Part II - Foot Soldier of the Revolution

Dante, through his fearless courage and willingness to do whatever necessary to tear down the mechanisms of oppression, rose up through the ranks quickly to become a leader of other guerrilla warrior cells.  He planned and led many operations, often putting his own life and the lives of the men and women under his command on the line against a more well trained, financed, and armed foe.

After years of living a double life – “respectable” citizen publicly and cunning revolutionary in the shadows – Dante found himself in the spotlight and in grave danger.  The Great Struggle had developed momentum.  International pressure grew, protests increased in size and frequency, and the revolutionaries’ physical attacks on the regime’s infrastructure were taking a collective toll.  And as the white ruled government became increasingly concerned over their control of the country, they became more brazenly ruthless. 

Suppression of protests became bloodier, and the police more frequently rounded up suspected militants without proof, often detaining them for months on end in solitary confinement and barring any access to the outside world including family members or legal counsel which, by the way, was legal at the time according to South African law.  Most alarmingly, however, was the frequency with which people were simply disappearing without a trace, leaving loved ones to fear the worst.

As the Struggle intensified, there was a sense among revolutionaries and the government that they were reaching a tipping point.  It was a critical time when the revolutionaries’ need to keep up and even intensify the pressure was never more important.  For the government, a sense that in the absence of bold action, their reign could falter and eventually fall.

Dante was now in frequent contact with the highest echelons of the Struggle’s leadership, often meeting with senior members to strategize and plan militant operations against the government.  One day, two of his closest compatriots disappeared without a trace.  Dante and his brethren feared they had suffered a terrible fate, and it became clear that Dante was now known to the authorities and no longer safe out in the open so he went underground.

Eventually, Dante and several others were arrested.  Unable to contact anyone to let them know he was in prison, Dante’s family suffered for months not knowing if he was alive or dead. 

Up next:  Part III – End of the Great Struggle?