Madikizela-Mandela’s postman recalls struggle role

January 13, 2012 | Filed underPopular News,Previous news | Posted by editor
Hide and seek … Mongalo Thebe at the entrance to an underground chamber where he used to conceal ANC members during the struggle.
Despite hiding his fellow comrades fleeing from the apartheid police and taking risky jaunts to Lesotho to deliver Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s letters, Mongalo Thebe remains humble about his contribution to the struggle.

One would never guess that a beautiful double storey house with a lush garden in a Bloemfontein suburb harboured ANC members when the movement was forced underground by the apartheid regime three decades ago.
The owner of the house, Mongalo Thebe, showed The Weekly the tunnel beneath his house where operatives could hide from the security police.
This underground chamber saved the lives of many when police would search Thebe’s house, as they did countless times. Thebe said he hid between 20 and 30 ANC members under his house when he was in his early 20s.
He employed a carpenter to dig the tunnel and build the underground hiding place.  From the outside, no one can guess that there is an underground tunnel. The entryway is concealed by grass and trees.
Thebe planted the trees to distract police officers who would come looking for the so-called “terrorists”.
Most of the young men whom he harboured used code names and Thebe has lost contact with them.
“We had these various names we used to call one another, amongst them we had MK and DG, I don’t know if they are still alive. As time went on, I lost contact with some of the comrades in the movement.”
What is extraordinary about Thebe is that he not only provided refuge to his comrades, but also acted as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s postman. He relayed messages between Madikizela-Mandela and allies in Lesotho when she was exiled to Brandfort in the late 1970s.  He hid the letters in the engine of his Opel Cadet.
“Mme Winnie taught me how to send messages from Brandfort all the way to Lesotho. I used to have a compartment in my engine where I hid the letters. The white people by then were checking the boot thoroughly, but they did not expect to find the letters in the engine.”
They also used music records to deliver messages to cadres. According to Thebe, when the record was played, a hidden message could be heard along with the song.
Winnie’s trusted lieutenant … Mongalo Thebe delivered letters for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
At the time, Thebe was living behind Madikizela-Mandela’s house in Brandfort and became close friends with her.
“They sent her to Brandfort because the place is like a dungeon. We could not enter into various shops, especially the restaurants. When she arrived in Brandfort, it was a docile township. Her arrival allowed the people to stand up for their rights.”
Because of Thebe’s relationship with Madikizela-Mandela, police officers followed him around and made his life miserable.
The security police also hounded him and as a result he could not hold on to a stable job.
“We would swim across the river and jump into Lesotho. I decided to rather study in Lesotho to avoid having to illegally cross the border.”
While in Lesotho, Thebe used the alias Thanthanyane, acquired a passport, and was able to move across the border.
He also studied in Lesotho to make it easier for him to move between the two countries.
“Before then, we would swim across the river and jump into Lesotho. I decided to rather study in Lesotho to avoid having to illegally cross the border.”
Thebe used to send the messages to a certain Dana who worked as a lawyer for the ANC and attended Moshoeshoe School in Matsieng Township.
He then moved to Bloemfontein where he built his house while working for the local council as a non-active policeman where he counselled people.
“While I was there, I used that information to warn the ANC members of the moves within the police force.”
Thebe said the church played a significant role in the fight for liberation.

“The priests of the different churches relayed ANC struggle messages to their congregations.”
Churches such as the Methodist, the United Congress of South Africa (UCCSA), and the Roman Catholic Church were used to convey messages to the people.
Thebe has lost contact with Madikizela-Mandela but plans to initiate communication with her again.
Despite being a qualified science teacher, Thebe is unemployed and looking for a job. He is supported financially by his wife of five years.
The house where Madikizela-Mandela lived in Brandfort has since been converted into a museum.

Underground chamber revealed … The entrance to the secret bunker built by Thebe to hide his fellow comrades

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