-
8. Arrest
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129 8 Arrest When he spoke those words, Biko had long since set out on that course. Only a few days later, he left for Cape Town on 17 August, once again breaking his banning order. Through Peter Jones he had a longstanding plan to meet with various people there. There was also a need to settle some possible dissension within the BC ranks. Biko hoped as well to meet Neville Alexander, who, having once been a member of the Unity Movement in the 1960s, now represented an important political grouping in the Western Cape. Alexander had served ten years in prison on Robben Island with the major ANC and PAC leadership and had been banned and house-arrested on his release in 1975. He was an articulate exponent of the class analysis and had considerable influence in this regard. Although Biko wished to see Alexander for other reasons, he had expressed interest in his political views and might have hoped for a stimulating debate as well. 130 But the times were very risky, and before he left King William’s Town, Alexander had said he would not be able to see him. ‘I had not been mandated to see him and could not get such a mandate in time,’he later said. This message was not communicated to Biko, who only discovered it on arrival. This attitude was difficult for Biko to accept, and he waited for three hours outside Alexander’s house while Fikile Bam, a comrade who had also served ten years on Robben Island with Alexander, was brought in to discuss whether he might change his mind. This was a high-risk operation for all three men: Alexander was banned and house-arrested and under constant surveillance; Bam had been banished to the Transkei homeland and had to get special permission to enter the Republic of South Africa; and Biko could have been recognised at any moment. Jones intimates the growing unease they felt. ‘A few other things happened in the course of that night. We just felt that we were not in control of the situation. There were too many shadows around us.’ In the very early morning they decided to ‘disappear’. Driving back to the Eastern Cape, Jones recalls that Biko obviously had things on his mind. ‘For the first time we were actually talking personal things. We were going through his life, his marriage and stuff, and I was going through my girl-friend at the time [44.203.58.132] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:34 GMT) 131 – I wasn’t married – and my aspirations, and so on. What hit me was I couldn’t recall any other time when we spoke with so much clarity.’ Nearing the end of the long journey, round about 10.20 p.m., Jones was driving into Grahamstown. Biko had a tape-recorder on his lap and they were listening to a tape. Both were lighthearted and relaxed. As they came round the bend they ran into a roadblock of uniformed policemen and ‘a number of plainclothes men I realised were Security Police’. When requested to open the boot, Jones had difficulties because it was not a car he knew. While waiting for this to be executed, one of the plainclothes officers asked Jones where he was going.‘East London,’ he replied. Then the man looked at Jones and said: ‘Jy gaan seker vir ou Biko sien’ (You’re no doubt going to visit that chap Biko). Peter showed no reaction and said: ‘Who’s Biko?’ Impatient with the intransigent boot, the same plainclothes officer, Lt. Oosthuizen, ‘suggested I should follow them to the charge office where the car could be searched,’ Jones remembers. At the charge office, having identified Peter Jones by his wallet, the police then asked Biko what his name was. ‘“I am Bantu Stephen Biko,” he replied. For several moments there was absolute silence with police just looking at both of us. “Biko?” Oosthuizen asked. “No, Bantu 132 Stephen Biko,” said Steve, giving the correct Xhosa pronunciation to the b’s.’ Next morning they were ‘viciously handcuffed’ and removed to Port Elizabeth to the sixth floor of the Security Police headquarters at the Sanlam Building, handcuffed by one hand to the bars, then photographed, taken back outside, ‘separated by two squads of police who surrounded each of us … I was in front and Steve a few paces behind me. ‘My entourage stopped at a Kombi [van] and I was told to...