A new biography of Chris Hani

Chris Hani: A Life of Courage and Compassion is the first authorised biography of the guerrilla commander, revolutionary and South African Communist Party leader whose assassination changed South African history.

Building networks from Lesotho

From Lesotho, Chris Hani built an underground network for moving weapons, guerrillas, money and political material into South Africa using operatives who looked like ordinary tourists and carefree young men.

The tourist office driver

Hani recruited Mashapha Nkuebe, a driver for the Lesotho National Tourist Office who ferried tourists in a Toyota HiAce minibus across South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique, to transport arms and ammunition.

Loading the parcel

Hani personally loaded AK-forty-sevens, grenades and ammunition at Sekhoane Lebentlele's place near Iketsetseng Private School. Nkuebe would cross into South Africa through Maseru Bridge, Van Rooyen's Gate or Telle Bridge to deliver the weapons.

Caught with weapons

On one journey from Sterkspruit with tourists and MK guerrillas, Lesotho Mounted Police found dismantled AK-forty-sevens at Telle Bridge. Lawyer Khalaki Sello, an ANC operative, negotiated their release but police confiscated the weapons.

Hani risks himself

Hani himself travelled in the minibus to Ficksburg in the Free State. Before crossing the border, he and other comrades were dropped downstream on the Caledon River banks while Nkuebe took tourists to the official…

“Comrade Chris would not give you an assignment that he himself would not undertake”

Police knew his name

Afrikaner police at the border held up pictures of Hani and asked which passenger was him.An informer had told them Hani would be in the vehicle.He was not there.

“Which one of you is Hani?”

Nkuebe's sacrifice

Mashapha Nkuebe never received payment for smuggling weapons and had nothing personally to gain. Without people like him, the ANC would not have succeeded in committing sabotage inside South Africa.

Recruiting young operatives

Hani asked his brother-in-law Mophethe Sekamane to recruit trusted friends. The nineteen-year-old brought Reggie Tekateka, Moss Nkofo, Bonner Nelson Seakhoa, Chuku Ntšihlele and Bataung Mohapeloa. Only the last three joined Mophethe to work for Hani.

“I am new here. I need some assistance. Bring me four or five friends of yours that you trust.”

The nice-time boys

Sekamane, Seakhoa, Mohapeloa and Ntšihlele were seen as nice-time boys from good middle-class families who hired minibuses from Hertz or International Freight and Travel Services to attend music festivals with girlfriends.

Couriers with a secret mission

The young men danced all night at music concerts or gatecrashed parties in Gaborone, Botswana, then loaded boxes and suitcases of political contraband into minibuses the next morning, including copies of the ANC mouth organ…

Training and false names

Chris Hani and Lambert Moloi trained the young operatives to handle firearms to protect themselves from police or the enemy. They were given false names. Bonner's nom de guerre was Solomon Cindi.

Delivering to regional contacts

The operatives ferried boxes from Hani in Maseru to Siphiwe Nyanda or Jacob Zuma in Mozambique. In Swaziland, contact Stan Mabizela, a teacher in Manzini, received monthly cash deliveries and provided guns from Mozambique.

Arms caches at the border

Trained guerrillas entered South Africa unarmed and found weapons at prearranged caches.This made escape easier.Bonner believed Solomon Mahlangu would not have been caught in June nineteen seventy-seven if Hani had already started planting arms caches.

Seen as fun people

At border posts and roadblocks, police let the operatives pass. Bonner recalls, at border posts and roadblocks Boers would let us pass. They saw us as fun people with girls and music.

“At border posts and roadblocks Boers would let us pass. They saw us as fun people with girls and music.”

Wanted posters end the operation

The operatives saw their names on wanted posters at border posts and knew the security police had discovered them. They had to escape from Lesotho. The ANC sent Bonner to Bulgaria to study journalism.

Continuing from the diplomatic service

After returning from Bulgaria, Bonner worked for the Lesotho Ministry of Foreign Affairs and joined the diplomatic service.

Hani's political teaching

Matli, recruited from the University of Fort Hare, became Hani's bodyguard in Lesotho.Hani taught him that Boers belonged to South Africa just like any other South African, Black or White, shocking Matli's earlier political orientation.

“Comrade Chris told us we had lived with the Boers for centuries now, and we could not say just because they abused us, they didn't qualify to be citizens of this country.”

Unity over ideology

Hani told his comrades to focus on what united them rather than differences.He said the common enemy was the apartheid government.Matli recalls, Chris made us humans.Chris raised us not only politically but as wholesome people.

“Chris made us humans. Chris raised us not only politically but as wholesome people.”