We Were There: Winning the War for Southern Africa

We Were There is General Geldenhuys' account of the SA Border War and their victory over Cuba, and their overarching sponsor, the Soviet Union. Throughout the book, General Geldenhuys mentions that the border war should be seen in context and against the backdrop of the Cold War. South Africa fought a proxy war on behalf of the West against the Communist empire of the world a war in which the general has no doubt that an outnumbered and technologically inferior South Africa well and truly defeated the Russian, Cuban, East German, MPLA and SWAPO forces that were there. The SA border war ended - not by chance- in 1989, the year the Berlin wall fell, Tiananmen Square caused major restructuring in China, The Russians withdrew from Afghanistan and the USSR ultimately collapsed. South Africa's victory over the communist forces in Angola played a critical role in these events and halted Soviet expansionism in Africa. Because of South Africa's role, both Namibia and South Africa have democratically elected, multi-party, non-Cuban, Non-Soviet model governments and a relatively free market economic system. If South Africa had lost the war, these countries would have looked a lot different toady. One only has to look north to the other countries in Africa where the communists took over to know what general Geldenhuys is talking about. As far as general Geldenhuys is concerned, his soldiers, colonels and generals defeated the Soviet/Cuban forces in Angola. As he says about the Soviets and Cubans: "They left Africa with empty hands. All that is left of them are a few pieces of war scrap scattered throughout the countryside of southern Angola." General Geldenhuys wrote the book - with the assistance of 62 others Generals, Officers, and soldiers, because they felt the need to maintain the honour of the SADF, as well as portray the true history of the Border War in South West Africa (Namibia).