YOUTH PUBLIC LECTURE ON 40 YEAR COMMEMORATION OF 16 JUNE 1976 AND LESSONS ABOUTTHE LATE FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN AND UMKHONTO WESIZWE LIBERATION FIGHTER

ROLLEN ZONDI “CLEMENT” MOLAPO

By Sipho Dibakwane

Founder and Chairperson

Ekuthuleni Hall, Sabie,Mpumalanga

02 JULY 2016

Thirty years ago and in exactly 24 days from now in 1986, Rollen Zondi “Clement” Molapo, an Umkhonto We Sizwe operative was killed by South African policeman. Earlier, during the week on 20 July 1986, Comrade Rollen Molapo had eliminated a black policeman and wounded a black informer in Ncala Section in Katlehong.

He was 31 years old when he passed on. The apartheid police murdered him in Katlehong, Johannesburg.Like a true dedicated soldier, the police found an AK 47, a missile launcher and ammunition in his possession.

The aim of the paper is to present the history of Comrade Rollen Molapo, his upbringing, education, political activities, life as a one of the commanders of Umkhonto We Sizwe in exile and inside South Africa and finally his demise as orchestrated by apartheid security forces. We believe this is important. Our youth and community must know and understand the history of the country.The paper further demonstrate the lessons that the youth and ordinary folk of the country should take from the selfless contribution of Comrade Rollen Molapo to the liberation of the country.

Through this ongoing piece of work, Impumelelo Educational Trust seeksto honour and immortalise Comrade Rollen Molapo and keep his spirit and legacy alive.We acknowledge that this is ongoing work and much needed information is still required in order to portray the life and times of our departed soldier in full circle. Our ultimate goal is to write and produce a book about this former servant and stalwart of the liberation struggle of the country.

The presentation of this paper in this youth public lecture is an implementation of two of the six objectives of the Impumelelo Educational Trust. The objectives are (a) create a network for dialogue and (b) support community development objectives. Through this paper, we further aim to share knowledge to members of the community and for the youth in particular to have an insight and deeper understanding about the history of Sabie and the country as a whole.

Through this lecture, which, the Impumelelo Educational Trust plans to turn into an annual memorial lecture, a programme of action will be drafted to contribute in resolving the challenges of poverty, unemployment and that we are facing.

This is our effort to contribute to the development of our community. We therefore refuse to be spectators and we would rather try and fail. We will never fail to try.

We propose that the programme of action would need to be a joint collaborative effort between Impumelelo Educational Trust, Government, Business,Sabie community and Sabie political and community organisations

Comrade Rollen Molapo was born on the 2nd of April 1955 at Pilgrims Rest,Mpumalanga.He was the eldest son of the late EleckMakolobishe and Meisie Fadieng Molapo. He came from a family that was blessed with six sons. He was the eldest son in the Molapo family. He had three children namely; Jack, George and Nkele.

He started his lower primary education at Pilgrim’s Rest, Grootfontein Primary School in 1963 and moved to his higher primary education at Lindani Primary School in Sabie.He came to Sabie in 1969 with his family and stayed at the old location of Harmony Hill until the forced removal to the new Black only township called Simile. This was the during the implementation phase of the notorious .and painful Group Areas Act of the apartheid government.

The apartheid government forcibly moved 3.5 million black South Africans in one of the largest mass removals of people in modern history. This happened between 1960-1983.There were several political and economic reasons for these removals. First, during the 1950s and 1960s, large-scale removals of Africans, Indians, and Coloureds were carried out to implement the Group Areas Act, which mandated residential segregation throughout the country.

Comrade RollenMolapo was a quite boy who liked to listen to radio and read a newspaper known as The World.His friends were Freddy Zitha and Sunnyboy Dibakwane, who used to play with them soccer as his favourite sports. Due to the lack of a high school in Sabie, Rollen was compelled to pursue his high school education at Khumbula High School at Ngodini in White River.

He left Khumbula High School and found employment at Stillfontein Mine.He worked for couple of months and thereafter he went straight to Springs where he joined Sappi Enstra Paper Factory. He worked as an office clerk at Sappi.

Comrade Rollen Molapo, like many of his generation became politically conscious because of the 1976 revolution,ongoing efforts by liberation movements in the fight for freedom, the birth Black Consciousness in the 1970’s, and ongoing oppression of Black people by the apartheid government. This was probably the most challenging political period in the history of South Africa.

It was during this period that there were massive arrests and detention of liberation fighters. Comrade Rollen Molapo skipped the country and went to receive military training as an Umkhonto We Sizwe liberation fighter.

