"Yes, it's very likely the vehicle we're looking for." the Brigadier said. "What do you plan to do next? Stake out the place?"
"No, sir." Tiaan replied. "The neighbourhood is too closely knit. Any strangers in the area will be quickly noticed. I believe that we should take action as soon as we can and plant a bomb inside the car that will go off shortly after the car is set in motion. I can rig the bomb so that it explodes after the vehicle has travelled a certain distance and is very likely to be well away from the shacks."
"That's a bit risky isn’t it?" the Brigadier asked. "What if it goes off when a bunch of school children are nearby or a school bus or a taxi is passing?"
"That could happen, sir." Tiaan said. "But I think that it's unlikely that the vehicle will be used during the day. I think that it will only be used for the next attack that the enemy makes and that will undoubtedly be in the dead of night."
"What about the press?" the Brigadier asked. "They'll accuse us of assassinating the people in the car."
"Yes, I've thought of that." Tiaan said. "I'll plant the bomb inside the car. Then we can say that the explosion was caused by one of the enemy's own bombs that must have gone off prematurely. The press are well aware of the enemy's incompetence."
"And if the vehicle's not the one were looking for?" the Brigadier asked.
Tiaan shrugged his shoulders.
"That's a chance that we'll have to take." he said. "We can't fight this type of war like gentlemen. Our enemy doesn't seem to care about civilian casualties, so why should we? As long as it's blacks that get hurt, I couldn't care less."
The Brigadier nodded.
"You're quite right." he said. "Go ahead."
***
Tiaan Botha moved stealthily along the rutted dirt street his rubber-soled boots hardly making a sound. He strained his eyes as he searched for empty tin cans and bottles which might betray his presence if he accidentally kicked one in the darkness of the moonless night. Above him the stars glittered faintly through the smog-filled air. A dog barked nearby followed by several others. Tiaan froze, waiting for the cacophony to die down. Far in the distance he heard the plaintive wail of a police or ambulance siren signifying that the world was still functioning. Silence returned.
Tiaan's greatest fear as he crept through the silent black township of Soweto was the groups of deadly child psychopaths that roamed the dark streets of the black metropolis throughout the night and would murder him without any hesitation should they become aware of his presence. Very few, if any, Soweto residents were foolish enough to venture from the safety of their houses at night and most of the child-killer's victims were dogs, cats and anything else that had life in it.
With his face carefully blackened and dark clothing Tiaan felt reasonably sure that, as long as his progress was silent he could avoid detection. To get to his destination, the suburb of Moletsane, he had approached Soweto from the South and reached the railway line between Naledi station and Meraff station via the empty ground between the suburbs of Protea North and Mapetla. He had then crept along the edge of the railway cutting until he reached the suburb of Moletsane. From there it was only a short distance to the shack in Malia Street where the little yellow Mazda was hidden.
Brigadier van Tonder had agreed to arrange for a police fixed-wing surveillance aircraft to fly over the Moletsane area to help drown out any noise that Tiaan might make as he crept towards the target in which he planned to plant his bomb. He reached the shack where the car was hidden and crouched down amongst the long grass at the edge of the rutted road. In the silence he heard dogs barking in the distance. The smell of rotting garbage pervaded the still air. He waited patiently for the aircraft to arrive. Faintly in the distance he heard the drone of its approach. He glanced at the luminous dial of his watch. It was exactly two o'clock.
As the monotonous drone grew louder Tiaan pulled on a pair of thin black leather gloves and adjusted the canvas bag that hung from his shoulders and held the anti-personnel bomb that he planned to hide in the yellow car. Above him the aircraft began to slowly circle the area. He moved from his hiding place and crept along the narrow driveway between the shacks, hoping that the owners on the shack didn't keep a dog. He reached the car, the aircraft slowly circling above effectively drowning out any sounds that he made. Very slowly he unlocked the back door of the hatchback with a lock-pick and carefully raised the hatchback door. With a small screwdriver he quickly unscrewed the screws holding the back panel of the back seat in place. He reached into his canvas bag and took out the bomb. Carefully he placed it in the hollow interior, its magnets immediately securing it to the metal base. He activated the delicate rocker device that was set to trigger the bomb seven minutes after the vehicle moved. Even the simple rocking motion of the car as someone got in was sufficient to start the rocker device.
