Solomon Mahlangu
Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, who is widely known as Solomon Mahlangu was born on July 10, 1956, in Doornkop, Middelburg, in what was then known as the Eastern Transvaal, was barely 20 years old when Soweto schoolchildren protested the adoption of Afrikaans as a language of instruction.
By the end of 1976, hundreds of young people had been killed, including a 12-year-old schoolboy called Hector Petersen, and over 2 000 had been injured. Thousands more had been charged or imprisoned, and banning orders had been issued. Many South Africans fled abroad, often clandestinely, with the intention of continuing the war. Solomon Mahlangu, for example, left his home one night in complete secrecy.
Mahlangu underwent military training as a soldier of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and was then immediately tasked to return to South Africa to assist with student protests being planned to commemorate the 1976 uprising. In early 1977, he and two other MK soldiers, Monty Motloung and George Mahlangu, travelled from Angola to Mozambique , from where they infiltrated South Africa .
Successfully evading the government’s comprehensive security network, they managed to reach Johannesburg unscathed. There, however, they were intercepted by police. An exchange of fire followed in which two civilians were killed. In the confusion George Mahlangu managed to escape, but Solomon Mahlangu and Monty Motloung were taken prisoner.
Motloung was so severely assaulted in the process that he was unfit to stand trial, but Mahlangu, although he had not fired a shot during the clash with the police, was charged with murder as an accessory. He was duly found guilty, and on 22 March 1977 was sentenced to death. His response was a defiant shout of “Amandla!”
However, the government refused to budge, and on 6 April 1979, at the age of 23, Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was hanged, his spirit undaunted by the lengthy time he had spent in the shadow of the gallows. His last words were: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight.”
Why was Solomon Mahlangu sentenced to death
Mahlangu was a combatant for the African National Congress’ Umkhonto we Sizwe group. He was taken into custody by the South African Police in 1977 during a gunfight in Johannesburg’s Goch Street. He was given a death sentence and charged with both murder and terrorism. On April 6, 1979, he was hung at Pretoria Central Prison.
Where was Solomon Mahlangu hanged?
Mahlangu was in Pretoria Central Prison awaiting his execution. Solomon ‘Kalushi’ Mahlangu was hanged at the Pretoria Central Prison on April 6, 1979, despite numerous nations, the United Nations, international organizations, groups, and well-known individuals attempting to intervene on his behalf.
Was Solomon Mahlangu innocent?
Mahlangu was wrongfully accused on charges of murder and terrorism in 1977, and executed by hanging in 1979.
Source: Knowafricaofficial.com
