Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Northern Transvaal Group of Five – Part 1

On 3 January 1987, Mthetheleli Mncube (aka “Caesar”) could no longer walk properly, as his feet were full of thorns, one of his knees was giving him problems, and he was exhausted after a week without food. At that time he had shorts on and “rampantjanas” (a piece of leather tied with rags as a shoe) on his feet and his body was full of scratches.

He then decided to leave his hiding place and started walking towards some houses nearby where he found a blanket and put it on as he walked to a tarred road. As he was walking, he saw a woman with two children exiting a farm gate and approached them to ask for water. The woman promised to get him some water and walked away, leaving Mncube waiting by the gate.

After approximately twenty minutes waiting, he decided to move again, albeit for a short distance, as he was without enough strength. He then resorted to resting again and just then, an apartheid police van passed him in the direction of the farm.

After a short moment, the police van returned from the farm, and a white policeman, with a surname of Erasmus, approached him, accompanied by his black counterpart, Siphuma. The latter interpreted what Erasmus was saying, and Mncube was arrested and shoved into the van, which headed back to the farm.

At the farm they found the woman Mncube had asked for water, with her two children, and in the company of the farmer’s wife. When Erasmus asked the children if Mncube was the person that asked for water earlier on, the girl responded that he was the one.

Mncube had entered the country as part of a group of five Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) commandoes that were led by Mukhacani Justice Khosa (aka “Agrippa Mtshana”) on 24 December 1986. In November 1985, “Agrippa” had commanded a six-man unit that was involved in “Operation Cetshwayo”, the landmine warfare campaign, in the northern Transvaal. Mncube was a member of the other related unit in the same campaign driven by Julius Maliba (aka “Mancheck”).

Entering the country on Christmas Eve, they were dressed in blue overalls, as they crossed the Limpopo River under cover of darkness. After crossing a tar road, they reached a farm where they slept overnight, and on Christmas Day they were woken up by an approaching Land Rover with an open top, having six to seven children on board, and a black man to the rear of the vehicle.

Mncube, who was keeping watch while the others were sleeping, informed Agrippa that the vehicle was containing civilians and the latter told his comrades not to shoot, but to remain still. When the black man at the back of the vehicle spotted the guerrillas in the bush, he alerted the driver, who in turn stopped the Land Rover and began shooting at the guerrillas who were approximately fifteen metres away.

Agrippa then informed his comrades to retreat, considering the danger that might be posed to the children on board the vehicle if a shootout ensued. Following the shooting by the driver of the Land Rover, the apartheid South African Army’s 902 Special Service Company Reaction Unit was deployed later on Christmas Day to pursue the guerrillas under the command of Major Petrus Oosthuizen. Following the tracks at Newark farm, the Army unit was not successful in locating the guerrillas.

On 26 December 1987, the Army reaction unit continued its pursuit of the “spoor” of the five guerrillas, which ultimately led them to two large rocks. Behind one of the rocks was one man who was lying flat on his stomach, who was then ordered to come out, show his hands and give himself up. However, he was immediately killed by fire from a helicopter lurking overhead.

When the reaction unit reached the original contact spot, behind the large rocks, they found two men in blue overalls, carrying AK-47 assault rifles. When they called them out to surrender, one of the men pulled out a hand-grenade from behind his back, and both were immediately shot dead (To be continued).

Castro Khwela
Good day fellow Compatriots!