Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu (10 July 1956 – 6 April 1979) was a South African freedom fighter, struggle activist and operative of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC) militant wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He was convicted of murder and hanged in 1979.

Early years

Mahlangu was born in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

on 10 July 1956, the second son of Martha Mahlangu. His father left in 1962 and as a result he was raised by his mother, a domestic worker. He attended

Mamelodi High School Mamelodi High School, also called Mamelodi Secondary School, is a high school in Mamelodi township, Tshwane, South Africa. The school was founded in 1956 under the Department of Bantu Education of the Apartheid regime. In the 1960s it was one of on ...

up to Standard 8 (his tenth year of school), but his education was interrupted in 1976 by the riots of the Soweto uprising that resulted in school closures.

Military training

In 1976 Mahlangu fled to

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and spent six months in a refugee camp near Xai Xai. From there he was taken to an African National Congress (ANC) training camp called "Engineering", in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. There and at Funda Camp he received training in sabotage, military combat, scouting and politics. He, George 'Lucky' Mahlangu and Mondy Motloung were then taken to Swaziland, where they were given large suitcases filled with pamphlets, rifles and hand grenades. On 11 June 1977 they crossed the border into South Africa and started making their way to Johannesburg.

Arrest

The three comrades-in-arms, each carrying a large suitcase, were climbing into a taxi in Diagonal Street in the centre of Johannesburg. An ordinary policeman became suspicious and grabbed one of the suitcases. An AK-47 assault rifle and a hand grenade fell out. All three of them fled. In the ensuing gun battle, two civilian men were killed and another two wounded. Mahlangu and Motaung were eventually arrested.

Trial and sentence

Mahlangu's trial started in the Supreme Court on 7 November 1977. He was defended by two advocates, Messrs Ismail Mohamed, S.C. and Clifford Mailer. They faced two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and various counts under the Terrorism Act. In its judgment the court found that Mahlangu and Motaung had acted with a common purpose and that it consequently did not matter which of the two had done the shooting and killing. Mahlangu was convicted on all counts. In terms of the South African law, the court was obliged to sentence an accused to death for murder, unless the accused proved mitigating circumstances. The court found that Mahlangu had failed to do so, and consequently handed down the

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

. The court refused Mahlangu leave to appeal. His lawyers then asked the Appeal Court for leave to appeal and it was again refused. Mahlangu was hanged on 6 April 1979. Before going to the gallows he reportedly said: "Tell my people that I love them and that they must continue the fight, my blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom, A luta continua."

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The commission examined the cases of Solomon Mahlangu and Monty Motaung and found that both of them were responsible for the deaths of Rupert Kessner and Kenneth Wolfendale. It also found both Mahlangu and Motaung guilty of gross human rights violations. Lastly it found both the African National Congress and the commanding officer of Umkhonto we Sizwe guilty of gross human rights violations.

Legacy

Solomon Mahlangu is commemorated in the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square in his hometown of

Mamelodi Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Etymology "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix bei ...

, Pretoria. The square is focused on a bronze statue of Mahlangu. In the city of Durban, there was a major arterial road named ' Edwin Swales VC Drive', after a RAF bomber commander who died in 1945. Following proposals made by the eThekwini Municipality, the road was changed to honour Mahlangu. A main arterial road in Pretoria that runs through Solomon Mahlangu's hometown of

was renamed from Hans Strijdom Drive to Solomon Mahlangu Drive. In 2016, the main administrative building at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

, formerly known as Senate House, was renamed Solomon Mahlangu House. The 2017 film ''

Kalushi ''Kalushi'' is a 2016 South African film about Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, a nineteen-year-old hawker from the streets of Mamelodi, a township outside Pretoria in South Africa. He was born in Pretoria on 10 July in 1956, the second son of Martha ...

'' chronicles his life and times, where

Thabo Rametsi Thabo Andrew Rametsi II (born 17 July 1988), popularly as Thabo Rametsi, is a South African actor and producer. He is best known for his roles in the popular serials ''The Giver'', ''The Gamechangers'' and '' Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahla ...

made the role of Solomon. In Tanzania, one of the top universities, Sokoine University of Agriculture, in the east region of Morogoro, one of the two campuses in Morogoro town, is known as Solomon Mahlangu Campus. During the

FeesMustFall #FeesMustFall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa. The goals of the movement were to stop increases in student fees as well as to increase government funding of universities. Protests started at the ...

protests, "Solomon" was a key song recited by student activists on campuses across the country. This is a reference to Mahlangu, his legacy and what he means to the youth of today. In 2019 the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth renamed one of their residences after him. In 2022 Rhodes University in Makhanda renamed

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

Hall, the largest residence on campus, after him. The

Transvaal Scottish Regiment Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

was renamed the

Solomon Mahlangu Regiment The Solomon Mahlangu Regiment (formerly the Transvaal Scottish) is a reserve infantry regiment of the South African Army. History Origin John Murray, Marquis of Tullibardine, who later became the 7th Duke of Atholl, established the regiment a ...

after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahlangu, Solomon 1956 births 1979 deaths People from Mamelodi UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel People convicted of murder by South Africa South African people convicted of murder Executed South African people People executed by South Africa by hanging 20th-century executions by South Africa Order of Mendi for Bravery