A small group of former Rhodesian British South Africa Police (BSAP) members, now living in South Africa, have taken the unprecedented step of revealing the circumstances in which Umkhonto we Sizwe guerrilla, Basil February died.

Their dramatic account recalls a farm labourer alerting people to February’s presence on the farm and that his last words, actions and instincts were to protect a white farmer’s wife and children before he was shot dead in Figtree, near Bulawayo, on Tuesday August 15, 1967. (It may be that the death was only recorded in writing the following day, hence 16 August 1967 is recorded as the date of death.)

February was a brilliant student who had left the University of Cape Town’s medical school in his second year to join the military wing of the ANC. It was the early 1960s, and the repression of the apartheid government at Sharpeville and Langa had prompted most groups in the liberation movement to recognise that freedom was possible only through the barrel of the gun.

In 1964, February left the country with James April, his best friend and comrade. They trained together in the ANC’s camps in Africa and spent a year at a military academy in Czechoslovakia.

Much mystery had surrounded February’s death in Rhodesia. Adding to the mystique is the fact that February was the first ‘Coloured’ MK guerrilla to fall in the struggle for freedom.

He is remembered in popular history for the sacrifice he made and the fact that he transformed himself from an intellectual into a freedom fighter. February and April were the first armed ‘Coloured’ MK guerrillas and were part of the Luthuli Detachment.

Lennox Lagu, also known as General Tshali, was the commander of the Luthuli Detachment and Chris Hani was the political commissar. On 31 July 1967, the Luthuli Detachment joined forces with the Zimbabwean African People’s Union (ZAPU) and crossed the Zambezi River from Zambia into Rhodesia.

ZAPU was fighting the white minority regime of Prime Minister Ian Smith and was en route to set up a base at Lupane (north-east of the Wankie Game Reserve) in Rhodesia. The ANC guerrillas were on a long march home to South Africa, where they hoped to resuscitate political activity after the severe repression of the 1960s.

Although the ANC-ZAPU guerrillas had entered Rhodesian soil on 1 August 1967, their presence was detected only on August 7, when one ANC guerrilla was caught near Lukozi Bridge.

The captured guerrilla, during interrogation at Wankie, gave the impression that he was one of a group of only seven. The Rhodesian authorities were thus initially unaware that 79 guerrillas had crossed the Zambezi River into Rhodesia.

After entering Rhodesian soil, the guerrillas marched through the Wankie Game Reserve, hoping to avoid detection. The guerrillas, although well trained and prepared, encountered two main problems: a lack of food and water, and poor compasses. After marching for about a week, the big unit split into two and pursued their separate goals.

February accompanied the Lupane-bound group and April the South African-bound group, and the two were meant to rendezvous in the Western Cape.

The last time ANC guerrillas saw February was when they assisted him to board a train at a siding. It was said that he had a special mission and would contact the ANC guerrillas in two months’ time. February boarded the train with a pistol and left his Uzi machine-gun behind with the other guerrillas.

This is what the former BSAP members said happened afterwards: “On a Saturday night, August 12, 1967, February asked the night railway guard at Dett railway station about trains into Bulawayo.

The railway guard became suspicious; February looked white, and something did not add up. The police constable on night duty was called, and after a discussion with February, they all agreed to go across to the Dett police mess, where a group of four Police Anti-Terrorist Unit (Patu) members were asleep on the veranda.

As the constable stepped onto the veranda, February drew his pistol, shot the unarmed railway guard twice in the stomach and then fired twice at the constable, who fell to the floor and feigned death. February then escaped.

Two of the Patu members awoke during the commotion and pursued February. Halfway down the road, the Patu member in first pursuit of February turned to his colleague behind him and said: ‘Let’s go back, this is a terrorist, he has mistakenly dropped a grenade in the road’.

The two returned to the armoury and fetched their weapons, which were locked away. On their return, they met a herd of buffalo in the road and could go no further. In the meanwhile, it seems February stole a bicycle. Later, the two Patu members saw a vehicle leaving Dett and the driver waved at them. Thinking it was a railway employee, they waved back, only to discover that the driver was February, in a vehicle he had stolen.

