Staff Photographer
The committee formed in 1989 to deal with the growing Winnie Madikizela-Mandela scandal wrote a desperate letter to Oliver Tambo. Here, for the first time, is that letter in full
In January 1989, when word began circulating in Soweto of the kidnapping of four boys Gabriel Mekgwe, Kenneth Kgase, Thabiso Mono and Stompie Moeketsi Seipei — by Winnie Madikizela-Mandelas gang, the Mandela Football Club, community leaders got together and formed a crisis committee to try and deal with the scandal.
The committee consisted of key figures in the liberation struggle: the Reverend Frank Chikane, now personal adviser to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki; Cyril Ramaphosa, subsequently African National Congress secretary general; Sydney Mufamadi, now Minister of Police; Aubrey Moekoena, former head of the Release Nelson Mandela Committee; Sister Bernard Ncube, now an MP, and the Reverend Beyers Naude, former general secretary of the South African Council of Churches.
In mid-January — before the murder of Dr Abu Baker Asvat, allegedly killed on Madikizela-Mandelas orders — the committe was frightened by the implications of Madikizela-Mandelas involvement in the scandal, and sent the following report to the president of the then banned ANC, Oliver Tambo, in Lusaka.
We publish in full for the first time in South Africa.
‘ The Crisis Committee was approached by Comrades from Tumahole as well as by the Methodist church who alleged that Winnies boys have kidnapped 5 kids who were staying at the Methodist Church Mission house in Orlando West with Rev Paul Verryn.
We approached Winnie who promised to give us access to the kids so that we could see for ourselves. She immediately asserted that they came to her house voluntarily because they were tired of being sodomised by the priest who was giving them sanctuary. She promised that the kids would confirm that to us when we see them. (The names of the kidnapped kids are: 1. Gabriel Mekgwe/Ikageng Potchefstrom, 2. Thabiso Mono/Ikageng Potchefstrom, 3. Katiza Cebekhulu /Hammersdale, 4. Moeketsi better known as Stompie to his comrades/ Tumahole, Parys and 5. Kenny/Pretoria.)
When we approached Winnie we did not divulge to her that we knew the number of kids involved. The reason for this was that Stompie, the 14-year-old kid from Tumahole, was feared dead by our informants. Their fears were based on Kennys testimony to the effect that he last saw Stompie when the latter was taken away for further interrogations by the Football Club fellows.
Apparently Stompie was by then already badly assaulted. So much that according to Kenny, he could not even walk. Kenny managed to escape and he is presently hospitalised as a result of the heavy torture he received in the hands of the Football Club.
We have produced Gabriel Mekgwe, Thabiso Mono and Katiza Cebekhulu to the committee. When we interviewed them, both Gabriel Mekgwe and Thabiso Mono tried to tell us that they left the mission house voluntarily and asked Winnie for protection against Rev Paul Verryns sodomy.
During the course of the interview, we noticed that both of them had scars on their bodies — scars which were quite fresh. They denied having been assaulted. They maintained that the injuries on their bodies were sustained when they fell from trees at the Mission House. It is an improbable coincidence that of the 16 or so kids who lived at the mission house, the Reverend could sodomise only those who had the propensity to climb trees.
When we interviewed Katiza Cebekhulu, he came across as a person who understood no language other than Zulu, somewhere along the way, we gained an impression that he is a maverick. This prompted us to concentrate on additional issues. We broke him. Consequently, we established the following from him:
- That both Gabriel and Thabiso were heavily assaulted, Stompie and Kenny were also assaulted.
- That he [Katiza] was instructed to contribute in assaulting the four. He himself was not assaulted.
- He believed that Kenny had escaped but he suspected that Stompie was dead.
- He [Katiza] before running away from Hammersdale, was working with the CR Swart security branch. He maintains that he did this because of poverty. He was, according to him, rejected by both the UDF [United Democratic Front] and Inkatha. He reckons both organisations were after him and he therefore decided to leave the area (Hammersdale).
