Mozambique was home
WHEN I went to exile, I knew that Mozambique was home. I found comrade Jacob Zuma and others living there with their families. Many comrades lived and married in the country, either South African women or Mozambican ones.
The Mozambican people are the warmest people I know and are very friendly to strangers.
We see them here in our midst, working in the mines, farms and everywhere. They are good at using their brains and hands as mechanics, artisans, carpenters, builders, etc. Very self-sufficient.
It is this resilience that saw them fight and win the war for freedom. Yet they shared their freedom, their resources and all. They gave all exiles shelter, food in some cases, employed people like Dan Moyane, who is now reading news on e.tv. Moyane worked for Radio Mozam- bique. So did many others.
Our Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies, the late Ruth First, and many others, worked for institutions in that country. Not to mention comrade Albie Sachs – until he was bombed there.
Many ANC MK cadres lived all over Maputo and suburbs, protected by the Mozambicans. We were able to carry our AK-47 ’ s and armoury of all description into and out of Mozambique for our Struggle in South Africa.
Let it be said, their security forces, police and army, let alone their government, stood by us to the end.
We could work and walk freely in their streets without fear of encountering any xenophobia.
I don ’ t remember one incident when a South African was attacked or abused in that country because he/she was seen as a foreigner.
Mozambicans gave us places of honour to bury our fallen heroes and heroines in their cemeteries until today. There are those who still go and clean our graves now that we are free.
Cde Moses Mabhida was given what was a state funeral in Mozambique by the late president Samora Machel and Frelimo. The people of Mozambique paid with the life and blood of Machel for our freedom.
We must stop the attacks on foreigners.
I taught Afrikaans in Mozambique (to their security forces) at the request of the ANC leadership.
They unknowingly taught me Portuguese as they struggled to understand Afrikaans. They thought words like “voetsek ”, “vadoek ” and “pasop ” were Shangaan words.
They used the words daily in their home language. I had to tell them that these words were exported from Afrikaans.
One day a bullet fell from nowhere on to the floor in the classroom. One of the students picked it up and politely said to me: “Professor, here is your bullet, you may need it against the amabunu ”.
He never regarded me as a criminal but understood me as a freedom fighter.
I and many others lived in peace in Mozambique.