Very carefully, so as not to set the rocker device in motion, Tiaan replaced the back panel of the seat and closed the hatchback's door using his lock-pick to lock it. Quietly he moved away from the vehicle and crept down the driveway into the street. High above him in the darkness the police fixed-wing aircraft droned monotonously through the night sky. Still very aware of the danger of the child killers, Tiaan made his way back to the railway line and out of the dark township.
***
"As all the police stations in the country are now heavily guarded I think that the next target that we should hit is a law court." Shadow said as he handed cans of cold beer to Moses and Peter. "By doing that we'll be hitting a target that's part of the white man's process of suppressing us and is connected with the police and the military. We'll also force them to spend more money and deploy policemen and soldiers to protect the courts throughout the land and put pressure on the manpower reserves of the whites."
The three men stood outside Shadow's shack in the Sowetan township of Orlando East, about six kilometres from the shack where Moses and Peter lived and where the yellow Mazda was hidden.
"That's a good idea." Moses said. "Soon the white bastards will have to protect every building in the country and they'll have nobody left to enforce their bloody apartheid laws. We'll be free and they'll be tied down trying to protect their property and their people!"
"Which court are we going to hit?" Peter asked.
"I think we should hit the Germiston Magistrates Court." Shadow said. "I've checked it out and it's an easy target. Getting there and away will be easy and if we hit it late at night like we hit the police station, nobody's going to get hurt."
"When will we attack?" Moses asked.
"Tomorrow night." Shadow said. "I've got all the guns and ammo ready here so if you guys get here at one o'clock with the car we can hit the place at two o'clock. Don't forget to bring the grenades. We only need two or three. By the way, is the car in good order and still well hidden?"
"Yes." Moses replied. "We haven't moved it since the night we attacked the police station. It's still got plenty of petrol and nobody can see it from the street. In fact, not even the neighbours can see it. All we've got to do is get in and come straight here."
"Okay. That's settled then." Shadow said. "We'll hit the Germiston Magistrates Court tomorrow night at two o'clock."
***
"Thanks for providing the aircraft to cover me last night, sir." Captain Tiaan Botha said as he sat down in front of the Brigadier's desk. "It was a great help. The whole operation went without a hitch."
"Good." the Brigadier said. "Glad I could help. Now we'll just have to wait for the bastards to take themselves out."
Tiaan nodded.
"I set the timing device for seven minutes." he said. "Assuming that they'll keep to the speed limit so as not to attract attention and leave Soweto through Dobsonville they should be on Main Reef road when the bomb goes off. If it's late at night, which I'm sure it will be, there shouldn't be any traffic nearby."
"And if they travel through Soweto and leave on the eastern side?" the Brigadier asked.
"If they travel at
sixty kilometres an hour, and allowing for stop streets, they should be on the outskirts or just out of Soweto when the bomb goes off." Tiaan said.
"Good." the Brigadier said. "Anyway, regardless of where the bomb goes off the press won't be able to blame us. As far as we're concerned the bomb was one of the A.N.C.'s and it must have gone off prematurely."
"Yes." Tiaan said. "The press will find it impossible to prove otherwise."
***
The little yellow car rocked significantly as Moses and Peter climbed in. They closed the doors quietly. Peter glanced at the luminous dial of his watch.
"It's quarter to one." He said. "Assuming there aren't any hold-ups we should be at Shadow's place by ten to."
