First Piet Retief Ghastly MK Natal Machinery Ambush

First Piet Retief Ghastly MK Natal Machinery Ambush

In the evening of 8 June 1988, a Toyota Corolla approached from the direction of Houtkop with its lights dimmed and the left indicator light on. The driver, Gladstone Mose, stopped the car, climbed out and ran around the front. At this time, apartheid Security Branch Colonel Eugene de Kock was primed to storm the Corolla from its left-hand side, while one of his colleagues was pointing a high-intensity hand-held searchlight at the vehicle, which revealed that its windows had been completely misted up from the inside.

Three or four seconds later, the left rear window started to unwind, which De Kock took as his cue to open fire on the left front door with his Uzi 9-mm calibre sub-machine pistol. His colleagues than began firing on the back door on the left-hand side and also on the rear window. De Kock fired about twelve shots before ordering his colleagues to cease fire.

As he walked towards the car, the right back door opened and a woman fell out, displaying some signs of life, and appeared as though she was trying to speak. “Shoot her!” De Kock shouted at Ras, who complied and fired some shots at her. In the front, left-hand side of the car lay a black woman, at the back left-hand door an Indian man, and in the middle of the back seat another black woman, all of whom were dead. The dead Indian man was Surendra Lenny Naidoo, who was involved in the attack at Amichand Rajbansi’s house in August 1985. The three black women were Lindiwe Mthembu, Ntsikelelo June-Rose Cothoza and Makhosi Nyoka, who were all members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Reconnaissance group.

When Frederik Pienaar searched the car, a slight problem emerged, as there were no weapons in the vehicle or on the deceased persons. After a brief discussion, Lieutenant Ras told Colonel de Kock that he had an extra pistol and a hand grenade. Ras then placed Lenny Naidoo’s hand around the pistol and fired two shots. He then gave two hand grenades to Pienaar, who deposited them in the group’s carry bags.

It all started in the morning of 8 June, when Frederik Pienaar approached Colonel Eugene de Kock about the information he had about a group of MK members that was expected to enter the country from Swaziland, and De Kock was expected to deal with them. According to Pienaar, the “terrorists” were going to cross the border illegally in the vicinity of the Houtkop border post, and they were expected to follow the road to Piet Retief, from where they were to proceed to Durban. Pienaar mentioned that their source was of such a nature that they could plant one of their own agents as the driver.

Later that day, Pienaar, De Kock and Captain Gladstone Mose (an “Askari” who was a Veteran of the Wankie Campaign known as “Jackson Mlenze” within the MK ranks) were at the spot near the border with Swaziland that was readily identifiable because it was right next to a large blue-gum tree. That evening, Pienaar, De Kock, Marthinus Ras, Flip Theron, Jury Hayes and Gerrie Barnard took up positions near the blue-gum tree, where they awaited the Toyota Corolla carrying the guerrillas to appear.

A member of the African National Congress (ANC), Lita Mazibuko, was responsible for the transport arrangements of the group of MK personnel on 8 June 1988. Her handlers at Piet Retief Security Branch provided transport and the driver for the group, after which Mazibuko was paid for her services. The divisional headquarters of the Eastern Transvaal Security Branch was based at Middelburg, with branches in Ermelo (a sub-branch of Piet Retief), Witbank, Nelspruit, Secunda, Lebombo and Burgersfort. Members of the Eastern Transvaal Security Branch were also based at several border posts, including Oshoek, Golela, Houtkop, and Nerston.

On this day, 8 June 1988, a joint Vlakplaas C1 Unit and the Eastern Transvaal Security Branch team ambushed the vehicle they believed was carrying armed MK operatives near Piet Retief. Three women and a man, who were all unarmed, were killed. In order to give the impression that a shoot-out had occurred, shots were fired from inside the vehicle and arms were planted in the vehicle. Apartheid Colonel Eugene de Kock testified to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that he had informed his superior, Brigadier Schoon, that there had been a “problem with regards to the weapons”, but that it had been rectified.

On the 8 June 1988 Piet Retief ambush, then Captain Frederick Pienaar, commander of the Piet Retief sub-branch, initially acted as the investigating officer, despite the fact that he had been part of the operation. In most instances, applicants, such as Captain Frederick Pienaar, testified to the TRC that they had both participated in an operation and acted as investigating officer afterwards, thus ensuring that the true facts did not emerge. During the inquest into the Piet Retief ambush, for example, false evidence excluded the fact that the group had been unarmed.

Sources:
African National Congress, “Further Submissions and Responses by the African National Congress to Questions Raised by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation”, 12 May 1997.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report”, Vol. 6, 21 March 2003.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report”, Vol. 2, 29 October 1998.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Report: Victim Findings”, Vol. 7, August 2002.
Arushan Naidoo, “Lenny Naidu: The Making of a Hero”, Independent Online, 24 June 2018.
Thula Simpson, “Umkhonto we Sizwe: The ANC’s Armed Struggle”, Penguin, 2016.
Jacques Pauw, “Into the Heart of Darkness: Confessions of Apartheid’s Assassins”, Jonathan Ball, 1997.

Castro Khwela
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