The Battle of Bangui

In March 2013, South Africa suffered its worst military defeat since the end of apartheid. In a battle that lasted 13 hours, 200 crack troops who engaged 7 000 rebels in the Central African Republic were forced to surrender at their base with the loss of 15 lives. In March 2013, South Africa suffered its worst military defeat since the end of apartheid. In a battle that lasted 13 hours, 200 crack troops who engaged 7 000 rebels in the Central African Republic were forced to surrender at their base with the loss of 15 lives.

The mission was shrouded in mystery from the start. The deployment and the diplomatic machinations that led to it were kept secret from the South African public and Parliament. So, too, were an assortment of shadowy commercial interests held by businessmen and military generals, some with close ties to the African National Congress.

In an investigation spanning seven years, the authors gained exclusive access to the soldiers who fought valiantly against overwhelming odds, travelled to Bangui to consult archives and meet the rebel leaders who took part in the battle, interviewed a deposed dictator living in exile in Paris, and spoke to the widows and other family of the fallen soldiers.

They also met influential fixers and dealmakers, and unearthed secret files containing bribe agreements to unravel an intricate web of corruption and patronage reaching the highest echelons of power in South Africa and the CAR.

After close to a decade of speculation and rumour, The Battle of Bangui lays bare for the first time both the litany of strategic, tactical and logistical blunders that ended in military disaster, and the secret diplomatic and commercial deals that led to South Africa’s worst foreign misadventure of the democratic era. It’s also a cracking war story filled with heroism, camaraderie, terror, pathos and triumph over adversity.

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