Amnesty Hearings — East London — 1998-05-25

INSPECTOR METE: Yes, I can do so.   When I appeared from the Umtata Police Station, I saw a truck standing facing the Idutwa(?) direction, I'm sorry Umtata direction, though it was supposed to be facing Idutwa.   When I got to it, I got traffic officers standing in front of it and the two applicants, together with the traffic cop standing in front of that truck.
	Opposite that road, there was a car, a grey car, a Ford Sierra, flashing a blue lamp.   Next to that car was standing Mr Magadelela, who was the lieutenant, who is a superintendent today.   
	When I got there, I passed the traffic officers and I talked with the two Africans and asked them as to, "Where is that white lady who was in this truck?"   There was no answer that I could get.   What happened, I saw Mr Tuta making some movement towards his waist.   In my thoughts I thought he might be having a gun and I dived towards him and grabbed him.   There was a scuffle and it was apparent that he was trying to reach to his gun, and we were both trying to reach towards this gun.   To his unfortunate situation, I could overpower him and I could then take this gun from him.   After I took that gun from him, I tried to search him.   On his body, under his manhood, I found money in bags.   I took all of those and gave those to Superintendent Magadelela and that gun.   It was not long thereafter, after this, a helicopter arrived that had Murder and Robbery Squad members.   One of them was taken, who I did not know who it was.   That was the last time I saw them.   That's what happened.

MR PRIOR: Could you look at the revolver I now show you, it's a 357 magnum, a Trooper Mark 3?

INSPECTOR METE: Yes, this is the gun.

CHAIRPERSON: What exhibit number?

MR PRIOR: I think it was Exhibit 1, it's the only physical exhibit that we've handed in, Mr Chairman.   Thank you.   Are you able to tell us how much money there was, or from your evidence I gathered you never had time to count it, are you able to, at a later stage, find out how much it was, or not?

INSPECTOR METE: No, I could count it and I never got to know how much it was, but I suspect that it may have been 2 000 or R1 500,00, but I never got to count it.

CHAIRPERSON: Was it loose, you say under his manhood, was that in his, the area of his private parts?   How was the money, was it wrapped up in something or was it simply loose notes, or what?

INSPECTOR METE: It was money, bank notes that was folded under his private parts.

CHAIRPERSON: I just want to just establish, was it in a packet or was it just the notes against his body?

INSPECTOR METE: It was, I think it's in a plastic bag, but it was folded into his private parts.

CHAIRPERSON: All right.

MR PRIOR: At the bottom of your statement, at page 2, in handwriting
"The suspect was never assaulted at any stage, neither by me or by anybody in my presence."
It seems to have been added later, or before you signed the statement.   There's been an allegation in these hearings that, from Mr Tuta in particular, that he was severely assaulted at the time of his arrest.   Are you able to, when you were subduing him, you said you overpowered him, are you able to expand on that, did you have to use force to do that?

INSPECTOR METE: I did not beat him when we were in that scuffle,  because at that time one kill us, each one was trying to reach that gun, I only, I strangled him a bit before I could overpower him.

MR PRIOR: You indicate that you had a hand around his neck, or on his throat, is that right?

INSPECTOR METE: I did not hear the question.

MR PRIOR: You say you had to strangle him a bit, in other words you put your hand onto his throat and squeezed his throat during the struggle for this firearm, is that what you're indicating to the committee?

INSPECTOR METE: Yes, that is so.

MR PRIOR: Did you ever go back to the forest near Bashi, where the body of Done Meyers was found?   Did you attend that scene?

INSPECTOR METE: I did not go where that woman was, a helicopter went there with other policemen.   After that scene, I went straight to Idutwa.   That's where we parted.

MR PRIOR: In the course of the investigation, the spot where the body was found was known to you, or became known to you, is that right?   I want you to maybe try and give the committee an indication how far by road is that spot from where the truck, sorry, I beg your pardon, yes first answer that question on where the truck was stopped at Idutwa, can you give us that distance, are you able to?

INSPECTOR METE: The distance wherefrom do you mean?

MR PRIOR: From where the body of Done Meyers was found, we understood that was near Bashi, whether that's the Bashi River or some other place, but to where the truck, where you arrested Mr Tuta, are you able just to give us an estimation of how far that distance is as one travels by road?

INSPECTOR METE: As far as I know, in terms of what you've just explained, the kilometres in terms of the distance, it could be 50 or 60 from where the body is alleged to have been to the place where I found and where they were arrested from.

MR PRIOR: Thank you.   Were you able to go to the place where the incident started, that was in the... (intervention).

INSPECTOR METE: The place where this woman's father was killed, I did not go, but because this is my area, I know the place.

MR PRIOR: The area where her father was shot and killed, or shot, when they were selling milk at Xhongora or Xhongoga, it's spelt X H A N G O R A, do you know that area?

INSPECTOR METE: Yes, the area of Xhangora is within the district of Umtata, next to Umtata but in the area of Piki(?) in terms of police operations.

MR PRIOR: I understand you went there at the inspection in loco during the criminal trial, is that correct?

INSPECTOR METE: At the scene, I did not go, in all those scenes I did not go myself.

MR PRIOR: I just want to try and get an indication, the distance from that place to where the body was found, if you are able to assist us, if you can't then obviously you can't, in other words from where the truck was parked selling milk, where the initial incident occurred to the area where Done Meyers was found, are you able to give us an estimation of the distance by road?

INSPECTOR METE: From the place where the girl's father was found and the area where Done was found, it could be 40, these areas are not next to each other, the place where Done was and the place where they were found, I think it is 50 to 60 kilometres, they are two different, very far off places.

MR PRIOR: All right.   Thank you, Mr Chairman, I have no further questions.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR PRIOR

MR BOTHMA: Mr Mete, you have identified Exhibit No 1, the gun.   An allegation was made during this hearing that when the firearm was retrieved from the deceased, Mr Mike Meyers, it had an AWB insignia on the butt of the firearm.   Can you recall something like that?

INSPECTOR METE: No, there was no AWB insignia on that gun.

MR BOTHMA: Thank you, Mr Chairman.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR BOTHMA

CHAIRPERSON: For the sake of the record, there is a little gold insignia on both sides of the butt, marked "Colt".

MR PRIOR: Mr Chairman, maybe for the sake of completeness, under "Colt", there's an inscrip..., it looks like a small engraving of a horse rearing onto its back legs.   Obviously the colt refers maybe to the horse, I don't know.

MR BOTHMA: It does, Mr Prior, it's common knowledge of that insignia.   Thank you, Mr Chairman.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR BOTHMA

MR MBANDAZAYA: Mr Mete, tell the committee how do you know that that is the gun which you took from, or allege you took from Mr Tuta?

INSPECTOR METE: That gun had a written writing on it, it was a Magnum 3.57, there were words written on it, and though I may not remember those words as is, when I looked at it I could remember those words.