Print Share Contribute Poqo in the Western Cape and Transkei in the early 1960s Mbekweni Township in Paarl, 1963. Source: Baileys African History Archive (BAHA), Permission: Africa Media Online The formation of the Pan Africanist Congress’ (PAC) Africanist Task Force (ATF) preceded the formation of party’s military wing Poqo in February 1960. After its formation in 1959, the PAC embarked on an anti pass campaign through peaceful protest. In preparation for the campaign an AFT was formed as a para-military structure of the PAC. This was a contingency structure designed to take over the running of the party’s affairs should the leadership of the PAC be arrested and imprisoned. In addition the AFT functioned as a security structure that provided protection for its leadership. After the antipass campaign which culminated in the Sharpeville and Langa shootings in March 1960, it became evident that the state was intolerant towards political dissent. On 7 April 1960 the government banned the PAC and other political organisations. In response, the task force took on military outlook after a National Working Committee of the PAC issued a directive to John Nyathi Pokela to revive the task force. The ATF evolved to become Poqo, the PAC’s armed wing. Through Poqo, the PAC adopted violence as a legitimate means of achieving its objective of overthrowing the government. This was before the formation African National Congress (ANC)’s armed wing uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). The ban on the PAC came within a year of the party’s existence. Thus, the party at this point lacked the organizational experience the ANC developed over nearly 50 years to deal with the heavy handed nature of the crackdown meted by the state on its political activists. Secondly, “the slogan of ‘No bail, no defence, no fine!’ adopted by the PAC during the March 1960 anti-pass (or, as the PAC called it, Positive Action) campaign resulted in many of its leaders being served with relatively long prison sentences”. The PAC’s founding President Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was sentenced to three years imprisonment on a charge of incitement, General Secretary Potlako Kitchener Leballo received a two year sentence as did most of the national executive committee members, as well as a large number of national, provincial and regional organizers. The rise of Poqo in the Western Cape While the Poqo remained inactive for most of 1960 and part of 1961, it was revived in 1961 with the formation of underground cells particularly in the Western Cape. The township of Mbekweni in Paarl and Langa in Cape Town became prominent Poqo areas of operation. In December 1961 the PAC began its campaign of mobilising support to violently overthrow the state by distributing pamphlets in Cape Town threatening violence against whites. More significantly though, Poqo unlike MK and the African Resistance Movement (ARM) directed its activities at the white population in general. In addition to attacking whites, it was Poqo’s avowed policy to attack and kill Black people who were some way or another linked to the state. For instance, known or suspected police informers, policemen and chiefs in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape known to be instruments of the Apartheid government became primary targets. A lorry carrying Chief Kaizer Matanzima followers after searching for Poqo activists with the assistance of the police, February 1963. Photographer: Drum Photographer, Baileys African History Archive (BAHA), Permission: Africa Media Online. The government’s vigorous enforcement of influx control which was a source of irritation among the people gave Poqo an entry point. The organisation offered to assist members and prospective members. New arrivals needing permits were helped on condition they enlisted. In Paarl it was Poqo’s challenge to the excesses of the Director of the Department of Bantu Administration (DBA) J. H. le Roux and the senior clerk, Ngcukana that earned it support. Le Roux and Ngcukana were known to manipulate the influx control system to enrich themselves. They enforced substantial fines for the violation of pass laws and in some cases used pass law offenders as cheap labour on le Roux’s farm. Le Roux was charged with corruption but was acquitted as witnesseses were intimidated. These among other issues enabled Poqo ingratiate itself among black people in Mbekweni township of Paarl and other townships around Cape Town. Towards the end of 1962 Poqo became active particularly in the Transkei and Western Cape. Between 1962 and 1963 Poqo activists carried out attacks against both black and white targets in what they believed were preparations for a general countrywide uprising scheduled for April 1963. Individuals associated with the apartheid state both black and white in Langa and Paarl were attacked. A number of murders committed in and around Paarl in 1962 were attributed to Poqo. On 27 January 1962 Klaas Hoza, a cleaner and clerk at the municipal office’s DBA was hacked to death with axes and sharp instruments on the farm Rust-en-werk after he was accused of spying on Poqo. Several men linked to Poqo in Paarl were charged with the murder. One of the accused, 48-year old Johannes Notyawe, a Poqo General Force member surrendered himself to the police and confessed to Hoza’s murder. On 16 March 1962 Poqo convened a meeting where a decision to attack policemen was taken. Later that evening at about 10pm, a group of about 50 alleged members of Poqo set out to ambush police patrols. Two police vans were attacked with stones and petrol bombs. In the ensuing confrontation a policeman named Moyi was removed from one of the vans and killed. On 14 April 1962 police received information about an impending Poqo attack on municipal staff in Mbekweni Location. A police patrol was immediately dispatched to prevent the attack and protect the staff. They were met by a group of about 120 men believed to Poqo members. In the clashes that followed, three policemen including the commanding officer were wounded. Police responded by raiding the hostel at Mbekweni hoping to determine the identities of those behind the attack. But no one at the hostel was prepared to point out those responsible, showing the fear that Poqo had instilled in inmates and township residents. George Tshisa, suspected of informing on Poqo activists to Ngcukana, was attacked and murdered on 29 April 1962. Notyawe, implicated in Hoza killing, along with Vanele Matikinca were accused for Tshisa’s murder. In their testimony they described how Tshisa was hacked, doused with an inflammable substance and set alight. They were both convicted and sentenced to death. Some of Poqo’s attacks were clearly intended to intimidate people in the areas where they were present. In one such attack on 16 June 1962 three women, Magriet (17), Sarah Kamos (21) and Susie Noriet were killed for attending a party at a men’s hostel. Poqo members had warned hosts that the party should be off limits to women. The bodies of the three women were found hacked and with stab wounds. Magriet sustained 13 wounds inflicted with assegais, daggers and axes. Kamos had 12 wounds and her head was split with an axe and her fingers chopped off. Noriet had 13 stab wounds. Three men confirmed as Poqo members were charged with the murders. One was acquitted while the other two, Joseph Mqitsane and Aaron Njokwane were convicted and sentenced to death. In court all three denied involvement in the murders and claimed they had never heard of Poqo. These murders could easily be considered acts of wanton criminality and Poqo was alive to that damaging possibility. To drive the message home that the murders were politically motivated, Poqo put up a poster at the hostel warning inmates that in future not only women attending these parties will be attacked but the hosts as well. Hitherto, all those attacked and murdered by Poqo were Africans believed to either have defied the organisation’s ruling, such as women attending a party at the men’s hostel or those informing on its activities. But its intention of attacking whites had not been shelved. On 22 September 1962, after prayer rituals and taking medicine in the form of white powder for protection, Poqo members set out to attack Maurice Berger, a shop owner in Paarl. Wearing balaclavas to cover their faces, the men entered the shop just before closing time, attacked Berger with axes killing him and injuring his coloured shop assistant. On 26 September 1962 a policeman, Mthobeli Nathaniel Magwaca was murdered in what was clearly a politically motivated killing that was becoming a pattern. Poqo members Golifile Tile, Gladstone Nqulwana and two others were charged and convicted of the murder. Of the four, only Nqulwana was sentenced to death for his role in the case. Milton Chumani Matshiki was decapitated on 28 October 1962. Matshiki was accused of having helped police identify and apprehend many of the Poqo operatives held for the numerous attacks during
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:50:16 +0000
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