Joshua Oupa Gqozo (10 March 1952 - ) was a former Ciskei military ruler. Gqozo is married to Corinthian Nomziwakhe and they have four children. He is currently living in dilapidated house in his farm, 13km from King William’s Town, which he held onto it despite Judge Willem Heath's probe into the Ciskei government land deals. March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... See also: 1951 in South Africa, other events of 1952, 1953 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... Ciskei Flag of Ciskei Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. ...

Early Life

Oupa Gqozo was born in Kroonstad on 10 March 1952 to a religious minister. He was sent away at a young age to stay with his relative living in Witgatboom in Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo Province), here he completed his primary education at Seabe Community School. Gqozo returned to Kroonstad where he attended the Phomolong Junior and Bodibeng Senior High School. He dropped out of school in 1972 and went to work as a warder at Kroonstad prison. He later matriculated through correspondence in 1975. The town of Kroonstad, the third-largest town in Free State Province, South Africa lies two hours drive from Gauteng. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... See also: 1951 in South Africa, other events of 1952, 1953 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... Flag of Transvaal The Transvaal was one of the provinces of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. ... Limpopo (until 11 June 2003 Northern Province; before 1994 the region was part of the Transvaal) is the northernmost province of South Africa. ... See also: 1974 in South Africa, other events of 1975, 1976 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ...

Military Career

The Prisons Department sent Gqozo to study at the Baviaanspoort Training College and upon completion worked at Klerksdorp prison. He joined the South African Defence Force (SADF) and worked as a soldier and chief clerk of 21 Battalion based in Lenasia, Johannesburg. Klerksdorp is a city and administrative district located in the North West Province (formerly Western Transvaal), South Africa. ... The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is the name of the armed forces of South Africa. ... Lenasia is large Indian township south of Soweto in Gauteng Province, South Africa. ... City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ...

Ciskei

The Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) was established during March 1981 from 141 Battalion of the SADF as part of 21 Battalion. Gqozo was moved from the SADF to the CDF as part of the officer core. On 4 December 1981, Ciskei was granted nominal independence from South Africa and became a Bantustan with Lennox Sebe as president. March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... See also: 1980 in South Africa, other events of 1981, 1982 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bantustan refers to any of the territories designated as tribal homelands for black South Africans during the Apartheid era. ... Lennox Leslie Wongamu Sebe was chief minister of the Xhosa bantustan of Ciskei, and the countrys first president. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ...

In 1983, Sebe's brother, Lieutenant General Charles Sebe, head of Ciskei's intelligence service, attempted a coup. He was arrested but later in 1986 he escaped from prison and made his way to nearby Transkei. Charles, in 1987, orchestrated the kidnapping of Lennox Sebe's son Kwame. See also: 1982 in South Africa, other events of 1983, 1984 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... See also: 1985 in South Africa, other events of 1986, 1987 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... Categories: Stub | South African Bantustans ... See also: 1986 in South Africa, other events of 1987, 1988 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ...

During this time Colonel Oupa Gqozo was sent to Pretoria as military attaché and became a Brigadier on 1 April 1988. Brigadier Gqozo returned to Ciskei as Chief of Staff Intelligence during December 1989. In January 1990, Gqozo completed his term of duty and was honoured with the Order of Good Hope. The central area of Pretoria. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... See also: 1987 in South Africa, other events of 1988, 1989 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... See also: 1988 in South Africa, other events of 1989, 1990 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... See also: 1989 in South Africa, other events of 1990, 1991 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ...

On 4 March 1990, he staged his own coup in Ciskei in the absence of Lennox Sebe who was on state visit to Hong Kong. Kwame Sebe was also planning to stage a coup, but failed to get it off the ground and was kept in military custody together with other government officials. In November, the same year another coup planned by Colonel Guzana and former military council member Major Peter Howsa was stopped. Again in February 1991, another coup was attemped, this time by the head of Ciskei’s Defence Force, Brigadier Aaron Jamangile. March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... November is the eleventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... See also: 1990 in South Africa, other events of 1991, 1992 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ...

In mid 1991 Gqozo formed African Democratic Movement to counter the influence of the African National Congress in the region. In December the same year, he formed part of the delegates at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) to discuss South Africa new political dispensation. In March 1992 Gqozo accused the African National Congress of planning to remove him from power in Ciskei and in August that year he prevented African National Congress marchers from King Williams Town to enter Ciskei. However the march of about 80,000 people led by South African Communist Party General Secretary Chris Hani, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Harry Gwala took place on 7 September 1992. Gqozo in trying to avert conflict between the marchers and security officers he allowed the marchers to enter Bisho stadium. The Ciskei Defence Force opened fire on marchers, killing 20 people and injuring over 200. The African National Congress (ANC) is a center-left political party, and has been South Africas governing party (in a coalition) since the establishment of majority rule in May 1994. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... See also: 1991 in South Africa, other events of 1992, 1993 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani (June 28, 1942 – April 10, 1993) was the leader of the South African Communist Party and Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). ... Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African lawyer, trade union leader, activist, politician and businessman. ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... Bisho is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Eastern Cape Province. ...

On 13 December 1993, Brigadier Oupa Gqozo together with Sergeant-Major Thozamile Veliti was acquitted of the murder of Charles Sebe by the Ciskei Supreme Court. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1992 in South Africa, other events of 1993, 1994 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ...

On 22 March 1994 Gqozo contacted the South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha and resigned as leader of Ciskei. The Transitional Executive Council appointed two administrators to govern Ciskei until the first democratic elections. March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... See also: 1993 in South Africa, other events of 1994, 1995 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... Roelof Frederik Pik Botha (born April 27, 1932, in Rustenburg, Transvaal, South Africa), is a South African politician who served as the countrys foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era. ...

Present

Since the advent of democracy Gqozo’s life turned into a misery. In 1996 before he could appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Bisho massacre in 1992 he was admitted to a psychiatric ward after suffering from depression. In 1998 he was convicted and fined R10,000 for illicit diamond trafficking. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like body assembled in South Africa after the end of Apartheid. ... See also: 1997 in South Africa, other events of 1998, 1999 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ... A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ...

Gqozo sustained bullet wounds to his head and back while was trying to protect traditional healer Keke “Gonondo” Mama in Middledrift in 2001. Mr Mama died in hospital after the shooting. It was believed that Gqozo was Mr Mama’s bodyguard – a job he took after his finances took a nosedive. See also: 2000 in South Africa, other events of 2001, 2002 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. ...

He was hospitalised again after he burnt himself on hands and face, this time he had mistakenly refilled a heater with petrol instead of paraffin which burst into flames. The fire caused an estimated R60,000 damage to his farmhouse, outside King William’s Town. Gasoline, as it is known in North America, or petrol, in many Commonwealth countries (sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Paraffin is a common name for a group of high molecular weight alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2, where n is greater than about 20, discovered by Carl Reichenbach. ...