Tragic day in the life of Orlando Pirates
During the month of love, February that is, print and electronic media gets flooded by commemorations of the Munich Air Disaster, which occurred on 6 February 1958 when a British Airways flight crashed, an accident that claimed 23 lives, including eight players and three members of Manchester United’s staff. This accident took one back down memory lane when one was only 10 years young, in 1975. A bus carrying the Mighty Orlando Pirates players and officials left Orlando DOCC on Mooki Street, then the club’s headquarters, for Welkom to feature in a match against Welkom Real Hearts. Pirates won 7-1. So it is that the Buccaneers’ players, officials and supporters left Welkom for Johannesburg late in the evening. The bus experienced mechanical difficulties a few kilometres from Welkom, and therefore, players had to leave the bus and board supporters’ private cars. On this day, France Ramashia was driving his VW nine-seater kombi with David Dladla, Gladys Vuyiswa Mbhele, Pule and son Christopher Ramashia, who was only nine years young at the time. Aggrey Mbathani, Chairman of Orlando Pirates, Deputy Chairman Washington “DC” Mposula, Secretary Barney Mazwi “Black Diamond” Shongwe, Phil “Shakes” Ntsoseng and Chilliboy Kolobe all boarded Ramashia’s VW red kombi. As they entered Sasol, their kombi was hit by an oncoming car, whose driver had lost control. It subsequently burst into flames. A white couple in the other car burnt beyond recognition. Mbathani, Shongwe, Dladla and Pule died at the accident scene. Ramashia,
Mposula, Mbhele, Mr Ntsoseng and Kolobe were rushed to Vanderbijl Hospital. Christopher Ramashia ran for his life, only to be curtailed by the nearest farm’s barbwire fence. Luckily, he was not injured. It is heartbreaking to note the abovementioned astute and erudite Mighty Orlando Pirates gentlemen died on duty for this glorious institution. Mbathani was a teacher at Orlando High School and, when Orlando North Secondary was opened, he became its first principal. Dr Thamsanqa W Kambule, then principal of Orlando High School, advised him to recruit new teachers and Orlando High School alumnae who were expelled from Ongoye University in KZN. Hastings Ndlovu, the real first victim of the 1976 Soweto Students’ Uprising, was doing Grade 9 at Orlando North Secondary School. Mr Barney Mazwi Shongwe was born on 5 March 1941 and passed away on 5 May 1975. His parents were beneficiaries of the land expropriation operation that was undertaken by the founding Father of Soweto, uMagebhula James Sofasonke Mpanza. He was amongst the first group of Africans to forcefully settle at eMasakeni at Orlando Communal Hall, the first community hall in Soweto, before they subsequently moved to what then became colloquially known as eMaplatini just behind the iconic Orlando Stadium. He pursued his studies at lnkamane School and proceeded to do a Teacher’s certificate at Adams College. He was the Chairman of Zithathele Lower Primary School Committee (SGB) under the tutelage of the late Mrs Tlholoe. Word has it that Barney “Black Diamond” Shongwe had a desire to give back to Orlando Pirates because he believed had it not been for uMagebhula, Pirates would not have existed, as the site where Orlando Stadium is located used to be a dumping deposit site for dirt that was deliberately dumped by big corporates like Rand Mines Group and other respective whites’ households around Crown and Booysens. Barney Shongwe had no choice except to be part of this mighty institution and movement. He started as an ordinary follower and rose through the ranks, like being a cashier at entrance gates, a no-nonsense head of internal security services, until he was elevated to the position of Secretary in 1973, where control of all the books and activities of this glorious team were under his ambit. He closely worked with his Chairman, Mbathani, and his Deputy Secretary Maviyo Bafana Ngcobo. Ngcobo was deputy principal under Mr Mposula. Under that leadership, Pirates recorded its best ever season by making a clean sweep of five trophies on offer. History written by blood will never be erased by lies written in ink. With acknowledgements to Dumisani “Shadow” Shongwe, Barney Shongwe’s son, and Mary Hlatshwayo, France Ramashia’s daughter. Up the Bucs!