Townships

Soweto 1987 ToiToi due to SADF presence

We are well into 2nd Phase and doing civil defence knowing we will be deployed in some god-for-saken township.

Being advised we are off to lovely Soweto for a month brought me great joy!! We left on Samils and after a few hours drive we arrived to find ourselves in a field with a camp to build in the form of setting up tents. Once this was done and the normal head counts done we relaxed and settled in.

Police Support vehicles

Anxious now to get in there and save the world, we were briefed and went out the next day for a half day patrol, after picking up a police constable, the township was ours. Really exciting stuff, driving round for hours getting some waves from the locals but mostly glares with the reality of threats behind the glares.

Charlie Squad on patrol.

On one patrol there was two young lads about 10/13 waving and motioning us to slow down, we thought they were after sweets as the handing of sweets to kids was common practice. Low and behold both chuck half brick size rocks at me from less than 10 feet, one clips me on the head, luckily I was wearing my riot helmet, (the loot was right for once) and the other hits me square on the shoulder - the future of SA hey!!!!

Illegal Homemade 12 gauge made from galvanised 3/4 inch pipe - Soweto 1987.

We did do some foot patrols looking for homemade guns and was I surprised just how common place these things are, hidden under roof sheeting in the shacks and in bushes. there were assembly lines, this house was making barrels from 3/4 inch pipe and others stocks or firing/zip mechanisms. Some actually looked pretty good, but I would have never attempted to fire one.

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