Amnesty Hearings — East London — 1998-04-15

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: It was on a Friday sir, if I remember very well, because we only had two days for the attack, either Friday or Saturday.  We would not go there on any other day, we had to go there on those specific days.

MR PRIOR: Mr Vena, at page 31 of the bundle had his taxi stolen at about twenty to nine in the evening.  Had you gone to the hotel at that occasion with the kombi, that is the aborted attack?

MR LAX: Sorry you are mistaken, they didn't get anywhere with the kombi, because they were suddenly being chased by the Police they thought, and then they abandoned it.

MR PRIOR: I beg your pardon, I am just trying to put a time ...

CHAIRPERSON: They took the red Langley.

MR PRIOR: That is the Reverend's vehicle?  Yes, he puts it between nine and ten o'clock.  In any event, were you surprised to see the hotel, this target where Security Forces are supposed to gather, that it was deserted?  Did that surprise you at all, did it make you think anything about your orders?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: When we arrived there, finding the place empty, we thought that the people had already  left because if you went to a certain place for entertainment, you go and stay for the time you want.
	Maybe on that day people told themselves that they had enough entertainment for that day, so it was better for them then to go.

MR PRIOR: When you arrived at Yellowwood Hotel on the 20th of March, that is the night of the attack, is it correct there were only two vehicles in the car park as is evidenced on page 20 of the bundle, it was a, look like a Ford Escort or Ford type vehicle and a bakkie, an Isuzu bakkie, that were parked in the parking area?
	Look at page 20, that is photograph 1 on the original bundle?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: This incident took place a long time ago, I don't know how many cars were parked when we arrived.

MR PRIOR: You see I want to suggest to you on the available information, there were only five young, white men in the hotel.  Mr Swartz, the assistant Manager was there, and there were four other patrons.  It was Mr Nel, Mr Jerling and I will get the other names in a short while, Mr Ferreira and a Mr Augustyn.

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I do not know how many people were inside, I do not want to commit myself, I do not want to agree with you or disagree with you as to the number of the people who were inside the bar.  I do not know.

MR PRIOR: I am attempting to sketch the factual position to you, that there were only four patrons, four guests at that time, there were only, from what I can gather from the photographs, only two vehicles in the car park when you arrived there and on that basis I am saying, or trying to enquire from you, did you think that there was a number of Security personnel in attendance at that hotel?

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Prior, shouldn't you get your facts more accurate?  You said there were four men in the Hotel when they arrived.

MR PRIOR: I said five.

CHAIRPERSON: If you look at page 40, paragraph three, Nel's affidavit, he talks about there already being four people in the bar when they arrived, two men and two women, went to the dining room, another two friends arrived.

MR PRIOR: Sorry, I was referring to the affidavit of Mr Swartz on page 53, I beg the Committee's pardon, paragraph four and I was talking about people in the bar.
	It was Mr Nel, Mr Ferreira, Herbst Augustyn and Jerling.  There were people in the dining room, but that was removed from the scene of the shooting.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, but the amount of people there, you are trying to rely on two cars.

MR PRIOR: In the car park.

CHAIRPERSON: There was one party of two men and two women.

MR PRIOR: I am suggesting that in the car park when they arrived, there were two vehicles parked there.

CHAIRPERSON: That seems to be a little inaccurate, doesn't it.

MR PRIOR: Well, we don't know if there were parking facilities behind the hotel for guests.

CHAIRPERSON: But what you put to him was that there were only two cars parked there when you arrived, and then you asked him to look at the photograph.
	But the amount of people in the hotel ...

MR PRIOR: I take the Committee's point.  You say you can't remember how many vehicles were in the car park?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: That is correct, I do not remember.

MR PRIOR: Is it correct that you were arrested in 1995 in Lesotho?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: Was that in May?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Yes.

MR PRIOR: And the weapons that were used in the Yellowwoods Hotel attack, were they recovered by the Lesotho Royal Mounted Police in Lesotho?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: I do not have the certainty that the arms that were found by the Lesotho Police were the ones used in the attack.
	Allow me to tell you about the arrest in Lesotho.  There were arms found in Lesotho.  I do not know whether they were used at Yellowwoods Hotel, because the ones that were used at Yellowwoods, we did not take them with to Lesotho, we left them behind as explained yesterday.
	If you want the name sir, of the village ...

MR PRIOR: Tell us where you, what did you do with the weapons used in the Yellowwoods attack after the attack, what did you do with those weapons?

MR LAX: Sorry Mr Prior, we didn't get the rest of his answer, the interpreter hadn't finished giving the rest of his answer.  Please just let's hear that.  He was starting to say something about where the arms were, and you cut him short, just hear the rest of it.

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: It was explained yesterday, I fully agree with that, we left the arms at Makubeni village after using them at the Yellowwood attack.
	On the next day, we used different modes of transport to go to Mdantsane where we lived and on that same day or a day thereafter we made arrangements to take different modes of transport again, to go to Transkei.
	Now, on your question sir, whether these are the weapons found in Lesotho, my answer is I do not know because the ones that were used here, were left in that village that I have already told you about.  Sir, did I answer your question, I don't know whether I answered your question.

MR PRIOR: Yes, so I need to ask you that question, were you still part of APLA at the time of your arrest?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: When I was arrested, I was still part of APLA  Army, even though at that time decisions had already been taken that APLA must integrate into the National Defence Force to protect this country.
	Yes, I was part.

MR PRIOR: And you had arms caches in Lesotho at that time, it would appear from the statement of Mr Kiane from the Lesotho Police at page 63?  Is that right?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Yes, there were arms in Lesotho as Mr Kiane explained.

MR PRIOR: Would you agree that during 1993, if your political information was correct, that there was the peace process had been kick started?  There was a TEC transitional executive council, there was talk of the elections, the elections were roughly a year away?  I think there was an electoral commission that had been set up, there was dialogue between political parties.  Were you aware of that at that time, before the Yellowwoods attack?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Can Mr Prior please repeat his question, I really do not understand.

MR PRIOR: As I understood the evidence from Mr Madasi and in particular you, you received training, you were also getting political information.  Information about the political condition in the country, is that correct?

MR DIAHO-MONAHENG: Yes, that is correct.  Yes, we had military classes, we had political classes.

MR PRIOR: Were you aware that there was a transition, there was a process that had been started during and I think the beginning of, it could even have been in 1992, but particularly in 1993?