Newspaper history
HELEN Zille's account of how she and her editor Allister Sparks (who died only the other day) worked to expose the truth of Steve Biko's death 39 years ago at the hands of the security police makes fascinating reading.
Zille and Sparks were both on the Rand Daily Mail. They courageously probed to expose what they knew had to be a lie – that Biko had starved himself to death in a hunger strike. The account is in her book, Not Without a Fight.
However, lost in the mists of time is the fact that news of the actual fact that Biko had died of head injuries was first published in a sister newspaper of the Rand Daily Mail.
Hugh Murray, political correspondent of the Sunday Express (in the South African Associated Newspapers stable, along with the Rand Daily Mail and the Sunday Times) broke the story in a report which stated unequivocally in black and white that Biko had died of head injuries.
He received a furious telephone call from Dr Connie Mulder, Minister of Information and leader of the Nat party in the Transvaal, considered the natural successor as prime minister to John Vorster.
"Hugh," he said. "I will never speak to you again." (In spite of his right-wing political position, Mulder was surprising approachable, even for the "English" press).
About a week later Murray got another call from Mulder.
"Hugh, he said. "My humble apologies."
Yes, Mulder had discovered the truth of what almost everyone else suspected. The security police had been spinning a line to the only man gullible enough to believe them about a hunger strike – Jimmy Kruger, Minister of Justice.
This is in no way to detract from the excellent and courageous parallel work by Helen Zille and Allister Sparks. But my friend and colleague Hugh Murray – he died some years ago – also deserves his place in newspaper history.
His report turned out to be spot-on accurate. Where he got his information he never did let on.
Ogre?
JIMMY Kruger is usually portrayed as an apartheid ogre, the man who said of Biko's death: "It leaves me cold."
It's true he said it. I heard him. It was in the Pretoria city hall at the Nats' Transvaal congress.
But he was speaking in the context of a cock and bull story fed to him by the security police, who obviously got the idea from the Bobby Sands death fast in Northern Ireland.
"The man starved himself to death – "Dit laat my koud!" (It leaves me cold) Kruger said.
An ogre or a pathetically gullible fellow who was treated with contempt by the security police who supposedly reported to him? I go for gullibility.
India tale
HISTORIAN Peter Quantrill, who was also an officer in the Gurkha Regiment, brings us a yarn from India.
Mujibar was applying for a job.
Personnel manager: "Mujibar, you have passed all the tests, except one. This is a simple test of your English language skills. You need to pass it for this job."
Mujibar: "I am ready."
Personnel manager: "Make a sentence using the words 'yellow', 'pink' and 'green'.
Mujibar thought for a few minutes and said:'Mr Manager, I am ready."
"Go ahead."
"The telephone goes: 'Green, green!'I pink it up and say: 'Yellow, this is Mujibar'."
"Mujibar now works at a call centre," says Peter. "No doubt you have spoken to him. I know I have."
Get there!
AT AN ELECTION rally this week, US presidential candidate Donald Trump urged his supporters to "get out there and vote on November 28"
Er, the election is on November 8.
Perhaps there's hope.
Kwambonambi
AMERICAN election fever reaches even to Kwambonambi. My correspondent, George Hutchison, reports a bumper sticker in the town: "Monica Lewinsky's boyfriend's wife for President."
Bonds, blokes
OVERHEARD in the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties: "The difference between savings bonds and blokes? It takes a few years but eventually bonds mature."
Tailpiece
SHE comes home from the store with a daring dress made of totally transparent material. She shows it to her husband.
"But Honey, people will see right through it."
"No they won't, dummy. I'll be inside of it."
Last word
Man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that great gift of freedom with which the ill-fated creature is born.
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