Nothing goes better together than South Africa and hockey shoes? No, not ice hockey.
Typically played on grass or hard packed dirt, field hockey is substantially different from ice hockey (obviously.) As you can imagine, countries around the equator can't find ice to save their lives, but field hockey remains a popular pastime especially in the warmer commonwealth (or ex-commonwealth countries.)
With the commercialization of synthetic rubber and the advent of new shoe manufacturing methods post WWII, all varieties of 'field hockey' shoes exploded in popularity. Brands like Converse, Palladium, and Chuck Taylor were nothing short of a worldwide phenomenon.
So hockey shoes were light weight, cool, athletic, and ideal for moving quickly.
That sounds like it could come in handy.
The formative years of more recent Central & Sub-Saharan African Culture was during the Bush War & Border wars — Conflicts which dominated South Africa and Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) during the Cold War. Outside of Africa and certain military circles both of these wars have faded into obscurity...
At the height of the Border and Bush wars, The South African Military themselves geographically, economically, and diplomatically isolated. They would be facing off against the best efforts of the USSR, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, and several members of the Soviet Bloc. All of whom would be providing training, arms, logistics and advisory support to a rainbow of communist terrorists, militant groups, and Sub-Saharan nation states. The resulting violence was characterized by its fast pace and indiscriminate brutality — with frequent attacks on public infrastructure and civilian populations.
This period of counter-insurgency combat in the African savanna and wildlands forced tactical and material improvisation. Scrambling to stay competitive, South Africa would develop doctrines and equipment that would stay relevant for decades to come.
South Africa’s elite Recce units (short for “Reconnaissance”) were the cream of the crop in counterinsurgency. They were experts in tracking & long-range patrols far behind enemy lines, often in small groups. In truth though, they did far more. They became the “go-to” fighting force for nearly everything, from airborne raids to underwater demolitions.
With all that trekking and punishing embargos came the need for lighter, faster footwear than the stiff & heavy European styled combat boots that were commonly issued.
Limited by attrition and embargos, Troopies frequently purchased their own kit on the private market...
They turned to civilian hockey shoes, otherwise affectionately known by their nickname, "takkies". Similar to many designs from the 60s with their canvas upper and rubber sole they were produced by the local shoe conglomerate Bata.
Inexpensive (being quite literally the cheapest shoes from Bata at the time) and effective, perfect for when you want to ruck the entirety of the African savannah in hot pursuit of some “terrs” or a mooi meisle.
They already didn’t leave the same boot print as standard issue combat boots did, but they commonly sanded the soles flat — In the dusty conditions of the bush, the flat soles left faded prints, disguising fresh tracks as weeks old.
This allowed some measure of plausible deniability and concealment for any Recces & Rhodies operating somewhere the commies didn't want them to be.
In our various dealings with South African suppliers and quite a few imports of the legendary Waxi Boot, we kept stumbling on Bata.
They were without a doubt a footwear juggernaut in Africa, and knowing the illustrious history of the Takkies we did everything we could to finally get in contact with them. Turns out, the Zimbabwean factory is still pumping out shoes, albeit much more modern models.
Theoretically, if they wanted to, they could go full retro and make the very same models they did in the 70s and 80s...
And bata did express the desire to bring back their classics to us.
The famous "takkies" could only be made in Zimbabwe, at the very same factory that made them while Zimbabwe was still Rhodesia.
The Takkies of this exact form are almost entirely off the commercial market, and we worked directly with Bata to bring them back by using their archival models as a reference. Make no mistake, besides a different tag (with our name on it), these are 100% authentic to the OGs the Selous Scouts & Recces wore.
Flexible, lightweight and covert, the Bata Takkies are an excellent choice whether your combat involves any bushwhacking or it’s just trying to survive downtown in an American city.
These shoes are worth every penny and they feel like wearing almost nothing at all. I can also understand why they’re called sneakers with how quiet they are
I've been wearing these since July, and have thoroughly worn them in. It's definitely best to wear with thick wool socks (I use Fox River medium weight merino wool socks), just as the rhodies did. I'm definitely going to be buying another pair for when these wear out. For the price, they're perfect.
I love these. They fit perfectly and look awesome. I put red shoe strings in them
I was standing in line for a body pillow of Evangelion Unit 01 when I felt eyes on me.
Not just any eyes. These were military-surplus-liner-gloved, eyeliner-enhanced, soul-piercing eyes. I turned. There they stood—a milsurp femboy, complete with East German rain camo pants, a Yugoslavian M59 field cap, and a Soviet tanker jacket two sizes too big. They took one look at my takkies. Their breath hitched.
“Are those... Bata takkies? From Kommando Store?”
I smirked. “Size 10, straight from Kommando store.”
They bit their lip.
“Functional. Historic. Low-profile tread. You know... I have a Rhodesian brush stroke jacket in my car. For cosplay.
You should come see it.”
One moment I was holding a body pillow, the next I was being dragged past a group of confused Naruto cosplayers by someone who looked like they were ready to capture the Suez Canal in 1973.
We spent the next hour discussing load-bearing gear, cold war aesthetics, and historical firearms.
By the end of the day, one thing was clear:
Women fear me.
Milsurp femboy wants me.
All because I wore the takkies.
Kommando Store drip never misses.
Thank you KS
I really liked the overall look and feel of the shoes, they are perfect for an SADF inspired recon rig. The canvas will no doubt hold up nicely against dust, dirt, and foliage. I was surprised to know that the old Bata factory was still open and producing shoes in Zimbabwe. The only gripe I had with the shoes was that one of the plastic covers that go on the end of the laces fell off when i was lacing it. I'm not going to knock any stars off though because Kommando Store has really good quality control, so I'm sure my complaint is just a one off event.
