The Buffel Mk.II was a slightly upgraded variant of the first mass-produced ‘mine protected vehicle’. Designed to provide mobility in the African bush while maximising its occupants’ chances of survival in the case of a mine hit under the hull, it received an armoured driver’s cab installed on the left front side, next to the engine, with the troop compartment at the rear. Both the cab and troop compartment were open-topped. The hull had a v-shaped
underside positioned high above the chassis to decrease the effects of mine detonation and deflect shrapnel. The usual armament, if installed, consisted of a pintle-mounted 7.62mm light machine gun in the the troop compartment. By 1987-1988, the Buffel was in widespread use by almost all units and branches of the SADF deployed in Angola, and widely used as a troop carrier and for other transport purposes. All were painted in mid-stone overall.
(Artwork by David Bocquelet)