Talk:Koevoet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Koevoet article.
Please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes (~~~~). Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic. New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Ask questions, get answers. This is not a forum for general discussion about the article's subject.	Be polite Assume good faith No personal attacks Be welcoming	Article policies No original research Neutral point of view Verifiability
Archives: 1

Archives

/Archive 1

	This article is within the scope of the Military history WikiProject. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see lists of open tasks and regional and topical task forces. To use this banner, please see the full instructions.
Start	This article has been rated as Start-Class on the quality scale.
Additional information and associated task forces: This article has been checked against the following criteria for B-Class status: Referencing and citation: criterion not met Coverage and accuracy: criterion not met Structure: criterion met Grammar: criterion met Supporting materials: criterion not met Associated task forces (nations and regions): African military history task force

[edit] Revert of User:Suidafrikaan edits

I have revert the large edits (in many edits, all without edit summaries), because they were done without explanation and in some cases seem biased. Since this seems to be a prickly topic, I suggest we discuss these changed here in steps.

1. Why was counter-insurgency removed? This group was established specifically in response to increased insurgent activity. This is a technical term without political connotation (existed long before US invasion of Iraq) and simply classifies group as a government institution deployed against anti-government groups that infiltrate from outside a country border, which is indisputably the case here. The term does not confer or imply a good/bad judgement on either side.
2. Why was "performance"(?) of Koevoet removed. These facts are not to glamorize them, or the apartheid goverment. It is an important fact of notability and demonstrates the influence (good or bad) or importance of the group which in turn explains their importance during later negotiations.
3. white colonial governments? The previous term (governments that had arisen from colonial powers) was specifically as neutral as possible, because these governments weren't specifically or exclusively "white". The term "white" adds an unnecessary racial aspect, that almost makes it sounds as though the objection was against the race of the government. If an adjective is really required for colonial governments", a more neutral (and accurate) options would be either "European" or simply "foreign", although the latter seems somewhat redundant when speaking of a colonizer.
4. As a nation founded on Christian-nationalist principles, South Africa saw itself as the only country on the sub-continent that could stave off the onslaught of communism.

This is also misleading of their motives, regardless of the type of nation and the political persuasion of their opponent. It is undeniable that South Africa would have been the next country and they rightly feared, regardless of the religious beliefs. That they were aligned with the West and were of strategic importance is critical to understand Western support.

--Deon Steyn 07:07, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I don't have any difficulty over Suidafrikaan's edits. Can't see why the POV tag has since reappeared.Phase4 17:04, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Koevoet did make use of SADF medics as part of the platoon structure as we did not have any of our own. This was my experience when I was there in 1983/4 anyway. Other than that there were no SADF members assigned to Koevoet at all. Most of the Casspirs were modified to carry non-original machine guns on the turret. The FN machine gun they came with was not very highly thought of. The Casspir i was assigned to had a 50 calibre Browning and 2 7.62 Browning machine guns mounted on the original (modified) turret. At least one Buffel SADF vehicle found its way into the vehicle fleet, I believe it was stolen from the army and given a complete history before the army caught on.Mpopomeni 16:58, 3 June 2007 (UTC)