Amnesty Hearings — Ermelo — 1998-09-14

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: It were the young boys in my company and also those who were under the command of Mandla Maluleka and those who were also under Dingaan, whose surname I have forgotten, and those who were also the command of July Mthethwa.  I am just mentioning the leaders who were in charge of these people, because we all ended up at the Malinga place.

MR PATEL: My question is, you see to some extent people find it important to know who exactly, we understand that it was a mob like situation, but can you tell the Committee the exact names of the people who actually did the deed in so far as the attack on his mother is concerned?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: I was, it was myself, Israel Hlongwane, Mandla Maluleka, China, Sideka, Papa, Obet Hlabati.

MR PATEL: The names that you have just mentioned, was that the group that you headed, is that what you are saying?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: No.  All the groups were in the Malinga place, so I am mentioning all of them.
	Some of the groups arrived earlier, before I went into the house myself.  The second group came when Mandla kicked the door, and I entered the house, fired two shots and I would say we were all at the place, so I am mentioning all the people who were present.

MR PATEL: All right.  We know that some people were armed with firearms and some people were armed with pangas, correct?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, that is correct.

MR PATEL: In respect of the people who entered that particular house, who was armed with pangas?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: It was Obet Hlabati, Jomo, Ntunsi, Papa and Mthu.

MR PATEL: These five people all entered this particular house that you  mentioned that had pangas?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes.  Yes, they entered the house.

MR PATEL: So if I make the logical deduction, one or all of them, or some of them, took part in the killing of the old lady, would that be a logical deduction, would you agree with that?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, it is correct.

MR PATEL: In this attack on this particular home, Zachariah Phololo, who was the brother of Philemon Malinga, who was also injured also as a result of a panga attack.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Mr Patel, what was this man's name, Zachariah?

MR PATEL: Phololo.  I think that would be his middle name and his last name would be Malinga.  He was the brother of Philemon, and he subsequently died.  He was also injured in this attack, also assaulted with pangas.
	Do you know if anybody else, apart from the old lady was assaulted with pangas that night, and by whom?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: On that particular day?

MR PATEL: Yes?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes.

MR PATEL: That particular day, that particular house.  The house where you entered, where you fired two shots, was there another young boy who was struck with pangas in that house on that night?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes.

MR PATEL: Who was responsible, who did that attack?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Mthu, Papa, Happy Makwanasi and Obet Hlabati, Sideka and Basi Zulu.
	However, he was caught by Jomo while he was running away, Jomo Shongwe.

MR PATEL: According to Mr Malinga who was present that night, there were two other people who he identified.  These are Mike and Doctor, both with the surname Matebula.  Do you recall that they were there?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, they were present.

MR PATEL: Doctor and Mike Matebula?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, they were present.

MR PATEL: Mr Malinga would like to know from you what role they played, what acts did they commit, these two people?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: (No translation)

UNKNOWN: Mr Hlongwane, please I don't intend interrupting your evidence, but the question is during that attack at that house on that day, what role did Mike and Doctor Matebula play.  Can you answer that question?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: They broke the windows and also burning the house with petrol.

MR PATEL: Is that all that they did?  They didn't attack anybody physically?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: If I am not making a mistake, Doctor entered the Malinga house and he was one of those who was armed with a panga.

MR PATEL: Did you see him hit anybody with that?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, they were all hacking a person.

MR PATEL: Who did you see him hitting?

INTERPRETER: Chairperson, may the speaker please repeat the question.

MR PATEL: Whom did you see him hitting?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: The boy that they caught, I am sorry, when we entered the house after breaking the windows, Doctor entered into one of the rooms where there was this lady and he hacked her.  I did see him.

MR PATEL: He was part of the attack on the mother of Philemon?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, that is correct.

MR PATEL: You had a talk yesterday with Lindiwe Makhubu, do you recall that, regarding the death of her fiance, Reginald Masuko?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: When did she die?

MR PATEL: Her fiance died on the 30th of August 1992 and you told her that you were not present at the time, but you did receive a phone call about this incident.

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, but where was that person killed?  I would like to find out specifically with regard to the place.

MR PATEL: He was taken from the local disco I believe, I believe it is called the Disco Tonight and his body was eventually found approximately 100 metres away from the disco.
	This is the lady you spoke to yesterday and she says that you told her that you had received a phone call about this particular incident.

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: If I am not making a mistake, the call that I got it is with regard to a boy who was taken away from the disco by Papa, Obet.  It was Papa, Obet, Bafana, Matino.  I can't remember the fifth person.
	The two came out of the disco and they were killed just some distance from the disco.

MR PATEL: Who made the phone call to you, who reported the incident to you?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: It was Papa who used to call me.  Papa knew exactly where I stayed, and he used to visit me in Natal.
	Papa called me, and also Obet used to call me very often.  Even while I was in Empangeni at my office, Chris was also calling me before he died.

MR PATEL: Am I to understand correctly that even after you left the Ermelo area, your subordinates still reported incidents to you?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: No, I won't say they were reporting.  They were just telling me exactly what was happening, they were just sort of discussing.  They would tell me to say we have killed so and so.
	I was a member of the Hit Squad in Natal, I was not involved here, they were just telling me.

MR PATEL: Why were you released after your arrest at Davel?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: It was because we were working together with the Police.

MR PATEL: Who was it that in fact ordered your release?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Philani came with the keys and that is how we cot out of the cells.  Philani Mthethwa.

MR PATEL: Did Mr Mangethi play any role in your release?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes.  I would say that is another incident, that was the situation where I was arrested with arms at the taxi rank in Ermelo and Davel's situation is a different one.
	I was arrested with two firearms in Ermelo.

MR PATEL: Tell us about the taxi rank incident, what role did Mangethi play in ordering your release?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: I arrived at the taxi rank and I was arrested by a number of Policemen.  I was together with Papa.  They took us to the Police station where they filled their car with petrol.
	After that, they took us to Mangethi and Mangethi instructed Doctor to release me and Papa and he released us.

MR PATEL: Doctor was a Policeman?

ISRAEL NYONI HLONGWANE: Yes, he was under the CID Unit.

MR PATEL: I have no further questions Mr Chairman.

MR PATEL: .