Siphiwe Mvuyane

Siphiwe Mvuyane was a black South African police officer who died on May 9, 1993. He gained notoriety as a trigger happy police officer. During the period of "low intensity warfare" in South Africa which largely pitted the African National Congress (ANC) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Siphiwe Mvuyane was on the side of the IFP. He was also renowned for killing ANC activists. The African National Congress (ANC) is currently the governing party in South Africa whereas the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is currently the opposition party in the South African parliament, but the IFP leadership denied its involvement in orchestrating and sanctioning political violence in the furtherance of its political objectives.[1]

Prologue

Siphiwe Mvuyane was a fearsome resident of Umlazi Township at the time of his death, and he attended Menzi High School which is situated at the same township but his hometown was Pietermaritzburg. After completing high school he joined the now defunct South African Police (SAP) around 1986, after which he transferred to the now defunct KwaZulu Police (KZP) around 1987-88.[2] He was married. He carried out most of his killings under the auspices of KZP. He was stationed at Umlazi Police Station which was popularly known as "GG Police Station".[3]

The ANC intelligence (now defunct) allegedly succeeded in recruiting informers at the GG Police Station who would spy on Siphiwe Mvuyane as it was believed that Siphiwe Mvuyane was abusing his position as a police officer to kill ANC activists. The ANC intelligence would know beforehand the cases that would be allocated to Siphiwe Mvuyane. They would quickly investigate the cases allocated to Siphiwe Mvuyane and forewarn the 'culprits' about the coming of Siphiwe Mvuyane. Inevitably this scheme produced unintended consequences in that pure criminals ended up being tipped-off as most of the cases Siphiwe Mvuyane officially investigated were not political. Siphiwe Mvuyane's political killings took place clandestinely after hours but he also did commit killings during the course of his official duties.

There is no official date for the commencement of the "low intensity warfare" in South Africa but it is generally accepted that the warfare commenced following the fallout between the IFP and ANC at the famous 1979 London meeting. The early '80s saw political unrest and "black on black" violence in the country begin in earnest. It would be a distortion of history if it is not mentioned that a third force played a role in perpetuating this warfare.

Controversy

Siphiwe Mvuyane was in combat (during a period of low intensity warfare in South Africa) with the armed military wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He allegedly killed many underground operatives of MK trained from Russia and other African countries. Siphiwe Mvuyane was allegedly a policeman by day (investigating normal criminal cases) and a paid assassin by night (killing ANC activists). In the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reports, one of the applicants indicated that Mvuyane was a commander of various killing squads in the East Coast of South Africa, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province.[4]

When political violence reached epic proportions in the early 90's, international investors and negotiators such as John Aitchison of the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg and Kim Hodgson of the Inkatha Institute in Durban became worried at the pace at which black political leaders were dying that South Africa would be leaderless by the time apartheid came to an end.[5] Mvuyane was, to a certain extent, directly involved in that conflict, and was accused of shooting people without reasonable justification.[6] These political killings created space for uneducated people to emerge as new leaders of the masses. The situation also made it difficult for international investors to negotiate with future leaders who would inherit the new democratic state as these leaders were getting killed on a daily basis. For example, Mr Ngwenya an ANC leader in the Pietermaritzburg area was gunned down on February 8, 1992 after leaving a Pietermaritzburg restaurant where he had dined with a delegation of 15 Americans. A day before Mr Ngwenya was killed, Mr Winnington Sabelo, an IFP leader at Umlazi Township in Durban had been assassinated. The KwaZulu-Natal Province was the epicentre of political violence that engulfed the whole of South Africa at the time. However, Siphiwe Mvuyane would occasionally be spotted in other provinces.

Siphiwe Mvuyane could be described as a celebrity killer. He reveled in his reputation of being a dreaded killer.[7] Mvuyane claimed in a local newspaper to have killed more than 20 but not more than 50 people.[8] There was a belief that he was immune from prosecution as it was believed that he was carrying out instructions of those in the high echelons of government at the time. The local magistrates and prosecutors were afraid to prosecute him.[8] He claimed that he killed suspected criminals in self-defense or for preventing them from escaping.[8]

On May 14, 1992 he was arrested in connection with an arms cache made by a US gun manufacturer Mossberg and Sons of Connecticut,[9] but the case remained pending up to the point of his demise. There was strong suspicion that these arms would be used in fueling political violence in South Africa. It is believed that the ANC once threatened to withdraw from the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) negotiations if the killers involved in political violence were not arrested.[10] It is for this reason that the apartheid government started arresting in droves all those who were involved in political violence. Siphiwe Mvuyane was going to be one of those to be arrested, but he died.

