SKUZAPO

It was as a direct result of the early Selous Scouts pseudo-gang activity in the operational area, that the ZANLA hierarchy safely ensconced in Mozambique and Zambia were forced to accept they needed to come up with something they could use in their operational sectors to counteract what they perceived as the Selous Scouts attempting to ‘pick-pocket’ their way into the ZANLA networks or ranks. During the early months of 1974, the unit’s first year of using pseudo-gangs operationally was when we first started hearing use of the phrase Skuzu apo, in reference to us. It was loose African township slang used to describe a ‘pick-pocket.’

By way of further explanation; most African languages are richly idiomatic and ‘Skuzu’ is a Shona corruption of the English phrase; excuse me. The word ‘apo’ is the Shona word for ‘there’ as in the immediate sense. Thus, directly translated Skuzu apo means; ‘excuse me there,’ or ‘excuse me for what I have just done.’ However, and from an idiomatic perspective the words have a more oblique meaning. Try to imagine being sandwiched between two quick, slick talking pickpockets, in a packed and busy African beerhall. Perhaps you might feel someone seemingly inadvertently suddenly stand on your foot, while at the same time poking their finger into your ribs, and then immediately acting as if it was an accident by shouting ‘Skuzu apo’ before disappearing into the crowd. While this incident took place, his accomplice would have already relieved you of your wallet, and also disappeared into the crowd. This was how ZANLA perceived the Selous Scouts.

The above description of the meaning of Skuzapo, the ZANLA term of reference for Selous Scouts pseudo-gangs is the most commonly used by way of describing how the term came about. I have used the above description directly from Chapter Twenty-One titled Dark Phase in my book Follow My Tracks: Combat Tracking & Pseudo Operations - Recollections.

Andy Balaam, the author of the book SKUZAPO shown above, is, like me, also a former Selous Scout who was a career soldier in the Rhodesian Army, having started his career in the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI), before moving across to the Selous Scouts shortly after its inception. Andy soldiered until the end of the war, finishing in the rank of WO2. Although he and I were in different Troops, we did combine our call signs for one or two operations in Rhodesia's south eastern lowveld. For those ops, we deployed out of the Selous Scouts Buffalo Range Fort, and conducted pseudo operations in the Tribal Trust Lands west of Bangala Dam. At the time Major Bert Sachse BCR was our liaison officer.

If readers have an interest in the Rhodesian Bush War, and more specifically in the use of pseudo-operations as a counterinsurgency tactic, I would strongly recommend Andy Balaam's book SKUZAPO. Each of the Selous Scouts operational Troops (or call signs) deployed on their own specific operations, following a Special Branch briefing. These briefings were Troop specific the of which were not shared with any other operational Selous Scouts call signs. As a result we never knew what actual deployments our colleagues were on, unless we liaised on a specific deployment while in the field, on a 'Needs Must' basis.

Andy Balaam's book SKUZAPO is available on Amazon.com