REMEMBERING A REVOLUTIONARY
Homage to DIMITRI TSAFENDAS
Hero and martyr for the cause
of the South African People.
Imprisonned in 1966 for having
killed, in Parliament, the South African Prime Minister, racist idéologist
and pro-Hitler militant, Hendrik Frensch VERWOERD.
For four years he had been tortured
seven times a day...
I met him in 1972, he was in
the next cell at the Pretoria prison known as "Maximum" or "Berverly Hills".
This is where the hangings took place. He was detained as the "State President's
patient", which ment complete isolation.
He let himself be considered
insane to save his life. But at a moment of confidence he told me in Greek
with a little smile of pride: "I got their
tough guy".
During the great demonstrations
in 1976, it was chanted:
"TSAFENDAS INYANGA YEZIZWE"
(Tsafendas healer of the nation)
I saw him again in 1996, he
was still behing bars, and I imagine this is where he stayed until the
end. When I saw him with my wife, we talked in French, Greek, English and
Arabic. He originated for the island of Crete and spent a time in El Atarin
in Egypt. He was a quarter Moçambican.
He died in october 1999 and
it is only now, in February 2000, that I learnt of his death.
When we had seen him we asked
him what he wished. He answered "I want my freedom!"
I regret not having done better
for him to get out of there. He deserved a better liberty than the one
he got.
Alexander Moumbaris
