The Incredible MK Transvaal Urban Machinery

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 police dossiers. Outside the building they burnt the station with petrol and left propaganda pamphlets behind, which read: “Remember June 1976; Remember Mahlangu. Take up arms and fight!” They then safely completed their retreat.

After their success at Moroka, the group concentrated on finding a new base, and they identified a disused gold mine, which enabled them to get more than ten metres underground. They then put their mattresses and other belongings inside and hid their weapons in the base, before moving in. These dugouts served as their house and headquarters from which they planned and executed operations. It is from this hole that in a disciplined and organised manner they took turns conducting reconnaissance and acquiring food. Nobody left the base without reason. Every movement was purposeful and timed. And, in terms of space, the dugout was not at all comfortable for four people.

It was at the previous dugout in Soweto that the lighting attack on Moroka Police Station on 3 May 1979 was undertaken. What is seldom related about this attack is that as the Police Station was burning fiercely, with the Jabulani Fire Brigade trying hastily to douse the flames, the situation was chaotic. At that moment, the G-5 Unit had complete control of the situation, as a group of residents from the neighbourhood gathered to listed to the Unit Commissar addressing them about the importance and relevance of the operation. Other members of the Unit took positions nearby, covering the brief gathering. Soon thereafter, the Unit disappeared into thin air.

All of this began towards the end of March 1979, at “Gebhuza’s House”, which was the Transvaal Urban Machinery’s headquarters, in Liberdad, Maputo, when Johannes Rasegatla told Mogoerane, Solly Shoke and Thabo Motaung that everything was ready for them in South Africa. Mogoerane, Shoke and Motaung then travelled from Maputo to Manzini, and after two days in Swaziland they entered South Africa with falsified Swazi passports. At a Johannesburg Station, the trio were met by Hlongwane, who took them to Soweto, and henceforth they became known as the G-5 Unit. They were then taken to the Underground Base in Soweto, which was in reality a dugout that they could crawl in and out of.

The Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Transvaal Urban Machinery operated largely from Mozambique and Swaziland. They called that area the Eastern Front. Siphiwe Nyanda (aka “Gebhuza”) became Commander of the Transvaal Urban Machinery early in 1979 after the death of its first commander, Selaelo Charles “Dan” Ramusi, who died of an asthma attack in a Swazi jail after he was arrested in possession of military hardware.

On 3 May 1977, the African National Congress (ANC) Revolutionary Council established a Central Headquarters (CHQ) for Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), with Joe Modise as Army Commander, Joe Slovo as Army Political Commissar and Mongameli Tshali as Army Chief of Staff. This CHQ was in turn mandated to establish Regional Headquarters (RHQ), also known as “Machineries”, which were to be located in the “Forward Areas”, bordering South Africa. The RHQs were given specific regions in South Africa in which they would be responsible for initiating the armed struggle.

Among these RHQs were the Transvaal Urban Machinery (tasked with launching the armed struggle in the urban areas of the Transvaal), and the Transvaal Rural Machinery. Natal likewise had rural and urban machineries established. These Transvaal and Natal Machineries were to be based in Swaziland, but there would also be a machinery in Botswana, which was to stretch from the Transvaal/Northern Cape west of the N1 motorway, down to Cape Town, under the leadership of Joe Modise, Keith Mokoape and Snuki Zikalala. Lesotho, which focussed on the rest of the Cape Province, reported directly to the Revolutionary Council and was commanded by Chris Hani and Lambert Moloi.

When Siphiwe Nyanda left South Africa after completing his mission, he met Moses Mabhida, who gave him the codename “Gebhuza”, as he was appointed Political Commissar and Deputy Commander of the Transvaal Urban Machinery, which was then under the command of Selaelo Charles “Dan” Ramusi. These changes in the MK Command Structure followed developments in the southern African region, which placed it squarely into the global Cold War, with the Angolan Civil War, and particularly the foreign intervention it had generated.

For instance, on 28 March 1977, Nikolai Podgorny, the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (effectively the Soviet head of state), issued a joint statement with ANC President Oliver Tambo, the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) Leader, Joshua Nkomo, and the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) President, Sam Nujoma, at the conclusion of a two-hour meeting between the four leaders in Lusaka, Zambia. According to the statement, “The Soviet Union believes that the liquidation of the last vestiges of colonialism and racism in Southern Africa is one of the most important international tasks”. Furthermore “…the Soviet people will in future permanently support the just struggle of the fighters for the liberation of Southern Africa.”

On the following day, 29 March 1977, Podgorny headed to Mozambique, while Tambo, Nujoma and Nkomo proceeded to Angola, where in Luanda they met Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, who was also on an African tour. Fidel Castro pledged to continue to render material support to the liberation movements, including the ANC and its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). The ANC was strengthened in the knowledge that the socialist countries and the non-aligned movement had continuously demonstrated their resolve to support the legitimacy of all forms of struggle including the armed struggle.

Meanwhile, on 31 March 1977, the racist South African government released a Defence White Paper in the House of Assembly calling for a “total national strategy” for defence, because apartheid South Africa was at war “whether we wish to accept it or not”. The document mentioned Soviet and Cuban intervention in Angola, which it cited as a “clear indication of Soviet imperialism which will confront Africa in future. …The relative proximity of Soviet influence and military aid has had its effect on terrorist activities against the northern states of South West Africa and on the internal situation of our country. The general trend of the events following the coup in Portugal in April 1974 has led to a state of decreased stability in areas to the north of South Africa.”

Nevertheless, the task was explicit for the national liberation movements, “The liquidation of the last vestiges of colonialism and racism in Southern Africa was one of the most important international tasks”. For the ANC the objective was unequivocal: “A liberated South Africa based on the Freedom Charter where power would firmly be in the hands of the people. This would create the real and lasting peace, prosperity and good relations amongst the independent states not only of southern Africa, but of the whole continent. The path to that goal is clear. The path is being charted by the struggling peoples of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The path consists of all forms of struggle, mass political struggle and mobilisation combined with armed struggle. This is the path of PEOPLE’S WAR!”

“That the people’s liberation wars in southern Africa are achieving results”, the ANC surmised, “can be seen by the frantic attempts of the Pretoria Boers and the imperialist to stave off their imminent collapse in Namibia and Zimbabwe. In South Africa too their position is becoming more and more precarious as the struggle advances under the leadership of the ANC and its military wing, UMKHONTO WE SIZWE” (Sechaba, July 1979).

Sources:
Umkhonto we Sizwe Combatants, “Heroes of Our Revolution”, Dawn, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1988.
Editorial, “December 16: South Africa – Heroes Day”, Sechaba, Second Quarter, 1977.
Editorial, “ANC Report to OAU Liberation Committee”, Sechaba, Third Quarter, 1977.
Editorial, “Inside South Africa: New Offensive”, Sechaba, July 1979.
Thula Simpson, “Umkhonto we Sizwe: The ANC’s Armed Struggle”, Penguin, 2016.

Castro Khwela
Good day fellow Compatriots!