32 Battalion ( South Africa ) 32 Battalion ( sometimes nicknamed " Buffalo Battalion " or for " The Terrible Ones " ) was a special light infantry battalion of the South African Army , composed of black and white commissioned and enlisted personnel . It was disbanded on 26 March 1993 on demand of the African National Congress prior to the South African general election , 1994 . Founded in 1975 by Colonel Jan Breytenbach of the South African Special Forces Brigade , it was later under the command of Colonels Gert Nel , Deon Ferreira ( nickname Falcon ) and Eddie Viljoen , known within the battalion by the nickname of " Big Daddy " . History . After the victory of the " Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola " ( MPLA ) in the Angolan Civil War in 1975 , many troops of its main rival , the " Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola " ( FNLA ) , found refuge in the then South African - controlled South West Africa . From these troops , Colonel Jan Breytenbach together with Commandant Sybie van der Spuy formed a unit that was initially known as Bravo Group but later renamed 32 Battalion . Initially , Bravo Group consisted of two infantry companies , a mortar platoon , an anti - tank section and a machine gun platoon , but 32 Battalion was expanded to 6 infantry companies , a recce wing , and a support company consisting of 81 mm mortar , anti - tank and machine gun sections . Unlike other SADF units , 32 Battalion was mainly deployed in southern Angola , acting as a buffer between the SADF ' s regular forces and its enemies . The unit was also used to assist the anti - communist movement of UNITA . Although it was mainly used as a counter - insurgency force it was eventually also used as a semi - conventional force , especially during the later phases of the war – particularly at the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale . As such , its involvement in the Angolan / Namibian border war was greater than that of any other unit of the SADF and it is claimed that they caused more enemy casualties than any other SADF unit . The battalion consisted of around 600 riflemen and NCOs ( non - commissioned officer s ) ( mostly Angolan nationals associated with the former FNLA ) and mainly South African officers , although commissioned military personnel from countries such as Australia , Rhodesia , Portugal and the United States were active with the battalion , especially in its early stages . As time progressed a number of SNCOs ( senior non - commissioned officers – sergeants and above ) , distinguished themselves and were commissioned , i . e . became officers themselves . After Namibian independence in 1989 , the unit was withdrawn to South Africa where it was used in the counter - insurgency role and later also in the South African townships . At the end of its era in Namibia , the unit had developed into a conventional battle group . Apart from the infantry companies and the recce company , the battalion was strengthened by a battery of 120 mm mortars , a squadron of Ratel ZT - 3 and 90 mm tank destroyers and a troop of 20 mm anti - aircraft guns mounted on Buffel infantry vehicles . Although the main bulk of the battalion was based at Buffalo on the banks of the Okavango River , the HQ was in Rundu , 200 km to the east . The Phola Park Incident . On 8 April 1992 members of 32 Battalion were involved in an incident in Phola Park , Gauteng where members of the public were shot and killed . The incident drew widespread criticism , specifically from the African National Congress and prompted the Minister of Defence to request an investigation by the Goldstone Commission . Disbanded . As one of the results of the negotiations between the National Party and the African National Congress , the unit was disbanded in March 1993 and were retired to the town of Pomfret , South Africa . Many members of the unit later helped to found or joined private military companies such as Executive Outcomes and Sandline International , which ironically fought on the side of the Angolan government against UNITA . Equatorial Guinea coup . Some of the participants in the alleged 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d ' état attempt were former members of 32 Battalion . Because they were arrested in Zimbabwe , it is not clear whether any of those arrested had full knowledge of their final destination or the alleged coup d ' état . Battle honours . The battalion was one of the most decorated units during the South African Border War , with a total of 13 Honoris Crux medals for bravery awarded to its members , second only to the South African Special Forces Brigade , whose members were awarded 46 Honoris Crux medals during the same period . In fiction . In the film " Blood Diamond " , Leonardo DiCaprio ' s Rhodesian character " Danny Archer " was a former member of 32 Battalion .