South African state officials have used the signing of the Nkomati Accord with Mozambique on 16 March as an opportunity to make statements regarding the future of armed struggle against apartheid. Referring to actions against ANC members in a number of surrounding countries, the finding of arms caches and the shooting and arrest of a number of guerillas, they have predicted a decline in the number of armed actions. Most of these statements have been directed at the ANC after the signing of the Accord. Continuing incidents of armed action and expressions of support for the liberation movement suggest that the Accord has not achieved what the government had hoped it would.
The Minister of Law and Order, Louis le Grange, announced on 22 June that 18 identified members of the ANC as well as numerous 'active supporters' had been detained by the security police in the previous three months. Among those arrested he said were 'people highly trained in the use of explosives, sophisticated electronic timing devices, car bombs, limpet mines and a variety of firearms'.
The Minister also claimed that information obtained from some of the detained ANC members had led the police to various caches of arms and explosives where demolition mines, limpet mines and TNT were found.
Acts of sabotage to which the 'active supporters' were said to be related included the attacks on an electricity sub-station at Lamontville, near Durban, on 21 April 1981; the sabotage of transformers near the Camden power station in the Eastern Transvaal on 21 July 1981; and the damaging of a ventilation pipe near Dunnottar on 5 July 1982. It was not disclosed when those detained would appear in court (Star 22.6.84).
One trial arising out of these alleged arms finds began in Johannesburg on 8 June (see MHLANZI AND OTHERS in POLITICAL TRIALS in this issue).
On the same occasion when the Minister of Law and Order announced the arrest of 18 ANC members, he said that seven members of the ANC had died in shootouts with the police.
Two of those killed were alleged ANC insurgents who died in a shootout with the police in Verulam, near Durban, on 8 June. Police, supported by a helicopter, tracked the alleged guerillas after 'a heavy clash in the bush'. Police took possession of limpet mines, explosives and arms and ammunition (CT/Star 11.6.84).
Another four guerillas died in Durban on 14 May after a shootout following a rocket attack by the four on an oil refinery. The shootout took place after a car chase.
After attacking the refinery the four men made a getaway in a car. A pursuing police van was stopped by gunfire from the guerillas. At a roadblock they threw a hand grenade at the police and managed to escape. Another police vehicle gave chase and punctured the tyres of the getaway car with gunfire. The men then took shelter in a construction site office and a four-hour gun battle ensued. The four were eventually overcome by the police. Three workers in a nearby paint depot died when the depot caught fire as a result of the shooting (CT/DD/RDM 15.4.84).
A seventh alleged ANC insurgent was shot dead outside a Pretoria township on 4 January. A police statement said he died after a shootout with the police. A teargas canister was thrown into the house in which he had taken refuge. It was claimed that the man was a nephew of one of the people responsible for the car-bomb explosion outside the SADF headquarters in Pretoria in May 1983 (DD 5.1.84).
The press reported the shooting of another 'ANC guerilla' in March but it appears that this person was not counted in the Minister's list. The person in question was shot near Grasmere in the Transvaal on 12 March after a police search for guerillas in a field. The search began the previous night after two policemen on patrol were shot at from a car. The car was later forced off the road by another police van but the three occupants escaped into the field. The others managed to escape after a grenade was thrown at the police.
There was considerable confusion in the press about the nature of this incident as during the search for the 'guerillas' the police were engaged in a shootout with a gang of house thieves. Those alleged to have been 'ANC guerillas' in this incident may have been members of the same gang (RDM 13.3.84).
The state imposed strict funeral arrangements for the four guerillas mentioned above who were killed in a shootout with police after their rocket attack on the Mobil Oil Refinery in Durban on 13 May.
The four dead men were identified as Vuyisile Mafrai MATROOS (25) of Port Elizabeth, Clifford BROWN (23) of East London, Mzwakhe MTHWEBANA (24) of Port Elizabeth and Vuyisile DE VOS (25) of Port Elizabeth.
The restrictions on the funerals stipulated that they could not take place on a weekend or public holiday, that the services had to take place inside a building, that the coffins and mourners had to be transported to the graveyards by vehicle, that the funerals were to take place between 8am and 2pm, that the funeral procession had to take the shortest routes between mortuary and church and between church and cemetery, and that there were to be no posters, placards, pamphlets or singing of freedom songs at the burials.
