Grensoorlog DVD

Swapo en die MPLA is ondersteun deur Moskou. Ons stel Russiese soldate wat in Angola geveg het, aan die woord, en kyk terselfdertyd na die oortuiging wat in die sewentigs en tagtigs in Suid-Afrika gegeld het dat kommunisme ons aan alle kante bedreig. Fotoboekies het Russe as skurke gehad. Die kerk het anti-kommunistiese literatuur gepubliseer. “Rooi Gevaar” was ‘n huishoudelike term. Aan die ander kant vertel ‘n familie in Moskou hoe hulle oupa hier kom veg het in die Boere-oorlog.

Program teks:

DIE ROOI GEVAAR

V/O: Voorheen in Grensoorlog:

Kloppies Kloppers: Kommunis – was die absolute anti-chris … was wat my geinspireer het om te veg vir my land.

Willy Ward: ek het altyd vir myself gesê ek sal veg vir my land, maak nie saak wie aan bewind was nie, behalwe as kommunis. As kommunis, dan het ek vryheidsvegter geword.

TITEL: DIE ROOI GEVAAR

V/O: Vanaf die laat sestigs was daar ‘n Rus onder elke bed in Suid-Afrika. Woorde soos “Rooi Gevaar” en “Kommunisme” het deel van die woordeskat geword.

Vir die wat in Angola en in die Noorde van Namibië Russiese toerusting gebuit het en op propagandistiese literatuur afgekom het, was dit ‘n harde werklikheid: die vyand is geborg deur die Sowjet-Unie en Kuba, en hulle sou in die spervuur hul lewe kon verloor deur ‘n koeël uit ‘n Russiese wapen.

Tuis het literatuur die rondte gedoen met titels soos “Wat die kommunisme werklik is” – wat deur die Sinodale Kommissie vir die Bestryding van Maatskaplike Euwels van die NG Kerk versprei is. Die subhofies alleen spreek boekdele…

Onskuldige voorkoms van die kommunisme

Aanwakkering van klassehaat en klassestryd

Revolusie die hoofdoel

Swart Republiek

Vernietigingsdrang

Op ‘n ligter noot het menige troepie sy ledige ure verwyl met verhale soos Tessa en Grensvegter, waar die skurke kommuniste, Russiese agente en Kubane was.

Verteller:

NATAL 1979. ROCCO DE WET, BEKEND AS DIE GRENSVEGTER, EN KARIN BERKEMAN, WAT SOMS WERK AS SPIOEN DOEN, ONTSPAN. HULLE KEN MEKAAR AL TWEE JAAR LANK.

SOMS IS DIE GESPREK LIG, ANDER KERE ERNSTIGER, SOOS NOU.

Karin:

Dis waar, Rocco. Die oos-Duitsers begin hulle sterk vestig in sekere swart state.

Rocco: Ek weet. Ek het baie keer met hulle te doen gehad.

Karin Hulle is baie gevaarliker as die Kubane. Slimmer, gedugter, sommer net alles.

Rocco: Ntuurlik! Moskou weet hoe om sy kaarte te speel. Kuba se bydrae tot ondermyning in Afrika het sy perk bereik. Nou moet Rusland ‘n ander pion gebruik. In die geval is dit Oos-Duitsland.

Karin: Kom sit, Rocco. Ons het mekaar lank laas gesien, en hier … ons is alleen.

….

Karin: Kom ons dans, Rocco. Hierdie aand is ons s’n.

Rocco: Graag.

Karin: En jy moet my beloof…

Rocco: Wat?

Karin: As dit swaar met jou gaan in Angola, dink aan my. Dink aan hierdie aand. Onthou daar is iemand wat ook aan jou dink…verlang…vir jou bid.

Rocco: Dit beloof ek, want dis maklik.

Karin: O, Rocco, jy moet veilig terugkeer. Jy moenie so baie waag nie. Beloof jy dit ook?

Rocco: Ek is nooit onversigtig nie.

V/O: Ou Suid-Afrika sou verstom gewees het om te weet dat hul eertydse vyand net so lekker aan die “anti-kommunistiese” sentimente gelees het. Nou dat die strydbyl begrawe is, lag die Namibiese Minister van Verdediging, Charles Namoloh Namoloh, self daaroor.