Thus, a roadblock was set up between Bulawayo and Lupane. On Sunday morning, February managed to burst through the roadblock and head for Bulawayo. Two highway patrolmen were dispatched in pursuit. At one stage they almost collided with him, but the description of the wanted vehicle and the one they narrowly missed differed, so the patrolmen decided to forgo chasing the errant driver. Only later did they realise it was one and the same vehicle they were looking for.

The police in Bulawayo and the surrounding areas were put on high alert. The stolen vehicle was found the following day in the lower end of Bulawayo, near the Mzilikazi township.

On Monday 14 August 1967, there were reports of a possible guerrilla presence towards the Matopas area. Patu was sent to do a follow-up. It was surmised that the guerrillas were moving towards the Figtree area - the boots they wore had a unique eight-pattern on the sole. Farmers in the Figtree, Marula and Matopas areas were alerted, and they commenced checking their farms.

On Tuesday 15 August 1967, a farm labourer in the Figtree area reported a suspicious spoor to the farmer. The local police and farmers joined in and commenced a search of the farm.

In the meanwhile, February had entered the homestead and demanded to know from the wife and young children where the farmer was, to which the farmer’s wife replied: ‘Out there looking for you!’ February replied: ‘I did not come here to kill women and children.’

He demanded that the farmer’s wife make him breakfast. By then, the search party realised that the eight-pattern spoor led back to the farmhouse.

As February finished eating, they heard the approaching patrol. He then told the farmer’s wife to take her children and go down the passage and hide. He then walked to the glass French doors, drew his sidearm and fired on the patrol. He was in full view and made no attempt to hide. One shot was fired in return by the senior policeman present and Basil February was killed.

The BSAP version of February’s death differs to that of Al J. Venter, who said: “He was killed by Rhodesian security forces after a day-long battle which involved hundreds of men, as well as jet fighters of the Rhodesian air force.”

Afterwards, the Rhodesians commented on the [Luthuli Detachment’s] group’s determination and in particular February’s bravery in the face of terrifying odds. (From Al. J. Venter, The Zambezi Salient: Conflict in Southern Africa pp. 77-78).

If we are to believe the BSAP version, then the truth is that, when faced with a life-and-death situation, February’s first instinct was to protect the white farmer’s wife and children.

This was not lost on the BSAP members. At the end of my interview with Lionel Baker, who was a member of the Patu sleeping on the veranda at Dett, and another who chased February on foot, both said February was a hero who did not want the white farmer’s wife and children to be hurt, a true gentleman who had lived by the same standards used by the BSAP.

However, not all ex-BSAP members hold this view. After reading the written reconstruction of February’s death, Rob Hamilton, the chairperson of the BSAP Regimental Association (Natal), noted: “February was carrying arms of war in a foreign country, having entered illegally for the purpose of furthering the cause of the banned South African organisations. Being armed with a machine-gun and explosives, clearly his purpose was such that he could be expected to kill innocent civilians if confronted.

“Had he survived, he would have been charged and prosecuted with attempted murder, car theft and, of course, charges relating to his unlawful terrorist activities.”

Baker argues that February did not want to be arrested as he thought he had killed the police constable at the Dett police station. February was unaware that the railway guard had only sustained an abdominal injury.

At the end of August 1967, James April was arrested and convicted in Botswana for the illegal possession of weapons, along with Chris Hani and other comrades of the Luthuli Detachment. He later served a 15-year sentence on Robben Island from 1971 to 1986, for his participation in the Wankie Campaign.

February still lives on in the hearts and dreams of many people. One morning, April told me of his dream the night before: he met February, and they were overjoyed to see each other.

February told him that he had not really died in Rhodesia. Instead, he had got lost in the bush, where he had lived for the past 20 years or so. He had decided to come home after all.

Note: This article was published in the Sunday Independent, 19 December 2004