Haunted by the relentless apartheid-era surveillance, Mbulelo Goniwe, nephew of slain activist Matthew Goniwe, told the Cradock Four inquest in the Gqeberha high court on Monday that the state’s constant monitoring at the time had left him fearful, mistrustful and emotionally scarred.
Mbulelo, 67, said his privacy had been invaded and his right to security violated.
He said he had been left with wounds that “anger me to this day”.
“I was unsure who to speak to and would shiver when hearing the sound of a hippo [police armoured vehicle].
“Your sleep pattern becomes irregular. You would wake up and find a spot to hide. It angers me to this day,” Mbulelo said.
The effect of this, he said, was that he had become distant and untrusting of people.
Mbulelo started his testimony by detailing the role his uncle had played during his childhood, until his political activism led to their arrests.
The group, which became known as the Cradock Four, comprised activists Goniwe, Sparrow Mkhonto, Sicelo Mhlauli and Fort Calata.
According to the versions put forward during previous inquiries and submissions to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Cradock Four had attended a meeting in June 1985 with the United Democratic Front (UDF) in what was then Port Elizabeth.
They left the meeting but never made it home to Cradock.
It is believed they were detained at a roadblock, held hostage and tortured. Their charred remains were found near Bluewater Bay in the days that followed.
“He [Goniwe] embraced his role [in the family] and became a role model to all of us. We wanted to be like him,” Mbulelo said.
When it was time for Mbulelo to go through the initiation ritual, he was driven by Mhlauli to visit Goniwe at Wellington prison in Mthatha, where he was serving four years for communism-related charges, to counsel him about the ritual.
Goniwe urged Mhlauli to ensure that Mbulelo would continue his studies.
It was during this time, while living in proximity to Mhlauli in Dimbaza, that Mbulelo was recruited to join the ANC.
Mbulelo said he had been actively involved in a number of structures with Goniwe. These included the Cradock Residents’ Association (Cradora) and the Cradock Youth Association (Cradoya), which were set up after the death of ANC stalwart James Calata.
A community consultative process was undertaken that led to Cradora’s formation, where Goniwe was elected president.
Later, Cradoya was formed and Fort Calata was brought in to give it a military effect.
He said these structures were built to help deal with their challenges as black people. This was their “rallying front”.
Sparrow Mkhonto was also a member.
When there was a call by ANC leader Oliver Tambo to make the apartheid state ungovernable, they established structures such as Amabutho, which acted as law enforcers and provided political education to communities.
A paralegal office and early childhood centres were also stablished.
The introduction of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) to schools was another phase of their activism.
He said Goniwe allowed Cosas to operate at Sam Xhallie Secondary School, where he was the principal.
Goniwe also formed a workers’ union and women’s organisation. These structures, Mbulelo said, offered a fertile ground to recruit people to participate in the underground work of the ANC.
After Goniwe and Madoda Jacobs, the leader of Cosas, were arrested in 1984, Mbulelo was also detained.
They were handcuffed to a door panel, driven to Johannesburg at night, and placed at Sun City prison while Goniwe and Jacobs were in Pollsmoor, Cape Town.
Mbulelo said he believed there was an intrinsic link between the murder of the Pebco Three and Cradock Four.
The Pebco Three were three anti-apartheid activists – Sipho Hashe, Champion Galela and Qaqawuli Godolozi – who were abducted and subsequently murdered in 1985 by members of the security police
He said there had been meetings with Hashe and other civil society organisations to raise resources for their work.
Mbulelo said Goniwe’s daughter died, not having recovered from the psychological effect of watching images of her father’s charred body displayed in public.
“She became emotionally distant and frozen at times,” he said. He added that Goniwe’s children had all suffered similar psychological effects.
Mbulelo said he was also arrested a number of times.
“The intention was not to prevent crime but was vengeful and meant to break me as a person,” he said.
The ultimate murder of the Cradock Four in June 1985 resulted in the disruption of structures and other activists went into hiding.
“People were left leaderless. The flock was not shepherded. Structures were replicated with state informers,” he said.
“The impact of that is felt today in the democratic South Africa.”
He said the security branch did not succeed in dislodging the fight for freedom.
Goniwe, he said, had a steady income taking care of the family. But they were left shattered after his death, and this would be felt for generations.
The inquest hearing will continue on Tuesday.
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