Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 2000-10-05

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Bizos.

GEORGE BIZOS: Thank you Mr Chairman.  On behalf of the persons we represent, we call Mr Oesman Alexander, Mr Chairman.

OESMAN ALEXANDER: (sworn states)

GEORGE BIZOS: Mr Alexander, what is your age?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: I'm 34 years old.

GEORGE BIZOS: And your occupation?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: I'm a sales co-ordinator at ...(indistinct)

GEORGE BIZOS: I think you'd better say those names a little bit more clearly, so that a note can be made of them.

CHAIRPERSON: I'm a sales co-ordinator at Sans Fibers, it's formerly known as S A Nylon Spinners.

GEORGE BIZOS: Okay.  Have you any academic qualifications, or have you had any academic studies?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: Yes, I'm currently busy with my BComm Honours degree at UWC.

GEORGE BIZOS: Has a BComm degree been conferred on you yet, or no?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: There was a problem with the credits and I owe them one credit in my first year.

GEORGE BIZOS: In your first year?

CHAIRPERSON: You've got a dispensation to do honours and make up your outstanding first year ...

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That's correct.

GEORGE BIZOS: Which university?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: UWC.

GEORGE BIZOS: And what were you doing in 89?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: In 89 I was studying towards a BSc degree, I was a student at the time.

GEORGE BIZOS: And Mr Chairman, I would ask you to have before you Bundle B, the photographs, Exhibit N, Mr Chairman.  Now you, ten years ago, made a written statement in relation to events that have been inquired into before this Committee.

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That's correct, Chairman.

GEORGE BIZOS: Does that appear in Bundle B, page 218 to 220 and did you sign it on the 30th of October 1999?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That's correct.

GEORGE BIZOS: Have you been through this hand-written statement?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: I've been through the typed version thereof.

GEORGE BIZOS: The typed version.  Does that appear in Bundle B, sorry D, pages 8 to 10?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That is correct, Mr Chair.

GEORGE BIZOS: As far as we were able to ascertain, there are really no differences.  They typed copy is a correct copy.

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That's correct.

GEORGE BIZOS: Do you confirm the correctness of the statement that you made at the time?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: It is correct, Mr Chairman.

GEORGE BIZOS: Now would you please read it into the record?
CHAIRPERSON
Oesman Alexander, a Coloured man, 24 years old, living in Kewtown 633271.  I'm a student at the UWC.  On the 31st of August 1989 I had to attend a meeting of the Kewtown in Athlone.  I was late.  I arrived at the centre at approximately 10 past 8.  The meeting was finished and the people were already leaving the building when I arrived there.  At that stage there were also members of the Cape Youth Congress Members, in the front of the building.  I'm also a member of this organisation.  We were also planning to have a meeting that evening at approximately 25 minutes past eight that same evening.
		Myself and other members of the Cape Youth Congress Members, gathered in one of the halls.  This is not the same hall in which the Kewtown Youth Movement had their meeting.  We remained in this hall because the other hall was going to be used by the soccer union.  
		On my arrival there were already members of the Soccer Unions who were having discussions in the foyer of the building.  Myself, Peter Williams, Miranda Abrahams, Senasla Meira, Gina Isaacs, Mohamed, Fatima Omar and three white men I do not know as well as another man whose name I cannot or did not know, there was also another person, but I cannot recall who that was.  
		On the 31st of August 1989 at approximately 25 minutes before nine, while we were still having the meeting, I heard a very loud explosion.  The explosion was in the Early Learning Centre building.  I was thrown to the ground by the blow of the explosions.  Apart from the shock, I did not have any other injuries.  I did not go and visit the doctor afterwards.  I know that Fatima Omar had injuries to her face because of the glass shards.  I do not know if any others had injuries.  A lot of us were suffering from shock. 
		Shortly afterwards the Cape Youth Congress left.  Some of the members of the Soccer Union were also injured.  They were in the foyer when the explosion took place.  The explosion took place in the hall right next to the foyer.  This is the hall that was used by the Kewtown Youth Movement.  This is also the hall where the Soccer Union was supposed to meet.  The meeting of the Kewtown Youth Movement was very early because not a lot of people attended this meeting and if more members did arrive, this meeting would have taken a bit longer and the bomb would have exploded in their midst.
		My vehicle, an Isuzu bakkie, was parked in front of the building (on the pavement).  The vehicle was used by myself, but it was not my property.  I know Gakkie Hardien, he was aware that I made use of this Isuzu.  If he was close to the building before or after the explosion, he would have realised that I was inside the building.  
		Three weeks later myself and Glen Joseph and Bruce Malgas met Gakkie Hardien at a party.  He told us that he missed us but that we should watch his next move.  We understood by that that he referred to the bomb explosion.  The Kewtown Youth Movement members also belonged to the Cape Congress.  
		I understand the contents of this statement and I've got no objection in taking the oath.  I see this oath as binding.  
		Athlone and the date.

GEORGE BIZOS: ...(indistinct)

CHAIRPERSON: Just for the record, if you could just put the date of the statement because October ...(intervention)

OESMAN ALEXANDER: It was October 1990, the 30th.

GEORGE BIZOS: Now, you have managed to obtain at this stage only two copies, but there will be other copies coming in the very near future, the colour aerial photograph of the centre and its immediate vicinity, which may assist the Committee and all of us here in understanding the situation, or at least place it on record what the situation is.  You were at the inspection in loco, were you?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That's correct, yes.

GEORGE BIZOS: Yes, we'll make some reference to that.  Now I'll just pass this around to my learned friends so they can have a look at it and assure them that I will give them a copy.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Mr Bizos, will it be Exhibit P?

GEORGE BIZOS: I'm informed that it will be N.

CHAIRPERSON: The photographs are in fact N.

GEORGE BIZOS: P.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, P.

MR MARTINI: ...(indistinct - mike not on)

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, that's right.  Thank you Mr Martini.  So it will be Exhibit P.

GEORGE BIZOS: Now you marked spots and marked them by capital letters of the alphabet.  May I hand in the one copy so that you may follow and as soon as my learned friends have had a look at it, then ...  Now will you place on record please, from A on, what the marked spots represent?

OESMAN ALEXANDER: The capital Z is the hall that exploded where the bomb was detonated, B is known as the Raadsaal in my statement, which was the Boardroom.  C is the place where I parked my vehicle, the Isuzu bakkie, ...(indistinct) area.  D1 and D2 are spots where the Cayco Athlone Executive or Regional Members were parking and E is the parking at the back, where another member of CAYCO stayed overnight.

CHAIRPERSON: Just before we proceed, Mr Bizos, Lower Klipfontein Road, would that be off the photograph at the bottom, if you go beyond D1 to D2, carry on down that road, you'll get that other road, I think it was called Lower Klipfontein, where you - if you're at the corner, you can see the hall.

OESMAN ALEXANDER: That's correct.

CHAIRPERSON: So that would be just off the photograph below D2.

OESMAN ALEXANDER: But in this particular copy it's ...(indistinct - speaking simultaneously)

CHAIRPERSON: It's on ...(indistinct - speaking simultaneously) where D1 and D2 are?