Enrique Orta González
Cape Town - No matter how much time passes by, the history of Cuba and Africa will always be intertwined.
Not only did Africa greatly influence the conformation of the Cuban nationality, but also we share a common past of struggle for definitive independence and sovereignty.
One of the greatest pages of our shared history is the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, that took place during the Struggles for liberation in southern Africa.
This siege was the largest military confrontation on African soil since World War II Allies-Axis battles in North Africa, according to Lebogang Mothapa, from the South African Department of Military Veterans.
It marked the victory of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), together with the Cuban and Namibian internationalists, and it was a turning point in the fight against the outrageous apartheid.
To fully understand the importance of Cuito Cuanavale, we need to analyse the facts. Since 1975, after its independence from Portugal, Angola had to deal with the presence of irregular rebel troops, supported by Western powers, who were seeking the overthrow of the MPLA national government.
Additionally, the country faced continuous harassment and the occupation of part of its territory in the north and south, promoted by troops of the former Zaire and the South African Defence Force (SANF, later the SANDF).
In line with Dennis Laumann, professor of African History at the University of Memphis, the apartheid regime was threatened by the prospect of another free African nation on its borders, since South Africa occupied neighbouring South-West Africa (present-day Namibia).
Over the next decade, South Africa’s racist rulers sought to destabilise Angola, mainly through the support of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita).
As stated by Piero Gleijeses, professor of US foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, in July 1987 the Angolan army launched a major offensive in the south-east against the forces of Unita.
The SADF, which controlled the southernmost parts of south-western Angola, seeing that the offensive was succeeding, intervened in the south east. By early November, the SADF had cornered the best Angolan units in Cuito Cuanavale, a small town in the province of Cuando Cubango, 825km south-east of Luanda, and were preparing to annihilate them.
Cuba had responded to the MPLA request of help in the ‘70s and thousands of Cubans had already fought alongside the Angolans, but on November 15, 1987, our Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, decided to send more troops and weapons to Angola.
Tens of thousands of volunteer fighters, along with vital military equipment, travelled more than 10 000km from the Caribbean and across the Atlantic.
After months of joint resistance, in intense combat, the Cuban-Angolan forces could repel the advance of the SADF, which launched their last major assault against Cuito on March 23, 1988: 35 years ago this week.
As Colonel Jan Breytenbach defines it, the South African assault “was abruptly and definitively stopped” by the Cubans and Angolans.
With this counter-offensive, the South African-occupied provinces of Angola were liberated, and the SADF forced to retreat from their positions.
After failing to take Cuito Cuanavale, the SADF announced its withdrawal from Angola and the apartheid regime agreed to sit at the negotiations table.
The rest, as people used to say, is history: the ANC and its main ally, the SACP, were unbanned in 1990, Mandela walked out of prison and Namibia regained its independence on March 21.
Cuito Cuanavale managed to become a symbol of resistance and courage that lasts until today, not only for surviving despite the vicissitudes of the Struggle, but also for the iron will of those who gave everything on that battlefield facing an imperialist power and standing up to defend freedom.
Cuito reminds us how hard it was to conquer freedom, how much blood was spilled, how united we had to be; and therefore, how much we must defend that freedom we have won, how much we must defend the unity between our countries and how much we must resist the powers that try to rule us.
Many authors and historians have tried to rewrite this story. General Magnus Malan said in his memoirs the campaign was a great victory for the SADF, but Nelson Mandela could not disagree more: “The decisive defeat of the racist army in Cuito Cuanavale was a victory for all Africa. This victory in Cuito Cuanavale is what made it possible for Angola to enjoy peace and establish its own sovereignty.
“The defeat of the racist army made it possible for the people of Namibia to achieve their independence. The decisive defeat of the aggressive apartheid forces destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the white oppressor.
“Cuito Cuanavale marks a milestone in the history of the Struggle for the liberation of southern Africa! Cuito Cuanavale marks the turning point in the Struggle to free the continent and our country from the scourge of apartheid!”
As time goes by and history becomes distant, enigmatic and maybe even inaccurate, it’s even more urgent to reassert the importance of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, not only for the sake of historical accuracy, but also to honour the memory of those who fought and died for the liberation of southern Africa.
González is the Cuban Ambassador to South Africa
Cape Times
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