In the Shadows of a Soldier: A Daughter’s Quest to Understand Discipline

Between 1976 and 1977, my dad was deployed with the South African Army as a frontline soldier when he took part in the Border War — also known as the Namibian War of Independence, which lasted from 1966 to 1989.

This conflict was more than just a regional skirmish. It was a stage for larger ideological battles tied to the Cold War, with South Africa’s apartheid regime clinging to control over Namibia under the guise of combating communism.

The war left behind a fractured legacy; untold suffering, ideological scars, and, for those who served, a silence that often spoke louder than words.