By Norm Dixon
JOHANNESBURG — The hated military leader of the Ciskei bantustan, Brigadier Oupa Gqozo has been toppled by a revolt by Ciskei public servants and police.
Gqozo is better known here as the "Butcher of Bisho', after his troops opened fire without warning on 70,000 peaceful protesters in September 1992, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. In contrast to Lucas Mangope, his similarly apartheid-created colleague in Bophuthatswana, Gqozo wisely chose not to resist the inevitable and asked the Transitional Executive Council to take charge.
Gqozo's departure follows several weeks of strikes by public servants demanding that their pension funds be returned to them prior to the April election.
On March 22, Ciskei police went on strike. Three thousand seized control of the Bisho Police College and, accusing them of corruption, held 15 senior officers and some of their relatives hostage, including Ciskei Police Commissioner Major General M. Noqayi.
The police chanted "Viva ANC!". Their leaders reported that the Ciskei Defence Force supported them and had restricted Gqozo to his home. Public servants occupied government buildings and examined government files.
Participation in the elections was not an issue. Unlike Mangope, Gqozo broke ranks with the right-wing Freedom Alliance months earlier and joined the election process. This decision followed an ultimatum from his defence forces that he participate in the elections or be overthrown in a coup.
Late on March 22, Gqozo announced from his home that he was stepping down to "prevent the loss of lives and to secure the buildings ... I am the kind of person who wants to depart from a situation on my own two feet instead of being carried out head first ... I had nothing to gain by trying to cling on to power."
Gqozo was nothing if not honest, saying, "I am proud of how I persevered in the face of a lot of hostility and obstacles". His African Democratic Movement will contest the elections.
The TEC voted on March 22 to appoint two administrators to run the territory until the elections and agreed to deploy the South African Defence Force. The TEC overruled the deployment of the South African Police's paramilitary Internal Stability Unit, which is widely suspected by of fomenting political violence and siding with the Inkatha Freedom Party. The Ciskei police had threatened to open fire on the ISU if they entered the homeland.