The character of Siphiwe Mvuyane is significant because what he and his gang were doing had the effect of shaping the future of South Africa. If Siphiwe Mvuyane and his gang had achieved their objectives South Africa would have been different from what it is today. Siphiwe Mvuyane was at the coalface of the dynamics that sought to shape the future of South Africa. He can be regarded as the most feared person South Africa has ever had. He had survived many attempts on his life so much so that a myth developed that he could not be hit by a bullet (i.e. he was protected by black magic from gunshots). He, for example, survived a hand grenade attack by an underground MK operative, Sifiso Kunene.[11] Siphiwe Mvuyane can also be understood as a unique individual who had extraordinary capabilities of self-defense.

At the same time, he was a flamboyant character that was fond of entertainment, and enjoyed living life in the cities. He wore nifty clothes and drove fast cars (mainly German cars). Mvuyane was the man about town, and he learned this fancy lifestyle from white secret police.[12] He was a handsome young man, and easily wooed women but is also known to have kidnapped and raped women with impunity.[13] Mvuyane was shot at the parking lot at the then University of Durban-Westville where he was attending a music concert. His murder case remains unresolved to this day. Some people are of the view that he died from homicide whereas others suspected suicide (details are still sketchy). The rationale for suicide is that people close to him were telling him that his arrest was imminent and that the ANC (his adversary) would be in power the following year (i.e. 1994). For fear of being in the hands of his enemies he allegedly committed suicide.

Prominent incidents

A Durban multi-millionaire businesswoman, Shauwn Mpisane, does not have a father. Her father was Sipho Mkhize who was renowned as a warlord in the Umbumbulu area[14] and was also a trained MK operative. Sipho Mkhize was shot dead in cold blood (first degree murder) by Siphiwe Mvuyane on June 12, 1991.[15] Mvuyane had not been prosecuted for this murder at the time of his death.

Sipho Mkhize's son S'bu "Billy the Kid" Mkhize went berserk after the murder of his father. S'bu "Billy the Kid" Mkhize went on a rampage and killed police officers[16] in revenge for the death of his father Sipho Mkhize using military weapons such as RPG 7 rocket launchers to take out police vehicles in ambushes.[17] S'bu "Billy the Kid" Mkhize also hunted Siphiwe Mvuyane high and low but to no avail. Almost a year later after the death of his father S'bu "Billy the Kid" Mkhize was killed by the South African apartheid police after a high speed chase which ended in Isipingo area in July 1992.[18]

On August 7, 1990 Austin Zwane a school pupil was shot dead at Lamontville Township in front of his parents by Siphiwe Mvuyane accompanied by a group of four police officers.[6][19] This is one of the murders for which Siphiwe Mvuyane was going to be prosecuted before he died. Siphiwe Mvuyane probably died in the early hours of Sunday on May 9, 1993 and the court case for this murder and other crimes was set for the next day (Monday, 10 May 1993). Coincidentally, Austin Zwane attended Menzi High School the same school Siphiwe Mvuyane had attended.

Bob Mabena a popular radio personality in South Africa was slapped in the face by Siphiwe Mvuyane at a music concert.[20] Apparently Bob Mabena was receiving attention from women at the expense of Siphiwe Mvuyane at the concert. This happenstance infuriated Siphiwe Mvuyane and got Mvuyane's blood to coagulate. He charged at Bob Mabena and smacked him in the face.

On April 26, 1992 Siphiwe Mvuyane shot and paralyzed Mr Mfanafuthi Khumalo. It would appear that the killings gradually affected Siphiwe Mvuyane psychologically as he increasingly resorted to torture and irrational behaviour in resolving criminal cases he was investigating. As regards one of the cases Siphiwe Mvuyane was investigating, Mr Mfanafuthi Khumalo a victim of Siphiwe Mvuyane had this to say: 

[Mvuyane] said to me I should sit on the sofa, and I asked him what he wanted from me. He said I should not ask him any questions, I must just sit on the sofa. And I moved from the bed and I went to sit on the sofa. As I was sitting there he started insulting me. He abused me verbally and he started hitting me on the chest. When I asked him the reason why he was hitting me he did not answer me. He just asked me where I was shot before. I said on the knee. As I was still answering him he shot me on my other knee. He said to me he knew that I didn’t die due to gunshots. Then he gave me a knife and he said I should kill myself. And I have five wounds. I stabbed myself because he was pointing a gun at me, telling me to kill myself. And I threw the knife down and I told him that I was not able to kill myself. Then he continued to shoot me. He shot me on the right arm. I stayed there from 4 o’clock in the morning. He did not take me to the hospital. Then I realised that I should just pretend as if I was dead, because I realised that if he saw that I was not dead he was going to continue shooting me. I pretended that I was dead, and I was bleeding profusely. He left me there, believing that I was dead.

On another incident, Siphiwe Mvuyane opened fire on mourners at the funeral of Sifiso Zame on October 2, 1991.[21] Sifiso Zame had been killed by the apartheid security police the previous week.

