Patrick Chamusso

Patrick Chamusso (born in 1949 in Mozambique) is a member of the African National Congress party of South Africa who participated in the militant actions of the organization during the apartheid era.

One of three sons, Patrick came to live in South Africa when as a teenager he followed his migrant worker father to work in the mines of South Africa performing odd jobs. After his father's death, Chamusso's mother remarried and bore another daughter. He worked in various jobs on the mines and later found work as a house painter and street photographer. [http://www.twosisters.org.za/web/content/view/12/28/ Patrick's Story] from Two Sisters]

When he was 28, he got a job at the Sasol oil refinery at Secunda, the largest coal-to-oil plant in the world, located several hours east of Johannesburg. Although not formally educated, he advanced quickly and ended up as a driver, a position that was well-paid. His main job was to fetch coal from a neighboring mine and bring it into the refinery. A talented soccer player who had formerly played for local leagues, his abilities later made him popular among his co-workers and in the community.

Chamusso was arrested in 1980 by South African Special Branch for conspiring with the ANC to bomb the Secunda refinery, a crime he insisted he did not commit. He was later released without charges being laid. He claimed that he had been tortured whilst a prisoner. He fled to Mozambique where he joined Umkhonto we Sizwe, the militant arm of the ANC. [http://www.laweekly.com/general/features/apartheids-song/14731/ Apartheid's Song] from LA Weekly]

After military training, he returned to South Africa where he single-handedly carried out a second, partly successful, bombing at Secunda, which - as was intended - resulted in no casualties. After a massive manhunt, he was arrested and ultimately sentenced to 24 years in prison on Robben Island. In 1994, as the apartheid system began to be dismantled, having served 10 years, Chamusso, was released under the new government's amnesty policy. [http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/featurePhoto.php?featureID=45 Patrick Chamusso Biography] from Working Title Films]

After his release, Chamusso married a woman named Conney, and the couple had three children, in addition to fostering 80 AIDS orphans at their home in Mpumalanga.

Chamusso rose to world prominence in October 2006, when "Catch a Fire", a biographical film depicting his struggle against the system of Apartheid in South Africa, was released.

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