On the 73rd Anniversary of the ANC on the 08th January 1985, Former ANC President the late Comrade Oliver Tambo made a call to the people of South Africa to render South Africa Ungovernable. This was the year in which the ANC declared: “The Year of the Cadre” Tambo made the following remarks and interventions:

“In this coming period, we shall need to pursue,with even greater vigour,the task of reducing the capacity of the colonial regime to continue its illegal rule of our country.The destruction of the organs of government weakens the regime and is a necessary part of our continuing mass offensive”

“Let this year see us take big strides in further strengthening the organised underground structures of the ANC.Let us see greater mass political actions in all the provinces and districts of our country.Let us see us extend people’s war to all corners of our land.Let’s see the fastest and furthest possible coordinated advance on all fronts towards the goal of people’s power.”

Comrade Rollen Molapore-entered South Africa on a mission on 19 June 1986.He entered the country through the South Africa – Swaziland border post together with his comrades Simon Dladla and Acton Maseko. They jumped the border post fence. They were armed to the teeth.In their possession they had hand grenades, limpet mines,AK -47 rifles, an RPG launcher and rockets.

During this period, there had been a series of declaration of state of emergencies by the apartheid government. There was no gathering of more than three people allowed and even wondering in the streets was outlawed by the apartheid government.

On the night of 5 July 2016, Comrade Rollen Molapo launched one of his missions against the apartheid government. This time it was in Vosloorus Township and the target was the East Rand Administration Board members that were on patrol. Six men were in patrol. With his comrades driving a white Cressida, Rollen took out two policeman and wounded three deploying an AK-47.Only one of the six policeman survived and escaped.

Later on and this time in the Ncala section of Katlehong, Comrade Rollen still in Cressida with his comrades, opened fire to another group of the East Rand Administration Board. The officials were standing beside their official vehicles. Three officials were killed and nine were wounded.

During early hours of the morning of 06 July 1986, there was a car chase and gun battle between the South African police Comrade Rollen Molapo and his comrades. In that battle, two of the comrades of Comrade Rollen Molapo were gunned down.Comrade Rollen Molapo managed to escape.

Comrade Rollen Molapo went to further eliminate a black policeman and wounded a black informer at Ncala section in Katlehong. The demise of Comrade Rollen Molapo was executed by the South African police during one of its operations. In his possession, an AK – 47, a missile launcher and ammunition were found.His death was published in daily newspapers and broadcasted in the Afrikaans news bulletin of SABC television channel.

The Molapo family tracked him several times. Finally, approval for his burial was granted in Pretoria after a long protracted struggle by the family. ComradeRollenMolapo was repatriated to Sabie in October 1986.He was buried at the Simile graveyard on a Thursday on 21 October 1986 mid-morning. His funeral was one of the most unique in Sabie history. It was under a heavy South African police and army presence.The Simile and Sabie community members were not allowed to attend the funeral.

The immediate lessons from the history about Comrade Rollen Molapo is one of bravery, sacrifice, discipline, commitment and selflessness. Do we all portray this traits? If not why then.We therefore suggest or even put a challenge to everyone gathered here today to embark on a thorough introspection of ourselves.

We believe that an opportunity still exists for all of us to take the baton from Comrade Rollen Molapo and contribute to the development of our community.We encourage everyone to join the Impumelelo Educational Trust and volunteer.We can volunteer in a number of ways. For example through monthly contributions or joining the several teams that we have established.

The teams are Office Administration, Fundraising, Finance, Learner and Student Development and lastly Marketing and Communications.

As for the youth, we need to make the call that Comrade Rollen Molapo left an immeasurable contribution. He paid the highest price for the liberation of this country. What are we doing with our young age? We need to be serious and get education.The viable and long term solution to the eradication of poverty is education. We need to listen and heed the advice of our parents and elders for they are better experienced than us. We need to remember that you are only young once in a lifetime and we need to utilise our time productively. Let us stay away from drugs and alcohol abuse. Let us also refrain from activities that would result us being young parents whilst we are young ourselves.

Through Impumelelo Educational Trust, we hope to cultivate a culture of “vuka uzenzele” We will facilitate for the formation and good structuring of interventions such as Cooperatives, Youth Business Forums or any interventions that can assist in tackling the challenges we are facing as Youth. We invite our youth to come forth and share ideas and plough a good future. For instance as the youth we can organise ourselves as cooperatives to make a business and development case for the building of recreational facilities such as a public swimming pool or even a community radio station and newspaper. We can also make proposals for the building of a brickyard or a confectionary bakery right here in the township.

We know it is not going to be easy. We will not have immediate results and success. We will need to work hard as success does not come easily.

As the first President of democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela said: “It always seems impossible until it’s done”

From the youth to our government, political parties and community organisations, what is Comrade Rollen Molapo saying to us?

