35 operations without detection

SASOL BOMBINGS The untold history of Special Ops

- Yunus Carrim

FOR over three decades, the remarkable story of Umkhonto we Sizwe's Special Operations Unit has remained largely untold. Formed under the direct command of ANC President Oliver Tambo and senior ANC and SACP leader Joe Slovo, this elite unit executed some of the most daring and high-profile attacks against the apartheid state in the 1980s.

From the spectacular 1980 Sasol bombings to the 1988 attack at the Witbank security police offices, Special Ops was at the forefront of the armed struggle, targeting strategic economic and military sites with precision and determination.

In this groundbreaking book, Attacking the Heart of Apartheid — The ANC's MK Special Operations Unit, by Yunus Carrim, the history of Special Ops is brought to life through the voices of its surviving participants. Based on interviews with 48 individuals, conducted over nearly ten years, this oral history offers an intimate and comprehensive look at the unit’s operations, challenges and achievements.

Also drawing from press reports, TRC records and official documents, the narrative provides a balanced assessment of the political context, role, and significance of Special Ops within the broader ANC-led national liberation struggle.

Attacking the Heart of Apartheid is an essential read for anyone interested in the history of the anti-apartheid struggle, the dynamics of armed resistance, and the power of collective action in the pursuit of justice and equality.

◆ The book, published by Penguin, was released on Tuesday.

So, he approached Chacha to link him to the ANC. Chacha’s brother, Aboobaker Ismail had joined MK and would at times meet their parents in Swaziland. In September 1981, Chacha took Shaikh with them. In a hotel room, Ismail (MK: Rashid) ran a tap, switched on the television and asked them to sit away from the window.