Winnie later told us that she has sent both Katiza and Xoliswa [Falati, later Winnies co-accused in the eventual kidnapping trial] to Lusaka. This is what prompted us to take this step of communicating with you hopefully whilst the two are in Lusaka. We believed that Xoliswa (as is reflected in the memorandum alluded to above), can help us understand her role in the whole rigmarole. This is necessary because she seems to be very close to both Winnie and the whole Football Club. She was heavily implicated in the information we received during our investigations. Interestingly, Zinzi [Winnies daughter] later told us that Kenny had escaped. She made no mention of Stompie. This reinforced our suspicion about Stompie. We also kept mum about Stompie at that stage.
All organisational formations that are Soweto-based held a meeting to discuss the issue. Present at the meeting were Methodist priests including Peter Storey, both SM [Mufamadi] and our sister from the Crisis Committee attended the meeting. Aub Mok [Moekoena] was unable to attend because he is house-arrested (6pm-6am). Gabriel Mekgwe and Mhabiso Mono came to the meeting. They had since been released we understand following the instructions from yourself and Comrade Madiba [Nelson Mandela, then still in jail].
Both Gabriel and Thabiso said at the meeting that they were heavily assaulted by the Football Club. They allege that Winnie herself also took part in assaulting them. They were not taken to a doctor but were treated by members of the Football Club. After recuperating, they were integrated into Winnies staff. They were made to clean the yard and were drafted into teams that take turns to guard the house at night.
According to both Gabriel and Thabiso, they were told what to say to the Crisis Committee. At that stage they obliged because they were still captive. They withdrew almost everything they had told us including the allegation that Rev Paul Verryn sodomised them. The meeting took the following resolutions:
- That Winnie be approached and be instructed to produce Stompie.
- That all progressive organisations should no longer give her a platform.
- That the Football Club be dismantled forthwith lest the community dismantle the club for her.
- That from now henceforth, she must desist from creating an impression that she speaks on behalf of the people.
- That neither Krish Naidoo nor any other progressive lawyer in the country, should act for her. (Apparently, Krishs partners have taken a decision to sever ties with her. Krish seems to be reluctant to do so. We advised him not to put his practice in jeopardy by going against the decision of his partners. Besides, our understanding was that he was long [ago] asked not to act for the family).
We were later informed that those resolutions were later ratified by the Cosatu Johannesburg Shopsteward Council. When Winnie was informed about the decisions of the meeting, her immediate response was to demand a list of all the people who were at the meeting. She seems to think that she is above the community! She shows utter contempt for both the Crisis Committee and the community. She has started accusing the Crisis Committee of all sorts of petty things, like:
- That the Crisis Committee is conniving with the community. Reason for the accusation: when the community organisations invited us to the meeting we obliged.
- The Crisis Committee communicates with Madiba and OR [Tambo] behind her back.
- The Crisis Committee is assisting the police by investigating this abduction allegation.
- The SACC and the Christian Institute [transparent references to Frank and Beyers] are wolves in sheepskins.
This she said to our faces. She does not seem to know that the Christian Institute was banned years ago.
When we insisted on demanding Stompie, she said that we must leave this to the police. We are raising this issues because we are imploring you to act on the following:
- Xoliswa and Katiza.
- Help us map out the way forward in relation to the following fundamentals pertaining to Winnies political life:
a) Is there any point in continuing to maintain the Crisis Committee ? We promise that if you feel so, we will continue to make our humble contribution. However, your input will be necessary ie in helping redefine the new terms of operation designed to meet this new ghastly situation that is developing before our very eyes.
b) Is there a possibility (at the moment we dont see any) of reintegrating Winnie into the community? Some ideas are required regarding to this.
She told us and she repeat[ed] this to a Church delegation made [up] of Rev Otto Mbangula (Methodist), Fr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa and Bishop Buthelezi, that she was contemplating holding a press conference in which she will publicly announce that she is resigning from the ANC. We do not know what this means! We asked her to hold back pending a meeting between her and a full complement of the Crisis Committee which can only take place in mid-February, given that both FC [Chikane] and BN [Ncube] are still abroad. ‘
CAPTION — Child martyr: Stompie Moeketsi Seipei (top), slain by the Mandela Football Club, and crisis committee members Cyril Ramaphosa (below, left) and Frank Chikane (right)