In short and to borrow from Vladimir Lenin, what is to be done? We do acknowledge that Government has made initiatives to address the plight of Military Veterans whether alive or departed. The establishment of the Department of Military Veterans was a step in right direction.

We believe that the enactment of the Military Veterans Act of 2011 by the Parliament of South Africa will intervene and make a difference.

In a nutshell, the Military Veterans Act seeks to achieve the following:

  1. Compensation to military veterans who sustained disabling injuries or severe psychological and neuro- psychiatric trauma or who suffer from a terminal disease resulting from their participation in military activities;
  2. Dedicated counselling and treatment to military veterans who suffer from serious mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder or related conditions;
  3. Honouring and memorialising fallen military veterans;
  4. Education, training and skills development;
  5. Facilitation of employment placement;
  6. Facilitation of or advice on business opportunities;
  7. Subsidisation or provisioning of public transport;
  8. Pension;
  9. Access to health care;
  10. Housing; and
  11. Burial support.

However, we are gravely concerned that there has been snail pace movement to implement the legislation in the case of Comrade Rollen Molapo. We call for the speedily processing of all matters that are outstanding and the promises that have been made to the Molapo family in the past.

In his view about the Unity of the ANC, late President of the ANC, Comrade Oliver Tambo asserts that “We were always ready to accept mistakes and to correct them. Above all we succeeded to foster and defend the unity of the ANC and the unity of our people in general.”

The ANC immortalized Solomon Mahlangu by building a statue in Mamelodi, renaming Hans Strydom to Solomon Mahlangu, creating a bursary scheme through the National Youth Development Agency, naming its college in Tanzania after him: Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College. The then principal of the college described its motto and mission in the following words: "Now this is a college of particular significance to us, to the ANC, to the people of South Africa. You can see from the name that has been chosen for this college - Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College.

There is also visible honour and memorabilia for former liberation fighters such as January Masilela (Che Masilela House, January Masilela Streets in Mbombela and Tshwane) and Andrew Mapheto drive in Tembisa, Vincent Tshabalala Road in Alexandra to mention but a few.Similar to the honour that has been bestowed in Solomon Mahlangu, January Masilela , Andrew Maphetho and others we propose that a full compressive programme should be developed by National Government, the African National Congress and the ThabaChweu Local Municipality.This programme would be the basis for a structured public education programme. Such would address the once concerns of former Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara who said “A soldier without political education is a potential criminal”.

As a society we need the public education as we have an obligation to fulfil. That obligation is the protection of our freedom and the legacy of the selfless contribution of Comrade Rollen Molapo and his comrades. The programme we are proposing would serve as a tool to transform the Sabie community in the honour and memory of Comrade Rollen Molapo. The programme can be structured in short, medium and long terms.We propose that this comprehensive programme must include but not be limited to the following interventions:

  1. A statue of Comrade Rollen Molapo must be built
  2. Sabie town must be renamed to Rollen Molapo
  3. Sponsorship for the annual Rollen Molapo Memorial Lecture by Impumelelo Educational Trust
  4. Memezile High School must be renamed Rollen Molapo High School
  5. Sabie’s Main Street must be renamed Rollen Molapo Road
  6. A youth centre must be built in Simile township and be named after Rollen Molapo
  7. Collection of memories about Rollen Molapo should be done and housed in the proposed youth centre , public library and museum
  8. The Khozi Street in the township of Simile must be renamed Rollen Molapo Street
  9. Sabie Hospital must be renamed Rollen Molapo Hospital
  10. A special bursary scheme must be created and named Rollen Molapo Bursary Fund to assist potential tertiary students who cannot afford.
  11. Building of library, computer and laboratories for Lindani and Harmony Hill primary schools and Memezile(RollenMolapo High School) and those centres be named after Rollen Molapo.

We believe that this programme can offer an opportunity for the creation of job opportunities for our youth and the community. We need to tackle the monster of lack of jobs head on. We believe that creation of job opportunities and development for our community in the name of Comrade Rollen Molapo would be the right thing to do. He fought for us to be free and we believe he will be equally happy to see us enjoying the fruits of the freedom.

Throughout his journey, Comrade Rollen Molapo displayed bravery and commitment to his conviction to fight for the freedom of his people. He showed fearlessness, courage and dedication to the people`s cause. He was a perfect example and symbol of the spirit of the youth of 1976 and the fighting traditions of our people.

We will be making submissions to Government and the ANC on the proposed comprehensive programme to honour Comrade Rollen Molapo.This will include National, Provincial and Local spheres of Government. In our annual community awards which we hold every end of January, we will be introducing from next year in 2017 an award to honour our hero and stalwart Comrade Rollen Molapo. We will call the award the Rollen Clement Molapo Award for Bravery.