The Recce

We begin our story in 1980 at “Fort Doppies”, the headquarters of the South African Special Forces, located in the Eastern part of the Caprivi Strip in former South-West Africa – A vast and wild savannah.

Due to continuous civilian casualties in the area, at the hands of SWAPO terrorists, GENERAL PIET VISAGIE is at his wits end and his career is hanging in the balance. Against his better judgment and without proper resources and the consent of the government, he sends 25 year old OPERATOR HENK VILJOEN on a solo mission to assassinate a Russian Colonel, deep in the heart of Angola. Henk’s commitment to the RECCE’s is unfaltering and he heeds the call without hesitation. Henk is conflicted and plagued by the memory of his home, wife and infant daughter, whilst he struggles to keep his head in the game.

Mere days after his deployment, Henk seizes all radio correspondence and General Visagie declares Henk KIA (Killed In Action) in an attempt to bury the truth and avoid a political and social debacle. The last thing Visagie needs is pressure from the government. A small and unceremonious funeral attended only by Henk’s wife Nicola and their infant daughter is held in his honor. Nicola leaves the ARMY base and takes her daughter to see Henk’s parents. Upon arrival she witnesses first hand the effect Henk’s so called death had on his parents. Henk’s father Leon has spiraled downward into a world of lunacy and despair, whilst his mother, Sandra, tries to keep the family together during a dark and trying time.

Severalmonths later the tides of war have turned in favor of General Visagie. Captain Le Roux serves him with with an intelligence report, proclaiming that the locals have spotted a white soldier matching Henk’s description. Allegedly Henk was being held captive in a POW camp in Angola. Out of desperation, General Visagie deploys the services of a “Black Ops” Operator named IMPI, to track down and terminate Henk before he can open the can of political worms. Impi is the product of prolonged exposure to violence and is quaking under crippling nightmares and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Unknown to his assailants, Henk has succumbed to a fatal gunshot wound and is in fact dead. After days of tracking Henk’s movements behind enemy lines, Impi reaches his destination, only to find the mutilated corpse of his target. Hidden inside Henk’s boot, Impi discovers a small and bloody photo of Henk’s family, which strikes a chord deep inside this merchant of death. As Impi returns to Fort Doppies for a debrief, he is immediately deployed to eliminate another target – Captain Le Roux, the only man that knows the truth behind Henk’s initial deployment.

Le Roux, a decorated and by the book soldier, was coerced into taking R&R until the dust has settled. Impi makes his way to Captain Le Roux’s house, sitting quietly on a chair in his bedroom, waiting for him. Just before he pulls the trigger, Impi experiences an epiphany and slips out without Le Roux ever knowing he was there. The following morning, Impi nails the bloody photo of Henk’s family onto his wife Nicola’s front door and disappears without a trace, leaving the widow distraught and wounded.

Our story ends with a conflicted General Visagie recruiting yet another young Special Forces operator for a solo mission – A mission that will most likely claim his life. When the screen fades to black, we hear Visagie’s thoughts – “Oh God, what are we doing here?”