Short description
This publication is a memoir written by men who fought as guerrillas with the liberation forces of countries in southern Africa. The authors joined the liberation struggle as young men in the early 1960s when they left South Africa to join the ranks of MK
Long description
This publication is the first memoir written by men who fought as guerrillas with any of the liberation forces of countries in southern Africa. The authors joined the liberation struggle as young men in the early 1960s when they left South Africa to join the ranks of MK in Tanzania. After receiving military training in the Soviet Union they became members of the Luthuli Detachment which infiltrated the Wankie area of Rhodesia in 1967 to fight alongside Joshua Nkomo's ZIPRA. After numerous battles and skirmishes both were captured within Rhodesia. Thula was tried for terrorism in the High Court, Salisbury, found guilty and sentenced to death. This was later commuted to life imprisonment. He was only released from prison 13 years later after Robert Mugabe came to power. He afterwards became a successful businessman and is now a senior official in South Africa's Ministry of Defence. Daluxolo was handed over to South Africa where he was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on Robben Island. After release in 1979, disproving of the ANC's UDF affiliate's horrific necklacing tactics, he joined the IFP. With 200 others he was sent to the Caprivi Strip for training by the SADF as hit squads. He was appointed as their commander and political commissar. With him as their senior war lord the IFP's Caprivians waged an effective war against the UDF severely disrupting their activities. In 1993 Daluxolo concluded that the SADF intended to use the IFP as a spearhead for white right-wing forces to wage war against the ANC to prevent it coming to power in 1994. He sought out his old comrade-in-arms Thula Bopela who had left MK and followed a corporate career. Using him as a go-between he made contact with the ANC's Jacob Zuma and through him Nelson Mandela. He negotiated the withdrawal of his IFP hit squads from the UDF/IFP struggle. This played a key role in insuring that the IFP took part in the landmark 1994 election that was won by the ANC. Daluxolo is now a lieutenant-colonel in the SANDF.