Castro Khwela AFRI, Doornpoort, Doornpoort (2026)

13/08/2026

100 Years Feliz Cumpleaños Comandante Fidel Castro

On this day, 13 August 1926, 100 years ago, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born in Biran, Cuba, a son of a wealthy Spanish farmer. Castro adopted leftist and anti-imperialist ideas while studying law at the University of Havana. After participating in rebellions against right-wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, he planned the overthrow of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, launching a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953.

After a year’s imprisonment, Castro travelled to Mexico where he formed a revolutionary group, the 26th of July Movement, with his brother Raúl Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Returning to Cuba, Castro took a key role in the Cuban Revolution by leading the Movement in a guerrilla war against Batista’s forces from the Sierra Maestra.

After Batista’s overthrow in 1959, Castro assumed military and political power as Cuba’s prime minister. The United States came to oppose Castro’s government and unsuccessfully attempted to remove him by assassination, economic embargo, and counter-revolution, including the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. Countering these threats, Castro aligned with the Soviet Union and allowed the Soviet government to place nuclear weapons in Cuba, resulting in the Cuban Missile Crisis – a defining incident of the Cold War – in 1962 ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/100-years-feliz-cumpleanos-comandante-fidel-castro/

12/08/2026

Bombard the Bourgeois Headquarters!
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Special Ops Hits Voortrekkerhoogte

On 12 August 1981, five explosions were a result of rockets fired at the military base. During that evening, at a spot between the Indian areas of Erasmia and Laudium, approximately four kilometres from the apartheid South African Defence Force’s (SADF) Voortrekkerhoogte military base in Verwoerdburg (now Centurion), near Pretoria, members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Special Operations Unit had a GRAD-P rocket launcher system set-up ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/bombard-the-bourgeois-headquartersumkhonto-we-sizwe-mk-special-ops-hits-voortrekkerhoogte/

11/08/2026

First MK Conference in Venda and the Pain of Liberation War Veterans

On 9 – 11 August 1991, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) held its first conference at the University of Venda, in Thohoyandou, following African National Congress (ANC) President Nelson Mandela’s instruction to the ANC Conference in Durban in July the same year that he must set-up a conference to address the concerns of MK Cadres. Hopes for a peaceful transfer of power from the minority to the majority were dashed as the transition progressed, mainly as a result of state-sponsored “Third Force” violence that led to devastating community wars, as well as the systemic neglect of returning cadres that disrupted expectations for a smooth transition to a democratic dispensation ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/first-mk-conference-in-venda-and-the-pain-of-liberation-war-veterans/

10/08/2026

First MK Group for Military Training in the Soviet Union

On 10 August 1963, a group of thirty Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) recruits were flown on a British Overseas Airways Corporation plane from Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika, to Khartoum, Sudan. From the Sudan they were flown on a Russian aeroplane to Moscow, in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Soviet Union. They were then met by Russian officials in civilian clothes, who took them in two buses to a double-storey building surrounded by bushes, about eight kilometres outside Moscow, in an area called Ivanov. The house had a high wooden fence around it, and they were welcomed by a Soviet colonel and a major. Within this group were, amongst others, Lawrence Phokanoka, Leonard Nkosi, Lennox Mongameli Tshali, Isaac Makopo, Archie Sibeko, Chris Hani, Justice Mpanza and Mark Shope.

This group was the first contingent of MK cadres to be trained in the Soviet Union, as the ANC had succeeded in gaining the support of the Soviet Union for the provision of military training to its cadres. This historical event on 10 August 1963 marked a crucial turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle, as it was one of the early structured steps in building Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) into an effective guerrilla army with international backing. Following the banning of the ANC and the internal crackdowns by the apartheid regime, the alliance turned towards armed resistance and actively sought external aid in upgrading its efforts from sabotage into effective guerrilla warfare ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/first-mk-group-for-military-training-in-the-soviet-union/

09/08/2026

Women: A Pillar of the National Democratic Revolution

“To drive this profound societal shift, the country must move from treating women’s empowerment as a social welfare issue to treating it as a hard macroeconomic strategy.”

During the 1950s and 1960s in South Africa, the apartheid regime heavily suppressed liberation movements, forcing organisations like the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) underground. As thousands of male leaders were banned, imprisoned prior, during and after the Rivonia Trial, or forced into exile, women stepped directly into the vanguard. They transformed from supportive figures into the primary custodians and executioners of the underground liberation struggle. They became the pillar of the National Democratic Revolution.

To harness the legacy of the liberation struggle for modern socio-economic development, women must transition from the custodians of political survival to the primary drivers of economic transformation, institutional governance and community development. Just as women sustained the underground movement in the 1960s, their role today is critical to overcoming South Africa’s triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/women-a-pillar-of-the-national-democratic-revolution/

08/08/2026

Apartheid SADF Defeat ‘Linked’ to Ceasefire in the Angola War

On 7 August 1988, the People’s Republic of Angola, the Republic of Cuba and apartheid South Africa agreed to a formal ceasefire. Under the terms of the ceasefire and later treaty, Cuba was to withdraw its forces from Angola, and South Africa was to grant Namibia independence and withdraw its forces and elections were to be held in Namibia. The ceasefire was reached through a combination of military stalemate on the ground, shifting Cold War geopolitics and intensive United States-led diplomatic mediation.

The immediate catalyst for the ceasefire was the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale (1987–1988) in southern Angola. The apartheid South African Defence Force (SADF) and UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) rebels failed to capture the strategic town of Cuito Cuanavale from Angolan (FAPLA) forces. Cuba heavily reinforced the area, deploying advanced MiG-23 fighter jets, creating integrated air defences, and establishing air superiority over northern Namibia and southern Angola. Facing the threat of an allied advance on the Namibian border and unsustainable white conscript casualties, South Africa realised a total military victory was unachievable.