Charles Namoloh: books, comics, we were reading them also. Whether you are white or black.. Ruiter in Swart … Kyk … We werereading all these comics also …

Jannie Geldenhuys: What about love letters?

Charles Namoloh: In Afrikaans also … we like the language … love it only when I write love letters. My liefling, my dierbare … when we were writing love letters to our girl friends, it’s all in Afrikaans. We were not going writing love letters in English … write in Afrikaans… sweet language. But we came to hate language bec of attitudes towards us. Said, if their language and they hate us, then we hate it.

V/O: Haat het ingetree, en vir jare vlak gelê aan albei kante. Suid-Afrikaners het Swapo gesien as marionette van die kommunisme.

Ou footage Constand … suider-Afrika … moet ons staal teen kommunisme, Russiese ekspansionisme.

Constand Viljoen: Moes dit keer! Dit sou ek vir troepie verduidelik, hoe belangrik dit was om dit te doen. … Die USSR is uiteindelik verslaan, ekon ineengestort, in 3 groot gebiede: Mideooste, Afghn, Suidelike Afr. In lg het ons rol gespeel om hom ekon uit te mergel … As dit nie gedoen het nie dan het ons hier gesit met klomp komm satellietstate…

V/O: Vyf en sewentig jaar tevore het daar ‘n heel ander verhouding bestaan. In 1900 het Russiese soldate die Boere kom help veg teen die Britse onderdrukker. Die Bolski familie se oupagrootjie was een van hulle.

Russiese familie: The story of our family starts with grandfather. He was born in 1874 and was the first architect in the family. He was very popular in Russia. Every architect in my country knew my grandfather was in Transvaal! … When he was 26 years old, he joined the Russian forces and went to South Africa to fight with the Boers against the English troops. … He spent about a year in South Africa. … and so the word “boer” and the word “South Africa” was always like a miracle in our family. …This is an article about the war between the English and the Boers. And it talks about the Russian volunteers….

When Kruger left the country, he was near … and they discussed the problems of the end of the war. Everyone knew they had lost the war.

V/O: In totaal het twee honderd vyf en twintig Russiese vrywilligers na Suid-Afrika gekom om die Boere te ondersteun, sommige as soldate, ander as mediese personeel. Terug by die huis was daar groot steun vir wat hulle gedoen het.

Russiese familie: Because everyone knew he was in the Boer War in South Africa, everyone started singing this song about Transvaal Transvaal… … That means, Mother, buy me a gun and I will go and help the Boers to beat the English?

V/O: Die simpatie tussen Afrikaners en Russe het behoue gebly deur die eerste aantal dekades van die twintigste eeu. Selfs kommunisme, later so ‘n skelwoord, het ‘n sterk aanhang gehad. Dit het duidelik geblyk tydens die werkersopstande van 1922.

Anton v Niekerk: In 1922 was reeds meer Afr werkers, veral in myne, as Eng. Praat nou van wit werkers. Bekend dat mars in 1922 waar olv Afr werkers gese is ons beywer vir kommunistiese bestel.

ADVERTENSIEBREUK

V/O: In die Tweede Wêreldoorlog veg Suid-Afrikaanse soldate saam met die Sowjet-Unie en ander geallieerdes, waaronder Brittanje, teen Hitler se Duitsland. Gewone lede van die publiek organiseer aksies soos bloedskenk spesifiek vir die Russiese soldate. Maar ‘n groot groep mense, veral Afrikaners, voel sterk teen samewerking met die Britte, wat hulle nog sien as die vyand van ‘n kort veertig jaar tevore.

