
A FORMER Transkei Defence Force (TDF) member now serving as a reserve force member in KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant-Colonel Zingisile Hangana, has written a book, Transkei Defence Force: The Hidden Truth – about his days in the force.
Hangana said he wrote the book to preserve history and bring to light information previously not known about the armed force from the ’70s.
He said he also talked about General Bantu Holomisa who is now the president of the UDM and an MP.
“White people did not like him because he was very stubborn. There was even a plan to kill him at one stage when he was arrested. He was a straightforward man who did not like lies,” Hangana said.
He said black soldiers faced challenges when they had to join the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) after the dismantling of apartheid in 1994. “When we joined the SANDF, we were sidelined in training. We also faced racist attitudes from the boers as our force had a history of resistance to apartheid under Holomisa.”
It took a lot of research before he could write the book, including speaking to former intelligence operatives and scouring the Daily Dispatch archives.
The book, which Hangana started writing in 2008, can be found at Keens for R190.