This issue of 'Focus' covers the escalation of South African military involvement in Angola in late 1985, including support for UNITA, international responses, and the broader context of apartheid-era regional destabilisation. It includes commentary on South African and US foreign policy, and the activities and aims of the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa.

This issue documents South African destabilisation operations in Southern Africa during 1988-1989, including military attacks, support for insurgent groups (UNITA, MNR), cross-border raids, bombings, assassinations, and other forms of aggression in Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. The article references numerous primary sources and provides context on the humanitarian impact, including displacement and refugee crises.