A directive had come out – if there were any troop movements in the Bethlehem (not the one with 3 wise men and a virgin) area, the senior person with them had to be armed. All officers leaving base had to be armed. It seems the “rooi gevaar” were planning to abduct army personnel and do beastly deeds with their poor bodies.
I drew one of the old standard issue 9mm pistols from the armoury. Simon, a young 2nd Lt from Joburg, pulled rank on the staff sergeant and insisted on drawing a R4, and enough rounds for 4 magazines. He was going home for the weekend and wanted to look like Rambo or something.
Anyway, he only got away after dark on Friday evening. Ten clicks out of town his car crashed into some boulders on the road, and he spun off into the dirt. Some local gangsters had been doing this on a regular basis - put some rocks on the road at night, and when the cars crash they robbed the survivors.
This time they lucked out. Simon was severely pissed off because the car was his pride and joy. He managed to get his door open just as they came running up. According to him, he let rip on R for Afrikaans with two magazines worth, and then went looking for the survivors. He found two guys, amazingly only lightly wounded, but in a state of shock. Two others managed to gap it.
The practice of putting rocks in the road stopped. At least in Bethlehem (not the one with 3 wise men and a virgin).
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