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From Soweto to Cuito Cuanavale: Cuba, the War in Angola and the End of Apartheid

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From Soweto to Cuito Cuanavale: Cuba, the War in Angola and the End of Apartheid Saney, Isaac Henry (2014) From Soweto to Cuito Cuanavale: Cuba, the war in Angola and the end of Apartheid. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18258 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. From Soweto To Cuito Cuanavale: Cuba, the War in Angola and the End of Apartheid Isaac Henry Saney Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in History 2014 Department of History School of Oriental and African Studies University of London Declaration for PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ____________________________ Date: _________________ ABSTRACT There are unresolved issues concerning the 1987-88 military conflict in Angola, specifically the battle of Cuito Cuanavale and the role of Cuba. This particular aspect of southern African history is highly controversial and politicized. The original contribution of this dissertation is to provide a detailed scholarly treatment and analysis of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, drawing from an array of different sources, some of which were not previously available. Cuito Cuanavale is a controversial subject because the outcome and consequences continue to be disputed among the principal protagonists. Arrayed on one side were the armed forces of Cuba, Angola and the South West African People’s Organization, on the other, the South African Defense Force, military units of the Union for the Total National Independence of Angola and the South West African Territorial Force of Pretoria-controlled Namibia. By drawing on South African, Cuban, United States documents and other sources, and placing the 1987-88 military engagement in the context of South African military regional intervention, this dissertation elaborates Cuba’s role in the conflict and attempts to resolve the questions and disputes surrounding the competing interpretations of the military nature and political ramifications for the apartheid regime of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….1 Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………5 List of Acronyms…………………………………………………………………..6 Chapter One: Why Cuito Cuanavale?...................................................................8 Research Questions...................................................................................................10 Research Methodology……………………………………………..................................11 Chapter Structure……………………………………....................................................15 Legend & Fable…....................................................................................................16 Cuito Cuanavale in the Historiography..................................................................22 Regional Developments & Black South Africa, 1974-76………………………….....29 Total Strategy & the Militarization of the Apartheid State…..................................47 South Africa’s War of Destabilization………………...............................................55 Cuba’s Internationalism.........................................................................................57 Cuba & Angola……………………………………………...........................................62 Chapter Two: The Road to Cuito Cuanavale…………………………………73 South African Invasions of Angola, 1975-86 ........................................................75 The Angolan Lynchpin ..........................................................................................81 The 1987 FAPLA Offensive....................................................................................84 South African Intervention…………………….........................................................92 SADF Numbers…………………………………………………………………………...96 FAPLA Débâcle & Survival…………………………………………………................100 Did the SADF Intend to Capture Cuito Cuanavale?.............................................108 The Beginning of the Cuito Cuanavale Campaign................................................117 2 The Cuban Intervention………………………………………………..........................122 Conclusion ............................................................................................................130 Chapter Three: The Battle for Cuito Cuanavale……………………………...131 The First Clash ......................................................................................................134 The Cubans Take Command…………………………………………..........................141 The Readjustment Struggle ....................................................................................150 The Clash of Strategies ..........................................................................................153 The Tumpo Triangle ...............................................................................................155 The Third & Last Attack on Tumpo Triangle…......................................................165 Conclusion…………………………………………………….......................................177 Chapter Four: Aftermath: Military Consequences …………………………..180 Outflanking the SADF ............................................................................................182 The Nuclear Question…………………………………………………..........................186 SADF Vulnerability.................................................................................................190 Havana’s Intentions................................................................................................197 The Calueque Clash................................................................................................204 Underscoring SADF Vulnerability .........................................................................211 Determining SADF Casualties: The SADF Honour Roll....................................... 223 SADF Morale…………………………...................................................................... 240 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….....247 Chapter Five: Aftermath: Namibia and South Africa………..…………….….248 Namibia: Washington & Pretoria………………... ...................................................251 Namibia: The Negotiations .....................................................................................255 Why did Pretoria Concede Namibian Independence?…………………….………….264 The Economy: Impact of Militarization .................................................................272 3 White Opposition to the War……………………... ....................................................282 Regional Developments & Black South Africans.....................................................298 Conclusion ............................................................................………………………...314 Chapter Six: Aftermath: Impact on the Botha Regime……………………......317 Intransigence of the Botha Regime..........................................................................318 Regime Fissures…………………………………….....................................................321 Cuito Cuanavale & the Shifting of the Regime………..………………………..……..325 Cuba……………………………………........................................................................341 General Summation………………………………………………………….……..………348 Conclusion………………………………………………………......................................351 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………354 MAPS…………………………………………………………...9, 92, 133, 193 & 214 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Wayne Dooling, for his advice, suggestions and support. Gratitude is expressed to Dr. John Parker (SOAS) and Dr. Daud Ali (SOAS) for assistance rendered at the beginning of this Ph.D. I also wish to thank Emeritus Professor Malyn Newitt (Kings College-University of London) and Professor Robert Ross (Cambridge University) for their valuable comments. Appreciations are due to the Central Research Fund-University of London and the SOAS Scholarships Committee for funding research trips to Cuba and South Africa, which were essential to the realization of this dissertation. I also wish to thank Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada for providing the leave that permitted me to commence this work. In South Africa, I am especially grateful to Colonel Patrick “Blahz” Ricketts for his hospitality and invaluable assistance. He is truly a singular individual. In Cuba, tremendous appreciation is extended to Susan Hurlich for her wisdom and generosity. Also, I am very thankful for the help given by the Instituto de Las Amistad Con Los Pueblos and the Centro Internacional de La Prensa. Gratitude is also extended to the many archivists and interviewees,
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