Analogia Malenga
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- Feb 24, 2012
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Andre Charles Stander alizaliwa November 1946 na kufariki Februari 1984 nichini Afrika Kusini ambapo alikuwa Polisi kuanzia mwaka 1963 hadi 1980 miaka ambayo alifanikiwa kuziibia benki zaidi ya 30
Stander alikuwa Nahodha wa Kitengo cha Upelelezi wa Jinai Johannesburg mwaka 1977 ambao ndio mwaka unaotajwa kuiibia Benki ya kwanza huko Durban
Alikamatwa mwaka 1980 ambapo alikuwa amejaribu kutaka kumuingiza kwenye kundi rafiki yake Carl van Deventer ambaye awali alidhani utani lakini alipeleza na kujua ni kweli hali iliyopeleka kukamatwa kwake
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South Africa in the seventies and eighties was a very different place. The country was under apartheid rule, a system of government where the white minority ruled over the rest of the population. It was a time of prosperity for some but one of hardship and suffering for the vast majority of South Africa’s people. The system was unyielding, based on the colour of one’s skin.
Image source: Reuters.
On the personal front, Stander’s marriage was drawing close to divorce. He loathed his job but managed to keep his scorn hidden from his coworkers. One morning he gave out assignments to his staff as normal then drove to the airport and flew to Durban. Hiring a car, he disguised himself before walking into a bank and robbing it. He then flew back to Johannesburg in time for his afternoon shift.
Stander continued to do this for the next three years. The number isn’t certain but it’s estimated that he robbed over thirty banks while still serving in the police. He got away with 100,000 rands at a time where a manager in a large company was lucky to earn 2,000 rands a month. He continued to investigate crimes while robbing banks on his days off or his lunch breaks.
He was found guilty of fifteen counts of bank robbery later that year and sentenced to seventeen years in Zonderwater maximum security prison. Normally this would have meant a death sentence for a police officer but Stander charmed prisoners and guards alike.
He befriended another bank robber, George Allan Heyl. Heyl was a political idealist who loathed the apartheid system. A third member, Patrick Lee McCall completed the gang.
McCall and Stander escaped in 1983 during a visit to the prison’s physiotherapist. Evading a manhunt, they laid low for two months before returning to break Heyl out. The Stander Gang was now in action.
Wanted ad for Stander. Image source: ScoopWhoop.
Colleagues refute this, stating that Stander wasn’t on duty at this time. It is possible that Stander confused it with another incident as the South African Police was frequently called out to deal with increasing civil unrest in the townships against the apartheid regime.
It is also possible that Stander, like many other South Africans, could sense the way the wind was blowing and realised that the writing was on the wall for apartheid. This reason was likely to be much more sympathetic to the general public.
An alternate claim from associates of Stander is that he craved excitement and found it difficult to adjust to civilian life after completing his national service during the Border War. Whatever Stander’s reasons ultimately were, we’ll never know.
Image source: SA History Online.
The gang quickly became famous, featuring in the newspapers most days. The public cheered them on as anti-government figures while the police were embarrassed with each new robbery. The trio enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, dining out in the finest restaurants and shopping at upmarket locations.
Time was running out though. The police’s net was closing in around them. Stander was nearly caught once while out jogging and the gang had to flee a restaurant another time when an off-duty police officer recognised them.
The gang decided to relocate to the United States. They bought a yacht to sail to Miami and secured fake passports. But the police were closing in.
Film poster for Stander. Image credit: Stander (2003).
Stander’s cash was running out and the local United States law enforcement were hunting him. He had his car impounded after running a red light. Unfortunately for him, his picture was in Florida newspapers the next day as police appealed for information on the fugitive bank robber.
Stander was finally caught on 13 February 1984 during a police stake-out. He grappled with the officer arresting him for his weapon and the shotgun went off in the confusion. Stander died before the ambulance could arrive, bleeding out.
Heyl was caught the next year, serving a prison sentence in England before being extradited to South Africa. He was finally released in 2005. The sole survivor of the gang, he was quite blunt about the gang’s popularity:
The man remains an enigma in death. To some, he’s seen as an anti-apartheid hero. Others say he only craved luxury or excitement. Was he a hero? A rebel? An opportunist? He was a former police officer who turned to crime, but we will never know why.
Stander alikuwa Nahodha wa Kitengo cha Upelelezi wa Jinai Johannesburg mwaka 1977 ambao ndio mwaka unaotajwa kuiibia Benki ya kwanza huko Durban
Alikamatwa mwaka 1980 ambapo alikuwa amejaribu kutaka kumuingiza kwenye kundi rafiki yake Carl van Deventer ambaye awali alidhani utani lakini alipeleza na kujua ni kweli hali iliyopeleka kukamatwa kwake
===
South Africa in the seventies and eighties was a very different place. The country was under apartheid rule, a system of government where the white minority ruled over the rest of the population. It was a time of prosperity for some but one of hardship and suffering for the vast majority of South Africa’s people. The system was unyielding, based on the colour of one’s skin.
