gallows museum

The Factory of Death Gallows Museum, Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area (Formerly Pretoria Central Correctional Centre)

Thishin Moodley 12A | 10573 | Alexandra High School

THE FACTORY OF DEATH THISHIN MOODLEY

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THE FACTORY OF DEATH

Introduction

The machine of Apartheid oppression was characterised by a distinct policy of fear-inducing rule and consistent

human rights abuses. One such institution which aided the judiciary’s image as inhumane and uncompromising is the

use of capital punishment – the death penalty – which was suspended by a moratorium by President De Klerk in

1989 because of mounting political pressure. Capital punishment was finally abolished in South Africa on 6 June

1995, following the ruling of the ruling of the Constitutional Court in the case of S v Makwanyane.

South Africa’s method of enacting the death penalty has always been by hanging. By the time President De Klerk had

suspended the death penalty in South Africa, the state was hanging people at a rate of almost one every two says, -

the third highest in the world1

Hanging was undoubtedly used as a political tool in the nation between 1969 and 1989. An estimated 132 political

prisoners were executed, which the current government is making efforts to commemorate through its ‘Gallows

Memorial’2. Of the 283 condemned waiting to hang when the death penalty was suspended, only 11 were white.

Characteristically of Apartheid South Africa, very few whites were ever executed, fuelling the Gallows’ image as an

Apartheid tool against blacks.

All those sentenced to death in South African courts were transferred to Pretoria Central Maximum Security Prison,

to await their execution at a special facility called ‘the gallows’. For those sentenced to death in the homelands, the

prisoners were sent to the maximum prisons in Venda, Ciskei, Transkei or Bophuthatswana, where facilities similar to

that of Pretoria Central existed.

The Department of Correctional Services says an estimated 4 300 people were hanged at the Gallows, Pretoria

Central Prison from the 1960s until 1989.3 The Gallows, known as “death row” to many, were specifically

commissioned and constructed with the intent of efficiently handling the executions of the state.

Today the Gallows form part of a museum documenting the noble struggle for human rights and against the old

apartheid regime in South Africa, and commemorate those political heroes executed by it as well as the political

implications of the use Gallows in the nation, as well as the implications of its closure.

The Gallows serve as an important part of South Africa’s political heritage. This assignment aims to show why it is an

important part of our heritage, and why it should be preserved for future generations.

A key question to keep in mind is: can the preservation of knowledge political heritage from and old regime be

necessary for public debate generations after?

1 The Star”, 12 December 2011, “Inside SA’s factory of death” 2 Speech by Advocate George Bizos SC, INAUGURATION OF A MEMORIAL MUSEUM: THE GALLOWS, PRETORIA CENTRAL CORRECTIONAL CENTRE. (Available from the Legal Resource Centre website) 3 IOL.com, December 8 2011, “Place of the Damned: The Gallows”


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About the Gallows

Figure 1: Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area, previously known as Pretoria Central Maximum Security Prison, in Pretoria, Gauteng. The Gallows are situated at Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area – renamed from Pretoria Central Maximum

Security Prison on the 9th of April 2013 – in the Tshwane Metropole. It was built according to strict standards in 1967,

with some labour being supplied by the South African Defence Force. Its outer walls are bomb-proof, as were many

large structures commissioned in the 1960s by the Apartheid regime in light of their security threat from resistance

movements within the nation.

The prison is famous for having held some of South Africa’s most wanted, including Chris Hani’s killers Clive Derby-

Lewis and Janusz Walus, who carried out their historic assassination 20 years ago.

The Gallows were South Africa’s official location for hangings outside of the so-called ‘homelands’ between 1967 and

1989. It is associated with the Apartheid government, and has been referred to as “South Africa’s factory of death”

by numerous liberation movements including the ANC. It was converted into a memorial museum which was

officially opened by President Zuma on 15 December 2012.

The Gallows were constructed to hang up to 7 people at a time

– a capacity to which the Gallows were often used.

The execution room is made of smooth, easily cleanable

surfaces, with a hose on standby to clean the mess often left by

prisoners in their final moments, which include urine as well as

other forms of excrement. A single lever resides in the room for

use by the hangman, which opens the trapdoor upon which the

prisoners stood to allow for the long drop.

In the corner of the room stood a telephone, which was a last

minute life-line with which the state communicated the

cancellation of a death sentence, which sometimes occurred in

light of new evidence produced by lawyers or the prosecution.

Figure 2: Nooses, hanging above the trap door through which prisoners fell, ready for 7 prisoners.


