The name 'Casspir' is an anagram of the abbreviations of the customer, the South African Police (SAP), and the design authority, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR - Applied Chemistry Unit that later became MECHEM). The Casspir was designed as a mine protected APC for rural counter insurgency, this vehicle was used for urban counter insurgency and civil unrest.
The Nyala armored personnel carrier (APC) was named after the Antelope of the same name. The Nyala APC was intended for urban counter insurgency and civil unrest, it does have off road capability.