In the case of at least one of the men the state attempted to keep his death a secret. The father of Vuyisile de Vos was taken from his work by security police and questioned about the whereabouts of his son. He was then told that his son was dead, told not to tell anyone about the death and made to sign a declaration giving the police the right to bury his son's body. Mr de Vos later told his wife and the family put the matter in the hands of a lawyer. On 29 May the de Vos family was issued an order placing severe restrictions on the conduct of the funeral.
The family of Vuyisile Matroos, who also received an order on the conduct of the funeral, took the matter to the Port Elizabeth Supreme Court. They attempted to have the order set aside on the grounds that it interfered with traditional burial procedures.
In recent years funerals of political activists in South Africa have become political gatherings at which strong anti-apartheid sentiments have been expressed and support for the liberation movement shown. To counter this, clauses restricting political funerals were included in the new Internal Security Act when it was introduced in July 1982 (see FOCUS 40 p.1).
Attempts by the state to suppress political funerals have in fact proved difficult to impose and on numerous occasions mourners have ignored the imposed stipulations.
About 5,000 people attended the funeral of Matroos and de Vos in Port Elizabeth on 12 June. The coffins were draped with flags in the black, green and gold colours of the ANC. Many schoolchildren joined the procession as well as people from all over the country. A banner of the United Democratic Front was displayed before the coffins were lowered into the graves. Members from a number of civic, community, political and youth organisations and trade unions attended (DD 13.6.84).
Nearly 3,000 students at the University of the Western Cape held a memorial meeting for Clifford Brown on 29 May. The meeting was addressed by a number of speakers who had known Brown during his student days (DD/RDM 26.5.84; S 29.5.84; SNS 11.6.84).
Over 6,000 people wearing UDF T-shirts and ANC colours attended the funeral of Ben LANGA on 26 May. Langa, a Pietermaritzburg activist, was assassinated on 20 May. The service was addressed by the UDF President, Archie Gumede, who read a message from 'Uncle Oliver' in Lusaka, believed to be Oliver Tambo, the ANC President (SNS 11.6.84).
Damage caused by armed actions against the state has been conservatively estimated at R600 million since 1976. This figure was given in a document circulated by the security police in June. The figures also indicate a marked increase in the number armed actions since the end of 1980. Out of a total of 217 incidents since 1976, 149 took place in the period from 1981 to the end of 1983 (Cit 25.6.84).
Nineteen eighty three more armed actions against the apartheid regime than in any previous year. Over the year 53 incidents were recorded in the press. Of these 25 were attacks against economic targets such as railway lines, electricity installations and fuel installations. Another 14 were actions against government buildings and facilities such as courts and apartheid administration offices. Three actions against military and police targets were recorded, including the car-bomb attack on the SADF headquarters in Pretoria in May 1983. The discovery by the police of five arms caches were reported in the press. The number of shootouts and skirmishes with guerillas was reported as five but others may have gone unreported in the press.
The ANC was the only organisation which claimed responsibility for any guerilla actions. Most were attributed to the ANC by the police if no organisation claimed responsibility.
In the first six months of 1984, 20 incidents relating to the armed struggle were reported in the press. Eight of these took place after the signing of the Nkomati Accord. Eleven were acts of sabotage against economic installations such as railway lines, electricity substations, fuel depots and refineries. Five were attacks against government buildings such as courts, bantustan offices in the urban areas and other apartheid offices. Four shootouts between police and guerillas were reported.
Of all incidents where an organisation claimed responsibility the ANC was the organisation which did so, the police pronounced the ANC responsible for all others.
Oliver Tambo, the President of the ANC, has refuted claims that the Nkomati Accord was a severe blow against the armed liberation of South Africa. He said in a radio interview on 4 July that the ANC considered the Accord as a temporary setback which would affect Umkhonto we Sizwe activities only as far as transit facilities were concerned. He said the only ANC bases were inside South Africa and that attacks had never been launched from neighbouring countries (BBC 6.7.84).