Anton van Niekerk: Moet onthou van 40erjare: Stalin en Russe saam met geallieerdes teen Duitsers. Onder Afrikaners simpatie met Hitler. … Omdat hy vyand was van Engelse. Enemy’s enemy is my friend. … 1950 wet op onderdrukking van Komm aanvaar. Alliansie aangegaan tussen Afr nas, christendom en kapitalisme in loop van 40erjare. …

V/O: Intussen het swart Suid-Afrikaanse politici oor baie jare kontak gemaak met Moskou. In 1927 het die president van die ANC die stad besoek. Oor die volgende dekades is honderde ANC-lede in die Sowjet-Unie opgelei. Die bevrydingsorganisasies van Namibië het dieselfde patroon gevolg. Soos die oorlog in die subkontinent opgevlam het, het daardie ondersteuning uitgebrei.

Chester Crocker: A period of time during which the Soviets took every advantage to deploy their forces and to project their power, both land power and air power and, to some extent, naval power, into the developing world, the third world.

Mikhael Gorbachev: Within the framework of the global split of the world .. the contra position of the three military blocks, Africa was a collision centre, the Middle East was a collision centre, Asia, Cambodia, Central America.

V/O: Hierdie internasionale magskaakspel sou die lewe van duisende gewone troepe in Rusland, Suid-Afrika, Kuba, Angola en Namibië oor die volgende paar dekades vir altyd verander. Die wat deur die geweerloop gekyk het, kon nie altyd die groter prentjie sien nie. Swapo het destyds naburige Afrikastate as afspringplekke en basisse gebruik om aanvalle te loods na Namibië.

(Beat)

V/O: In die Angolese kookpot was daar drie ander guerillabewegings in aksie. Sowjet adviseurs het Swapo gehelp en ook die MPLA van Angola. Suid-Afrika het op hul beurt Unita ondersteun en die FNLA. Russiese soldate is as adviseurs in Angola ontplooi vanaf die mid-sewentigs tot die laat tagtigs.

Gennady Dunaev Dunaev: Because if not we Americans could be there. That is all Because practically all the time, the grat states, great powers. Yes they have their own conflict between each other.

Igor Zhdarkin: Anyway, war is war, big politics.

Charles Namoloh: …used by SA…surrogates of Russians, of Chinese, …everything…just to discredit our endevour to liberate ourselves……not only go to communists, but they were willing to help us.
… if you cannot help us, we’ll go to those who can help us.

Igor Zhdarkin: Speaking about puppet. Why puppet? We were soldiers and South African soldiers were also soldiers.

Gennady Dunaev: We were military part of that politics. Instrument of that politics.

V/O: Dit was nie net soldate wat ‘n instrument van die politiek was nie.

Igor Zhdarkin: Because at that time Angola was supported by Soviet Union, so, and it got all the armament,, practically all the armament, from the Soviet Union and of course from the socialist countries. I saw the armament from German Democratic Republic, from Bulgaria, from Czekoslovakia. But at the same time, when we fought against the UNITA and the South Africa we saw – we captured for example- in their bases for example after the battles, we captured the Chinese, Israel, and American of course, Belgian rifles, machine guns and so on. so everything.

V/O: Die wapens is eenvoudig afgelewer en gebruik. Die soldate moes na hulleself omsien.

Igor Zhdarkin: AGH, the Soviets had to report to the higher command and the high command told, “listen, you need to stay there, you should, you MUSTstay there with the Angolan troops but take care of your security…in what way to take care of our security we did not know. But we stayed, we stayed with the Angolan troops.

V/O: Sekuriteit in ‘n oorlogsone soos wat Angola destyds was, was maar ‘n relatiewe begrip. Om gewond of in hegtenis geneem te word, was ‘n daaglikse moontlikheid. Tydens Operasie Protea in 1981 het die inhegtenisname van ‘n Russiese sersant-majoor opslae gemaak. Dit is hoe die SAW dit gerapporteer het:

Sound up SAW-argiewe: teruggetrek na tydelik basis… op hulle gevuur … beantwoord … lewendige Rus plus dooies daar gekry.

V/O: Volgens die Instituut van Afrikastudies in Moskou boer Nikolai vandag op die Russiese platteland.

Gennady Dunaev: If I didn’t want to go to Africa, or any body of my friends didn’t want to go to Africa, they could have written a report “I don’t want to go”. And he would not go. That’s it, problem solved…. We have to understand, any military, any military, is an instrument which sometimes participate in combat actions. We cannot escape that, and if a parent of South African soldier who has died in, while fighting Namibians trained by me,, I think I would have answered the same way. He is a soldier. Soldiers are dying sometimes in battle. What to do? We are paid for that.