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The double trap doors the prisoners stood on weighed more

than a tonne, and had 7 sets of markings on it where the

prisoners were to position their feet. Once the trap doors were

opened, the prisoners hung over the sluicing room, which was

on the floor below. It contained a pool to collect fluids left by

the prisoners. This was where the body was washed and

prepared for burial. There was a powerful extractor fan used to

minimise the smell.

The prisoners wore special robes during the hanging which were

easy to clean and reusable. They included a hood, which

covered the faces of the condemned during the hanging.

Once the deceased’s body had been prepared for burial and

placed in a casket, it was taken to a state burial ground and

placed according to race.

Families of the condemned were given early notice of the

execution date, and a second class ticked to Pretoria to meet

the condemned for a final time.

The night before execution, the condemned were given a full

deboned chicken and money to spend at the prison tuck-shop.

Ironically, prisoners were well-fed and watched 24/7 to prevent

a suicide attempt. Some prisoners were so consumed by the

thought of their impending death that they “practiced being

strangled by the noose”, as one warden accounts.

The sheriff of the high court would visit the prison 7 days before

the intended date of a prisoner’s execution, and call the

infamous phrase "Baadjies en adres", literally translated from

Afrikaans as "jacket and address". Prisoners were expected to

hand in personal belongings and provide two addresses to which

they can be sent. They were kept in a section of the prison

called “the pot” to be monitored. Lights were never switched

off.4

On the morning of the execution, prisoners would be addressed

individually in the feedback room to be told if their appeals had

failed. While they ascended the 52 stairs to the execution room,

prisoners would sing Christian worship in solidarity with each

other.5

4 Robert Adams (1998). The Abuses of Punishment. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 178. ISBN 0-312-17617-1 5 Frontline: Hangman: http://www.coldtype.net/frontline/Frontline.Hangman.pdf

Figure 3: The sluicing room, over which the prisoners hanged. Contains a hose to clean the mess left while prisoners hanged.

Figure 4: A warden explains the execution procedure followed to President Jacob Zuma, amongst other officials, at the opening of the Gallows Museum.

Figure 5: The last casket produced for the prison, now a part of the museum's display.


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Figure 6: Never again to be used in South Africa, thanks to a progressive constitution and a strong constitutional court.

Whites were sent to Zandfontein in Pretoria, coloureds to Eersterust, the Indians to Laudium and the blacks to

Mamelodi.

Only one exception to the burial policy was ever made, which was for Solomon Mahlangu, who was a prominent

member of MK. His body was sent to Atteridgeville, as the state feared his burial site would become a shrine to

members of the MK resistance.6

The last execution in South Africa was the execution of Solomon Ngobeni in November 1989.7

In a speech marking the opening of the museum, Advocate George Bizos pointed out that “…until 1958, the death

penalty could be imposed for only three crimes: murder (without extenuating circumstances); treason; and rape. It

was imposed in a number of murder cases.” More critically, however, was what he said just a few minutes later:

“Following the accession to power of the apartheid regime, between 1958 and 1967, the number of capital offences

went from three to eleven, including robbery, house-breaking with aggravating circumstances, sabotage, kidnapping,

participation in terroristic activities, receiving training that could further the objects of communism or advocating

abroad economic or social change in South Africa by violent means through the aid of a foreign government or

institution where the accused is a resident or former resident of South Africa, and others.”

6 7 http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/sandra.html


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Prisoners executed at the Gallows

Officially, 2,949 were performed at the Gallows between 1969 and 1989. It is estimated that 132 political prisoners

were executed at the Gallows between 1969 and 1989. Those known by the department of correctional serviced are

as follows:8

Figure 7 : Information revealed by the Department of Correctional Services upon the opening of the Gallows Museum.

8 http://cdn.bizcommunity.com/f/1111/Pretoria_Gallows.pdf


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Events leading to the rapid rise of executions in SA

The number of prisoners executed annually in South Africa increased greatly in 1969, from being an almost non-

existent practice in the country to working at a rate of 12 per year, which would steadily rise to over 100 per year in

the 1980s. The reason for the increase is a change in the number of offences for which the death penalty can be

used.

In a speech marking the opening of the museum, Advocate George Bizos pointed out that “…until 1958, the death

penalty could be imposed for only three crimes: murder (without extenuating circumstances); treason; and rape. It

was imposed in a number of murder cases.” More critically, however, was what he said just a few minutes later:

“Following the accession to power of the apartheid regime, between 1958 and 1967, the number of capital offences

went from three to eleven, including robbery, house-breaking with aggravating circumstances, sabotage, kidnapping,

participation in terroristic activities, receiving training that could further the objects of communism or advocating

abroad economic or social change in South Africa by violent means through the aid of a foreign government or

institution where the accused is a resident or former resident of South Africa, and others.”

