RICHARD “Barney” Molokoane will forever be remembered for his exceptional bravery, his total dedication to the cause of freedom and the revolution
On 27 August 1957, Richard Lekgotla Molokoane was born in Tladi, Soweto. Molokoane became politically active during the student uprisings of 1976. Like many of his contemporaries, Richard “Barney” Molokoane, joined the African National Congress (ANC) and the glorious People’s Army Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), where he belonged to the June 16 Detachment.
Proud of his role as a fighter for freedom, Molokoane was scrupulously faithful to the ideals of the ANC and MK. He was a very simple and humble Comrade, gifted in many fields. Like all revolutionaries, he was eager to learn more, and he did manage to learn more because he was a good listener and a good conversationalist. He was a very good footballer as well as a guitarist. Besides the above qualities, he was above all an able Commander, a disciplined soldier, always vigilant and ready to defend the ANC and MK. He was very proud of being a member of our People’s Army and devoted all his life to the ideals of the Movement and MK.
During his life in the People’s Army, he was given several responsibilities. “Barney” or “Bhuda”, as his closest friends affectionately called him, could live in both underground and aboveground conditions with ease. He was a disciplined soldier and always made sure that he was in good health and in good physical condition. He was once an Instructor in Tactics and liked the “Survival” Course, which he believed prepared him for any condition in the course of the struggle. As a commander, he was exceptional, taking particular care of the safety and well-being of those under his command.
Action was his motto. He was involved in a number of heroic exploits undertaken by MK combatants inside the country. Immediately after completing his course of training outside the country in 1978, he was selected for a reconnaissance mission. When his unit came into contact with enemy forces in Moshaneng-Winkleigat, Zeerust, a clash ensued.
His Unit conducted itself exceptionally well and for the first time, the Boers in Zeerust saw members of the apartheid South African Defence Force (SADF) humiliated. Molokoane was shot in the leg, but he managed to outwit and outmanoeuvre his adversaries during a 200km retreat to base.
His tactical ingenuity and leadership were recognised and he was soon promoted to commander. From 1978 till 1985 when he was killed, Molokoane led repeated missions into the country, successfully completing a number of dangerous missions, including the daring and sophisticated sabotage of the SASOL plant and the shelling of the headquarters of the South African Defence Force in Voortrekkerhoogte. Because of his hatred for the enemy and his firm belief in the justness of the cause, he led his units successfully.
After a successful mission to sabotage the industrial complex at Secunda, his unit was intercepted by enemy forces. From a reconstruction of events based on local eyewitness accounts, the battle which ensued lasted four hours in which the three members of the Unit, Barney, Vincent Sekete and Victor Lunga Khayiyane, fought courageously until the end. Failing to corner these three gallant and fearless MK fighters, enemy helicopters dropped a napalm bomb, incinerating the comrades instantly, a battle which the enemy described as “a violent shootout”.
Local residents who saw this clash described the scene of the fight as another Lebanon. A lot of ambulances came to fetch the dead and wounded enemy soldiers. So many were these dead and injured soldiers that the local people could not count them easily. 28 November 1985 will never be forgotten by the residents of this area.
History and a committed allegiance to the cause of liberation bequeathed that Richard “Barney” Lekgotla Molokoane should shoulder an onerous responsibility, one that ought not to be the fate of any young man in a normal society. “Bhuda” will forever be remembered for his exceptional bravery, his total dedication to the cause of freedom and the revolution, and for his rousing leadership which inspired the loyalty and trust of those he commanded.
In his own words, Barney had this to say, “If we must die, then we must die like soldiers…I will not die running away from the police. I will not die from being shot in the back. I will die in battle, and until they shoot me in my forehead the battle will continue. The area where such a battle will occur will be razed by the burnt bushes and grass.”
“Barney” Molokoane, iQhawe lamaQhawe, gave up his life so that we may all be free.
Castro Khwela
Good evening fellow Compatriots!
