Solomon Mahlangu

Early years

Mahlangu was born in Pretoria on 10 July 1956, the second son of Martha Mahlangu. His father left in 1962 and as a result he was raised by his mother, a domestic worker. He attended Mamelodi High School up to Standard 8 (his tenth year of school), but his education was interrupted in 1976 by the riots of the Soweto uprising that resulted in school closures.

Military training

In 1976 Mahlangu fled to Mozambique and spent six month in a refugee camp near Xai Xai. From there he was taken to an African National Congress (ANC) training camp called "Engineering", in Angola. There and at Funda Camp he received training in sabotage, military combat, scouting and politics. He, George 'Lucky' Mahlangu and Mondy Motloung were then taken to Swaziland, where they were given large suitcases filled with pamphlets, rifles and hand grenades. On 11 June 1977 they crossed the border into South Africa and started making their way to Johannesburg.

The arrest

The three comrades-in-arms, each carrying a large suitcase, were climbing into a taxi in Diagonal Street in the centre of Johannesburg. An ordinary policeman became suspicious and grabbed one of the suitcases. An AK-47 assault rifle and a hand grenade fell out. All three of them fled, Lucky Mahlangu in one direction and the other two in the direction of Fordsburg. There, in Goch Street, the two sought refuge in the storage facilities of the retailer John Orr's. One of them opened fire on the employees of the company, killing two and wounding another two of them. Mahlangu and Motaung were eventually arrested.

The trial and sentence

Mahlangu's trial started in the Supreme Court on 7 November 1977. He was defended by two advocates, Messrs Ismail Mohamed, S.C. and Clifford Mailer. They faced two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and various counts under the Terrorism Act. In its judgment the court found that Mahlangu and Motaung had acted with a common purpose and that it consequently did not matter which of the two did the shooting and killing. Mahlangu was convicted on all counts. In terms of the South African law, the court was obliged to sentence an accused to death for murder, unless the accused proved mitigating circumstances. The court found that Mahlangu had failed to do so and consequently handed down the death sentence. The court refused Mahlangu leave to appeal. His lawyers then asked the Appeal Court for leave to appeal and it was again refused. Mahlangu was hanged on 6 April 1979. Before going to the gallows he reportedly said: "Tell my people that I love them and that they must continue the fight, my blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom, Aluta continua."

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The commission examined the cases of Solomon Mahlangu and Monty Motaung and found that both of them were responsible for the deaths of Mr Rupert Kessner and Mr Kenneth Wolfendale. It also found both Mahlangu and Motaung guilty of gross human rights violations. Lastly it found both the African National Congress and the commanding officer of Umkhonto we Sizwe guilty of gross human rights violations.

Legacy

Solomon Mahlangu is commemorated in the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square in his hometown of Mamelodi, Pretoria. The square is focused on a bronze statue of Mahlangu.

In the city of Durban, there was a major arterial road named 'Edwin Swales VC Drive', after a RAF bomber commander who died in 1945. Following proposals made by the eThekwini Municipality, the road was changed to honour Mahlangu.

In 2016, the main administrative building at the University of the Witwatersrand, formerly known as Senate House, was renamed Solomon Mahlangu House.

A film was created in 2017 titled Kalushi (film) which chronicles the life and times of Solomon Mahlangu.