Operation Saffraan

Operation Saffraan
Part of the South African Border War
Location	Zambia Siabalengu Operation Saffraan (Zambia)
Target	Various PLAN bases
Date	March 1979 duration 5 weeks

Operation Saffraan (English: Operation Safron) was a series of South African Defence Force raids from the Caprivi Strip area during the South African Border War. On 23 August 1978 PLAN and the Zambian army shelled the small South African garrison town Katimo Mulilo in eastern Caprivi (Namibia). In March 1979, South African forces entered south-western Zambia attacking PLAN bases in retaliation for the shelling of Katimo Mulilo. These bases were around Sinjembele and the Njinje forest, were found to have been vacated but the facilities were destroyed disrupting future border infiltrations. The raid into Zambia resulted in SWAPO being asked to leave the country. Conducted on 7 March 1979 concurrently with Operation Rekstok; it followed Operation Reindeer and preceded Operation Sceptic.

See also

• Angolan Civil War

Further reading

• Steenkamp, Willem (1989). South Africa's border war, 1966-1989. Gibraltar: Ashanti Pub. ISBN 0620139676.
• Hamann, Hilton (2001). Days of the generals (1st ed.). Cape Town: Zebra. ISBN 978-1868723409.
• Nothling, CD (Col.). Kort Kroniek van Militêre Operasies en Optredes in Suidwes-Afrika en Angola (1914-1988). Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 19, Nr 2, 1989.