It is now nearly five months since Dr Edson Sithole, a leading African barrister and the Publicity Secretary of the Muzorewa wing of the ANC, and his teenage secretary, Miriam Mhlanga, mysteriously disappeared. Since 15 October last year, when the two were seen being hustled into a van outside the Ambassador Hotel in Salisbury, many rumours have circulated — notably concerning the involvement of the regime itself through its special security agents — but no definite news has emerged as to their whereabouts.
On 5 February, application was made in the Salisbury High Court by members of the Sithole and Mhlanga families for an order de homine exhibendo libero — the Roman-Dutch equivalent to a writ of habeas corpus — against the Minister of Law and Order, Hilary Squires, and the Defence Minister, Pieter van der Byl. The move followed intensive investigation by a private detective, Mr John Taylor, a former Rhodesian CID officer, who had been hired by the Sithole family. He claimed during his searches to have uncovered positive evidence of the involvement of the Rhodesian Special Branch in Dr Sithole's kidnapping.
A writ of habeas corpus would have required the Ministers concerned either to produce Sithole and Mhlanga by a specific date, or to show evidence why they could not do so. In the event, the inability of the petitioners to produce a vital witness — Army Corporal Amos Muradzika — brought the proceedings to a speedy close, with no date fixed for a further hearing. During the 13-minute High Court session, the Solicitor General, Mr Charles Waddington, who appeared on behalf of the two Ministers concerned, stated that even in the "unlikely event" of a writ of habeas corpus even being issued, the respondents would still be unable to produce the missing persons because "they don't know where either of them are". "At no time", he said, "has any law enforcement agency of the State in Rhodesia had anything to do with his disappearance."
Army Corporal Muradzika, a deserter from the Rhodesian African Rifles, was at that time in Malawi "for his own safety". Tracked down by Mr Taylor, he is reported to have signed an affidavit saying that he saw Dr Sithole at Inkomo Barracks outside Salisbury, four or five days after the latter's disappearance.
Inkomo Barracks is the headquarters of the para-military Selous Scouts, a special security unit which, like Special Branch II of the Rhodesian Police, comes under the direct control of the Prime Minister's office. The Selous Scouts, who took on their present form in February 1973, are officially described as "trackers". The unit, numbering over 200 men, contains both Africans and Europeans who undergo a rigorous training in parachuting, physical fitness and survival techniques. They are said to include a number of former members of the DGS, a vigilante force that operated in Mozambique under Portuguese colonialism and which established a reputation for extreme ruthlessness and brutality. The Selous Scouts themselves — along with Special Branch II — are believed to be responsible for some of the more vicious aspects of the Smith regime's counter-insurgency operations. It is probable, for example, that at least some of the "atrocities" allegedly committed by nationalist guerillas can be traced back to them. In particular they are believed to pose as guerillas from the liberation movement in order to "test out" the loyalty to the regime of African villages in the eastern border zone.
According to Africa (Feb. 1976), "Among the duties of both Special Branch II and the Scouts are secret incursions into Botswana and Zambia to keep a watch on the liberation movements and other exiles; surveillance on the internal enemies of the regime; and generally keeping a brief on the activities of freedom fighters inside the country. In October 1974, for example, they were, according to informed sources, directly responsible for the kidnapping of Ethan Dube from Francistown, Botswana."
Mr Dube, a prominent figure in ZAPU, has not been officially heard of since, but it is believed he is in detention at Bindura, and it is likely he has been tortured to extract information. The silence of the authorities about both Dube and Sithole can only give rise to the gravest fears about their welfare.
It is said that Dr Edson Sithole is now being moved every few days between different Selous Scout and Special Branch camps in Rhodesia, with a view to keeping one step ahead of any legal proceedings.
