Operation Daisy

Operation Daisy was a military operation by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War.

After the conclusion of Operation Protea, a South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) regional headquarters at Chitequeta, located at 16°47′32″S 17°55′53″E / 16.7923°S 17.9315°E / -16.7923; 17.9315 (Chitequeta) in south-eastern Angola was attempting to regroup the scattered SWAPO members. As a result, the South African military decided to launch Operation Daisy against this town – some 240 kilometres north of the South-West Africa-Angola border.

After crossing the border and advancing north, a South African mechanized force of Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Buffel Armoured Personnel Carriers attacked the SWAPO base complex on 1 November 1981. During the attack seventy-one SWAPO members were killed. In spite of this, due to the immense size of the complex - about thirty-five square kilometres – most of the 1,200 SWAPO members at the base were able to escape into the bush.

Nevertheless the South African forces considered the operation to be a success as they had destroyed yet another SWAPO command and logistic base within three months of Operation Protea and had also captured a large quantity of arms and ammunition. The SWAPO membership was also further demoralised, as they had to move even further north into Angola.

For the South African forces, the attack on Chitequeta was their deepest penetration into Angola since the civil war started six years before.