Birth place: Pretoria, Gauteng (some say Doornkop, Middelburg)
Born: 10 July 1956
Died: 6 April 1979
"My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people I love them. They must continue to fight." - Solomon Mahlangu
Solomon Mahlangu was raised by his mum who worked as a domestic worker. He dropped out of school in Standard 8 (today’s Grade 10) because of ongoing riots.
Mahlangu joined the ANC in September 1976, soon after the Soweto Uprising. He later left the country to be trained as an Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) soldier. Mahlangu received his MK training in Angola and Mozambique. He came back to South Africa through Swaziland on 11 June 1977 to help organise student protests.
On 13 June 1977, Mahlangu and two MK activists – Lucky Mahlangu and Mondy Motloung – were confronted in Goch Street, Joburg by police. During the battle that followed, two passerbyers were shot and killed. Lucky managed to escape, but Mahlangu and Motloung were arrested. The two faced two murder charges and others under the Terrorism Act.
During the arrest, Motloung was so badly moered by the cops that he was brain damaged and not fit enough to stand trial. Mahlangu faced the charges alone.
His court case lasted four months. In March 1978 Mahlangu was found guilty of murder and being a terrorist. He was sentenced to death by hanging.
The sentence caused an international uproar, but the apartheid government went ahead and hung Mahlangu at Pretoria Central Prison on 6 April 1979.
Before he was hung, Mahlangu’s last words were: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people I love them. They must continue to fight”.
Solomon Mahlangu’s body was buried at Mamelodi Cemetery with. In 2005 a statue of Mahlangu was unveiled in Mamelodi to honour his memory.