Spring 2025 Cultural Post 4
In my South African History course, we've recently been learning about how apartheid affected South Africa's regional relationships. Throughout the 1980s, to win favor with the Reagan/Thatcher renewed anti-communist attitudes in the West, South Africa’s apartheid government marketed itself as a capitalist enclave within an increasingly communist Southern Africa. To win over anti-communist westerners, South African presidents took an aggressive stance against their socialist neighbors, supporting rebel groups in any neighbor that criticized apartheid. While a lot of focus is paid to the international boycotts against the apartheid government and the civil disobedience within the country, I wanted to research how apartheid affected the Southern African region specifically Angola and Mozambique.
Through the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987-1988) and the Nkomati Accord (1984) I look at South Africa’s recent history with Angola and Mozambique.
Angola: The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987-1988)
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (more accurately battles over 8 months) was the largest armed struggle in Africa since World War 2. Despite a good deal of argument over its outcome, the event profoundly shaped Southern African history and rhetoric. The South African Defence Force supported the UNITA rebel group against Angola’s Marxist government (MPLA). Angola’s MPLA was bolstered by Namibian freedom fighters and Cuban expeditionary forces (as many as 50K Cuban soldiers at its peak).
Many expected South Africa to crush the communist forces and the stalemate that ensued damaged the South African Army's image as the region’s inexorable military force. Soon after South Africa withdrew their forces from Angola and soon after agreed to Namibia’s independence in 1990. Interestingly, many Cuban doctors work to this day in Angola through Cuba’s medical diplomacy initiatives and several Cuban restaurants can be found in Luanda. When I visit, I hope to eat at one of them or visit the Cuban neighborhood of the city.
Mozambique: The Nkomati Accord (1984)
While Angola experienced full-scale warfare, Mozambique faced a different form of South African violence. To punish Mozambique for condemning apartheid and supporting the ANC, South Africa backed the RENAMO rebels in order to destabilize Mozambique’s socialist government. In 1984, South Africa and Mozambique signed the Nkomati Accord, a non-aggression pact where South Africa would stop supporting RENAMO in exchange for Mozambique expelling the ANC, but South Africa continued covertly supporting RENAMO, dragging Mozambique’s civil war on for another 10 years. The civil war, which only ended in 1995, killed one million Mozambiquans and displaced almost six million.
Covert Operations
Covert operations were conducted in both Angola and Mozambique to erase dissent and squash resistance. While anti-apartheid offices in England were firebombed, journalists in American bribed, newspapers in Europe infiltrated, the worst covert operations took place in Southern Africa.
Ruth First, a renowned South African anti-apartheid activist and journalist, living in exile in Maputo was killed by a parcel bomb in 1982. In Angola, the country’s economic arteries were targeted through attacks on its oil refineries (1981), storage tanks (1987), and roads and highways.
Contemporary Relations
Since the fall of apartheid, Southern African relations have improved significantly. Mozambique is a huge supplier of South African energy while Angola is a large regional supplier of oil. Angola and South Africa now have a special economic zone called the Lobito Corridor as does South Africa and Mozambique through the Maputo Development Corridor. The countries also collaborate to fight extremism. South Africa and Angola have both supplied resources to Mozambique to help them in their current fight against jihadist insurgents.
Interesting source to learn more about the Angolan-Cuban connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1kQ5aIaUcg
In my South African History course, we've recently been learning about how apartheid affected South Africa's regional relationships. Throughout the 1980s, to win favor with the Reagan/Thatcher renewed anti-communist attitudes in the West, South Africa’s apartheid government marketed itself as a capitalist enclave within an increasingly communist Southern Africa. To win over anti-communist westerners, South African presidents took an aggressive stance against their socialist neighbors, supporting rebel groups in any neighbor that criticized apartheid. While a lot of focus is paid to the international boycotts against the apartheid government and the civil disobedience within the country, I wanted to research how apartheid affected the Southern African region specifically Angola and Mozambique.
Through the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987-1988) and the Nkomati Accord (1984) I look at South Africa’s recent history with Angola and Mozambique.
Angola: The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987-1988)
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (more accurately battles over 8 months) was the largest armed struggle in Africa since World War 2. Despite a good deal of argument over its outcome, the event profoundly shaped Southern African history and rhetoric. The South African Defence Force supported the UNITA rebel group against Angola’s Marxist government (MPLA). Angola’s MPLA was bolstered by Namibian freedom fighters and Cuban expeditionary forces (as many as 50K Cuban soldiers at its peak).
Many expected South Africa to crush the communist forces and the stalemate that ensued damaged the South African Army's image as the region’s inexorable military force. Soon after South Africa withdrew their forces from Angola and soon after agreed to Namibia’s independence in 1990. Interestingly, many Cuban doctors work to this day in Angola through Cuba’s medical diplomacy initiatives and several Cuban restaurants can be found in Luanda. When I visit, I hope to eat at one of them or visit the Cuban neighborhood of the city.
Mozambique: The Nkomati Accord (1984)
While Angola experienced full-scale warfare, Mozambique faced a different form of South African violence. To punish Mozambique for condemning apartheid and supporting the ANC, South Africa backed the RENAMO rebels in order to destabilize Mozambique’s socialist government. In 1984, South Africa and Mozambique signed the Nkomati Accord, a non-aggression pact where South Africa would stop supporting RENAMO in exchange for Mozambique expelling the ANC, but South Africa continued covertly supporting RENAMO, dragging Mozambique’s civil war on for another 10 years. The civil war, which only ended in 1995, killed one million Mozambiquans and displaced almost six million.
Covert Operations
Covert operations were conducted in both Angola and Mozambique to erase dissent and squash resistance. While anti-apartheid offices in England were firebombed, journalists in American bribed, newspapers in Europe infiltrated, the worst covert operations took place in Southern Africa.
Ruth First, a renowned South African anti-apartheid activist and journalist, living in exile in Maputo was killed by a parcel bomb in 1982. In Angola, the country’s economic arteries were targeted through attacks on its oil refineries (1981), storage tanks (1987), and roads and highways.
Contemporary Relations
Since the fall of apartheid, Southern African relations have improved significantly. Mozambique is a huge supplier of South African energy while Angola is a large regional supplier of oil. Angola and South Africa now have a special economic zone called the Lobito Corridor as does South Africa and Mozambique through the Maputo Development Corridor. The countries also collaborate to fight extremism. South Africa and Angola have both supplied resources to Mozambique to help them in their current fight against jihadist insurgents.
Interesting source to learn more about the Angolan-Cuban connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1kQ5aIaUcg
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