The extra offences added to the warrantable list are the result of the National Party’s attempts to consolidate

totalitarian power in favour of its own Afrikaner nationalist agendas. The inclusion of anti-communist law and laws

specifically aimed at preventing communist backed social change, which is what is clearly being referred to when the

state says “advocating abroad economic or social change in South Africa by violent means through the aid of a

foreign government”, is the result of the Cold War politics of the era. Such policies solidified the states stance against

communism, and thus its own security and its backing from the United States.

Apart from the increase in offences which can warrant the death penalty there was another factor: the state of

emergency declared by the country following the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. This gave the state sweeping powers

allowing for detention without trial. Furthermore, in the climate of fear created by the state-controlled media and

the state of emergency, trials in the country very often became a farcical matter. Circumstantial evidence was

weighted when the state needed and informers without corroborators were often trusted.

The final key in the puzzle needed to explain the 80’s specific increase comes down to the leadership of the time.

President P.W Botha was amongst South Africa’s most militant and represented the National Party at a time of

desperation, when their grip on power was slowly being eroded by both domestic and foreign elements.


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What does the Gallows represent to me?

To me it represents how far our nation has come since the fall of the old government. It represents a complete

paradigm shift in the way we view human life in South Africa and the nature of our government. It helps me

appreciate our nation’s state of democracy which is in line with the standards of the international community.

Finally, it helps me empathise with those who were victims of the Apartheid state’s ruthless and meticulous antics.

What does the Gallows represent to the larger

community?

For South Africans at large who lived through the dark era of Apartheid, the Gallows represents the cruelty and

inhumanity which the South African government functioned with, which dehumanised the human population of the

nation to ‘numbers’ which could be eradicated at will. It also represents the all-encompassing power that the state

practiced, where the state had power over the most fundamental aspect of any person: their right to life.

To some who support the death penalty, the Gallows may represent a time when the rule-of-law was properly

enforced and a time when the government was truly harsh on criminals.

It is important to note that while many South Africans know that South Africa used to employ the death penalty,

most do not know the scale to which it was carried out or details of the procedure.


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Why is it important to preserve this resource?

The Gallows, now a memorial museum, is an important resource that needs protecting. There are a number of reasons:

1) It is an important part of our political history The Gallows show an interesting link between the political climate of South Africa in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Executions

gradually rose between 1969 and 1989, reflecting the increasing political instability of the nation and the state’s response

of draconian measures to control the nation.

1123 of the official hangings which took place at the gallows were in the 1980’s9, a period when South Africa was under

the notorious rule of the ruthless P.W Botha, and when the country was at its most instable. Resistance at this time were

at an all-time high in the nation, with armed groups effectively destabilising the government to a dangerous level.

The number of executions steadily rose during the first half of the 20th

century, leaving SA amongst the few to increase usage of capital

punishment in that period as quickly.10

While a large number of the comdemned were political prisoners, the vast

majority were considered to be ‘common criminals’, such as rapists and

murderers. The demographics of the prison were clearly racialy tainted. Out

of more than one hundred South Africans executed in 1988, only three were

white. Conversly, fof 21 murder convictions in that same year involving a

white person killing a black person, all ended with prison or minor

sentences. 11

The racial make-up of those executed at the prison reflect the racially

weighted nature of the Apartheid justice system which rarely exacted

similar punishment for whites and blacks.

Furthermore, the Gallows represents the cheap view that the state once

had on the value of human life. The Gallows shows an attitude to human life

indicating that it was almost disposable. Something our nation’s new

constitution goes to great lengths to prevent.

Finally, the Gallows was the execution site of numerous political prisoners.

To fully appreciate the struggle of those prisoners, one needs to understand

and preserve all aspects of their life, which ultimately includes the facilities

which ended their lives. It is that close link to our political history which is

irremovable from other aspect of our nation’s history which make this an

important part of the nation’s heritage.

9 http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/sandra.html 10 http://chs.revues.org/index312.html 11 http://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/inside-sa-s-factory-of-death-1.1197003#.UWXBNJP7CTs

Figure 8: Campaigning against the death penalty in South Africa was as vocal as could be expected. Posters such as these weren’t uncommon to be seen in black townships in the 1970s, pleading for the lives of people considered aligned with the fight against Apartheid.


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2) It is central to public debate regarding the death-penalty Public demand for the reintroduction of the death penalty has seen increasing support since 1994. Online petitions on

‘www.mypretition.com’ have become increasingly common and right-wing political groups such as AZAPO have made

those demands publically vocal.

