Struggle veteran Amos Ndwalane, who escaped the noose by seven days due to the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1990, was allowed out of his hospital bed for two hours on Friday (3 May 2019) so that former president Jacob Zuma could hand over a new house in Lamontville, Durban, to him.
The house was built by Durban company Enza Construction, which was approached by KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo, who had been asked by Zuma to help struggle veterans who were struggling to make ends meet.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) veteran was due to be hanged after spending eight years in the Pretoria Central Prison for leading a mission that led to the death of the person who assassinated Lamontvile-based activist and anti-poverty campaigner Msizi Dube on April 25 1983. He was saved by the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1990, just seven days before he was scheduled to be hanged.
During his previous visit to Pretoria Central Prison, Ndwalane reduced everybody to tears when he recounted the names of his fellow comrades who were hanged while he was on death row. He also spoke about the pain of being away from his family and the excruciating anxiety that came with the prospect of walking up the 52-step stairway to the gallows - and his ultimate relief at the unbanning of the ANC which saved him from the noose.
Mthethwa, B. (2019). Zuma hands over home to struggle veteran who escaped the noose by a whisker, from TimesLive, 3 May 2019. Available at https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-05-03-zuma-hands-over-home-to-struggle-veteran-who-escaped-the-noose-by-a-whisker/. Accessed on 6 May 2019.