Hunt is on for pistol that could be the first weapon of the armed struggle
Hunt is on for pistol that could be the first weapon of the armed struggle
Jan 30, 2011 12:04 AM | By ROWAN PHILP
The hunt for Nelson Mandela's legendary lost pistol has turned to a plan to buy a suburban home which is "sure" to have it - before opportunists can buy it and hold the historic treasure "to ransom".
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The man leading the epic search said Mandela's fervent wish was that the buried pistol - whose commercial value has been estimated at R22-million - be found, as a personal heirloom and key artifact of the liberation struggle.
However, negotiations to buy and demolish the house are stalled by a lack of cash - and the belief that the South African pop singer known as JMaxx is the person living contentedly above the treasure.
In late July, 1962, Mandela dug a deep "pit" on Liliesleaf farm - the Rivonia property where he often hid while on the run, posing as a labourer - where he buried 200 bullets and a Makarov pistol, which had been given to him by his military trainer in Ethiopia.
Nicholas Wolpe, chief executive of the Liliesleaf Trust, said Mandela had led his friend Arthur Goldreich to a remote part of the farm and proudly showed off his gun - before "slapping his wrist" when Goldreich tried to touch it, saying, "This is mine!"
Having tried to pace out the directions from his mental treasure map once since his release from prison, Mandela has twice indicated that the Makarov pistol now lies beneath one of the private homes which have since been built on the former farm.
Wolpe said the search had already seen two gardens dug up, a property bought and a suburban house demolished since Mandela first confirmed the story of the gun to him in 2003, saying: "I hope you find it."
He said he believed the gun had "real personal significance" for Madiba, who had wrapped it in a bundle of plastic, foil and an army uniform, and placed beneath a tin plate.
Once, they found a man who was Mandela's height and build and asked him to walk 50 paces in all directions "from the kitchen", which the struggle icon had recalled as his guiding directions.
Wolpe said emphasis was placed on former "non-white" places on the farm, where a black man pacing would not have drawn attention in 1962.
However, Wolpe said a second kitchen in an outbuilding on the farm had since been identified, which deepened the mystery further.
And in yet another wrinkle, veteran journalist Allister Sparks said on Friday that Mandela's remark to him was that the gun was buried 20 paces - not 50 - from the kitchen. Recalling a visit to the farm soon after Mandela's release, Sparks said: "Looking to go 20 paces, he walked 10 and then bumped into the wall to a neighbour's house.
"It was essentially ceremonial, but, to my knowledge, that may have been (Umkhonto weSizwe's) first weapon".
Having excavated the property at 7 George Avenue without success, Wolpe said he was confident that the weapon was on a neighbouring property, 5 George Avenue, which is owned by 77-year-old pensioner Al Leenstra.
Wolpe said Leenstra "understands the historical significance" and had agreed, in principle, to sell his home to the trust for a fair price.
Leenstra confirmed to the Sunday Times that he planned to visit Wolpe soon to discuss a possible sale of his property to the trust, and that he would seek "market value, plus (a premium)".
"There is no point in being unrealistic just because the gun could be worth millions of dollars - we simply would look for market value plus something, as has happened with other properties around Liliesleaf," he said.
Wolpe said Mandela's earlier remark that the gun was buried "deep enough so that a plough wouldn't uncover it" gelled with that piece of land, which was once open farm land .
However, the house cannot be sold until its current tenant, JMaxx- real name Justin Egling - whose remake of Brenda Fassie's Weekend Special was a hit last year - completes his one-year lease.
Egling said he was initially upset at feeling pressured to leave a house he loved - particularly for it to be demolished - but that he was now happy to leave in May.
"It's interesting they think this amazing find is right under my feet - literally; I've been told they think it's under the house itself," said Egling.
"I guess it made me a bit nervous to stay here, with all of this attention focused on the place, but we're happy to move on anyway."
In one final mystery, Wolpe said Mandela's friend Govan Mbeki may also have buried a rifle on the farm - and that a police dog had picked up the scent of ammunition near the old coal bunker in 2005.
Wolpe said: "This is not just rich history and heritage, but all the twists and the mystery make it a fun story too."
