Amnesty Hearings — East London — 1998-04-15

MR MTEMBU: Which person are you referring to, are you referring to the Commander of the Unit, or the person from whom the order emanated.  I mean that is the person from within the Higher Command, or are you referring to the Commander of that specific unit?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I am referring to the person who issued out an instruction from the High Command.

CHAIRPERSON: But how does he know, are you allowed to question the order and go and tell him, there seems to be a mistake here?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: In my earlier explanations I said you do not resist an order, you do not stand against an order.  What you rather do is ask further clarification, so that you can follow strict instructions.
	You will then go back to the Commander and report back.

MR LAX: The question that you were asked, and you haven't really answered is you originally said you will report back to your Commander and try and seek clarification.  The question you were asked was, how did you seek clarification before executing an order, if you knew it was wrong?
	If you knew that there was some mistake, if it was clear to you the information that you had been given, or the basis of the order, for example, in this case you were told that you would go to that place, because there would be Security Force members on those two nights, Fridays and Saturdays.
	Now, it is correct to assume that you had political education, you understood some of the policies and so on, is that right?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: That is correct.

MR LAX: Now, if having done your reconnaissance, you find that the target isn't what you were told it was, and in fact there is a terrible mistake, it is something else that is against your policy ...

ADV GCABASHE: Can you just clarify to the witness if this is a hypothetical situation, or if he should relate this to this particular mission, it might help.

MR LAX: This is hypothetical.   We are just trying to understand how your orders worked, we are dealing in general here with orders.  Do you understand what we are talking about now?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Carry on sir.

MR LAX: So, the question is, how would you in that context now, refer back to the people who gave you the orders, either you personally or your Unit Commander or the next level up, to say hang on chaps, there is a mistake here, this is the wrong target?  How would you do that?  Would you do that?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Sir, to answer your question, a person who gave instructions, would never give instructions without any certainty.  He gave you instructions with the certainty that that is the situation, and you have to carry out what he tells you.
	If ever you do not understand how the work should be carried out, you then ask for clarifications because the person sends you to a place, knowing exactly that there will be no changes and no additions at all, I don't know whether I answered your question sir.

MR LAX: So are you saying that there was no space, no leeway whatsoever, once a target was selected, you didn't question the target, you just work out operationally what was required to execute your instruction, and you did that?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Can you repeat your question sir?

MR LAX: Are you then saying that there was no space to question the target?  All you could do was work out operationally how you should attack the target, and follow orders?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I explained sir, that you are given exact instructions regarding the target.  You are given exact situations of the place and you go and execute an order.
	During the time of issuing out an instruction, if you do not understand, you have a chance to ask for clarification and then after completing the task, you go back to report.

MR MTEMBU: I have no questions Mr Chairman.

MR MTEMBU: .

ADV GCABASHE: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Mr Diaho-Monaheng, were you ever a Commander of a unit?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Yes, I was once a Commander.

ADV SANDI: Sorry Ms Gcabashe, can I just come in there on a question which is very related to this.
	How does one become a Commander?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I think you become a Commander of the unit because of the work that you have taken part in.  If the orders were correctly executed, according to instructions, then you stand a chance because you conformed to the instructions that is why you become a Commander.
	There is no reason why you were involved in a mission and successfully attain the mission, and not be given a position of a Commander, because you now have knowledge as to how to conduct the operations.  I don't know whether I answered your question sir.

ADV GCABASHE: Thank you.  Was this your first mission, the Yellowwoods Hotel mission?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: That is correct.

ADV GCABASHE: Now, you have told us that you were a member of the Phokela regiment and that members were selected to go out on special operations.  That is correct?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: That is correct.

ADV GCABASHE: Did the members of this regiment, have any specialist skills?  Another way of putting the same question really is, was there anything special about the people who went out on special operations, that is really what I want to know?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I indicated earlier on that we were members of, we were the members of the Phokela regiment.  There wasn't anything special as such, because the training was the same, the lessons were the same.
	It was, we were just chosen, we were selected for this task.  Maybe it was a task as to see whether we will be in a position to carry out special instructions.  I don't know whether I answered you.

ADV GCABASHE: Thank you.  Now this regiment was based at Nqobo, is that correct?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Nqobo is a place where I underwent training.  It was not based there, because after the training we were not at Nqobo any more, we went to Umtata.

ADV GCABASHE: The Phokela regiment, was that therefore based at Umtata?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: After the training, it went to Umtata.

ADV GCABASHE: So, between 1990 and 1993, would it be correct to say you were based in Umtata?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Between 1990 and 1993, you would not be correct, even though I frequently visited Umtata, I was placed at a certain place to stay there, to wait for the instructions and to further my training.
	Where of course Umtata is a place I visited frequently, you know, to go for the needs.  I don't know whether I answered you.

ADV GCABASHE: Thank you.  In terms of your role at the Yellowwoods Hotel, two questions.  Were you any part of the planning of this operation, even at your level?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I was not part of the planning.

ADV GCABASHE: You did not even go and reconnoitre the area with your Commander?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: The Commander is the person who selects from the unit the person he wants to be part of the reconnaissance, I was not selected, but at the end I saw the plan and I had an idea of the whole plan.  I think I answered your question.

ADV GCABASHE: Now, do you have any idea at all as to who may have gone, which one of your party may have gone into the kitchen of the hotel?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: The person who went behind the building, I don't know whether it was a kitchen or what, but it is comrade Nqeba.

ADV GCABASHE: I get the sense that you were a rather small group, there were only three of you who undertook this mission.  Didn't you feel that you were short staffed, that there were too few of you to undertake a mission of this nature, where there would be military personnel at the venue, who might shoot back at you?  What was your own sense?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: We did not, I did not have fear we were not under staffed, I explained already that I was a committed soldier to fight for the freedom of the people.
	I did not have any, there was nothing hindering me to be involved in this.  I don't know whether I answered your question.

ADV GCABASHE: Thank you, no further questions.