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…
The Rabkin-Cronin Case: The Underground Propaganda Machinery
The Rabkin-Cronin Case: The Underground Propaganda Machinery During the evening of 27 July 1976, at approximately 22:40, a squad of apartheid Security Branch policemen took up positions outside a house in Wynberg, Cape Town. After knocking on the door, Anthony Holiday opened, and apartheid police Major van Tonder told him that he had information that Holiday had been engaged in communist, in fact terrorist, activities. Anthony Holiday was then arrested. At around 07:30, the following…
Lt Gen Mkhwanazi Revolution: The Unprecedented Press Conference and the Domino Rupture
Lt Gen Mkhwanazi Revolution: The Unprecedented Press Conference and the Domino Rupture Whether Lieutenant General Nhlanhla “Lucky” Sibusiso Mkhwanazi’s actions can be termed “revolutionary” depends on the definition used: while it was not a literal overthrow of the state, his unprecedented public rebellion against political superiors to expose systemic corruption can be considered institutional and culturally revolutionary for South African law enforcement. In a deeply hierarchical system, on Sunday, 6 July 2025, Mkhwanazi took the…
“Inkathagate” or “Gatshagate” Again
“Inkathagate” or “Gatshagate” Again On 25 July 1991, the ‘Weekly Mail’ newspaper claimed it had obtained copies of Security Branch documents from Brian Morrow, a former Warrant Officer in the Security Branch, relating to extensive discussions between Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) President Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi and Major Louis Botha, who was a senior apartheid Security Branch officer in Durban, about how the African National Congress (ANC) could be prevented from eroding Inkatha’s support in Natal.…
Kenneth Kaunda Rebukes British Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe
Kenneth Kaunda Rebukes British Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe On 24 July 1986, precisely 40 years ago, Zambian President, Kenneth Kaunda publicly rebuked Britain’s foreign secretary, Geoffrey Howe, accusing him and President Reagan of supporting South Africa’s apartheid government. Kaunda famously accused the British and United States governments of “kissing apartheid” and blessing South Africa’s oppressive regime. The confrontation was triggered by U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s policy speech earlier that week, where he firmly rejected imposing…
Remembering Coline Williams and ‘Robbie’ Waterwitch
Remembering Coline Williams and ‘Robbie’ Waterwitch On 23 July 1989, 22-year-old Coline Williams and 20-year-old Robert Anthony Basil “Robbie” Waterwitch died when a time-delayed explosive device detonated prematurely in a public toilet opposite the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Klipfontein Road. Williams and Waterwitch were two young, anti-apartheid freedom fighters and operatives of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). They were part of the Ashley Kriel Detachment, an underground…
King Sobhuza II’s 80th Birthday Supported by Apartheid Security Forces
King Sobhuza II’s 80th Birthday Supported by Apartheid Security Forces On 22 July 1979, Prime Minister Maphevu Dlamini thanked the apartheid South African Military Training Team for the success of the twenty-one-gun salute following King Sobhuza’s 80th birthday celebrations on that day. This was a cualmination of a secret meeting held on 8 June 1979, between Dlamini and several apartheid South African Military Intelligence officers, wherein the concept of a “common enemy” was discussed. The…