The late 1980s marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union shifted from proxy warfare to a desire for regional de-escalation. South Africa was facing immense international isolation and economic sanctions due to apartheid. Simultaneously, the Soviet Union cut back financial backing for its foreign allies, prompting Cuba and Angola to seek a negotiated settlement. Negotiations accelerated in early 1988, mediated by Chester Crocker, the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. He utilised his strategy called “constructive engagement” and championed the concept of “linkage” ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/apartheid-sadf-defeat-linked-to-ceasefire-in-the-angola-war/

07/08/2026

Signing the Controversial Pretoria Minute

On 6 August 1990, the Pretoria Minute became a historic agreement signed between the apartheid government, led by F.W. de Klerk, and the African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela. Building on the earlier Groote Schuur Minute, it aimed to clear legal and political roadblocks to formalise the transition toward democracy. The document focused on mutual concessions to foster a peaceful negotiation climate. The ANC agreed to suspend its 30-year-old armed struggle, conducted via its military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), with immediate effect. The government agreed to release political prisoners based on defined norms established by a bipartisan working group.

Mechanisms were formalised to provide indemnity and safe passage for exiled anti-apartheid activists returning to South Africa. The apartheid state committed to reviewing and weakening oppressive security measures, including provisions of the Internal Security Act, to allow for free political activity. The government pledged to completely lift the remaining State of Emergency, specifically in the volatile Natal province.

Despite being a breakthrough, the Pretoria Minute triggered intense controversy on both sides of the political divide. Many rank-and-file ANC members, MK cadres and radical movements felt Nelson Mandela made a massive, unilateral concession. They believed suspending the armed struggle stripped the liberation movement of its ultimate leverage before securing universal suffrage or a democratic constitution ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/signing-the-controversial-pretoria-minute/

06/08/2026

Rioting Erupts Again in Soweto and Spreads Countrywide

On 4 August 1976, riots erupted again in Soweto and spread to other townships in South Africa, as the country experienced a major resurgence of violence. This second wave of rioting was caused by a massive student-led march to demand the release of political detainees, which was paired with a coordinated worker stay-away. Organised by the newly formed Soweto Students’ Representative Council (SSRC) under the leadership of Tsietsi Mashinini, the demonstration shifted the focus from the initial school language policy to direct political defiance against the apartheid state.

Students organised a march of roughly 15,000 to 20,000 people intending to walk from Soweto to the John Vorster Square police headquarters in central Johannesburg to demand the freedom of jailed activists. The SSRC successfully convinced 80% to 85% of Soweto’s adult workforce to strike. Because parents and workers stayed home, the entire township was densely populated with adults when the military and police arrived. Apartheid security forces heavily blockaded the northeast boundary of Soweto, near New Canada, to prevent the marchers from reaching the city. Police fired teargas and live am******on to disperse the crowd.

Enraged by the blockade and fresh casualties, protesters retaliated with widespread arson, targeting government administration offices, b**r halls and vehicles, which quickly pulled adults into active clashes with the state. This secondary wave of unrest quickly expanded from Soweto to several other segregated Black townships across the country. The current resurgence marked a transition from a localised student strike into a broader, countrywide anti-apartheid rebellion supported by university students, community members and workers ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/rioting-erupts-again-in-soweto-and-spreads-countrywide/

04/08/2026

Post-Rivonia Arrests and Repression Intensified

On 3 August 1963, in the early hours of the morning, Stephen Mtshali was arrested at his aunt’s home, in Durban, and was taken to the Wentworth Police Station for interrogation by apartheid Detective Warrant Officer Nicolaas J. Grobler. On the same morning, at a house in Durban’s Windsor Park suburb, Ronnie Kasrils gave Bruno Mtolo some money to buy some meat and vegetables at Kloof, and to arrange for Stephen Mtshali to visit the recently established hideout. Mtolo left the hideout at around 11:00, and when he reached Kloof Railway Station, he was apprehended by Officers Grobler and Wessels, who then took him to Pinetown Police Station.

During this Rivonia era, African National Congress (ANC) members who were not arrested and remained inside the country continued with the struggle underground and were involved in different activities, such as helping cadres to find their way into exile and distributing revolutionary reading material. Women also played a crucial role in ensuring that the underground network of the ANC was fully functional. Because the apartheid regime’s security police primarily targeted high-profile male figures, women leveraged their perceived domestic roles to operate below the state’s radar, executing highly strategic and dangerous logistical operations ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/post-rivonia-arrests-and-repression-intensified/

02/08/2026

Institutional Capture of the Police and Justice System Averted

The recent Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) exposé at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has strongly validated a narrative that top police generals were being deliberately targeted through a weaponised and captured criminal justice system. Rather than an intended state overthrow, the explosive evidence points to a well-orchestrated institutional capture, fabricated evidence and a sinister, coordinated plot within IDAC to systematically purge specific leadership figures from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The commission revealed that high-ranking officials, including suspended National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, were heavily targeted by IDAC. Former IDAC head Advocate Andrea Johnson admitted under immense pressure that the unit acted completely outside its legal mandate by investigating Khumalo.

In a major blow to the state’s integrity, internal whistleblowers – including IDAC prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy and senior investigator Mantsha Raphesu – testified that key evidence used to prosecute Crime Intelligence officials may have been outright fabricated. This forced the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to drop its corruption case against Khumalo as the underlying probe entirely unravelled ... to read more, visit: https://castrokhwela.co.za/institutional-capture-of-the-police-and-justice-system-averted/

Castro Khwela AFRI

13/08/2026

12/08/2026

11/08/2026

10/08/2026

09/08/2026

08/08/2026

07/08/2026

06/08/2026

04/08/2026

02/08/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organization

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request