GLW: Free Mzwakhe Mbuli

[Green Left Parramatta <glparramatta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Comrades,

Green Left Weekly seems to be a lone voice in the campaign to free
Mzwakhe Mbuli. Perhaps comrades should take a fresh look at his case in
the light of the vicious police racism just exposed. Dorothy Flynn, who
running the campaign, nees as much help as she can get.

Revolutionary regards,
Norm.


The following article appeared in the latest
issue of Green Left Weekly
(http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2000/424/424p27.htm),
Australia's radical newspaper.

*****************************************************

Explosive truth for South African `People's Poet'

BY DOROTHY FLYNN

South African musician and ``People's Poet'' Mzwakhe
Mbuli  --  jailed on trumped up charges of armed robbery  --  attended
a hearing of the Amnesty Commission of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria on September 18. The TRC
was considering an amnesty application by police officer Kobus
Klopper for planting grenades in Mbuli's Soweto home as the
musician was about to leave on a world tour in 1988.

Klopper claimed not to remember details, but he acknowledged
receiving direct orders from superiors at Vlakplaas, the farm
where the apartheid security forces' death squads were based.
Mbuli opposed Klopper's application, stating he did not believe
that Klopper had told the whole truth.

Because of the apartheid regime's harassment, Mbuli was forced to
cancel his tour and was detained for a total of two years  --
including six months in solitary confinement  --  after which he was
released without charge.

The 1988 planting of evidence by the security forces bears a
striking similarity to the events surrounding Mbuli's arrest in
October 1997, allegedly for armed robbery and possession of a
hand grenade. He was convicted in March 1999 on circumstantial
evidence after a bizarre trial and is now serving a 13-year
sentence at Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison. Mbuli and his
supporters maintain that he is innocent. An appeal is scheduled
for November 9-10.

It is suspected that Klopper is connected to one of Mbuli's
arresting officers, Fabby Fabricious (another arresting officer
committed suicide on the eve of Mbuli's trial). Klopper was
present in court when a ``missing'' police file related to an
investigation on an attempt to murder Mbuli suddenly resurfaced
during the trial. (Prior to Mbuli's arrest in 1997, he had
complained about police failure to make progress with the
investigation into a 1996 attempt on his life, when nine bullets
were sprayed into his car.)

At the time of the 1997 arrest, Mbuli was also accused of other
unsolved crimes, perhaps to ensure that he would be denied bail.
Some of the charges  --  including robbery of a liquor store  --  fell
by the wayside. Mbuli was acquitted of the remaining charges of
robbing and shooting a businessman in May.

Many supporters believe the police charged Mbuli with possession
of a grenade in 1997 hoping the public would associate Mbuli with
grenades from the past. The recent TRC hearing, which proved that
police planted grenades on Mbuli once before, calls into question
the motives of those accusing Mbuli.

The poet, who was once a favourite son of the African National
Congress but who did not stop speaking out against corruption
after the transition to democracy, has been treated like a menace
to society. Before his trial, he was detained for a year in harsh
conditions more befitting apartheid than democracy.

His treatment has seemed incredible for a widely loved public
figure and an inspiring opponent of apartheid. When Mbuli was
arrested, the ANC government indicated that he would not receive
``special treatment''. However, others have fared far better than
he. Even the racist terrorist leader Eugene Terreblanche was
released after serving three months of a one-year sentence.

Recently implemented prison restrictions include denying inmates
photographs of loved ones and access to normally allowed items of
personal clothing. There have even been rumours that access to
the daily papers will be removed. Mbuli was the first to report
black suspects being routinely brought to prison with dog bites,
which the government denied but which BBC news later documented.

When taken to court, Mbuli has been transported in a cage, and on
one occasion a hearing was cancelled because wardens refused to
remove shackles during court proceedings. Supporters have
thronged to all events where he has been seen, and it has been
clear that their faith in him has remained unshaken.

Known widely for his courage and unbreakable spirit as well as
for his poetry and music, Mbuli remains undaunted and expresses
confidence that the truth will ultimately set him free.

An international campaign for Mzwakhe Mbuli has been established
and can be contacted at <campaign@xxxxxxxxxxx> or by telephone at
+1 617 876 3169. The campaign's address is PO Box 390058,
Cambridge, MA, USA 02139.

The Free Mzwakhe Mbuli web site (<http://www.mzwakhe.org>)
reports current events related to his detention and there is an
online petition people can sign. Message of support will be
relayed to Mbuli via <mzwakhe@xxxxxxxxxxx>. Mail can be sent to:
Mzwakhe Mbuli, Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison, Private Mail Bag
x2, Bryanston, South Africa 2021.