Operation Marion was a domestic military operation by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the 1980s. The origins can be traced back to the murder of Piet Retief on 6 February 1838 by the Zulu king Dingane, which led to an alliance between the Boer (a subgroup of the Afrikaner) people and the Zulus, whereby Afrikaner security was deemed to be closely linked to Zulu security.[1]