Apartheid Murder in Matola: 30 January 1981
“… there have never been any ANC bases or camps in Mozambique. There are residences … and if the qualification to make a house a base is only that the people in it can use a gun, then let us be told now. Because every white man in South Africa can use a gun and there are weapons in every white household. Are these bases too?”
– Oliver Tambo (14 February 1981) –
(Adapted from the Editorial, “Apartheid Murder in Matola”, Sechaba, March Issue, 1981).
It was on Friday, 30 January 1981, at 02:00 am when the racist forces, their faces painted black and uniforms covered in graffiti, attacked not just 3 African National Congress (ANC) residences, killing 12 of our comrades but invaded Mozambique, and independent African state and murdered a foreign national, Mr Jose Ramos, a Portuguese technician under contract to the state-owned Mozambique Electricity Company.
The comrades who were murdered included Montso “Obadi” Mokgabudi, who died several days later from his injuries, Mduduzi “Nkululeko” Guma, Lancelot “Sobantu” Hadebe, Krishna “Goodwin” Rabilal, Mandla Daka, Daniel Molokisi, Steven Ngcobo, Vusumzi Ngwema, Thabang Bookolane, Collin Khumalo, Levinson Mankankaza, Felix Magubane and Albert Mahutso. Themba “John” Dimba and Mbulelo “Moss” Musi were among those who were injured and taken to hospital in Maputo.
The South African press called this crime a “military victory”, a “dar
