foreign Minister,]
R.F Botha, in a memorandum to the-
Luanda government on Friday, asked)
for an urgent meeting to discuss thei
return of the men, a request with
which Luanda did not appear ready,,
to comply immediately. I
The message also said that South
African forces were in northern'-
Angola because the region now was,
"the main base area" for the training
of ANC guerrillas. The ANC, the
most prominent of exiled organiza-
tions, has been illegal in South
Africa for more than two decades.
The incident already has brought
strong condemnation both inside
and outside South Africa, including
sharp attacks on Pretoria's credibil-
ity. The pro-government Citizen
newspaper called the operation the
"height of folly."
With the United States demanding
an explanation of the operation,
Ambassador Herman Nickel
received a full briefing by South
African officials over the weekend.
The secret military operation
undoubtedly will have serious inter-
national diplomatic repercussions
for Pretoria, which only last month
had conducted a well-publicized
withdrawal of what it said were its
remaining troops in Angola.
"The government must clearly
make up its mind"opposition politi-
cal leader Frederick Van Zyl Slab-
bert said, "are we to he a force for
peace and regional co-operation or
he seen as a force for de stabiliza-:
tionf'"
-The covert operation also could
put a damper on Washington's policy
of "constructive engagement" and
bring renewed criticism of two men
associated with that policy, Ambas-
sador Nickel and Chester Crocker,
undersecretary of state for African
affairs.
In addition, negotiations on inde-
pendence for neighboring Namihia
will he affected as both Washington
and Pretoria have made a Cuban
withdrawal from Angola a precondi-
tion to Namibia:s independence.
While the incident has caused an
international uproar, South Africa
previously has had to negotiate the
release of prisoners from Angola.
During their foray into Angola in
1975-1976, a number of South Afri-
can soldiers were captured. It was
two years before the eight South
Africans were exchanged for Cuban
prisoners.
South Africa for many years was
'heavily involved in Angola and
pushed deep into the country during
the 1975-1976 civil war, eventually
pulling out under strong Western
pressure. '
Commandos also have struck at
other ANC targets in neighboring
black countries. On Jan. 30, 1981
commandos attacked three houses
in the suburbs of the Mozambican
capital of Maputo.
According to the Mozambican
version, about 20 commandos car-
ried out the attack, killing about a
dozen ANC members and one civil-
i ian. South African casualties were
put at two killed.
ANC offices in Maputo were
attacked on two other occasions. On
May 23, 1983 South African jets
struck in retaliation for a bomb
attack in Pretoria that killed 18 three
days earlier. Another commando
raid was conducted later in 1983.
In November 1982, commandos
also attacked ANC personnel in the
Lesotho capital of Maseru. Some
dozen houses and apartments were
attacked in the four-hour raid, killing
about 30.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000706550006-6