Hanged Apla members to be handed over to families for reburial

The 14 members were part of of a group of 200 Poqo, renamed Apla, cadres who were hanged at the then Pretoria Central Prison, now known as Kgosi Mampuru II.

Pumelele Gaqa (74) and other family members of the 12 political prisoners that were buried in Rebecca Street Cementary in unmarked graves during a ritual, 13 December 2016, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles

Fourteen members of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)’s military wing, Poqo, who were hanged during the apartheid regime will be reburied in the Eastern Cape on Saturday.

Poqo was formed in the early ’60s after the Sharpeville massacre and was later renamed Azanian People’s Liberation Army (Apla).

PAC spokesperson Kenneth Mokgatlhe said of the 14 martyrs, five from the same family died at the hands of the apartheid regime when they were hanged in 1963.

The 14 were part of 200 Poqo cadres who were hanged at the then Pretoria Central Prison, now known as Kgosi Mampuru II.

“These hanged freedom fighters have recently been exhumed in Pretoria and will be handed over to their families this weekend,” said Mokgatlhe.

The PAC has asked President Jacob Zuma and ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu to honour the Poqo martyrs with a moment of silence during the 2017 State of the Nation address (Sona) on Thursday.

Sona was a befitting occasion to honour the unsung heroes of the struggle against white supremacy and colonialism.

“The PAC believes a moment of silence – accompanied by the reading of their names individually – is the least parliament must do to acknowledge each of these men for paying the ultimate price so that in 2017, we enjoy and cherish the freedom we have,” added Mokgatlhe.

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