Written by Annette Havenga
In 1993, four years after the last shots were fired in the so-called “Border War”, a peaceful end to apartheid was negotiated. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission offered amnesty to all those who committed human rights violations during the armed struggle against apartheid – but only for the incidents inside South Africa itself.
Disguised as the war against SWAPO (South West African People Communism), the Border War was fought outside of South Africa and the belief was spread – kill or be killed.
Unspoken War tells the story, the uncomfortable truth, of the Border War, the secrets, the silence, the bad things and mixed views of the war. The production rips off the plaster and uncovers the rawness of the truth.
ADVENTURE OR PROPOGANDA?
When a 17-year-old young man is sent to fight a war, the question must be asked, does a young man like this know what he is being sent to do, why he is there? Troops acted and followed the principle of the need to know, follow orders, don’t ask questions.
How easy is it to manipulate a young man to think and do the way a government would like them to, pushing them in a direction suited to a bigger, overhead picture, one that was never painted to them. They lived and breathed what was described as their duty, without asking questions, blindly following the discipline as set by their government, mentally broken down to be build up anew and it was often said that the war forged boys into men.
During their time in service troops was not allowed to listen to the news, their location could not be shared, and they learn everything about each other. The tangible reality of the Border War is one that differs, some believe it was their destiny and the best time of their lives, some saw it as merely a job, where for others it was a time of fear and trauma.
UNDERSTANDING THE NARRATIVE
The five-part series is directed by Nikki Comninos, (2024 Best Documentary Series SAFTA nominee Convict Conman and Showmax true-crime record-holder Tracking Thabo Bester) and produced by multi-award-winners IdeaCandy (Devilsdorp, Steinheist).
It aims to bring untold stories to viewers with less highlighted stories, stories of soldiers, spies, mothers, daughters and sons. Each episode in this documentary delves into a different angle, unraveling never heard before reality.
“As a team at IdeaCandy we realized that this is a national trauma and almost everyone has a story connected,” says Comninos. She goes on to say that everyone was touched by this in some way and encourages viewers to watch all five episodes as viewers will, “journey with these characters and find out how the war affected them in different places and spaces.”
The series will show a different collection of characters, from Anglo, Namibia and South Africa, with varied stories, their own deeply, personal experience.
“The series wants to tell stories to make you think differently about you think you understand,” Comninos explains. Never seen or heard of archives, rare footage and intimate conversations
CONSLUSION
Passion, privilege or hardship and obligation, Uspoken War breaks the silence. The reality was simple, once you are in, you can’t get out. For South Africans the question remains, did we know where our troops were sent and what they were sent to do?
Viewers can expect a deep series, an eye opener that breaks the silence on what the South African troops were fighting for. Decades after the secret war that raged in Angola and Namibia, a conflict still not truly understood.
In conclusion Comninos says she is excited for audiences to watch, and she is, “looking forward to the conversations that will come from this. There will be a lot to talk about around the dinner table.”
The Unspoken War boxset drops on 12 November on Showmax and every Wednesday on M-Net from 12 November at 9pm.
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