It has been 46 years since the mystery death of Steve Biko, to commemorate the Biko week R.M Mdingi takes the reader through a detailed analysis of the occurrences behind the death of the renowned brain of Black Consciousness:
If it were true that the balkanization process was nothing more than changing boundaries then the masses would in all likelihood have accepted them. The are enormous differences between provinces at all levels of economic development and, inevitably the quality of service delivery.
Although the ANC’s position in the talks that produced the negotiated settlement was for a unitary state, they made concessions to the presentative of the apartheid regime and its collaborators like Inkatha Freedom Party, which resulted in a semi-federal system that pandered to tribalism and the interest of former homeland puppets that have given the provinces their semi-tribal and ethnic character and entrenched the socio-economic differences between them. More importantly, provincial governments have been given concurrent powers that are the same as those of national governments in certain areas.
Provincial bureaucracies developed a degree of autonomy and engaged in a thinly-disguised competition rather than governing on the basis of the “principle of cooperative governance” as required by the constitution. The bureaucracies developed provinces like Gauteng, Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal have made full of the greater resources at their disposal to develop prestigious projects that provide opportunities for the self-enrichment of the black elite and disregard the needs of the working class. The result of this is that there is huge immigration to the richer provinces- the movement of people from poorer to richer provinces in search of jobs and better service delivery.
September 12 in fact Steve Biko Week marks the 46th anniversary of where our courageous heroic legend, the martyr of our struggles met his fate in that infamous room, 619 Sanlam building in Port Elizabeth. (E-bhayi) Members of Black consciousness and Biko family the bereaved masses were prepared to die and be buried with their loved hero than live without him at the hands of police and clandestine assassinators.
The thoughts were ignited in my mind while reading Hilda Bernstein no 46 detainee Steve Biko about his murder and the charade that became known as the “Steve Biko’s” inquest Biko’s death in 1977 caused a national and international upheaval as he was the 46 detainees to die in the hands of police custody since the introduction of detention without trial in 1963. But none caused an uproar like Biko’s had. The nation and the world had followed each and every detail sufficiently angry to want to bomb things. But time has ended the details of the callousness of how Biko was treated, time has reduced it to “he was killed in police detention”
But Bernstein took me back to the stories that former premier of the Western Cape Helen Zille wrote in her verbatim reporting of the inquest for the then Rand Daily Mail and with Bernstein’s assistance. It was timeous too, for reading the book alone can make someone place Steve Biko where he was 46 years ago for he was detained on the 18th of August and died less than a month later on September 12.
As you can read in the book, I imagined him on August 29 lying in his Cell naked manacled by a chain to the cell grill, bored stiff and playing the mind games that detainees engage in to stay sane. He had not been interrogated since his detention 20 days earlier. The security police later said they had wanted it to start with the other detainee, Peter Jones before confronting Biko. He was to remain in the situation of naked humiliation until the morning of September 6th when he was taken to room 619 in the Salam building to be tortured room 619 was become an internationally notorious room made even more so by Peter Gabriel in Biko which he sang again at a concert 46664 Aids benefit concert some years ago.
This is the sequence recorded by Bernstein:
August 18 Steve Biko is arrested with Peter Jones outside King Williamstown. Two men were taken into to Grahamstown, the next day, they were taken to Walmer Jail Port Elizabeth and held under section 6 of the Terrorism Act, in the custody of the security police under the command of Colonel Pieter Johannes Goosen
He is kept naked in a cell for 20 days. Biko was kept at Walmer police station naked manacled and not allowed to leave his cell even for the fresh air or exercise. His daily ration of food was soup, magewu, bread Jam and coffee. According to Seagernt in command, the soup magewu were refused and Biko eat little Bread.
September 2, 1977. On the 1st of September, a magistrate made a formal visit to Biko in his cell. Biko complained that he had not been permitted to wash himself and wear clothes or comb. He asked, “Is it necessary that I have to be naked, I have been naked since I came here” The magistrate made no reply. September the 6th: in the morning Biko was taken from the Walmer Street police station cell by security police and brought to room 619 Salam building for interrogation. The police stated that they were with him from 10am until 6 pm. Then from 6 p.m. he was in the care of the night guide (led by LT Wilken). Naked, handcuffed and with one leg chained to the grill.
Room 619 at 7 am September 7 1977 Major Harold Synman head of an interrogation team of five, arrived at 7 am and according to his statement, removed Biko’s leg irons and handcuffs. At that time or very close to it, Biko received blows that caused brain damage and resulted in his death five days later. The police were unable to continue their interrogation Biko was again handcuffed and chained to the grille.