Igor Zhdarkin: we were taught and wer were instructed to hellp our brother in order to gain independence in order to have their country flourish and so on….in order to repel international attacks and so on.

Gennady Dunaev: You know Namibians, people who lived there thousands of years, they wanted to live there the way they wanted to. They.have the right to struggle for the way they wanted to live.

Igor Zhdarkin: many of them really wanted to get this help from us, you see and so as you say, identify myself with those purposes. Of course we identified

Tony Nujoma: We were comrades in arms … always ready to sacrifice with us … little they had, they shared… teach how to survive under difficult circumstances.

Gennady Dunaev: They have the right to apply to anybody to help them to be trained. If he didn’t come there to train them, definitely the vacuum would be filled by somebody else who is more blood thirsty than the Soviet officer. We didn’t tell them to cut throats of victims. Never, never, ever.

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V/O: Dit was nie aldag maklik vir die Russiese adviseurs om aan te pas by wat hulle in die veld in Angola ondervind het nie.

Gennady Dunaev: I don’t want to offend, I don’t want to offend Angolan soldiers now.

Igor Zhdarkin: Some of them had nothing. Neither skills nor wish to struggle. Just to eat, to drink, to dance, and nothing more.

V/O: Die Swapo kaders was anders, sê hulle…

Gennady Dunaev: I enjoy the moment when I could distinguish immediately this is SWAPO soldier, this is Angolan soldier. SWAPO soldier when he was walking through the streets of Lubango, maybe in old uniform, maybe, but it is always nicely washed, it is always pressed. It is always polished. If not by that polishdness, standard polish, at least by the fact that the meat he is eating, but it is polished. When Angolan soldiers, sometimes would have one boot broken and never repaired, uniform is not pressed.

V/O: Maar hoe het hulle Suid-Afrikaanse soldate gesien?

Igor Zhdarkin: South African troops were very well organised, very well trained, very well professional, you see, they were very professional troops, and they knew what for they were fighting, you see. And of course, of course, they got a very good salary.

V/O: Alles was nie net die spreekwoordelike skop, skiet en doodslaan nie.

Igor Zhdarkin: Best memory I told you, very good nature, very beautiful nature of Angola. Well, of course you do not remember bad things, you see. Of course. And I had a very good possibility to see everything with my own eyes, you see and to touch with my own hands and to swim in Africa rivers and to swim in the Atlantic Ocean and to cross the country in the vehicle, you see and to fly over the country…

V/O: Maar hulle was ook bewus van waarvoor hulle geveg het.

Gennady Dunaev: So I do remember those times with biggest, biggest pleasure and the fact that I estimated that they are now in Namibia. Well, well, I hope that a piece of my invention is also there. I also help them to be there.. In a democratic society and I also, I also, envy the way Namibians manage to reconcile the country. I envy the way they managed to reconcile the country. Unfortunately, unfortunately, here in the Soviet Union, we were remembering who was on the white guy side, on the red army side, till now.

V/O: Basiese verskille het soms meer indruk gemaak as enige ideologie.

Igor Zhdarkin: Yes, maybe to say the truth, to say the truth we considered the UNITA troops, as the enemies and the majority of Russians did not consider South Africans – maybe because – I am not racist – but maybe because of – we were white people, you see. And we were white people why should we consider them…. I learned a very good rule from Africa, from the very beginning. If you see a white man in Africa, just from the very beginning he is your friend, because there were no so many white for example in Angola and in Mozambique – and if you see a white man your honour and your debt is to help him if he has some troubles.

V/O: Elf jaar na die oorlog het Igor Zhdarkin Zhdarkin in Mosambiek in ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse soldaat vasgeloop. In die stryd het hulle aan teenoorgestelde kante van die geweerloop gelê.

Igor Zhdarkin:. “He asked me, “Aren’t you angry. Wow, what for! How can I be angry with you if you just fulfilled your part of that I fulfilled my debt and that is all.