Beginnings
The son of a South African general in the prison service, André Stander seemed to have his life laid out for him. A mediocre student, Stander was groomed for a career in law enforcement. He graduated at the top of his class in 1963 despite a less than stellar performance, his father’s influence smoothing his way forward.
Image source: Reuters.
Banks
By 1977, Stander was thirty-one and a captain in the Johannesburg Criminal Investigation Department (CID). His career seemed stable though jealous colleagues attributed his advancement to his father’s connections rather than any real skill.On the personal front, Stander’s marriage was drawing close to divorce. He loathed his job but managed to keep his scorn hidden from his coworkers. One morning he gave out assignments to his staff as normal then drove to the airport and flew to Durban. Hiring a car, he disguised himself before walking into a bank and robbing it. He then flew back to Johannesburg in time for his afternoon shift.
Stander continued to do this for the next three years. The number isn’t certain but it’s estimated that he robbed over thirty banks while still serving in the police. He got away with 100,000 rands at a time where a manager in a large company was lucky to earn 2,000 rands a month. He continued to investigate crimes while robbing banks on his days off or his lunch breaks.
Prison
Stander was finally caught after a drunken admission to his friend, Carl van Deventer, at a party. His attempt to recruit van Deventer failed but his friend was troubled by Stander’s claim it was a joke. Van Deventer’s investigation resulted in Stander being arrested in 1980.He was found guilty of fifteen counts of bank robbery later that year and sentenced to seventeen years in Zonderwater maximum security prison. Normally this would have meant a death sentence for a police officer but Stander charmed prisoners and guards alike.
He befriended another bank robber, George Allan Heyl. Heyl was a political idealist who loathed the apartheid system. A third member, Patrick Lee McCall completed the gang.
McCall and Stander escaped in 1983 during a visit to the prison’s physiotherapist. Evading a manhunt, they laid low for two months before returning to break Heyl out. The Stander Gang was now in action.
Wanted ad for Stander. Image source: ScoopWhoop.
Motivations
No one knows for sure what motivated Stander to turn to criminality. He claimed that he’d been involved in an incident during the 1976 Soweto Uprising where he and other police had shot over twenty black protestors.Colleagues refute this, stating that Stander wasn’t on duty at this time. It is possible that Stander confused it with another incident as the South African Police was frequently called out to deal with increasing civil unrest in the townships against the apartheid regime.
It is also possible that Stander, like many other South Africans, could sense the way the wind was blowing and realised that the writing was on the wall for apartheid. This reason was likely to be much more sympathetic to the general public.
An alternate claim from associates of Stander is that he craved excitement and found it difficult to adjust to civilian life after completing his national service during the Border War. Whatever Stander’s reasons ultimately were, we’ll never know.
Image source: SA History Online.
The Stander gang
The prisoners wasted little time. Twenty banks were robbed in two months with over 500,000 rands stolen. The gang moved fast, once robbing four banks in one day. They were notable for their lack of violence and stealthy nature. The three would enter together and intimidate a teller into filling a bag with one money before they left. More than once, they had a security guard hold open the door for them while they left.The gang quickly became famous, featuring in the newspapers most days. The public cheered them on as anti-government figures while the police were embarrassed with each new robbery. The trio enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, dining out in the finest restaurants and shopping at upmarket locations.
Time was running out though. The police’s net was closing in around them. Stander was nearly caught once while out jogging and the gang had to flee a restaurant another time when an off-duty police officer recognised them.
The gang decided to relocate to the United States. They bought a yacht to sail to Miami and secured fake passports. But the police were closing in.
Film poster for Stander. Image credit: Stander (2003).
The end
Stander flew to Florida to secure a berth for their yacht. McCall was killed in a police raid in January 1984 but Heyl managed to escape to Greece before he could be caught. South Africa notified other countries, seeking the arrest and extradition of both criminals.Stander’s cash was running out and the local United States law enforcement were hunting him. He had his car impounded after running a red light. Unfortunately for him, his picture was in Florida newspapers the next day as police appealed for information on the fugitive bank robber.
Stander was finally caught on 13 February 1984 during a police stake-out. He grappled with the officer arresting him for his weapon and the shotgun went off in the confusion. Stander died before the ambulance could arrive, bleeding out.
Heyl was caught the next year, serving a prison sentence in England before being extradited to South Africa. He was finally released in 2005. The sole survivor of the gang, he was quite blunt about the gang’s popularity:
Stander remains popular in the public imagination, partially due to the release of a Hollywood film about him in 2003, starring Thomas Jane. He’s also the subject of several songs.
The man remains an enigma in death. To some, he’s seen as an anti-apartheid hero. Others say he only craved luxury or excitement. Was he a hero? A rebel? An opportunist? He was a former police officer who turned to crime, but we will never know why.
