Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — UNKNOWN

JIMMY MBANE: It was Belletjies and Liebenberg and other white men that I don't know.  It was a lot of us.  I showed them the spot and the following day, I sent the other two to go and recognise the area again.  And we took the decision that the following morning we are going to shoot the kombi. On the fifth day, that is when this happened, it might be the fourth day, if I'm not mistaken, we woke up in the morning and had breakfast and double checked everything and we had already stolen a bakery van.  It was at about 7'o clock because that kombi goes past that place at about 7:25 every morning.
	I tried to make sure that our kombi did not start, but unfortunately, we had a mechanic and he fixed that small problem and we managed to drive off.  But the previous day, I took two AK47's and hid them in a blanket so that the following day we would drop them in stages in different  positions.  In the morning I dropped Shakes and this other gentleman whose name I don't remember.  They had no firearms in their possession.  At the second spot I dropped three and the third spot I dropped one, and then I made a u-turn over the bridge.  And when I came back I heard a grenade and I hid in the car, and ran away.  
	When I attempted to run, somebody was firing.  As I approached, Belletjies said you must not shoot that tall man, he is one of us.  He said that in Afrikaans.  Whilst I was still on the ground, I heard a bullet ringing.  I was still in the car.  They dragged this young man and threw him on the ground and shot him.  He was still alive.  And when I heard that the firing had stopped, I ran and I went into hiding and some people took me to get some dressing for my wounds and I was taken to Khayelitsha and I boarded a bus to Koeberg and that is where they found me after the whole incident. 
	That is what I can tell you about that mission.  I trained these people and I drew them to their graves.

ADV J MOSES: Now, perhaps just for the sake of clarity, Mr Mbane, we just need to break up your story a little bit into sections so that the Committee can have a clear understanding as to the sequence, how these events unfold.  We know that you were there so you are familiar with what has happened, so bear with us if we just have to take you very slowly through that event.
	If I understand you correctly, did you tell the Committee that after you have decided to...after you have made a final decision, the group now, to proceed with the attach on the police vehicle, with the police officers, did you then have a discussion or a meeting with Mr Bellingan and any other person who are connected to the Security establishment.  In other words did you see Bellingan, did you tell him this is what is going to happen?

JIMMY MBANE: Yes, I told them, I even showed them the spot where everything was supposed to take place.

ADV J MOSES: : Can you remember when was that just in terms of...we know that this incident happened on the 3rd March 1986.  Before, was it a day or two days before this incident?  When was it that you took Mr Bellingan and company to the scene where the attack is supposed to take place?

JIMMY MBANE: It was a day before the attack.

ADV J MOSES: I also understood you...and you must tell me whether I understood you correctly, that when...before the attack was supposed to have taken place, you and certain people of the group actually went to the scene where the attack was going to take place, to survey the place and make final arrangements for the attack to take place.  Did I understand you correctly?  Perhaps you should just clarify to the Committee.

CHAIRPERSON: But wasn't he quite clear about that.  He went there and he looked at the scene himself, he saw this small bus, or whatever it was, and on other occasions he sent other people to check?

JIMMY MBANE: Yes it is so.

ADV J MOSES: Can you remember whether anything was put at the scene prior to the day when the attack was supposed to have taken place.

JIMMY MBANE: We put two AK rifles and four magazines there.

ADV J MOSES: Now, if you say we, Mr Mbane, who are you referring to?

JIMMY MBANE: It was myself, Eric and one gentleman who was going to alight with Eric at the same time the next day.

ADV J MOSES: Can you remember whether you had informed Mr Bellingan about those weapons which were placed there prior to the attack?

JIMMY MBANE: No, I never told him.

ADV J MOSES: Now, on the day of the incident, you have the kombi, you have gathered and you are now on your way to the scene, the place where you are supposed to attack this kombi.  How many people were you in total at that stage?  How many people were part of the group which was going to participate in the attack?

JIMMY MBANE: We were nine in number.

ADV J MOSES: And if I understand you correct...

SISI KHAMPEPE: May I interrupt?  When you say you were nine, does that include you and Mr Maluleka?

JIMMY MBANE: That includes myself and Maluleka.

ADV J MOSES: Now when you approached the scene, from your earlier testimony, it seemed that you were the driver of that vehicle on the day of the incident.  Am I correct?

JIMMY MBANE: Yes, that's correct.

ADV J MOSES: Now as you were approaching the place where the attack is going to, or was supposed to have taken place, did you notice anyone, or did you notice anything?

JIMMY MBANE: I saw our minibus that we drove from Vlakplaas to Cape Town.  I beg your pardon, from Barkly.  And there were other people inside this kombi. Although it had tinted windows, I could see that there were people inside.
	It was parked there.

ADV J MOSES: So you identified that kombi as belonging to the police?

JIMMY MBANE: It is the kombi that we used.  We used two kombis - mini-buses.  And the other one was taken by police.  And this one was from Pretoria, from Vlakplaas, the one that I saw.

ADV J MOSES: When you informed Mr Bellingan about the impending attack which would take place on the specific day and at the specific place, did you give him a description of the vehicle which you were going to use at the time?

JIMMY MBANE: Yes, I gave him a description of the car.

ADV J MOSES: Is that the description of a car, or a kombi, because the interpreter has mentioned a car now, Mr Mbane.

JIMMY MBANE: It was a description of a kombi.

CHAIRPERSON: When did you steal it?

JIMMY MBANE: When we took our decision about the mission.  Two days thereafter we went to steal this kombi and we parked this kombi somewhere else two days after the decision was taken....

CHAIRPERSON: How long was that before the day on which this incident took place?

JIMMY MBANE: We were to attack, that took place two days just before the mission.
	That was two days before the mission and the mission was going to take place on the third day, that's when the kombi was stolen.

ADV J MOSES: Now, you are approaching the scene, you have noticed the familiar kombi which you have identified as one from Vlakplaas, and you have testified then that you first dropped two persons.  Is that correct?

JIMMY MBANE: That's correct.

ADV J MOSES: And those two, the first two, who were they again, Mr Mbane?

JIMMY MBANE: It was Eric and one gentleman, although I cannot remember their names.  It was two of them.  I told them to go and fetch the AK47's and they should go and attack thereafter.

CHAIRPERSON: Had you seen this kombi parked there by that time?

JIMMY MBANE: Yes, I saw it.

ADV J MOSES: So did Eric, besides the fact that you gave them the orders as you've just described, did they, did you drop them and did they have at that stage any other weapons or ammunition or firearms or explosives with them when you dropped them first at that first point?

JIMMY MBANE: They didn't have ammunition, they were still on their way to fetch the firearms.

ADV J MOSES: And you said you drove, you continued driving and thereafter you dropped three persons.  Is that correct?

JIMMY MBANE: That's correct Sir.