communication between active underground units and helping to
establish new structures. ‘We communicated with actual operatives
who were sent into South Africa from Lusaka, we were their contact
point,’ he elaborated. But he scoffed at Magashule’s attempts to paint
himself as the struggle’s James Bond. ‘I don’t know why he is doing
that,’ he shrugged.
The group did make use of fake passports to travel overseas, but
nobody smuggled cash into the country using children’s toys. ‘We were
idle for the most part,’ my source said, ‘like a sleeper cell, but we
needed to keep on moving around because we were being watched or
chased around by the security police.’
On one occasion, around 1986 , Magashule and some other members
of the Hillbrow group flew to Stockholm, Sweden, to meet with several
anti-apartheid organisations. A Swedish group funded the trip, and
Magashule and his comrades used the opportunity to raise money for
the Tumahole Civic Association. When they returned to South Africa,
they once again melted into Hillbrow’s busy streets. One of the places
the group used as a base was the Fontana Inn, an apartment block and
hotel in the heart of Hillbrow.
Magashule’s time in Hillbrow coincided with a second stint at Wits,
where he enrolled for a law degree in 1987. Once again, he did not
finish his studies, opting instead to do a marketing course through the
University of South Africa (UNISA).^5
It was during this time that Magashule became known as someone
with access to money and who liked flaunting cash. ‘At university, Ace
got all the girls and he had lots of money with him,’ recalled one of his
former comrades from the Free State. ‘Questions were raised about
where the money had come from.’
nora
(Nora)
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