Draft:Mandela United Football Club

The Mandela United Football Club was a South African controversial group associated with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in the late 1980s in Soweto. Though presented as a youth football team, the group functioned as a militant enforcement unit under Madikizela-Mandela’s influence, engaging in acts of violence, intimidation and killings of suspected police informers.

Mandela United Football Club

Formation	1986
Founder	Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Dissolved	1990
Purpose	Anti-apartheid enforcement unit
Location	Soweto, South Africa
Affiliations	African National Congress (ANC) (disputed)

Led by Jerry Richardson, the team became infamous for its involvement in kidnappings, assaults, and extrajudicial executions, drawing scrutiny from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) after the fall of apartheid.

Formation and activities

The club was established around 1986 during a period of escalating anti-apartheid resistance in South Africa. Its members, mostly young men from Soweto, acted as bodyguards and enforcers for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, an internationally known woman for her relation to Nelson Mandela who was a senior female figure in the African National Congress (ANC). Though nominally a football club, its role extended far beyond sports, as members engaged in vigilantism against suspected informers and political opponents.

One of the key figures in the team was Jerry Richardson, who was the club’s "coach." In later testimony, he admitted to multiple killings and revealed that he had secretly worked as a police informant for the apartheid government, clandestinely directing police to leads.

The kidnapping and murder of Stompie Seipei

One of the most infamous cases involving the Mandela United was the abduction and murder of 14-year-old Stompie Seipei in December 1988. Seipei, an anti-apartheid activist, was accused of being a police informer. Along with three other boys, he was kidnapped by Mandela United members and taken to Madikizela-Mandela’s residence in Diepkloof Extension, Soweto where he was beaten and killed under orders of Madikizela-Mandela. Richardson later confessed to personally murdering Stompie and was sentenced to life in prison. On 14 May 1991, a South African court sentenced Madikizela-Mandela to 6 years for ordering the murders of the activists.

During TRC hearings, Richardson admitted:

I was already involved in many killings, I was not prepared to kill these two boys.

However, he ultimately carried out the killing, reinforcing the brutality associated with the team’s activities.

Claims of collaboration with Apartheid seurity forces

During cross-examination at the TRC hearings, Richardson initially denied, but later admitted to being a police informant. His handler, Sergeant Stephanus Pretorius, received intelligence from him, leading to an ambush that resulted in the deaths of two ANC guerrillas and Pretorius himself during a 1988 shootout at Richardson’s home.

Murders and Other Acts of Violence

During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings in 1997, testimony emerged linking Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and the Mandela United Football Club (MUFC) to a series of violent acts, including abductions, assaults, and murders.

Murders

Stompie Seipei (also known as James Seipei)

Date of Murder: 1 January 1989

Circumstances: Stompie Seipei, a 14-year-old anti-apartheid activist, was abducted along with three other boys from the Methodist manse in Soweto. He was accused of being a police informer and subjected to brutal beatings by members of the MUFC. Jerry Richardson, the club’s coach, later confessed to personally strangling Seipei with an electrical cord. His body was discovered weeks later in a field.

Dr. Abu-Baker Asvat

Date of Murder: 27 January 1989

Circumstances: Dr. Abu-Baker Asvat, a respected physician and activist, was assassinated at his Soweto clinic. Although not directly linked to the MUFC in Jerry Richardson’s testimony, allegations surfaced that Madikizela-Mandela ordered his killing. Suspicion arose after it was revealed that Asvat had examined Stompie Seipei shortly before his death and allegedly refused to falsify medical records that could have absolved Madikizela-Mandela of involvement in the boy’s torture. Convicted hitman Cyril Mbatha claimed in a BBC interview that Madikizela-Mandela had offered him R20,000 (approximately $4,200) and provided the firearm used in the assassination.

Lolo Sono

Date of Murder: 1988

Circumstances: Lolo Sono, a young activist, was allegedly taken from his home by members of the MUFC. He was interrogated under suspicion of being an informer. His remains were later discovered in Avalon Cemetery, Soweto.

Siboniso Shabalala

Date of Murder: 1988

Circumstances: Like Sono, Shabalala was accused of being an informer. He was abducted, disappeared, and his remains were later found in Avalon Cemetery.