Opinion amongst average South Africans suggests that there is a belief the death penalty is needed to fight the increase in

recorded violent crime in South Africa since the 90s.

Some believe that the current judiciary is too soft on hard criminals and that cases such as murder and rape should have

the death penalty as an option. They believe that the harder stance on crime would equate to a reduction in crime levels

because of a supposed increase in fear and consequences for criminals.

Others believe that in the context of the increasing brutality of criminals in modern day South Africa, ‘restorative’ justice

doesn’t do justice to the victim at all and that a more ‘retributive’ system is needed to make criminals ‘truly pay’ for their

sins.

It is therefore clear to see that the debate regarding the death-penalty in modern South Africa ultimately stems from the

nation’s increasing fear at the hand of criminals.

The Gallows play an important part in that debate by serving as an example of South Africa’s past attempts at using the

death penalty and its results.

Its existence during Apartheid serves as a means of evaluating the efficacy of the death penalty, with some believing that

crime was lesser in the days of its operation while other point out that the armed resistance, which operated while the

Gallows was in full effect, shows that the death-penalty wasn’t as effective as we would like to believe.

3) It helps us appreciate the change of SA’s value system One can only truly appreciate their constitutionally protected right to life when they acknowledge a life where that right is

a privilege rather than irremovable. The Gallows represents a time when value systems of the state were striking different

to that of todays, in the same was that Robin Island reflects a change in the nation’s view on political tolerance.

“The carrying out of the death sentence destroys life, which is protected without reservation under section 9 of our

Constitution, it annihilates human dignity which is protected under section 10, elements of arbitrariness are present in its

enforcement and it is irremediable. ... I am satisfied that in the context of our Constitution the death penalty is indeed a

cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.” – Part of the judgement by President Chaskalson of the constitutional court

which ended the death penalty in South Africa.

4) Reconciliation dictates that it is not forgotten South Africa is a nation which values reconciliation and idea of people ‘coming to terms with their past’. The Gallows was

notorious and destroyed valued members of numerous families who need closure. The destruction of the Gallows would

not aid them in that reconciliation, in the same was that destroying Apartheid-era detention cells would not help.

Furthermore, the ability for families to visit gives them an opportunity to conduct traditional ceremonies performed in

some native South African cultures which help the spirit pass on peacefully, but were not possible given the circumstances

and the inability to have unrestricted access to the place of death.

Furthermore, the preservation of the Gallows as a memorial museum confirms that the Gallows is merely a thing of

history in South African life and no longer a reality.


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How has it changed over time?

Throughout its use, the Gallows did not change much. The first significant

change occurred on 1989, when President De Klerk suspended all

executions. The purpose of the Gallows then became uncertain. In 1995,

when the death penalty was outlawed, the Gallows fell into a state of

disrepair and gradually deteriorated with no further need until its

restoration in 2012 by the Department of Correctional Services. It is now a

memorial museum which has had been altered somewhat to

commemorate executed political prisoners.

The 52 steps leading up to the execution chamber have each been

inscribed with a separate story of a struggle-member who was executed.

The building has been restored, equipment refurbished and facilities set

up for public display.

The greatest change besides the fact that it no longer fulfils its intended

function is of course that it is now open to the public.

Finally, on the 9th of April 2013, the prison the Gallows reside in was

renamed to the Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area, in honour of a Kgosi

Mampuru II, who hanged on November 22, 1883 in the old Pretoria prison

for public violence.12

12 "Pretoria Central gets new name", April 2013, IOL.com

Figure 9: The old Pretoria Central building

Figure 10: Items from the prison now on display in cabinets.


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What can be done to educate people about it?

School textbooks could include information about the death-penalty and the Gallows when discussing Apartheid.

This would give students a more holistic view of South African history, our human rights and the nature of the

Apartheid state. Furthermore, it would provide them with some of the background which is needed for South Africa

to constructively end the debate regarding the death penalty.

It could also be marketed as a tourist attraction or sorts, in the same way that Apartheid-era detention cells are. This

can be done through media such as newspapers, etc. However, the greatest strides would be made if the Gallows

Memorial Museum could be shortlisted by tourism agencies which offer tour-guides as a destination to visit, which

can be justified given is struggle-era relation. In a final effort, information about the Gallows could even be included

at other museums relating to Apartheid in South Africa, giving an audience which is already interested in the history

of the era the information needed to follow up and visit the Gallows.

Most importantly, however, more pictures need to be made available. There are relatively few pictures available,

thus making the site an ‘unknown’ for our image-driven media-savvy youth of today. Information also needs to be

made available on a public state-run website, so that one does not need to rely on information from online news

sources to piece together a palpable understanding of the Gallows.

gallows museum

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