Robert McBride

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Robert McBride (born July 6, 1963 in Durban, South Africa) is an African National Congress activist convicted of the 1986 bombing of Magoo's Bar in Durban, which killed 3 and injured 69. He is currently Chief of the Metropolitan Police for Ekurhuleni. Speculation is rife that he may take over as the National Police Commissioner, replacing Jackie Selebi.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Early life 2 Anti-apartheid activities 3 Political career 4 Personal life 5 References

[edit] Early life

McBride's parents were schoolteachers and he grew up in Wentworth, a suburb about 11 km from Durban, in the segregated Addington hospital. He attended Fairvale High School in Wentworth. After he was beaten by a much older boy in the neighbourhood, his father taught him martial arts. When he was just 13, he was arrested for questioning by the police regarding the beating of a youth.

He developed political views at an early age due to influence of his father. He was particularly influenced by two books: A. J. Venter's Coloured: A Profile of 2 Million South Africans which describes the efforts of coloured political activists such as James April, Don Mattera, Jakes Gerwel, Basil February, and his uncle, Rev. Clive McBride; and Soledad Brothers: The Prison Letters of George Jackson^[1], written by a founding member of the American Black Guerrilla Family.

[edit] Anti-apartheid activities

In 1984, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the ANC's military wing, attempted to sabotage the oil refinery near his home. McBride was soon recruited into the ANC and became an active member. On April 26, 1986, he carried out a daring act and freed a wounded MK commander in a shootout with the police at Edendale Hospital. He commanded the ANC cell which was responsible for the June 14, 1986 car-bombing of the "Why Not" Bar and Magoo's Bar in Durban, in which 3 people were killed and 69 injured. This attack against civilians angered the majority of South Africans, while McBride became a heroic figure amongst extremists.

Later, he was captured and convicted for the Durban bombing. He was later reprieved while on death row. In 1992, he was released and was later granted amnesty at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which provided for amnesty in return for complete disclosure of acts of politically-motivated violence.

[edit] Political career

On 9 March 1998, McBride, then a high-ranking official in the Department of Foreign Affairs, was arrested by the Mozambican police in Ressano Garcia, Mozambique for alleged gun smuggling weapons from Mozambique to South Africa. He maintained he was working with the South African National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and was later released by Mozambican authorities.

McBride was appointed Chief of the Metropolitan (metro) Police for Chief of Ekurhuleni municipality (formerly East Rand) in 2003. ^[1][2]

He was prominent in defending the ANC's new gun laws in 2006 in the one-hour gun-politics documentary filmed in Kempton Park, 'Live Fire', commissioned by Gun Owners of South Africa.

On 21 December 2006, McBride rolled his vehicle at high speed on the R511 near Centurion while returning from a metro police year-end function. According to witnesses, McBride was under the influence of alcohol, and the metro police on the scene assaulted the witnesses and threatened to shoot them if they phoned the South African Police (SAP). McBride was quickly removed from the scene by Ekurhuleni metro police, even though the scene was more than 40Km out of their jurisdiction, and it is currently unclear whether he received medical treatment the night of the incident, and whether blood samples were taken by the metro police, or a medical facility, to determine his blood-alcohol level.^[3]

[edit] Personal life

McBride was previously married to Paula Leyden and currently lives in Johannesburg.

[edit] References