Not content with just meddling in Angolan and Mozambican affairs the SA air force would assist Rhodesia in its efforts in secret.
Canberra bombers were sent in to help the Rhodesian's in their efforts against ZIPRA and used to bomb training camps not only in Angola but in Zambia as well.
The Zambians had the Shenyang F-6, but the nature of these bombing raids rarely led to any interceptions.
Low level flights across vast areas of the African bush left plenty of areas where attacking aircraft could roam free, do their mischief and flee.
To illustrate just how low level these operations took place, at during one such bombing raid one of the Canberra bombers was damaged by shrapnel from its own dropped bombs.
Aside from air space violations, South Africa would make its own retaliatory ground incursion into Zambia called Operation Saffraan, after SWAPO and Zambian army shelled the town of Katimo Mulilo, in the Caprivi Strip.
The shelling had likely been instigated by SWAPO, and due to increasing difficulties with SWAPO militants and the Zambian armed forces, Zambia finally expelled SWAPO from its borders.
Where Zambia had been the main stage in the 60 and 70 during the 80's it would play a much more minor role in the South African Border war.
But South Africa would still find later excuses to visit Zambia again later in the decade.
Previous posts in this series can be found at the bottom of these chapters:
The South African Border War - 1976, The end of a chapter and the beginning of a new phase.