The family of the executed freedom fighter, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, wants a “proper and accurate” history of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu to be documented.
Family spokesperson, Prince George Mahlangu said they will be approaching the courts in order for an investigation to be reopened on the circumstances that led to his death. “We are in discussions with our legal team on how we should do this,” he said.
Solomon Mahlangu was a freedom fighter, a struggle activist and an operative of Umkhonto WeSizwe. He was convicted of murder and hanged on 6 April 1979 at the Pretoria Central Prison, now Kgoshi Mampuru Correctional Services, by the apartheid government. He was 22 year-old when he was hanged and his body was buried in prison. He would have celebrated his 65 birthday on Tuesday.
Prince Mahlangu said that the nation was not given the accurate information pertaining to his death. “There is information which we are not privy to in terms of circumstances of his execution in the sense that those that were responsible for his hanging were sworn to secrecy in terms of the proceedings what happened,” he said. “You will know that we never received the body to give him a proper funeral,” he added.
Prince Mahlangu said that contrary to what is shown in the film Kalushi, Solomon was never a murderer.
“Solomon was never a murderer… That needs to be reflected properly and in context. He was a freedom fighter to liberate the people,” he said. “The law of common purpose, we need to deal with that and demonstrate that. We want all the documents that were kept away from us to be revealed, and the whole country will be privy to what actually happened to during execution,” he said.
He further said it was also the wish of Solomon’s lawyer, the late Advocate Priscilla Jana, that they pursue the process. “We believe if we pursue this matter, we will be able to have those records and that information so that we cannot only have closure but able to document a proper and accurate story of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu,” he said.
Advocate Jonas “JB” Sibanyoni asked if Solomon’s execution was a “deliberate choice to coincide with the 327th Anniversary of the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck in the Cape in South Africa in 1652?” He added, “The doctrine of ‘Common Purpose’ was applied that says even if the fatal shot did not come from Solomon’s fire arm, he is guilty by association with the one whose fire arm caused the death.”
“It is my personal view that now that we have a democratic country and judiciary in South Africa, the Solomon Mahlangu family has a point in calling for an inquest for the circumstances surrounding his conviction, sentencing and execution,” Advocate Sibanyoni said.
