Around midday we had not yet been given an opportunity to relieve ourselves – in the 12 hours we’d been on the road. It was in the middle of summer; inside the van it was sweltering hot, our faces and bodies were dripping with sweat. With no facilities for relieving ourselves, those who couldn't hold the water any more just knelt at the door, waited for the van to ascend so that the urine would go down, and the wind swept it all away as the vans sped along.

By now Bekkersdal was miles behind us. My last sight of the place was Komojuteng, a store opposite the beer hall. Opposite the store was the Municipal Offices building where we paid rent and, across from it, the clinic. And some way from these, towered the high pointed cross of the AME Church.

The van roared towards Potchefstroom; past the Western Reef, Carltonville; past all the western conservative towns, through the maize territory of the Free State just across the Vaal River. Then, somewhere along the way, we turned at a road sign that said Bloemfontein; Kroonstad. Throughout that drive since we’d passed Bekkersdal, between naps and conversation, random thoughts flitted through my mind. Uppermost in these were thoughts of family, home. And my mind stubbornly refused to venture so far away from home – and my special bed in the dining room.

When our stomachs reminded us, we snacked on a bag of katkops of brown bread and water we’d been given by the authorities. The convoy drove through the Free State Province – a first for most of us. There was some excitement when we crossed the Vaal River and finally arrived at the first stop: Kroonstad Prison.

Apparently, the whole town was expecting us; spectators lined the main streets, craning their heads for a better view as the vans approached. And when we got there, we could see that the prison authorities were also expecting us. As the vans approached, there was a sudden burst, a flurry of activity; and then a number of warders poured out from all corners of the establishment. You should have seen the metalwork: guns ablaze, rifles and artillery. That was our welcome to Kroonstad Prison.