It was a warm spring day in September 1983 when 23-year-old Nocatula Simalane arrived near the Carlton Center in Johannesburg.

A university graduate and courier for Umkonto-Weiswe, she had been summoned to a meeting.

Witnesses later reported seeing her surrounded by members of the South African Police Security Branch.

She never came home.

What followed was one of the most harrowing cases to emerge from the dark chapter of Flacplas.

Simulani was abducted, tortured, and believed to have been murdered by operatives including Joe Mama

Sela. Her body has never been recovered. Today's episode traces the diabolical operations

of Flacplas. We'll explore how it came to be, who operated it, and what happened to the men

who killed in its name. There are no mysteries here,

only brutal facts, and the voices of those left behind. You are listening to The Abidence Locker.

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Our episodes cover true crimes involving real people, and some content may be graphic in nature.

Listener discretion is advised.

We produce each episode with the utmost respect for the

victims, their families, and loved ones. Trigger warning. This episode contains accounts of

torture, murder, and racially motivated state-sponsored violence.

By the 1970s, the apartheid government was facing mounting pressure from all sides.

The 1976 Soweto uprising had shocked the world.

Images of children gunned downed in the streets sparked international outrage and led to widespread economic sanctions.

African National Congress, or ANC, though officially banned, was regrouping in exile and building support networks at home.

Trade unions and civic organizations were mobilizing across the country's townships.

The National Party government's response was to dramatically expand its security operations.

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