Operation Beanbag

Operation Beanbag
Maputo Matola Operation Beanbag (Mozambique)
Date 30 January 1981 Location Maputo, Matola, Mozambique Result South African victory
Belligerents
South Africa	ANC (Umkhonto we Sizwe) Mozambique
Commanders and leaders
South Africa Unknown	Unknown Unknown
Units involved
SADF	unknown
Strength
20	unknown
Casualties and losses
2 killed 1 missing	ANC: 30 killed Mozambique: 11 killed
1 civilian killed

Operation Beanbag was a military operation conducted by the South African Defence Force (SADF) special forces against an ANC headquarters in the Maputo suburb of Matola.

Background

South African intelligence had discovered what they believed was the planning and control headquarters of the ANC for operations planned and executed in the Transvaal, South Africa. The South African team was made up of members from 1 and 6 Reconnaissance Regiments, the latter being made up of old Rhodesian SAS personnel. The operation occurred on 30 January 1981, the target being three houses in the suburb of Matola which lay 16 km from the centre of Maputo.

The Mozambican government claims that the twenty SADF special forces members were driven from the border in vehicles that resembled Mozambican army vehicles. One part of the team maintained a roadblock on the main road between Maputo and Matola, while a second team attacked the three ANC buildings. A firefight broke out between the SADF and the ANC inhabitants. The reconnaissance team took two prisoners during the attack. The reconnaissance teams rejoined and returned to the border with South Africa and were said to have been withdrawn by helicopter.

Aftermath

The SADF lost three reconnaissance soldiers, one of whom could not be found during the withdrawal at the end of the operation and he was left behind. 6 Reconnaissance Regiment was disbanded later during the year and the remaining members integrated into the remaining special forces regiments. The ANC lost 30 personnel, a SADF figure, while the Mozambique government claimed eleven dead and one civilian.

Further reading

• Heitman, Helmoed-Romer (1985). South African War Machine. England: Bison Books Ltd. ISBN 094699580X.
• http://www.recce.co.za/special-forces-history retrieved 5 April 2013