President opens Zuma Arrest Site

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma says he will never forget Groot Marico in North West where he was arrested in 1963 while en route to exile.

Yesterday, Zuma unveiled the President Jacob Zuma Arrest Site.

The Groot Marico Heritage and Arrest Site along the N4 highway between Zeerust and Rustenburg was dedicated to the liberation Struggle and to the contribution to the freedom of the oppressed in South Africa by the many activists who crossed through the Zeerust/Lobatse border into exile.

The 6m tall oblique was unveiled amid concerns from opposition parities in North West that the money used on it could have best used for service delivery.

North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo said the money used at the site was less than R2 million.

Zuma and 52 other Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) recruits were on their way via Botswana for military training abroad, when they were arrested in Groot Marico.

Zuma said they were travelling in three minibus taxis from Johannesburg and the driver of his taxi wanted to take a short road to the Botswana border but got lost.

“The driver confessed that we were lost and wanted to go back because they were only dropping people off at night. He came with stories like his fuel tank was leaking and the petrol was not enough to take us to our destination.

“We told him to go as we would take out our money and fill the car,” he said.

“We arrived here (Groot Marico) and the police stopped us.

“We were taken to Zeerust and questioned. We were taken in one by one, and we did not have a story to tell, others said we were a soccer team; they were a lot of stories.” He said they were beaten. “We were put in one cell and planned to escape.

“In the morning the police formed a chain from the door of the cell to the door of the van and we realised there was no way we can escape.

“One fellow, Riot Mkhonazi, saw a small gap between the police and went for it…

“They caught him before he reached the gate.

“We realised no one could take a risk…”

He said they were kept in police custody in Pretoria and beaten for nine days.

Zuma was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on Robben Island.