comrades

While many young men skipped the country during the 1980s many others stayed behind. Sipho Mutsi was one of hundreds of students from the Welkom area detained by police. But unlike most of his comrades Sipho never made it home.

‘Thank you comrades, can we settle down please.’ // The last word however belonged to the workers of COSATU. They were not amused by the apologies, explanations and sometimes fancy footwork of big business.

a state of emergency across the land. Ten days after the state of emergency ten young men disappeared from Mamelodi. It is known only that they were comrades. Like most black youth at the time they were prepared to do battle against the big men with their mighty powers. Ten years later, this week, ...

... around the older traditionalist headmen or ‘fathers’ and younger militant activists or Maqabane. The ‘fathers’ controlled Crossroads, the Comrades held the satellite camps. By 1986 the pass laws were scrapped, but at this moment of victory for the township and squatter residents ...

turned to work for the state during his imprisonment. By 1986 Ngxobongwana was the main witdoek leader in Crossroads, now working against his former Comrades. Their conflict came to a head when the state decided to upgrade Crossroads. This meant that the squatter camps had to be cleared and their ...

Mrs. Mandela said I should take the minibus and go fetch those boys from the Methodist centre and I went to Winnie to find out if she had really said that. And I took the bus, after she said yes, with the other comrades.

Steve Nkwenya, an attorney at the time, represented many members of the then Wesselton Action Committee and so-called comrades who were defending their community.

By the 15th of June, 1986 many of the experienced activists were in detention or in the underground. But across the valley a group of young comrades had gathered on a hill to prepare for the next day’s June 16 commemoration. Again the enemy came in the night. When they had finished their job six ...

... state of emergency, the army moved into our township and I understand that was the situation nationally. That should have been the major factor why comrades in large numbers left the country. Because they could see that if they don’t leave now, all of them, they were going to be, like some of ...

... vigilante wit doek and police activity designed to flush out progressives as well as affect the state’s removals, led to open warfare between the comrades and ”fathers.” The result: Many homes burnt down, 50 000 homeless, countless deaths. Lenox Maphalane was on his way home to his mother ...

Although the comrades were no match for the gang, retaliation was on the cards. // I think the community realised that this was only a few people. At least if we faced the police then it’s better than facing many people who are coming from different sides. They decided this people should go, and ...

The members of the security branch who took part in the torture of the comrades in Botshabelo are as follows: Lieutenant Shaw, Lieutenant Erasmus, Warrant Officer Ramasoeu, Warrant Officer Tsoametsi, Warrant Officer Gillian, Warrant Officer Koch, Sergeant Mamome, Warrant Officer Cronje, Warrant ...

... or the impimpi tag would decide your fate, often a horrific one. As were the Masupa family in Daveyton, whose house was burnt to ashes after comrades decided that one member, Hendrik Masupa was an informer. Four inhabitants burnt to death and four others were injured. Phinias Ndlovu who ...

... between those in the struggle and those perceived to be sell-outs. Metabo Mantsunyane was a member of the Dikwankwetla party in QwaQwa. The comrades branded her a traitor and burnt her house three times. // After they’ve burnt my house we went to the police station and the police came ...

... The first person they met was Philip Matela who is now asking for amnesty for their murder. // They said to me they were looking for the ANC comrades and we knew that the right wingers and the Russian vigilante group were going to attack people in the ...

... including one in London and the killing of more than 40 people. According to this list at least three policemen were killed by their own comrades. A whole list of other explosions are also mentioned: Khotso House, Joubert Park, JG Strydom hospital, a community centre in Cape Town and ...

... unit in Botshabelo and executed their first and last operation at Wesselsdal farm. // When we arrived there I knocked at the door together with my comrades and a white lady came, that is the wife of Mr. Smith. We asked her where was her husband. We are there to request petrol. We didn’t wait ...

Could there possibly be ANC cabinet ministers and senior government officials who spied on their comrades for the apartheid police? The claim was first made during Jacques Hechter’s evidence and then amplified by his legal counsel, Roelof du Plessis. // There are people in the current ...

... this law. Police claimed that he had committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell, and then denied that he was ever tortured. This week former comrades gave testimony. // I heard a loud sound, the policemen were celebrating. They were saying ”we got Looksmart.” // Rivonia trialist and ...

... on charges of killing activist David Webster. His former girlfriends and wife have been spilling the beans about him and now some of his former comrades are also beginning to speak out. Inevitably, region 6 of the CCB came up this past week. But not unexpectedly, the information did not go ...