Oupa Ronald Madondo (known as MK Scorpion) was born on 20 May 1948 in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng). With the advent of forced removals from Sophiatown, his family was relocated to Dube, Soweto, in 1958.
After matriculating from Pimville High School in Soweto, his first job was at The Star delivering newspapers. Later, up until his disappearance, he worked in his mother’s coal yard in Kliptown.
He was recruited into the African National Congress (ANC) in the early 1970s, where he was known as MK Scorpion. During this period he was actively involved in ANC activities, including assisting young students to go into exile.
In July 1979, Madondo was detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act, and was released seven weeks later in September 1979. He lodged a complaint regarding the severe assault and torture he had endured during his detention.
The Security Police Head Office resolved that Madondo had to be eliminated. Colonel SJ Visser was entrusted with this task, who turned to his colleague Lt Johan van Zyl stationed in Ladysmith, Natal (now kwaZulu-Natal) for the murder and the disposal of the remains. Lt van Zyl recruited others, among them the explosives expert Sgt Don Gold from the Pietermaritzburg Security Police branch. Also recruited to assist in the assassination which was to take place in Jozini, northern Natal (now kwaZulu-Natal), was Warrant Officer GS Schoon of the Jozini Security Police branch and Warrant Officer DS Carr of Mbizwana Security Police.
The murder, carried out in April 1980, followed a pretext at releasing him from detention, while the actual aim was to subsequently abduct him and carry out his murder and then dispose of his body. Madondo was killed by a bomb attached to his body and detonated by the apartheid secret security operatives.
It was further established during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings that Carr, who was entrusted to shoot and kill Madondo during his sleep, had missed the shot. Madondo was awoken by the sound of the shot, attempted in vain to escape and was subsequently shot in the head and body. It came to light that before the bomb was detonated, his body had been wrapped in tarpaulin and taken to an island in the Jozini Dam. The dam was later expanded and the water level rose covering the island completely – it was concluded that the Missing Persons Tasks Team (MPTT) could not exhume Madondo’s body as it would have been impossible to recover his remains. In the absence of the remains, in 2012, a ritual ceremony was held to lay Madondo's spirit to rest.
Oupa Ronald Madondo (known as MK Scorpion) was born on 20 May 1948 in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng). With the advent of forced removals from Sophiatown, his family was relocated to Dube, Soweto, in 1958.
After matriculating from Pimville High School in Soweto, his first job was at The Star delivering newspapers. Later, up until his disappearance, he worked in his mother’s coal yard in Kliptown.
He was recruited into the African National Congress (ANC) in the early 1970s, where he was known as MK Scorpion. During this period he was actively involved in ANC activities, including assisting young students to go into exile.
In July 1979, Madondo was detained under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act, and was released seven weeks later in September 1979. He lodged a complaint regarding the severe assault and torture he had endured during his detention.
The Security Police Head Office resolved that Madondo had to be eliminated. Colonel SJ Visser was entrusted with this task, who turned to his colleague Lt Johan van Zyl stationed in Ladysmith, Natal (now kwaZulu-Natal) for the murder and the disposal of the remains. Lt van Zyl recruited others, among them the explosives expert Sgt Don Gold from the Pietermaritzburg Security Police branch. Also recruited to assist in the assassination which was to take place in Jozini, northern Natal (now kwaZulu-Natal), was Warrant Officer GS Schoon of the Jozini Security Police branch and Warrant Officer DS Carr of Mbizwana Security Police.
The murder, carried out in April 1980, followed a pretext at releasing him from detention, while the actual aim was to subsequently abduct him and carry out his murder and then dispose of his body. Madondo was killed by a bomb attached to his body and detonated by the apartheid secret security operatives.
It was further established during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings that Carr, who was entrusted to shoot and kill Madondo during his sleep, had missed the shot. Madondo was awoken by the sound of the shot, attempted in vain to escape and was subsequently shot in the head and body. It came to light that before the bomb was detonated, his body had been wrapped in tarpaulin and taken to an island in the Jozini Dam. The dam was later expanded and the water level rose covering the island completely – it was concluded that the Missing Persons Tasks Team (MPTT) could not exhume Madondo’s body as it would have been impossible to recover his remains. In the absence of the remains, in 2012, a ritual ceremony was held to lay Madondo's spirit to rest.