Death threats and murder 15 Death threats and murder IN 1980, THE END of the bloody guerrilla war in Zimbabwe, followed by democratic elections that saw a landslide victory for Robert Mugabe, ushered in a new era of hope for black people in southern Africa. Whites, on the other hand, generally viewed the demise of yet another minority regime as a portent of doom for the subcontinent. The South African government had not only supported the illegitimate government of Ian Smith, but had poured millions of rands into the election campaign of Bishop Abel Muzorewa in the hope of ensuring a ‘friendly’ black government on its northern doorstep. Deeply involved in an escalating war in Angola and the South West Africa operational area and facing ongoing unrest in black townships closer to home, the government now also had to contend with renewed grassroots demands for Nelson Mandela’s release. In March, Percy Qoboza’s Sunday Post launched the ‘Free Mandela’ campaign, initiated by the ANC in exile from Lusaka.
