THOMAS MANTHATA
That strike was, we formed, we started striking at the mining fields in 1943.  Major John, our Manager.  I was in Cambell mine.  He told the employees that, when we, we must take our tickets to him so that he can give us money so he started not giving people money, even if they submitted the tickets to him.  He ignored the employees and people got angry and took all their tickets back to his office.  Later, the people realized that this man was ignoring them.  They were people from Njasaland.  They went aside to have a caucus and they discussed, they decided that they were not going to work the following day.  We boycotted the following day and these people decided that they would beat anybody who was going to work that day.  Most people didn't go to work that day and later we were sitting outside.  People were called to the camp and some men came to us and one of the guys was, was one of those who we were told that he was beating people up in Pretoria.  He came with lots of men and they started arresting people.  One of the policemen came to me and looked at, at me but he, he'd, he ignored me later.
 Later when they were arresting people, our big boss he was, was ignoring me, because  I used to disturb him a lot and shout to him, because he, he didn't want me next to him.  He actually wanted to arrest me.  He wanted me to be arrested.  God told  me that I must leave that place immediately.  I left and later on they were arresting everybody.  They arrested about a hundred people and they took them to Louis Trichardt.  
 There was a man called Alfuous Madiba.  He was a communist.  He was a real communist.  He came to us with other three men in 1938 and they were telling us about politics.  Later when we were discussing this matters, Alfuous when he arrived late, he told me that he tried to ask for a lift from those men.  They couldn't give us a lift.  He asked me where, where did these people go to and I told him that they were arrested.  They were taken to Louis Trichardt and he said he'll go there to see them.  Actually, Major John, when he wanted to arrest me, he read something  on Guardian and he wanted me to get arrested, because  I said something on that newspaper and he asked me at some stage that, where was I taking all those newspapers and I told him, they were not mine, they were from Dan and it, I did, do it, they did not belong to me.  That's how he started to hate me.  Alfuous went there to, to, to buy food and bread for those people who were arrested.  This Alfuous Madiba is late.  I actually don't know where he ended up.  Thank you.