Moses nodded and started the car. Slowly he reversed the vehicle down the narrow driveway between the shacks and out into the rutted street, the car lurching in the deep potholes. As he drove away he switched on the parking lights exposing the uneven roadway and the little dark houses on each side of the road. Suddenly Peter leant back and ran his hand along the floor behind the front seats.
"Where are the grenades?" he asked. "There's nothing on the floor."
Moses slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.
"Oh, my God!" he exclaimed. "They're still in the shack! We'd better go back! Shadow'll be furious if we get there without them!"
Moses did a U-turn at the next intersection and drove back to the shack.
"Where are they?" Peter asked as he opened his door.
"They're under my bed." Moses said.
Peter hurried away and Moses waited in the darkness. Peter returned out of breath. He climbed into the car.
"Okay, let's go." He said. "I've only brought two grenades but that should be enough. We don't want to waste them."
The little yellow car drove off.
"We're still on time." Peter said as he glanced at his watch. "It's ten to one."
***
Shadow stood in the darkness outside his shack, the three AK 47's slung over his shoulder. He had carefully loaded the magazines of each of the weapons and put three spare magazines in his jacket pocket. He waited impatiently for the sound of the approaching vehicle even though it was only ten to one. Suddenly he saw the parking lights of a vehicle turn into the street leading to where he stood. He saw the lights go out as the vehicle got closer and then, to his horror, the little vehicle burst into flames followed immediately by a loud dull bang. Flames enveloped the vehicle as it lurched to a stop and silhouetted against the light shadow saw Moses and Peter slumped forward over the wrecked dashboard of the car. A large fireball erupted as the petrol tank exploded, followed by two smaller explosions that ripped the passenger's side of the vehicle to pieces. The flames receded and silence returned to the dark city.
Shadow pursed his lips as he realised what had happened. The white security forces must have got to the car and planted a bomb inside. There was no other reason for the explosion. Slowly he turned and walked back into his shack.
***
Isaiah Zuma wandered through the downtown area of Maseru looking for any sign that would indicate the presence of the A.N.C. He couldn't get used to the fact that he didn't have to be wary of being accosted by the police at any moment. There were no apartheid laws in Lesotho and, even though he had entered the tiny country without the necessary documents, thousands of black South African's did so almost every day without being harassed by the authorities.
Eventually Isaiah decided to ask for directions. Again he had to remind himself that he was no longer in South Africa and making enquiries about the A.N.C.'s whereabouts wouldn't arouse suspicion and lead to him being taken into custody. The African National Congress wasn't a banned organisation in Lesotho as it was in South Africa. He began to look for a policeman and soon came across two uniformed officers in a parked police car near a busy intersection.
"Excuse me." Isaiah said to the policeman sitting in the passenger's seat with his window open. "Can you please direct me to the headquarters of the African National Congress in Maseru?"
"They don't have an official office here." the policeman replied. "But if you go to Maseru East near the airport someone will be able to help you."
Isaiah thanked the man and began walking towards the airport. It felt strange to be walking freely in a city without the fear of being harassed by the police. The lack of hostility by the policeman that he'd spoken to was alien to him.
Although he felt desperately tired, having not slept at all the previous night, Isaiah felt that he could not afford to waste any time. The A.N.C. might want to train him in the use of explosives and perhaps even an automatic rifle and this would take time. Also, the sooner he got back to Deep Reef Gold Mine, the sooner he could get his business going.
The suburb of Maseru East was a rundown collection of small houses and shacks and although most of the roads were tarred they were heavily pitted with large potholes. Isaiah asked several other pedestrians about the presence of the A.N.C. in the suburb and eventually found himself in front of a small non-descript brick dwelling with a black corrugated iron roof. A rough pathway led through the weed-strewn front yard to a brown wooden door. Isaiah knocked and waited.
After waiting several minutes Isaiah noticed the curtains in the front room move aside and a black man peered out at him. He raised his right hand in greeting. The man left the window and Isaiah heard several locks being undone before the door swung open. The man, dressed in camouflage trousers and a green and yellow T-shirt with the A.N.C. logo printed on it in black looked at Isaiah with his eyebrows raised.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"I'm looking for the headquarters of the African National Congress." Isaiah said.
