The Abduction of September Following the Destruction of His Machinery
On 14 August 1986, just after midnight, apartheid South African policemen travelled to the outskirts of Manzini, Swaziland, to Mankanyane Police Station, where they parked their vehicles about ninety metres, on high ground, overlooking the western side of the station. Colonel Eugene de Kock was leading three “askaris”, Warrant Officer Johannes Koole, Aubrey Mngadi and Almond Nofomela, down to the station, being followed by Lieutenant Paul van Dyk and other two white officers, Izak Bosch and Freek Pienaar, commander of the Security Branch in Piet Retief.
When realising that one of the windows was not sealed properly, De Kock took a combat knife to open the catch, and entered through the window. He then bumped into a young officer in the corridor who was aiming a G3 assault rifle at him. Realising that the safety catch of the rifle was not released, De Kock pulled his pistol with a silencer, pointed it at the officer, and persuaded him to lower his rifle. The young officer then called out to the other older policeman who came from the charge office, and was then shocked by De Kock carrying the young policeman’s G3 rifle. De Kock then shouted, “September!”
A voice responded in one of the cells, which De Kock opened with a key he received from one of the Swazi policemen. In the cell, “Comrade September” (real name Glorius ‘Glory’ Lefoshile Sedibe) was with two other inmates, who were
