casspir

Irvin sketched an angular, armored military vehicle: the Casspir, a ubiquitous sight in the nation’s townships during the final decades of apartheid.

The apartheid state deployed the Casspir to patrol and terrorize Black African communities in the name of keeping “peace.”

In the 1980s, the Casspir proliferated across the country, moving from the battlefield and onto the streets.

The Casspir, too, is part of this story.

Initially improvised as a way to circumvent international sanctions against the apartheid government, the Casspir mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle was invented and produced domestically.