The Incredible MK Transvaal Urban Machinery
On the morning of 4 May 1979, various newspapers reported that on the evening of 3 May 1979, guerrillas, which consisted of Nicholas Nicky “Ntsizwa” Hlongwane, Simon Thele Mogoerane, Marcus Thabo Motaung and Solly Shoke, successfully attacked the Moroka Police Station, killing and injuring a number of police officials and wrecking and destroying hundreds of police dossiers.
In the evening of 3 May 1979, Hlongwane, Mogoerane, Motaung and Shoke took a taxi from Baragwanath Hospital to a field next to Moroka Police Station, where they changed into brown overalls and boots, and retrieved some weapons that had been concealed nearby. They then proceeded in two groups, with Mogoerane and Motaung walking about five metres behind Shoke and Hlongwane, arriving at the front gate of the police station just a few minutes after 21:00. Shoke and Hlongwane opened fire at Constable Brian Temba, who was on guard duty at the gate, hitting him with twice with bullets.
Meanwhile, Mogoerane followed Shoke and Hlongwane into the corrugated-iron building that was the main structure of the police station, into a lighted room, where they opened fire at Constable Edward Moremi, who was on duty at the front desk. Other police officers who were in the room managed to flee behind the office and took cover in the cells. The guerrillas then threw grenades into the enquiries office and archive room, wrecking the archives and destroying hundreds of poli