Siphiwe Mvuyane himself survived a bomb attack when he visited one of his many girlfriends at Mable Palmer residence at the then University of Natal in Durban.[22] The underground MK operatives had placed a limpet mine underneath his car. Somehow Siphiwe Mvuyane survived the explosion. He had multiple lives like a cat. The underground MK operatives began to use explosives against Siphiwe Mvuyane because they had failed dismally to kill him using conventional firearms (e.g. handguns and rifles). The communities were also of the view that Siphiwe Mvuyane had received advanced military training from apartheid security force and was unfairly using the skills gained from that training in a civilian environment.

Political context

Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Western Powers, particularly the US, lost appetite in sustaining the South African apartheid government.[23] The apartheid government was given an ultimatum to hand over political power to the indigenous people of the land, failing which further sanctions would be imposed. At the time, the apartheid government could not afford any further sanctions as the economy had already begun to cripple.[24] The apartheid growth strategy had been rendered obsolete by the global dynamics at the time. This development meant that the apartheid government had to begin negotiations with its enemies in order to pave way for the democratic elections in the country, and this represented a paradigm shift in the apartheid government's political strategy. Despite the fact that the South African apartheid state was a formidable force in Africa in the same way as the State of Israel is in the present day in the Middle East, the South African apartheid government had to succumb to the Western pressure as the US did not want South Africa to be another source of conflict for the continuation of the Cold War.

Now the apartheid government had to find a way to extend an olive branch to the ANC so that a negotiated settlement could be reached. At the same time this change of strategy represented the betrayal of other people who were fighting the ANC that the apartheid government had supported. Such people included Siphiwe Mvuyane who was fighting the ANC at grassroot level. It was not a complete betrayal as such because the apartheid government did pardon some of the offenders in terms of the First Indemnity Act of 1992 before the dawn of democracy, and one of the persons to be pardoned by this Act was Samuel Jamile (IFP leader and warlord).[7] The apartheid government demonstrated its commitment to reform by releasing Nelson Mandela from prison, unbanning liberation movements and allowing exiles to return home. On the other hand, the apartheid government arrested people who were involved in political violence. At the time of his death Siphiwe Muvuyane had been suspended as a police officer and had been served a court indictment with more than 50 charges.[25] This is the context in which the demise of Siphiwe Mvuyane should be understood.

Death

Apparently it was late at night at the then University of Durban-Westville, where Siphiwe Mvuyane was attending a music concert, when he complained to his gang (which de facto served as his bodyguards) about drowsiness and fatigue. He was stressed and probably worried about the court case that was set for the following week. He wanted to go to his car at the parking lot to take a nap. His gang warned him about the possible presence of the underground MK operatives, and his gang offered to accompany him to his car as a way of protection. Mvuyane refused the offer and pleaded with his gang not to accompany him. Stressed as he was, he eventually proceeded alone to his car. Few minutes later a gunshot was heard. His gang rushed to the parking lot, they found him in the driver's front seat sprawling. They rushed him to the nearest hospital and died on his way.

Epilogue

At his funeral held in Pietermaritzburg, journalists were precluded from taking photographs and being part of the funeral. John Woodroof, a journalist for Daily News was attacked at Mvuyane's funeral by mourners who were angry at the media. John Woodroof had written several newspaper articles that were critical of Siphiwe Mvuyane casting Mvuyane in a negative light.[26] It appears as if Mvuyane's mourners also held the media responsible for Mvuyane's downfall as Mvuyane had constantly received negative media coverage.

After his death, many people who had run away from Siphiwe Mvuyane came out of hiding and celebrated his death. Braai's (barbeques) were held literally throughout Umlazi Township and adjacent townships to celebrate his demise.

By hearing stories of Siphiwe Mvuyane, many people would think that Siphiwe Mvuyane was an old or middle aged man but that was not the case. Siphiwe Mvuyane was a young man and he died at the age of 26 or 27. He probably started killing people when he was a teenager.

Siphiwe Mvuyane's defensive skills are arguably comparable to that of the character of James Bond in the movies. In the similar vein, the impact that Siphiwe Mvuyane had in the communities can be equated to the impact that the late American rapper Tupac Shakur had in the hip-hop music industry.

Just like there were many miracles performed by Jesus Christ that never got to be recorded in the bible, there are equally many killings, it is respectfully submitted, that Siphiwe Mvuyane was involved in (as a commander of various killing squads) that never got to be recorded because of the clandestine nature of Mvuyane's operations which happened in the underground world. Consequently many stories of Siphiwe Mvuyane would take the form of hearsays.

