Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 1997-11-17

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: So daarmee is plus, minus twee skote deurgegaan het.  
		MR LABUSCHAGNE:  Die skade kan nou baie duidelik op die magasyn sowel as op die vuurwapen selfs gesien word.  Nog steeds hier NY1 by die toneel van optrede.  Hier kan gesien word hoe een van die Swartes (...indistinct) se venster 'n koelgat (...indistinct) of 'n gat deur een of ander voorwerp veroorsaak.  Dan is daar ook op die dak, van die dakteels beskadig.  Ook, meer na die linker kant toe, is van die dakteels beskadig.  
		Waar hierdie lyk nou le is dit in die middel van die kruising, NY1, voor ons an en na regs en links NY111.  Die bos wat uit of van die regterkant, dan, van NY11 is.  Ja, die AK47 wat hierdie Swart man gebruik word is van die opvou kolf tipe.  (...Indistinct) my (...indistinct) van die beseerings ook aan sy hoof gesien word.  Die Swart man het die selfde tipe sokkies aan as wat ook deur die polisie gebruik word.  
		Die polisievoertuig, is 'n deurknip wat hier op die grond le.  
		Lugsteun in hierdie geval in die vorm van 'n lugman Alhoewet Helikopter.  Hy het nou ook opgedaag om na die, vermoedelik, een persoon wat weggekom het in die bosse te soek.  Die Swart man met die RDG pyp, Russiese handgrenaad, nog steeds by hom.  Daar kan baie duidelike gesien het waar die haalgeweer korrels sy liggaam, in hierdie geval sy gesig en op sy, regtekant van sy bors, gepenetreer het."
(End of Tape 1B).
"Die binnekant van die voertuig wat deur die Swartes gebruik was.  'n Swart pet en 'n klein knippeltjie, hout knippeltjie wat naby die Swart persoon le.  Nog een van die doppies wat hier gesien kan word.  Die (...indistinct) Komisaris Brigadier C R Swart en Brigadier van Staden besig om die toneel te besoek.
		Die polisievoertuig van binne.  Kan sien word dat van die rondtes ook selfs deur die bakwerk gedring het en hier deur die kussing is.  Kan baie duidelik gesien word waar die patroon van die geweer deurgekom het, deur die deurhandvatsel, dwarsdeur die deur binne in die voertuig in.  Nog een van die ruite wat hier ook deur 'n koel getref is.  14 Magasyne is afgetrek.  Daar word vermoed dat hierdie Swart man op 'n handgrenaad le en om veiligheids redes gaan hy sy stukkie vir stukkie die vuurwapens onder hom uit getrek word en dan hyself omgedop word.  Die tou word nou weer aan die man gehak om die lyk omtetrek.  Die lyk word nou deursoek.  Die Swarte se gesig nou van naby.  
		Die AK47 geweer wat by die laaste lyk gekry is.  Ek kan duidelik sien dat daar twee van die magasyne leeg is en een magasyn is vol.  
		Nog steeds op die derde Maart 1986.  By nadered ondersoek is daar vasgestel dat hierdie lyk ook 'n RDG pyp handgrenaad tussen sy bene het.  Die handgrenaad is eers gevind nadat die lyk gevisenteer was."

CHAIRPERSON: I do not know if any of you have been to the scene.

MR BOOYENS: I have M'Lord.

CHAIRPERSON: Was that the road we saw at the end, before it went off, is that the NY1?

MR BOOYENS: No, N2, that is the coast road.

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: The one passing the airport.

MR BOOYENS: The one passing the airport, M'Lord.

CHAIRPERSON: The road going up?

MR BOOYENS: The highway that one see ... (intervention).

CHAIRPERSON: No, not the highway, ... (intervention).

MR BOOYENS: Oh.

CHAIRPERSON: ... the road that goes over the highway and comes out.

MR BOOYENS: The bigger one is the NY1, the smaller one is the NY111.  M'Lord, we have got some colour photographs, aerial photographs of the scene here also that was, that were taken at the time which, I do not know whether you had seen any of these.
	M'Lord, perhaps, just one further bit of information I could give to the Commission.  I visited the scene and the area looks completely different from what it was at the time.  The whole, that whole crossing is now a crossroads, it is now surrounded by an informal settlement.  So, there are none of the bushes or anything of that anymore.  I, in fact, think we have got some more aerial photographs available and, subject to what my learned friends say, I think we will see more on this than we would see at an inspection in loco.

CHAIRPERSON: Perhaps you might like to discuss that during the long adjournment and see if you want to put any of the men out.  I will hand this back to you at the moment and then we can give numbers to the ones we think would be useful.

MR BOOYENS: That concludes Mr Bellingan's evidence, Mr Chairman.
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR WILLIAMS

MR P WILLIAMS: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Mr Bellingan, at the time of this incident you were a Sergeant and Mr Mbelo was a Constable.  Is that correct?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: That is correct, Mr Chairman.

MR P WILLIAMS: And you were Mr Mbelo's Commander.  Is that correct?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: I was a group leader, Mr Chairman.

MR P WILLIAMS: Mr Bellingan, it is common knowledge that junior policemen must obey or follow orders from their superiors and is it correct that Mr Mbelo's superiors would, at that stage, be a Sergeant or a Warrant Officer or Lieutenant or a Captain?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: That is correct, Mr Chairman.

MR P WILLIAMS: Now, Mr Bellingan, I also note that in your application you state that the group consisted of, inter alia, Warrant Officer Moss.  Would he not be your senior at that stage?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: Mr Chairman, Warrant Officer Moss was promoted, he was a Captain later, he was also a previous member of the ANC.  In the 1960's he infiltrated South Africa, he was also classified as an askari although he was a very reliable and educated person.  Should he have lived today he would have had a senior position.  It was a normal practice, as a senior, he was a senior among the Black members and controlled them, although our ranks differed, it was, the main purpose was liaison with the local branches.  I was a permanent member of the police and Warrant Officer Moss was also regarded as a previous member of the ANC.

MR P WILLIAMS: But it is common that askaris do not have rank within the police force at that stage?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: No, Mr Chairman, they had ranks.  They were made Constables.  Once they had defected from the ANC and joined us at Vlakplaas he became an informer, a headquarters informer and after the necessary documentation he was appointed as a Constable and was trained as a policeman.

MR P WILLIAMS: Now, was he under your command at that stage, because he was a Black person, former ANC member or is it because of experience or whatever?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: Mr Chairman, it was not because he was Black and I can say, Colonel de Kock is also here, there was no racism.  The main thing was leadership.  Later de Kock promoted some of the Black members and they were in control of administration of Vlakplaas.

MR P WILLIAMS: So, at that stage even though he had a higher rank to yourself, you would consider yourself as having had more experience than him?

W RIAAN BELLINGAN: That is positive, Mr Chairman.