"What do you want with them?" the man asked.
"I'm from South Africa and I want to join." Isaiah said. "I also have a proposition that I would like to put to them."
"Have you got any identification?" the man asked.
Isaiah handed the man his passbook and the forged letters. The man studied them carefully.
"Are these letters genuine?" he asked.
"No, they're forged." Isaiah replied.
"What's in the suitcase?" the man asked.
"My clothing." Isaiah said.
"Please open it, take everything out and hand it to me." the man said.
Isaiah removed his clothing and toiletries from the suitcase and handed it to the man in the doorway. The man inspected the case carefully, measuring the inside and the outside to see that it didn't have a false bottom. Once he was satisfied that the container held no danger he gave it back to Isaiah who placed his belongings in it and closed it.
"Come in." the man said. "You understand that we have to be very careful. Our enemies are constantly trying to kill us."
Isaiah nodded, picked up the suitcase and walked into the dimly-lit house. He followed the man along a short passageway and into a small well-lit room. A black man sat behind a desk in the centre of the room. He looked up as Isaiah entered.
"Comrade CH." the man said as he glanced down at Isaiah's passbook. "This is Isaiah Zuma. He's come here in the hope of joining the organisation and also has a proposition to put to us."
The man behind the desk stood up. Isaiah noticed that he also wore camouflage pants and an A.N.C. T-shirt.
"Welcome, Isaiah." the man said. "You must understand that we use code letters for names here for security reasons. So I'm comrade CH and this man is comrade LM. From now on you'll be known as comrade IZ. You must also understand that admission to MK doesn't require any educational standards, the same as most other liberation armies. Our only requirements are that you must be against apartheid and you must have enough courage to take up arms. MK is a purely volunteer army. Is has no mercenaries and no paid or conscripted soldiers. It consists of the sons and daughters of our oppressed people. Recruits are sent to our training schools in other countries and then sent on missions into South Africa. Do you accept that?"
Isaiah nodded
.
"Yes. I accept what you've told me." he said. "However, I believe that I can be of more use to MK than simply becoming a soldier."
"Yes?" comrade CH said. "What is your proposal?"
"I work at the Deep Reef Gold Mine in Johannesburg as a lasher boy." Isaiah said. "The mine uses large amounts of explosives and it is very careless with it. It is very easy for black miners to steal the dynamite. Many do steal it and sell it to dealers in Johannesburg. My proposal is that, as an A.N.C. cadre, I steal explosives for MK. I believe that it would be much easier for MK to make its own bombs rather than smuggle them into the country."
Mister CH raised his eyebrows.
"That's very interesting." he said. "We have considered this but have not been able to find a suitable supplier. Are you already stealing explosives?"
"Yes." Isaiah said. "At the moment though, I'm only supplying a small group of illegal miners in Johannesburg."
"So, apart from these illegal miners, nobody else knows what you're doing?" comrade CH asked.
"The only other person that knows what I'm doing is a fellow worker at the mine. He's prepared to work with me." Isaiah said. "I trust him, though. He won't betray us."
"If we go along with your proposal it would have to be on condition that, apart from the illegal miners, you will not supply anyone else with explosives and that nobody, apart from your fellow-worker, must know what you're doing." comrade CH said.
"Yes." Isaiah said.
"Okay." comrade CH said. "We will need several days to consider your proposal. In the mean time you can stay here in this house. Would you be prepared to undergo a training course in how to make explosive devices and then help our cadres in the field when you get back to South Africa? We would also give you a short course on how to use an AK47 automatic rifle."
"Yes." Isaiah said. "But I must be back at the mine within the time stipulated in those letters."
"I understand." comrade CH said. "That should be possible. In the mean time comrade LM will see that your stay here is as comfortable as possible."
The Colour of Gold Page 13