September 7 1977 time 7:30am Biko already has brain damage Col Goosen was informed that there had been an incident at 7:30am he arrived at room 619 and spoke to Biko, who he said, seemed incoherent and talked in a slurred manner. The was visible swelling on his upper lip. At 9:30am Dr Ivor Lang gave medical checkup the district surgeon, Dr Lang was called in. he examined Biko in the presence of Col Goosen at the Colonel’s request, he made out a certificate that there was no evidence of any abnormality nor pathology in Biko.
Night of September 7 Biko lies on the mat chained and in leg irons. The security police attempted, once more, to interrogate Biko but he was totally unresponsive for the rest of that day and for that night Biko lay on a mat on the office floor manacled and chained by his leg as before.
September 8 Dr Lang returned, Colonel Goosen told him that Biko had not urinated during the past 24 hours, and had refused all sorts of offers for food. Lang re-examined Biko and requested that the chief District Surgeon, Dr B.J Tucker, examine Biko with him. Although the trousers Biko had been wearing for interrogation and blankets were now soaked in urine. Dr Lang noticed no change and Dr Tucker did not question Biko. It was decided to transfer him to the prison hospital. Evening of September 8, 1977, a specialist physician Dr Hersch was consulted it was agreed that a lumbar puncture should be performed, Biko was transferred to the prison hospital. Night of September 8, 1977, a warder stated that during the night of 8, September he twice found Biko lying in a bath, the first time in a bath filled with water, the second time the bath was empty.
September 9, 1977, the lumbar puncture was performed early in the morning.
September 10, 1977, Hersch informed Dr Lang the lumbar puncture, the cerebro-spinal fluid to the blood-stained (this denotes brain damage). It was decided to consult a neurosurgeon Mr Keely by telephone. He gave the opinion that there was no evidence of brain damage but still should be kept under observation. He saw no reason why Biko should not be transferred back to security police provided he was kept under observation.
September 11, 1977 in the morning the security police took Biko from a hospital bed back to a cell at Wallmer police station. He was left naked on a mat on the cement floor under blankets. A few hours later, a warder found Biko lying on the floor with foam in his mouth and glassy-eyed. He informed Major Fischer who telephoned Col Goosen. Dr Tucker examined Biko at 3:20pm and saw no objection on Col Goosen sending Biko on a journey of 740miles. Biko was left lying on the floor of a Land Rover with nothing except a container of water.
September 11 &12, 1977 Pretoria prison. He was carried into a prison hospital in Pretoria and left on the floor of a cell without medication records. 11 hours after leaving Port Elizabeth (Ebhayi). September 12, 1977, several hours after a newly qualified doctor (Dr Vanzyl) with no medical information about Steve other than that he was refusing to eat, ordered an intravenous drip. Sometime that night he died unattended. It was a death that counsel Sydney Kentridge described as a
Miserable and a lonely death on a mat on a stone floor in a prison cell.
This alone brought back a flood of memories and anger, anger over lies told then, of Steve Biko’s so-called “hunger strike”, of him attacking security police and how he had hit his head against the wall while being restrained. The lies of “tender treatment” that the police said was given to detainees. Despite Sydney Kentridge’s effort to open the secrets of how Steve really died, they refused up to date, we still do not know who did what to Steve to make him urinate in his blankets and trousers and sit in a bath full of water fully clothed. What exactly had been done to a man of Biko’s caliber to make him do that, what did they do to him to reduce him to that level of dysfunctionality of virtual insanity and humiliation. This alone serves to remind all those conceptual thinkers of the total of solidarity of that capitalist system. From doctors who deferred, to the Colonel, to the medical specialist who gave CARTE BLANCHE certificate over the phone for a trip of over 1000km in a Land Rover for someone who was for intents and purposes halfway to death and should have been in an intensive care unit.
The medical oversight body did nothing or punish them until pushed and shoved by international opinion. A government that rewarded Col Gooosen with the promotion of a magistrate who fulfilled the statutory obligation of visiting detainees but not do anything like the oversight role he was supposed to pay. They were united in the brotherhood of colonial, capital, racism, and the way it had distorted shrinking their manipulation minds as people and destroying all morality and social decency in them.. Lest we forget we may have to contend with one of Steve Biko’s killers, Goosen Niewoudt trying to the Bulelena Ngcuka into a spy ring in 2003. Watching him break down into a collapsed bundle of nerves by merely being questioned by a lawyer in an amnesty hearing and not in room 619 conditions. We are supposed to be understanding, and reconciling even when we are denied the truth.
Steve Biko Foundation/Azanian People’s organisation must hold lectures and seminars to remember Biko. The present system of government and the youth of nowadays must learn to understand the sacrifices that brought about their freedom of tender-preneurs as they take our struggle for granted. The details of our fallen heroes like Biko, Lungile Tabalaza, Abraham Tiro and the murder of Chris Hani as well should be run and rerun every day, week, month year after year.
Written by R.N Mdingi in his personal capacity and edited by Avuyile Ncanga
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