Nongqai Vol 17 No 8 – War in Peace: ISU East Rand
WAR IN PEACE: THE STORY OF THE MEN WHO POLICED A COUNTRY AT WAR WITH ITSELF
Sgt Nick Howarth
Abstract
War in Peace: The Truth About the South African Police’s East Rand Riot Unit, 1986–1994 by Sgt Nick Howarth is a firsthand account of policing during one of the most volatile periods in South African history. Unlike political or academic narratives, this book is written from the perspective of a frontline riot policeman who served in the East Rand during the final years of apartheid and the transition to democracy. Drawing on real incidents, lived experiences and the emotional realities of daily service, Howarth captures the fear, confusion, courage, camaraderie and dark humour that shaped the lives of Internal Stability Division members. The book honours the thousands of riot police officers and their families whose sacrifices were seldom acknowledged, and provides younger and international readers with rare insight into a world usually described from the outside. Its global reception underscores the universal human themes of loyalty, survival, loss and brotherhood. War in Peace stands as an important historical record of a country in conflict, and a tribute to the men who served during those turbulent years.
Keywords
East Rand Riot Unit, South African Police, Internal Stability Division, apartheid era, transition to democracy, township violence, frontline policing, Nick Howarth, police memoir, riot police 1986–1994, South African Police history, lived experience, camaraderie, conflict, law enforcement, political violence, human stories, international readership, policing under pressure, historical record.
WAR IN PEACE
War in Peace: The Truth About the South African Police’s East Rand Riot Unit, 1986–1994, written by former East Rand Riot Unit Reaction Unit Sergeant Nick Howarth, is more than a police memoir. It is a firsthand account of one of the most turbulent and complicated periods in South African history.
Much has been written about the final years of apartheid and South Africa’s transition to democracy. Most of those accounts were written by politicians, academics, journalists and historians. War in Peace is different because it comes directly from someone who was on the ground.
Nick Howarth served for nine years in the South African Police, operating with the East Rand Riot Unit during the violent township conflict of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was not observing events from an office, a television studio or the safety of a press gallery. He was working at the coalface, alongside the policemen who were sent into volatile communities to restore order under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
The book tells the story from that perspective.
Based on truth and firsthand experience
War in Peace is based on real experiences, actual incidents and the people who lived through them. It records the fear, confusion, courage, brotherhood and dark humour that became part of daily life for riot police officers serving during that era.
This is not a sanitised account written with the comfort of hindsight. Nor does it pretend that history was simple. South Africa was deeply divided, political violence was escalating, and policemen were expected to make immediate decisions in situations that few people today could fully imagine.
Howarth writes as somebody who was there: a young policeman who eventually became a sergeant, led men into dangerous situations and witnessed history unfolding from street level.
That is what gives the book its authenticity. It does not merely describe events—it explains what it felt like to live and work through them.
A story for the riot police officers of that era
Although War in Peace is Nick Howarth’s personal story, it also belongs to the thousands of riot police officers and Internal Stability Division members who served throughout South Africa during those difficult years.
Many of these men carried experiences that were seldom properly acknowledged. They worked long hours, endured extreme pressure and repeatedly returned to communities where violence could erupt without warning. Their friendships were forged under conditions that created bonds lasting a lifetime.
The book also recognises the wives and families who waited at home, often not knowing when—or in what condition—their husbands, fathers and sons would return.
For former riot police officers, War in Peace will revive memories of the vehicles, uniforms, police stations, townships, camaraderie and unmistakable humour of the job. For their families, it provides an opportunity to understand more clearly what these men experienced and why those years remained with them long after their service had ended.
For younger readers and international audiences, the book offers access to a part of South African history that is frequently discussed but rarely described by the policemen who experienced it firsthand.
An international story
Since its release, War in Peace has attracted readers well beyond South Africa. Its international success demonstrates that this is not merely a local police story. It is a human story about ordinary men placed in extraordinary circumstances.
Readers from around the world have connected with its themes of courage, loyalty, survival, loss and brotherhood. The political setting is uniquely South African, but the human experiences are universal.
The book neither asks readers to agree with every decision made during that era nor attempts to rewrite history. It simply insists that the experiences of the men who served on the ground deserve to be recorded and remembered.
History is incomplete when only one side is permitted to speak.
Raw. Gritty. Human.
War in Peace is an important record of South Africa between 1986 and 1994—a country moving toward democracy while many of its streets remained trapped in conflict.
It is a tribute to the policemen who served, the colleagues they lost, the families who supported them and the friendships that survived long after the uniforms were put away.
Above all, it is a reminder that peace does not always mean the war is over. For those who lived through it, the memories remain.
True stories. Real history. Never forgotten.
War in Peace by Sgt Nick Howarth is available internationally. Place your order from anywhere in the world at www.townshiptales.com.
