Gangster State

disrupt Sebe’s visit to the campus because we did not recognise his
government’s authority and we wanted to get rid of him.’
As with COSAS, Magashule also claimed to have been a member of
AZASO: ‘And when I went to Fort Hare I became a part of AZASO.’^16
But my Fort Hare source tells a different story. ‘I was in my second
year in 1982 and I knew all the activists on campus,’ he said. ‘Ace was
not among those I knew to be activists, and he certainly was not a
member of AZASO. He definitely did not help plan the disruption of
Sebe’s visit.’
There was also never any intention to assassinate Sebe or any other
member of the Ciskei government. ‘We [AZASO] planned to disrupt
the visit,’ my source indicated, ‘[but] there was no plan to kill Sebe.’
In the chaos that broke out after the Ciskei police arrived on campus,
the authorities rounded up anyone they could catch. As a result,
Magashule may have become an accidental activist that day. ‘Some of
the people who were detained were part of the planned action against
Sebe, but others were just bystanders,’ my source said. ‘I think Ace
was unlucky to have been apprehended.’
According to this source, AZASO members helped raise funds for
their detained fellow students. The organisation also sought the
services of attorney Hintsa Siwisa to represent the group. ‘That is when
I first heard about Ace Magashule, when we had to get legal assistance
for those who were detained,’ my source explained.
Before the uprising, Magashule was apparently not a regular fixture at
political gatherings on campus. ‘There were AZASO meetings on
campus where people like Bheki Mlangeni made speeches that lasted
until 3 a.m. Ace did not attend any of these gatherings before the
unrest during Sebe’s visit,’ the source said.