This period of counter-insurgency combat in the African savanna and wildlands forced tactical and material improvisation. Scrambling to stay competitive, South Africa and Rhodesia would develop doctrines and equipment that would stay relevant for decades to come.

Like many South African designs, the Waxi Boot is essentially a standardized field improvisation. Fighting in the bush necessitated two things, long term endurance, and bursts of high mobility during close contact.

Traditional combat boots provided neither — especially when you consider the sweltering heat of Africa. With this in mind, many South African and Rhodesian soldiers opted to wear their physical training footwear instead of their issued combat boots.

The most popular choices were takkies (hockey shoes) or commercial high tops from Converse and others.

The Waxi boot was the brainchild of South Africa’s elite Recce units (short for “Reconnaissance”). The cream of the SADF, Recce were experts in both long-range combat reconnaissance and counter-insurgency.

In truth though, they did far more. Recce quickly became the “go-to” fighting force for nearly everything, from airborne raids to underwater demolitions.

Limited by attrition and embargos, Recce frequently purchased their own kit on the private market. This included the first Waxi boots, which were made to order for individual soldiers.