Kuki Zwane

Date of Murder: December 1988

Circumstances: Kuki Zwane, a young woman and member of the MUFC, was allegedly murdered on the orders of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela for disobeying her instructions. Madikizela-Mandela had reportedly ordered Zwane to end her relationship with MUFC member Sizwe Sithole, also known as Butile, who was involved in various murders, including that of Thole Dlamini. Madikizela-Mandela reportedly suspected Zwane of being a police informer. Jerry Richardson, the MUFC coach, confessed to killing Zwane by stabbing her, slitting her throat, and dumping her body near Orlando railway station. When he reported back to Madikizela-Mandela, she expressed concern about the location where the body was left, fearing schoolchildren might discover it. Zwane’s body was found on December 18, 1988. During the TRC hearings, Madikizela-Mandela denied knowing Zwane, but Richardson contradicted her testimony, providing explicit details about the murder.

Other Acts of Violence

Testimonies at the TRC hearings revealed that the MUFC operated as both a security unit for Madikizela-Mandela and an enforcement group involved in violent acts. According to witness accounts:

MUFC members regularly engaged in physical assaults, including severe beatings.

Suspected informers were interrogated and, in some cases, executed.

The club played an informal but significant role in targeting individuals believed to be working with apartheid security forces.

These revelations were crucial in the TRC’s broader investigation into political violence during the late 1980s. Despite public denials, the commission found Madikizela-Mandela politically and morally responsible for human rights abuses committed by the MUFC.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings

The TRC hearings into the Mandela United's activities painted a picture of widespread human rights violations, including torture, abductions, and extrajudicial killings. During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, former United Democratic Front (UDF) treasurer Azhar Cachalia disassociated the Mandela United from the anti-apartheid struggle of the African National Congress (ANC) and described the club as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's "own personal vigilante gang," stating that she was either aware of or actively participated in their criminal activities.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu reprimanded Richardson for evasiveness during testimony, noting his lack of remorse. The TRC’s findings determined that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela bore "political and moral responsibility" for the actions of the Mandela United, though she denied direct involvement in the most serious crimes.

While Madikizela-Mandela later apologized for some of the Mandela United’s actions, she maintained that some accusations were politically motivated.

Acts of murders

Jerry Richardson admitted that informers were targeted for elimination, often after being extensively interrogated.

• Stompie Seipei was murdered on January 1, 1989, after being accused of being a police informer. He was abducted from a Methodist manse, taken to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s house, beaten, and later killed. Katiza Cebekhulu testified that Madikizela-Mandela assaulted Seipei, and Jerry Richardson confessed to executing him.

• Dr. Abu-Baker Asvat was murdered on January 27, 1989, at his Soweto clinic by two armed men. Speculation arose linking his death to a prior medical examination he conducted and which related to an evidence pointing to a murder case.

• Lolo Sono and Anthony Shabalala were killed in 1988 after being accused of informing police about the presence of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) cadres at Richardson’s house, which led to a fatal raid. The teens remains were later found in Avalon Cemetery, Soweto.

• Quqi 'Kuki' Zwane was killed on December 18, 1988, after being accused of being an informer. It was later rumoured that Zwane's boyfriend, Sizwe Sithole, a member of the Mandela United Football Club, was also in love with Zindzi Mandela, a daughter of Madikizela-Mandela, and had a kid together. admitted to stabbing Zwane, slitting her throat, and dumping her body near Orlando railway station.

Legacy

The Mandela United Football Club remains one of the most controversial entities in South Africa’s liberation history. Some see it as a radical but necessary defense force in the struggle against apartheid, while others regard it as a rogue group that undermined the liberation movement through violence and criminal activity. The TRC’s findings, along with Richardson’s confessions, confirmed that the club carried out unlawful killings and targeted perceived enemies within the anti-apartheid movement, leading to lasting debates over its role. Although Richardson died in prison in 2009, his testimony remains a critical source in understanding the murky history of the club, its connection to Madikizela-Mandela, and the complexities of South Africa’s liberation struggle.

See also

• Jerry Richardson
• Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
• Stompie Seipei
• Katiza Cebekhulu

External links

• Stompie burnt into Winnie's legacy, April, 6, 2018