For example, it is alleged that Siphiwe Mvuyane came close to slaying Chris Hani. In the early 90s Ulundi was regarded as a stronghold and heartland of the IFP and as a result Chris Hani became curious about Ulundi and eventually visited it. He disguised himself as a woman. The IFP was allegedly tipped off by the apartheid military intelligence about the presence of Chris Hani at Ulundi. The news quickly spread to Siphiwe Mvuyane who rushed to Ulundi to kill Chris Hani but he was allegedly stopped by the leader of the IFP who disapproved of the slaying of Chris Hani especially at Ulundi as this would flare up political violence worsening the situation which was already volatile at the time. Chris Hani was allegedly hosted by ANC intelligence operatives who were operating at Ulundi at the time. Chris Hani eventually left Ulundi unscathed. Few days later Chris Hani was assassinated outside his house in Johannesburg on April 10, 1993.

The MK operatives had a field day after the demise of Siphiwe Mvuyane, and as a result almost all of Mvuyane's associates (including those who attacked journalists at his funeral) were subsequently eliminated. Despite the departure of Siphiwe Mvuyane, the ANC allegedly remained concerned about the emergence of the next generation of "Siphiwe Mvuyane's" and as a result they started profiling adolescent males who frequented Ulundi in the 90's.

Although there is no official date for the end of the "low intensity warfare" in South Africa between the IFP and ANC (and a third force in-between), it can be argued that the end of this warfare was marked by the assassination of the IFP leader Thomas Shabalala, who was gunned down on January 20, 2005.[27]

Long after his death Mvuyane's name still features prominently in today's conversation. In April 2010, the National Commissioner for the South African Police Service (SAPS) Bheki Cele re-introduced military ranks within the police.[28] He was also quoted in the media as encouraging police officers to adopt the shoot-to-kill philosophy in an effort to combating crime, but Bheki Cele believed the media exaggerated his views.[29] Amongst many people who were critical of Bheki Cele's changes was David Bruce, senior researcher at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, who referred to a 2007 report:”[30]

It was a militarised police who produced the likes of [detective constable] Siphiwe Mvuyane, who was notorious for his shoot-to-kill philosophy.

External links

References

  1. ↑ "We Never Sanctioned Violence, IFP Leaders Tell TRC". SAPA. 15 September 1996. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "TRC Final Report". Truth and Reconciliation Commission. SABC. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Fifteen Slain during Mxenge Memorial Service: Witness". SAPA. 28 August 1996. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Amnesty Hearing, 14 September 1998, Held At Ermelo - The "Black Cats", Day 1". Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa).
  5. ↑ "Wave of assassinations grips S. Africa Slayings target black leadership". Baltimore Sun.
  6. 1 2 "Truth Commission - Special Report - TRC Final Report - Volume 3, Section 1, Chapter".
  7. 1 2 "KwaZulu". O Malley Heart of Hope. Nelson Mandela Organisation. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "The Barometer of Social Trends" (PDF). Indicator South Africa Volume Ten. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Testimony of Jennifer Davis. September 23, 1992".
  10. ↑ "CODESA negotiations began in December 1991". SAHA. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "AMNESTY HEARINGS". SABC. Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa). Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Der weiße Schatten". ZEIT Online. 4 June 1993. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Policing, Poverty and Rape in KZN". The Violence Monitor. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Laura, Freeman. "The African warlord revisited" (PDF). Small Wars & Insurgencies. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "Political Violence in the era of Negotiations & Transition 1990-94". SABC. Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa) Volume 2 Chapter 7. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  16. ↑ Meyer, Jani (29 April 2007). "Road honour for fugitive'Billy the Kid'.(News)". Sunday Tribune. High Beam. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "Lows of the high life". News24. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "TRC Final Report Volume 3 Chapter 3 Subsection 50". SABC TRC. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "Proceedings held at Durban". Truth and Reconciliation Commission South Africa. 9 May 1996. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Doctor Khumalo & Bob Mabena". First Thoughts. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  21. ↑ Adotei, Akwei. "Denying the Vote: Apartheid Continues". African Activist Archive. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Ntshwana, Darkie (20 April 2012). "Ramogibe's family still lives in fear". Mail and Guardian Commentary Section. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "The End of Apartheid". US Department of State. 20 January 2001. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  24. ↑ "The End of Apartheid". History Wiz. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  25. ↑ "TRC Final Report". SAHA. SABC. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  26. ↑ Nix, Jennifer (1 May 1997). "Actions against journalists in South Africa between 1960 and 1994". The Freedom of Expression Institute. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  27. ↑ "Warlord Thomas Shabalala is shot". South African Online History. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  28. ↑ "Military police ranks in effect". DefenceWeb. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  29. ↑ "Cele takes a jab at media on "shoot-to-kill" statement". South African Government News Agency. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  30. ↑ "Shooting to kill ‘is not the answer’". News24Wire. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
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