OR Tambo Reacts to the Silverton Siege

On 29 January 1980, ANC President, OR Tambo, issued a statement acknowledging Silverton Trio’s membership of the African National Congress (ANC) and made a tribute to their actions. “The Apartheid security forces stormed the bank and our comrades were slaughtered in the process. Nevertheless, even under such conditions the Silverton Three acted with restraint and did not injure any of the civilians in the bank”.

The statement followed an incident on 25 January 1980, wherein three Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Cadres – Stephen Mafoko, Humphrey Makhubo and Wilfred Madela – were allegedly on their way to carry out a planned MK sabotage mission on petrol depots at Watloo, near Mamelodi. En route, ‘the Trio’ realised they were being tailed by the police. In an attempt to escape, they took refuge in a branch of Volkskas Bank in Silverton, Pretoria.

Based on the witnesses’ statements, just before 13:00, on 25 January 1980, in Pretoria Street, Silverton, witnesses were walking past the north entrance of a branch of the Volskas Bank, and they saw two men remove a couple of rifles from a bag before rushing into the bank. The men hustled everyone back into the building. One of the gunmen said his group were freedom fighters interested in “Black Power” only, and that they did not want any money, as they had been trained in Angola.

Apartheid Police Captain, Christiaan de Swardt, arrived at the bank and saw about twenty-five hostages, white men and women, with their hands on their heads. Before them was a black man with an AK-47 automatic rifle strapped over his shoulder. During that time, apartheid Police Captain Erasmus came to De Swardt, gave him a report, and pointed out to another guerrilla with an AK-47, sitting on his haunches on top of a counter by a window on the left-side of the bank. This man’s rifle was pointed at a woman sitting before him, and there were also two grenades on the counter next to him.

The guerrilla was telling the woman, who was later identified as Phoebe Chatwind, to write that they were from the ANC, that they wanted Nelson Mandela and James Mange to be freed, so that they could depart to Angola with him. After Chatwind had written Mange, the guerrilla instructed her to add also the “Pietermaritzburg 12” as well as “Remember Solomon Mahlangu”. The guerrilla then told Chatwind to write down the Freedom Charter’s demands.

At about 13:30, when Chatwind was sent outside and handed the note containing the demands to Captain de Swardt, he in turn gave a report to the then Commissioner of Police, General Geldenhuys, who had flown up from Cape Town to be at the scene. Geldenhuys ordered that the “terrorists” must be eliminated and gave De Swardt a code to use to alert the police snipers to open fire.

Captain de Swardt gave the code-word and two of the guerrillas who were standing near one of the bank’s entrances were immediately shot dead by the snipers on the mezzanine floor. Another apartheid policeman, called Brazelle, began shooting at the third guerrilla who began to sag forward, slowly. When the guerrilla collapsed, he had pulled out the pin of the F1 grenade. The grenade landed about three metres from Brazelle and exploded, taking his legs away. After the explosion, the guerrilla had regained possession of his AK-47, and began firing wildly, killing one woman hostage. He was then shot dead by one of the policemen.

Professor Loubser, who performed autopsies on the bodies of the guerrillas responsible for the Silverton siege identified one as Stephen Fanie Mafoko, the second as Wilfred Madela, and the last as Humphrey Makhubo. Mafoko was the lead spokesman and also the last of the three to be killed.

The Silverton Siege was one of the most dramatic and violent operations linked to MK that had ever taken place inside South Africa. ANC President, Oliver Tambo, was not actually comfortable about what had taken place, yet he continued praising the courage and sacrifice of the combatants. In fact, he was made aware that the cadres had been caught out and had to make an instant, desperate stand that would publicise their act. Tambo explained that “For 20 years, we have resorted to prudent and selective violence. We have attacked material targets and not individuals. We wanted to be sure that nobody suffered the slightest scratch. In reply to that, our people were killed, imprisoned, and tortured, and it is becoming unreasonable to pay so dearly for our actions.”

In contrast, the formal statement issued by the ANC leadership was confusing, as it did not specifically approve of the action of the Silverton MK cadres. However, despite the losses, the overwhelming majority of Black people inside the country responded positively towards the MK operation, since they recognised the message to be part of armed propaganda, sounding a warning to the apartheid regime that Umkhonto we Sizwe was alive and determined to liberate South Africa. Accordingly, 10 000 mourners attended the funeral in Soweto of one of the MK combatants who fell in the siege.

Mayibuye! I-Afrika!

Castro Khwela
Good morning fellow Compatriots!