Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1999-10-05

MR DEHAL: Okay, I now take you to Exhibit G, do you mind reading those respective Roman numeral paragraphs.  Slowly again please.
MR DEHAL
	"This operation was a follow up from the failure at Cato Manor.  Comrade Gordon Webster and I decided to carry out the sabotage at Chamberlain Road substation.  Gordon and I prepared the limpet mines at my father's workshop which was within walking distance to the substation.  My recollection is that we intentionally provided for a delay in between the expected explosion times so as to injure or kill possible Investigators from the Security Branch when they arrived to inspect and investigate the first explosion.  My recollection is that the operation was also intended to be a response, that is the first response from the January 8, statement by President Oliver Tambo."

MR DEHAL: Mr McBride, if you will just pause there.  Is it correct that the President of the ANC, whilst the ANC was in exile, had always made his statement on the 8th of January of each year?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, the 8th of January, the significance of the 8th of January is, it is the day on which the ANC was founded in 1912.  So every year the President makes a policy statement as to the direction and evolution of policies of the ANC at that particular time, so it is one of the most important statements of the ANC, every year.

MR DEHAL: And this operation you say took place on the day following this policy statement of January 8, 1986?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes.

MR DEHAL: And therefore took place on the 9th of January in that year, is that correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: You say then it was intended to serve as propaganda for the residents of Wentworth by yourselves, exhibiting the capabilities of Umkhonto weSizwe, correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: Will you then deal with the next paragraph?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes.
	"Sadly and unfortunately Col Robert Wellman of the Durban Security Branch was badly injured and later died.  Others injured were a Mervyn Dunn, P. Zimmerman and I think it was Sgt R. van der Merwe, D.A. Booysens and now we hear of a Mr Baker.  The first limpet mine was intended to damage the transformer only.  The second one was to damage the second transformer and injure or kill Security Branch personnel who would come to investigate the first explosion."

MR DEHAL: A little slower Mr McBride.
MR McBRIDE
	"The purpose then in total of this operation was economic sabotage, armed propaganda and also to kill and injure enemy personnel.  I was neither charged for this operation, nor did the police know that I was involved in this operation.  I applied for amnesty here out of my own free will and for full disclosure."

MR DEHAL: Thank you.  Then Mr McBride, you deal with the Huntley's Hill incident, which is referred to in your application for amnesty on page 105 under paragraph 9(a) where you deal with the acts under (iv)(c), is that correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: As mentioned earlier, this is an incident that again, you were not charged with, nor convicted of and you simply refer to it for the purposes of full disclosure?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: It is referred to in bundle A1 on page 7 as item 8, is that correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: I have that, yes.

MR DEHAL: Thank you.   This is an operation that took place on the 18th of January 1986?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: It is almost the same as the Chamberlain Road, Wentworth substation explosion?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct yes.

MR DEHAL: Will you please then deal with paragraph 1 and 2 and 3 of this paragraph 5?
MR McBRIDE
	"In the Huntley's Hill operation, the target was definitely not enemy personnel or any other persons, it was purely intended to damage the transformers at the substation.  Gordon Webster and I prepared the mines and both of us entered the substation and lay the charges and retreated."

MR DEHAL: Sorry may I just deal with this aspect in the preceding sentence.  You say the objective in (i) of this operation was of power grid disruption, economic sabotage and armed propaganda as the key intentions?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, yes.

MR DEHAL: Thank you.  Carry on.
MR McBRIDE
	"This is also an operation that the police were unaware of, that I had been involved in.  I was neither charged nor ever suspected of it.  I again bring this before the Commission out of my own willingness and desire for the purposes of full disclosure.  As far as I know, there were no injuries in this operation."

MR DEHAL: And of course in A1, page 7, there are no injuries recorded relating to this incident?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: We now deal with the Carrington Heights pylon operation, opposite Rossborough testing grounds on the 20th of January 1986, do you confirm that this is the incident and operation referred to on page 7 of bundle A1, as item 9?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: And in your application for amnesty on page 105 of the bundle, under paragraph 9(a)(iv)(d), correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, yes.

MR DEHAL: Will you please then deal with the content of paragraph 6?
MR McBRIDE
	"This operation is very much similar to the one on Chamberlain Road ...(indistinct) substation of the 9th of January.   (I just must mention here, the date I am not hundred percent sure, I just go according to as I remember).

MR DEHAL: Certainly.
MR McBRIDE
	"Carrington Heights took place on the 20th of January.  Gordon Webster and I prepared many limpet mines, four of them, for each of the legs of the pylon.  Again the intention was to disrupt the power grid, economic sabotage, armed propaganda, a booby-trap in the form of a delayed timed limpet mine was left there.  The fifth one was intended to injure or kill members of the Security Forces investigating the attack.  To my knowledge, there were no deceased and no persons were injured.  This operation was also one of those where the police were unaware that I was involved and I was neither charged nor suspected of it."

MR DEHAL: So Mr McBride what you are saying correct me if I am wrong, is that the four limpet mines for each of the legs of the pylon, were set to go off at once, whereas the fifth had a delay in it intended to be a booby-trap directed at Security Police personnel or Security Forces whom you anticipated would have come in to investigate the first explosion?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, yes.

MR DEHAL: And did the fifth attack go on, did it explode?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, it exploded.

MR DEHAL: Thank you.  May I then take you to the next page, wherein you deal with the explosion on the water pipe near Lion Park turn off on the N3, near Pietermaritzburg, do you see that?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, I see that.

MR DEHAL: Is that dealt with in your application for amnesty on page 105, as sub-paragraph (b), right on the top?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, that is correct.

MR DEHAL: This is an operation, the precise date of which again you are not aware of, you refer to this in your amnesty application as an operation that took place during the first quarter of 1986, correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, yes.

MR DEHAL: And this incident is referred to in bundle A1 on page 8, as item 10, correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: No, that is not correct.

MR DEHAL: You see item 10 deals with limpet mine explosion at substation in Umlaas Road near Pietermaritzburg.

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: It is not the same one.

MR DEHAL: Is it not the same one?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: No.

MR DEHAL: Forgive me.  Okay, in any case, this is an aspect that you deal with as an operation that you have never been charged with, nor convicted with, but one that you simply want to talk about for full disclosure, correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, yes.