VEJANAND INDIJI RAMLAKAN
Operation Butterfly was an operation conceived by Umkhonto weSizwe and it was conceived as a result of the long lines of command and logistics that existed in the early '80s where because of the need to work from the headquarters, forward headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia through the front-line, front areas, and in our particular case, Swaziland.  There were numerous difficulties in communication and in ensuring a degree of control as well as accelerating the goal and the number of operations by Umkhonto weSizwe against the apartheid forces.
	It was conceived and used, in present day terminology, there was a flattening of structures with a short term communication between commanders and units on the ground.  What happened was that the need to then have a highly developed infrastructure in the areas surrounding South Africa would be dispensed with and we would be able to concentrate using high technology communication directly with the headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia and other areas designated for that purpose.  People in the Front Line States in the command position would be moved ahead into the Republic of South Africa so that they could be in closer contact and accelerate and minimise the time for decision meeting on operational issues.  Overall, that is the operational concept of Operation Butterfly.
	It also involved another important element.  A direct and closer link with the political underground of the ANC during that period.  Our operations, as Umkhonto weSizwe, were subject to the primacy of the political objective to the primacy of the political struggle.  Although there were four pillars of the struggle, armed struggle was the pivot around which the struggle against apartheid moved.  But although it was the pivot, it was subject to political objective which was to ensure the end of apartheid and freedom for the oppressed.
	As a result of that operation, people, Sihle Mbongwa, was sent into the country to take over command and to be involved in the general direction at the highest level of Operation Butterfly.  We fell under his command and reported directly to him.  All this, however, is within the context of guerrilla warfare.  With the need to know secrecy, operational readiness, operational development, all being primary to our relationship to him as a cadre.  So unlike a conventional force where there would be a parade of troops who were all genuine and authentic members of Operation Butterfly, ourselves as a command cadre had minimal contact except through the actual commanders who reported to us.
	So what also was primary to Operation Butterfly was the need to form larger operations directed against the apartheid regime.  Therefore, operations would be conducted with the combination of units working together who would meet for the purposes of the operation and they would then, once the operation was complete, then resort to the normal guerrilla warfare mode of existence. 
	Operation Butterfly used the terminology the Area Political Military Committee, the APMC, and identified that as a critical component of the need to advance the activities of the armed struggle and as a part of this, development of the Area Political Military Committee, people were sent into the country to take over political command from the underground political structures of the ANC and one was involved in the transport of these people.  I actually served also as a liaison between the political and the military arms of the Political Military Committee.  If aspects are not clear I'm prepared to give information on that.