Joe Modise

Johannes "Joe" Modise (23 May 1929 – 26 November 2001) was a South African political figure.

He helped to found uMkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress, and was its longest serving Commander in Chief, deputised at different points in time by Joe Slovo and Chris Hani.

An African of Tswana descent, Modise or Joe (or JM), as he is known to family, friends and comrades, was born in Doornfontein, Johannesburg, on 23 May 1929.

He was the only child of Miriam and Ezekiel Modise.

Modise completed his Junior Certificate at the Fred Clark Memorial School in Nance Field.

He had to leave school in order to work and contribute to his family's income.

His parents impressed the importance of education on the young Modise and, consequently, he obtained his matric certificate through private study.

His first job was as a driver for various companies.

Contrary to apartheid regime-led claims and conspiracy theories; Modise was never a member of the Alexandra Township gang, the Spoilers.

Instead he spent his time away from work (as a PUTCO bus driver) working for the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).

Modise joined the ANCYL in about 1947 in Newclare and became one of the organisation's organisers.

When the Strijdom government declared Sophiatown a White area the residents who were threatened by the demolition of their homes and political organisations, such as the African National Congress (ANC), organised themselves in the Western Areas Protest Committee.

He was also actively involved in the political campaigns against the introduction of Bantu Education in 1953.

Modise was one of the 156 people whom the South African state identified as leading figures in the Freedom Charter movement.

They were charged with treason.

The government claimed that they were working systematically towards the overthrow of the South African state.

Modise was amongst the 73 trialists against whom charges were dropped.

His political activities as an organiser against the Sophiatown removals led to his first arrest in 1954.

Modise was very involved in the one-day work stoppage in 1955.

In the 1960s, the South African government were using increasingly violent means to suppress anti-Apartheid activists, and Modise became a guerrilla fighter.

He organized resistance groups and trained many other guerrilla fighters.

Modise became Commander in Chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe ("MK") following the Rivonia Trial during which other MK high command members such as Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Dennis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada, Raymond Mhlaba, Andrew Mlangeni and Elias Motsoaledi's were sentenced to life imprisonment.

By 1960 many of the acts of resistance were directed against the implementation of the Pass Laws.

On 21 March 1960 the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) organised an anti-pass campaign.

The ANC and the PAC were banned in the wake of the brutal crushing of the campaign by the South African police.

Modise was part of the group that included his long-time friend Nelson Mandela, Wilton Mkwayi, Ronnie Kasrils, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada, Raymond Mhlaba, Andrew Mlangeni, Elias Motsoaledi and others who founded Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

After warning the South African government in June 1961 of its intent to resist further acts of terror if the government did not take steps toward constitutional reform and increase political rights, MK launched its first attacks against government installations in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Durban on 16 December 1961.

In January 1962, Nelson Mandela left South Africa for military training while most of the other MK members continued underground activities inside the country with meeting being held at Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia.

As soon as ties with other countries had been established, Modise played a key role in recruiting people for Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and arranging for them to leave the country for military training.

As of 1962 he was instructed to leave his job as a driver to work as an organiser for MK on a full-time basis.

On 11 July 1963, 19 ANC and MK leaders, including Arthur Goldreich and Walter Sisulu, were arrested at Liliesleaf Farm, Rivonia.

Modise and other key leaders such as Oliver Tambo, Moses Kotane were not at the farm at the time of the arrests.

Modise headed MK for a 25-year period, from 1965 to 1990.

By 1990, Modise and other representatives of the African National Congress met with the white government.

He served as South Africa's first black Minister of Defence from 1994 to 1999 and led the formation of the post-independence defence force.

As a PUTCO bus driver from Sophiatown, Gauteng, he became interested in the struggle against apartheid at an early age.

He at first chose only non-violent means, being arrested with Nelson Mandela and 154 others and tried for treason.

All were acquitted.

When Mandela was elected president in 1994, he chose Modise as his Defense Minister.

Modise was charged with integrating the many sections of guerrilla fighters into the new South African National Defence Force (SANDF).