Special Hearings — Mandela United Football Club Hearings — UNKNOWN

MR RICHARD: Mr Richardson, it is correct that you fully accept that you were guilty of all the various offences that we have sketched and that the conviction and sentence that you received for the killing of Stompie Seipei was correct and proper in your respect?  A simple yes or no?

JERRY RICHARDSON: I do not know how to answer that question.  I think if you get my record from the condemned cell, I was singing a song, Lord have mercy on me, forgive me my sins.  That is the song that I was singing.

MR RICHARD: The question that we must ask is would these evil and dreadful deeds that you have committed, all of them, have not happened if it were not for the political context of the time and particularly the instructions you received?

JERRY RICHARDSON: The things that I did, if a person says they were within a political context, I think you would have to explain, because I was told when I appeared in court that I am a criminal, I am a common law prisoner and that was written down in my file.
 Now, I don't understand what you are telling me when you say it has got a political context.  I am in the D-group in prison.

MR RICHARD: The political context ... (intervention)

DR BORAINE: I think we must move as fast as we can Mr Richard.  It is taking a long time.   This is not an amnesty hearing.

MR RICHARD: No it is short, three questions.

JERRY RICHARDSON: I am not wasting time.  I am still oppressed in prison.  I don't call myself a politician, I call myself a soccer star.

MR RICHARD: Mr Richardson, what I am saying is is not the reason for you killing these various people that they were labelled or named or pointed out to be informants?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, that is very true.

MR RICHARD: Now, the next question, which is my last, who instructed you to kill each and every one of them and who instructed you to abduct the particular young men and youth at the end of December of 1988?

JERRY RICHARDSON: The first person was Mommy.  The second one was Sonwabo.

MR RICHARD: And if you had not received these instructions, is it not correct to say that you would not have done what you did?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, I wouldn't have done that.  Even my record shows that I do not have any previous convictions.

MR RICHARD: Mr Chairman, I think it is Mr Hanif's turn.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR RICHARD

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Richard.   Mr Vally.

MR VALLY: : Thank you Mr Chair.
 I want to start off with the incidents you have described.  Firstly, where did you get to the bottom, exactly who was involved in the assaults, tortures and subsequent murder of Mr Stompie Seipei.   Firstly can you tell me specifically who was involved in the assault on the four youths, and if you give me the nick names, please give me the full names of people that you do know.

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Can we just be specific, who was party to the assault on the four young men who were brought from the Methodist manse. Just tell me their names, if you don't know their real names, just give me their nicknames.

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: What are you looking for Mr Richardson.
 Let us go on, you talked about  Genl. Scorpion I think that's what you've said.  Was he one of the persons who were party to this assault?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: All right, you give us names, you've talked about Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, you've talked about yourself.  Please tell us who else was present there, and participating in the assaults?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Can you recall any more names?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: What was the Jabu Sithole  who you mentioned was present, - what was his nick name?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Let's go on, the Jabu Sithole  you've mentioned.  Was it the same Jabu Sithole who gave evidence before this hearing?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Is his nick name Javis?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: All right, let's move on.
 In all the incidents that you've mentioned thus far, did you ever act on your own in committing these crimes?  Were you always acting on instructions?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Can we just go on.  How long was Katiza Cebekhulu staying at Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's house?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Mr Richardson, what I want to know is this.  How long are you aware of that Mr Cebekhulu stayed at Mr Madikizela-Mandela's house?  Just give us a straight answer please.

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Let's go on.
 You mentioned to the (indistinct)Committee .  Who chaired the meetings of the (indistinct)Committee?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: So you're saying that this (indistinct) Committee was an ad hoc one which would be appointed from time to time by Mrs Madikizela-Mandela.  Is that correct?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Who determined the punishment  if you found someone guilty in this (indistinct) Committee?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: At this time, were you employed elsewhere, or were you full time at the Madikizela-Mandela household?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Are you talking after your housewives attacks when the two ANC guerillas were killed in your house?  Are you talking about that period?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Is this when you were party to the activities to the (indistinct) Committee at Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's house?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Can you advise me to addition to the murder of Mr Stompie Seipei and the assault on the three young men, as well as the murder of Kuki Zwane.

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Are you aware of any other murders that were committed as a result of a decision taken by the Crisis Committee?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Do you know anything about the murder of Thulani Dlamini?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Who gave the instruction for the murder to be carried out?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Are you saying you don't know  who gave the instructions?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Are you aware of who actually performed the task of killing Thulani Dlamini?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Let me ask you about  the attack on the Chili household when T....... Ntsomi, I believe she was an 14 year old girl who was shot dead.  Are you  aware of that attack?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Were you already in prison at the time?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Were you part of the Mandela  United Football club at the time that Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's house in Orlando was burnt down by the Daliwonga School children?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Can you briefly tell us what transpired, why was Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's house attacked at that time?  Do you know specifically why the house was attacked?
Can you tell me.

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: Can you tell me, did any youth walk freely in and out of Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's house or her back rooms?  Could any one just arrive there and say: I need to come in , and I need a place to stay - and would they be welcomed at Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's house?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: How was this monitored?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)

MR VALLY: What I want to know is, if I'm a young person, say a young man, and I arrive there and say: I've come from KwaMashu, I'm running away from the police, I need to stay here.  Could I just walk in and be allowed to stay in that house or in the back room?

JERRY RICHARDSON: (No translation)