Top secret unit’s exploits revealed in new book
A retired army man has documented the operations of a very secretive South African defence force unit in a book entitled Iron Fist from the Sea.
ATTACK diver and saboteur, Douw Steyn is a man of secrets.
Only now can the true story be told of seaborne operations to destroy military targets in Angola and Mozambique during the 1980s.
Specialising in advanced demolitions and sabotage techniques, Steyn commanded a Special Forces unit of 45 men, black and white, based at Langebaan in the Cape Province.
After 20 years’ service, Steyn left the military to join the senior management of a South African security company. Because the unit had never been recognised for the work it had done and nobody had ever heard of it, he decided to write a book about it, entitled Iron Fist From The Sea.
Against all expectations, he discovered that 250 of the top-secret files relating to the exploits of the unit had been declassified and were accessible.
“The biggest surprise for me was to see my own handwriting in the files. I started to put it all together and UK publishers printed the book. I was given copies which I gave to my children. This was the first time they knew what I’d been doing all those years!” he said.
And what a story it is. The book details numerous clandestine raids, attacking shipping and strategic targets including oil facilities and transport infrastructure from Cabinda on the west coast to Tanzania on the east . The existence and capability of 4 Reconnaissance Commando, was largely kept secret even within the South African Defence Force. The research for the book has produced some surprising results.
“One of the Russians that cleared the ships in Namibe Harbour, Lt Maxim Ivanov, came to South Africa to see me and to thank me for not killing him! Following on his visit, we are looking at making a documentary film on one of the operations detailed in the book. We are looking for a South African film maker to collaborate on this project,” said Douw.
But Iron Fist from the Sea isn’t just about exciting adventures; it contains such a wealth of new information that it’s now a prescribed book at the Dutch Military Academy, UNISA and the Military Academy at Stellenbosch.
Copies of Iron Fist from the Sea are available on request at Exclusive Books at R800 or direct from the author at R575. Contact Douw Steyn at info@akanan.co.za or on 082 458 8911
