Patrick Chamusso
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Patrick Chamusso (born in 1949 in Mozambique) is a former political prisoner, freedom fighter/terrorist and member of the African National Congress party of South Africa.
One of three sons, Patrick came to live in South Africa when as a teenager he followed his migrant worker father to work in the mines of South Africa performing odd jobs. After his father's death, Chamusso's mother remarried and bore another daughter. He worked in various jobs on the mines and later found work as a house painter and street photographer.[1]
When he was 28, he got a job at the Sasol oil refinery at Secunda, the largest coal-to-oil plant in the world, located several hours east of Johannesburg. Although not formally educated, he advanced quickly and ended up as a driver, a position that was well-paid. His main job was to fetch coal from a neighboring mine and bring it into the refinery. A talented soccer player who had formerly played for local leagues, his abilities later made him popular among his coworkers and in the community.[1]
Chamusso was arrested in 1980 by South African Special Branch for conspiring with the ANC to bomb the Secunda refinery, a crime he did not commit. He was held prisoner, tortured, and later released with no charges. As a result, he fled to Mozambique where he joined Umkhonto we Sizwe, the militant arm of the ANC.[2]
After gaining military training, he returned to South Africa where he was single-handedly responsible for the second, partly successful, bombing at Secunda, which resulted in no casualties. After a massive manhunt, he was arrested, held without due process, tortured and ultimately sentenced to 24 years in prison on Robben Island. In 1994, as the apartheid system began to dismantle, having served only 10 years, Chamusso, like many political prisoners, was released under the new government's amnesty policy.[3]
After his release, Chamusso married a woman named Conney, and the couple bore three children, in addition to fostering 63 AIDS orphans at their home in Mpumalanga.[3]
Chamusso rose to world prominence in October 2006, when Catch a Fire, a biographical film depicting his struggle against the system of Apartheid in South Africa, was released.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Patrick's Story from Two Sisters
- ^ Apartheid's Song from LA Weekly
- ^ a b Patrick Chamusso Biography from Working Title Films
