WeeklySA_AdminDEPARTED:Family decries treatment of one its tried-and-tested cadres who served the ANC both in exile and in the post-apartheid era…
By Mpikeleni Duma
Titus Mogaletloe Maleka, an African National Congress and former political prisoner, died at the 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria last week.
He died after a short illness at the age of 71. Just two weeks ago, he had travelled from Johannesburg to the Limpopo village of Ga-Marishane to bury his sister’s child, Thlakudi Maleka, a former colonel of the SANDF.
Maleka, a former Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) cadre and former political prisoner, is a son of the late Mokebe Uriah Maleka, a former MK commander and ANC chief representative in Angola from 1981 to 1988, and mum Martha Makoloane Maleka.
Born on December 27 1953, in Mzimhlophe, Soweto, he lived in Mozambique, Soviet Union (Russian Federation), and Angola while in exile before he was arrested in Groblersdal in Mpumalanga after he clandestinely entered the country in 1978.
He was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment for high treason and for belonging to a banned political organisation with the objective to overthrow the apartheid government violently.
He was part of what became known as “Pietermaritzburg Treason 12” in 1979. Only three are still alive, Vusimuzi Zulu, James Mange and Moses Molefe.
In 2019, the surviving trialists commemorated the 40th anniversary of the fateful year apartheid South Africa witnessed one of its biggest treason trials. One of the trialists, James Mange, was sentenced to death after being convicted of high treason.
But his sentence was later commuted to 20 years, which he served on Robben Island.
In their tribute to Maleka, the surviving trio from the trial, Vusimuzi Zulu, James Mange and Moses Molefe, visited their fallen compatriot’s home in Johannesburg south earlier this week to pay their last respects. They recalled that the first time they met was as accused at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
“We decided from the word go that we will not recognise the court. We told our legal defence team that they must not waste our time. And the money that must pay them for our defence could be used for MK operations,” recalled Molefe, Zulu and Mange in unison. According to Zulu, he first met Maleka briefly in Angola in 1977 – around the same time when Maleka senior, then MK commander, was also in exile, along with his son. “I never saw him again until we met at the Pietermaritzburg High Court,” reminisced Zulu. “What still remains is pain among us. (At the trial) we told our defence counsels to withdraw their service as someone high up in the ANC sold us to the apartheid security police. Our suspicions were later confirmed after our release from prison. So far nobody has taken responsibility for our betrayal.”
Also, added Zulu: “We were shattered to learn that Judge Hefer will preside over the Bulelani Ngcuka Inquiry. We raised our objections (over Hefer’s appointment) to no avail. Hefer promised to meet us and the meeting never took place. There are only three of us still alive and we want closure.”
In 2003, much to the surviving trialists’ chagrin, former Supreme Court of Appeal president Judge Josephus Johannes Francois Hefer to chair the commission of inquiry into allegations of spying made against National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) head Bulelani Ngcuka. After five months of hearings and deliberations, Hefer cleared Ngcuka of the spy claims.
Zulu added: “Hefer tried to break our spirit, but it was comrade James Mange who kept us alive and our morale high with song, and also our families who came to support us during our trial.
Maleka, better known in ANC circles as “general”, worked at ANC headquarters at Chief Albert Luthuli House in Johannesburg as a staffer until he left in the 2000s. He made many enemies and friends because of his approachable manner, helping many members of the public who came to him for help with different personal problems. Maleka was also close to former President Thabo Mbeki during his tenure at Luthuli House. He once related how he fled the country after the June 16 1976 Soweto Student Uprisings in an interview during the compilation of the unpublished memoir of his father, “Makebe Uriah Maleka: A Political Biography of a Worker in the Struggle”.
“When I re-entered South Africa, I came in a different way after ANC chief of Intelligence, the late Moses Mabhida in Mozambique advised us to use a different road and avoid being arrested. I was arrested when I was already months inside the country without being detected”.
Maleka was not happy the way he was treated in the ANC as a mere employee after he worked diligently for the organisation for so many years.
“I feel betrayed,” he would say. He would always speak out whenever he got the opportunity to speak his mind of his poor treatment by the organisation. “More than seven members of my family went into exile. Nobody recognises their contribution,” he would lament.
His nephew, Bruce Maleka, echoed his uncle’s sentiments: “My family has been at the forefront of the struggle for the liberation of our people, dating back to my grandfather who left his family and young children in the 60’s. And it has been a Maleka generational contribution to the struggle for liberation.
The ANC failed to acknowledge the contributions of individuals such as Tito, Esther and Grandpa, who have been relegated to the archives without any meaningful acknowledgement. The revolution has been truly hijacked by power mongers who care only about filling their coffers. If the ANC is to survive it has to dig down deep to reflect on its past and individuals that made it so great. Tito was an invaluable part of the struggle and no one can take that away from us, not even the new leadership.”
Maleka is survived by his wife, four children, one brother and two sisters. He will be buried in Ga-Marishane in Limpopo tomorrow.
MACDONALD TEMANE – PATHFINDER WITH IRREPRESSIBLE CHUTZPAH
VISIONARY:A man of many firsts, he extended his sphere of influence in all manner of endeavours, including the world of diamonds…
By Percy Temane
Soweto businessman MacDonald Ntau Temane, who passed away on July 1, was buried at Avalon Cemetery yesterday.
Temane was born on August 19 1962 to parents, Valarie and Andrew, both of whom were Soweto entrepreneurs who inspired his illustrious journey in the world of business. He is survived by his mother and three siblings – Peter, Makoloi and Mathebe.
His family’s business ventures provided good grounding for his formal work experience, which included a brief spell with FNB where his vision, business skills and tenacious character earned him acclaim and recognition from the executive, including the then CEO Chris Ball.
Underpinning his vision was the evolution and integration of township businesses into the mainstream South African economy on equitable terms. This led him to be an influential voice in progressive business forums such as the National Black Business Caucus.
He would go on to chart his unique professional journey in business by venturing into rough and polished diamond trading, earning a Diamond Board chairmanship position, as well as expanding his interests in a diversified portfolio that included property, management, music production and publishing and catering business.
His love for sport was primarily invested in soccer. I cannot speak of his love for soccer without mentioning that he was a proud supporter of Orlando Pirates. Other sports that he fancied include boxing and road running.
Macdonald’s entrepreneurial acumen led him to be a pathfinder, pace-setter, and often to tread where even “angels” feared. He was a man of many firsts, so much so that if we tried to keep record of them all, we would surely not fail.
Uncle Mac, Macdonald shall surely be missed by his mother, siblings, nieces, nephews and the community at large.
“Robala ka khotso Mopo, tlo, lethebele”
