191:
in 1923. His parents were uneducated farmers. He was one of seven children. Mkwayi started school at age ten in a
Presbyterian church building in Keiskammahoek. He had a rural childhood herding sheep and goats, and passing through circumcision school.
432:
In 1985, in a Robben Island Prison
Ceremony, he married his childhood sweetheart Ntombifuthi Irene Mhlongo and they had two children. She died of cancer in 1987. He married a second time and his wife Patricia Lang-Mkwayi survived him.
370:
Acts, with furthering the aims of communism and conspiring to bring about a violent revolution, allegedly as a member of the new High
Command of Umkhonto we Sizwe. He was sentenced in December 1964 in the
195:
Mkwayi became a member of the ANC at age 17, after his father, also a member of the ANC, gave him a membership card. He left school in 1943, while World War 2 was ongoing, to work at a dynamite factory in
405:
He was elected to the
National Executive Committee of the ANC in July 1991 and he continued to serve until 1997, when he stepped down due to his ill health. From 1994, he served as a member of the
604:
33:
599:
216:
Youth League’s one-day general strike and stay away across South Africa. He was a leader of the 1952 Defiance
Campaign in the Eastern Cape. He was also union organiser for the
328:. He returned clandestinely to South Africa in 1962 to work underground and lead sabotage operations such as Operation Mayibuye. His most documented disguise was a
402:(““the one who wears the plumes of the rare bird.”) awarded to those who have made an outstanding contribution and sacrifice to the liberation struggle.
217:
589:
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in 1964, after he was informed upon by a mole within the ANC. He was detained in solitary confinement and subjected to torture while awaiting trial.
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225:
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Ndlovu, S. and
Houston, G. 2008. “The Road to Democracy: South Africans Telling Their Stories”. Online. Accessed 3 September.
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258:. He was able to escape because a policeman mistook him for an ordinary member of the public. He started his exile in
584:
406:
275:
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The
Associated Press. 2004. “Wilton Mkwayi, 81, Prisoner with Mandela for 2 Decades” Online. Accessed 3 September.
398:
Mkwayi was released from Robben Island on 15 October 1989. In 1992, he was honoured with the ANC’s highest award,
168:
153:
544:
473:
395:. They called their escape plan off when they suspected a police trap setting them up for assassination.
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149:
529:
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313:, Wilton Mkwayi was sent for military training at the Nanking Military School in China. He met
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387:. During his imprisonment, he was one of three prisoners – along with Mandela and
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in 1945 to work offloading large trucks and trains; he also worked at the docks.
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348:
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306:
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while the other defendants were detained, later arrested and tried during the
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2004. “Statement on the death of Wilton Mkwayi” Online. Accessed 3 September.
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Bridgland, F. 2004 “Wilton Mkwayi” Online. Accessed 3 September.
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Wilton “Bri-Bri” Zimasile Mkwayi was born in
Chwarhu area near
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His funeral was held in King
William's Town and attended by
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and other co-defendants were arrested on 11 July 1963 and
213:
605:
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by South Africa
324:
He returned to
Britain after his training where he met
600:
South African prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
485:
2013. “Wilton Z. Mkwayi” Online. Accessed 3 September.
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was already in prison, Mkwayi briefly took command of
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Mkwayi went into hiding during the trial and the 1960
232:
for a metal workers' strike and escaped with a fine.
391:– planning to escape during a visit to a dentist in
332:that allowed him to pass for a township preacher.
224:in the early 1950s. He worked as treasurer of the
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355:. He was arrested at his girlfriend’s house in
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235:Mkwayi was one of the 156 co-accused in the
175:veteran and one of the first six members of
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243:calling for a non-racial democracy and a
171:(17 December 1923 – 24 July 2004) was an
590:Members of the African National Congress
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469:
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507:
557:
226:South African Congress of Trade Unions
218:Southern African Textile Workers Union
212:On 1 May 1950, he participated in the
460:
302:to establish contacts for the SACTU.
290:(TUC). The TUC funded his travels to
317:while in China. They were the first
228:(SACTU). He was arrested after the
207:
13:
538:
179:to be sent for military training.
14:
616:
413:until his death on 24 July 2004.
16:African National Congress veteran
427:
420:. His cremation was attended by
200:. Mkwayi left Somerset West for
270:. From Lesotho he journeyed to
1:
595:South African trade unionists
453:
182:
154:South African Communist Party
545:Interview with Wilton Mkwayi
409:, continuing to serve as an
7:
580:UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel
436:
10:
621:
570:South African politicians
550:Nelson Mandela Foundation
173:African National Congress
159:
150:African National Congress
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133:
105:
100:
96:
84:
72:
62:
51:
43:
39:
30:
23:
585:Anti-apartheid activists
368:Suppression of Communism
362:Mkwayi was charged with
266:, Ambrose Makiwane and
418:Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
309:, Patrick Mthembu and
166:Wilton Zimasile Mkwayi
110:Wilton Zimasile Mkwayi
288:Trades Union Congress
44:Overall Commander of
373:little Rivonia Trial
286:to meet the British
239:for supporting the
400:Isitwalandwe Medal
252:State of Emergency
237:1956 Treason Trial
407:National Assembly
230:Defiance Campaign
163:
162:
46:uMkhonto we Sizwe
612:
532:
527:
516:
511:
505:
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487:
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247:-based economy.
208:Political career
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120:17 December 1923
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101:Personal details
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539:Further reading
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448:Liliesleaf Farm
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379:, where he met
353:Umkonto weSizwe
330:clerical collar
319:Umkonto weSizwe
241:Freedom Charter
210:
185:
177:Umkonto weSizwe
152:
146:Political party
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438:
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381:Nelson Mandela
349:Nelson Mandela
341:Raymond Mhlaba
307:Raymond Mhlaba
300:Czechoslovakia
222:Port Elizabeth
209:
206:
202:Port Elizabeth
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141:(aged 80)
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79:Raymond Mhlaba
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443:Treason Trial
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428:Personal life
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378:
377:Robben Island
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346:
345:Walter Sisulu
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264:Moses Mabhida
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256:Rivonia Trial
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198:Somerset West
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25:Wilton Mkwayi
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509:
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375:and sent to
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357:Orlando West
334:
326:Oliver Tambo
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315:Mao Tse-tung
304:
268:Joe Matthews
249:
234:
211:
194:
186:
165:
164:
139:(2004-07-24)
137:24 July 2004
128:South Africa
86:Succeeded by
67:Oliver Tambo
53:
18:
575:2004 deaths
565:1923 births
422:Thabo Mbeki
389:Mac Maharaj
385:Govan Mbeki
337:Govan Mbeki
189:Middledrift
124:Middledrift
74:Preceded by
559:Categories
454:References
321:trainees.
305:Alongside
183:Early life
116:1923-12-17
91:Joe Modise
393:Cape Town
311:Joe Gqabi
272:Swaziland
245:Socialist
122:Chwarhu,
63:President
58:1963–1964
54:In office
437:See also
364:Sabotage
282:and the
296:Romania
260:Lesotho
335:After
292:Prague
280:Ghana
276:Congo
262:with
383:and
366:and
298:and
169:OMSG
134:Died
106:Born
220:in
214:ANC
561::
520:^
491:^
462:^
424:.
411:MP
343:,
339:,
294:,
284:UK
278:,
274:,
126:,
118:)
114:(
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