History books will be dubious if the names of Josiah Mucumi, Richard Motsoagae, Petros Ntshole and Thomas Molatlhegi are blackened or omitted instead of being mentioned in a quest to honour them.
These sons of Munsieville, who were later known as the Munsievile Four, were members of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC). Their determination in furthering the aims of the then banned PAC and defending the masses against police brutality left them no choice but to heed the call to join POQO, a predecessor to the Azanian People’s Liberation Army.
They operated around Krugersdorp, usually holding clandestine meetings in the open veld outside the township. As POQO intensified its attacks around the country, the four killed a police constable in Krugersdorp. They were later arrested. During the trial, they avoided associating their offence with politics; rather claiming it was due to rivalry over a girlfriend.
However they eventually admitted the offence was politically motivated, and were found guilty and sentenced to death. They were hanged the very same year.
The ropes of the gallows in Pretoria prison became a place of the martyred freedom fighters who deserve to be honoured for the role they played in the fight for liberation. As we know, the political freedom we enjoy didn’t fall from the sky, it was won through the sweat and blood of many. Hence reburial for the Munsieville Fourl wont be enough, they need to be honoured.
