1956 - 1979

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Cadre, Youth Activist

Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu became a celebrated martyr when he died at the hands of the Apartheid state, despite a local and worldwide public outcry to save him from the death penalty.

He left the country in 1976 to train as an MK cadre and was part of the June 16 Detachment made up mainly of students who participated in the 1976 student uprisings. Mahlangu returned to South Africa in 1977 to assist with student protests. A few days after arrival, Mahlangu and his friends, heavily armed, were confronted by police as they boarded a taxi in Johannesburg. A gun battle ensued and two civilians were killed.

The man who had fired the fatal shots, Mondy Motloung, was taken into custody with Mahlangu. Both were subjected to police brutality to the extent that Motloung suffered brain damage and could not stand trial. Mahlangu however was still found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, as permitted by law at the time. His last words are believed to have been words of encouragement, My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight.

Did You Know?

The State, fearing mass reprisals after Mahlangus death, quickly buried his body in an unmarked grave in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, breaking the expectation it would be returned to his family. In 1993 his remains were exhumed and returned to the surviving members who reburied him in Mamelodi, Soweto.