comrades

Solomon Mahlangu was one of the many UDF comrades who got a taste of Mbokodo’s venom. He too was taken to the Siyabuswa hall and tortured. // At about 6 pm. They came at the chief minister of that time, mister SS Skosana. Then he asked me several questions then he said to me. ”Mister Mahlangu ...

With this alleged incriminating receipt Zenzile’s life was now in danger from his own comrades. He dropped out of sight, but his political career had ended and with it his good reputation as an activist.

... I think they were drinking as I understood it, chatting over some beers. And he told them, but you guys who done so much harm to your fellow comrades we are getting back to South Africa not very long and some of you are going to have to answer to that. One guy, Mike, just stood up and ...

... on the right hand side of the road in that valley called Ntshongozima. And a large number of youth there joined the UDF and became Amaqabane, comrades. In fact, even a lot of the adults joined the UDF. About September, I think it was about October, the 9th of October Dave Ntombela who is ...

to indicate these words indicate the blow to my little heart. I could not associate death with you. I remember the long discussions we held with the comrades, as I sat on your lap stroking your beard. Oh the secrets I had, the intrigue. I felt very important to be included. I remember your words, ...

... and all these kinds of people. I remember when I first raised the question about necklacing on the death of Maki Skosana everyone who spoke, my comrades, spoke about it as commenting on it. And they made it clear to me, you should stop commenting to condemn, right because we are not ...

... the declaration of a national state of emergency in July the burnt and mutilated bodies of Cradock High School principle Matthew Goniwe and three comrades were found in a deserted beach area outside Port Elizabeth. Police said circumstances surrounding their deaths were ...

... 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 ...

... Lamane a fellow member of COSAS tells more of the police setup of Zenzile. // On this night, they arrived at the house and there were few other comrades with us in the house. Zenzile was not there. So, they got in there, there were some two or three other black security policemen with them, ...

Now this group of killers left and the Comrades came thereafter. When they arrived they called us all back. They said ‘please come back from your hiding place there …’ I searched all over the shack area for my wife and my child, I couldn’t find them and another person told me that ‘I’ve ...

... And then what happened was some Boers told people in my organisation they’re not really looking for me, because I was the informer. // And then comrades dealt out their own rough justice. // The first thing that happened, my own brothers hit me over the head with a very heavy object. I still ...

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.

To the human rights violations hearings in the Free State town of Parys now. We have listened to many painful stories the last year, but what really stood out at the Parys hearings were the bizarre and inhumane methods of torture used by the police and the comrades during the 1980s and 1990s.

... Koeberg nuclear plant near Cape Town. A commander in this crack sabotage unit was this young man called Barney Molokoane. In 1985 he and two of his comrades were on their way back to their base in Swaziland when their luck ran out at a police ...

... men were taken to the sports field and then, after the parade was over, they were formed into two groups, the Inkatha was let go and then the Comrades were sjambokked by the police, sjambokked and then arrested. Of course they went into detention because a state of emergency had been ...

In regard to the Heidelberg tavern attack, I was supposed to throw a hand grenade but I did not do so. At the time I did not think it wise to do so because I would almost certainly have killed my comrades as they were retreating from the attack on the tavern.

in their hands. // I was listening to the radio at six o’clock then we hear about this thing, that there was a bomb blast at Phoenix. I told to my comrades that they were giving me the instruction to come back to the country that Phoenix was not our part. We were not asked to concentrate on the ...

The morning, DiWitty came to me and said that his heart was very sore. The comrades, whom he had done everything for, given his house, now they were taking his wife.

I’m now going to sing you a poem which was written by one of our comrades and a fellow writer, a Congress of South African writer also, he’s name is Keorapetse Willy Kgositsile and his song is called ”Red Song.”