The Motshabi Commission Report
The Motshabi Commission Report On 2 May 1975, the Motshabi Commission delivered an interim report on the condition of the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) existing People’s Army abroad. The “Commission on the State of Affairs in Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in East Africa” was established by the ANC Revolutionary Council on 17 April 1975, with a mandate to investigate the causes of and possible remedies for the “deterioration of the standard of military life and…
Signing the Controversial Pretoria Minute
Signing the Controversial Pretoria Minute On 6 August 1990, the Pretoria Minute became a historic agreement signed between the apartheid government, led by F.W. de Klerk, and the African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela. Building on the earlier Groote Schuur Minute, it aimed to clear legal and political roadblocks to formalise the transition toward democracy. The document focused on mutual concessions to foster a peaceful negotiation climate. The ANC agreed to suspend its…
Rioting Erupts Again in Soweto and Spreads Countrywide
Rioting Erupts Again in Soweto and Spreads Countrywide On 4 August 1976, riots erupted again in Soweto and spread to other townships in South Africa, as the country experienced a major resurgence of violence. This second wave of rioting was caused by a massive student-led march to demand the release of political detainees, which was paired with a coordinated worker stay-away. Organised by the newly formed Soweto Students’ Representative Council (SSRC) under the leadership of…
Post-Rivonia Arrests and Repression Intensified
Post-Rivonia Arrests and Repression Intensified On 3 August 1963, in the early hours of the morning, Stephen Mtshali was arrested at his aunt’s home, in Durban, and was taken to the Wentworth Police Station for interrogation by apartheid Detective Warrant Officer Nicolaas J. Grobler. On the same morning, at a house in Durban’s Windsor Park suburb, Ronnie Kasrils gave Bruno Mtolo some money to buy some meat and vegetables at Kloof, and to arrange for…
Institutional Capture of the Police and Justice System Averted
Institutional Capture of the Police and Justice System Averted The recent Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) exposé at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has strongly validated a narrative that top police generals were being deliberately targeted through a weaponised and captured criminal justice system. Rather than an intended state overthrow, the explosive evidence points to a well-orchestrated institutional capture, fabricated evidence and a sinister, coordinated plot within IDAC to systematically purge specific leadership figures from…
Bapedi Warriors Crushingly Defeat the Boer Invaders: 150 Years Ago
Bapedi Warriors Crushingly Defeat the Boer Invaders: 150 Years Ago 150 years ago, on 1 August 1876, the Bapedi warriors under the leadership of King Sekhukhune waSekwati crushingly defeated the Boers during a protracted Boer-Bapedi land ownership dispute. On 16 May 1876, the Volksraad of the Boer South African Republic declared war on Sekhukhune and his followers. A Boer commando under President T.F. Burgers, armed with 7 pounder Krupp guns, reached the Bapedi stronghold on…
Joe Gqabi: The Exceptional Revolutionary Remembered 45 Years On
Joe Gqabi: The Exceptional Revolutionary Remembered 45 Years On 45 years ago, on the evening of 31 July 1981, while driving out of his residence in Eves Crescent, which was in Salisbury’s (now Harare) Ashdown Park suburb, in Zimbabwe, the African National Congress’s (ANC) Chief Representative to Zimbabwe, Joe Gqabi was shot dead by allegedly three assailants. The assailants opened fire at close range into the head and body of Gqabi who died immediately. This…