Amnesty Hearings — Hammarsdale — 1998-08-11

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: The Defensive Group was called, I don't know what happened to the other groups, we were told that we had a task to carry out at Ongoi University.  It was myself, Bongo Msomi, Ebeneza Khumalo, Wiseman Mokwena.  I don't remember whether there were more people present.
	We left Hlongwane Camp and Buthelezi, the IFP driver who had also been trained at Caprivi, transported us to Insengweni where we were supposed to stay.  The operation did not proceed, we were told that it had been cancelled and thereafter we returned to Ulundi.

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, in your application the first incident which is referred to as Incident 1 on page 350, for the assistance of Members of the Committee, you mention what has become known as the kwaMakutha Attack, now is it right that you've previously given evidence on your background training and so on, as well as on the events of this attack, in the trial of Peter Msani and various others?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: That is correct.

MR STEWART: How did you initially come to be involved in this incident?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: When we went to collect our salaries from the IFP office in Ulundi in December, we were told to report at Ematigol in January.  I went there in January as told, when I arrived there I found the Offence Group present as well as the Defensive Group.
	Golani Mshengu who was the leader of my group called me.  He also called Smu Bengu, Dan Molefi and Bongani Sithole.

MR STEWART: Just before you go on Mr Khumalo, was this now in January 1987?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes.

MR STEWART: And what instructions was that group given?

SISI KHAMPEPE: May I interpose Mr Stewart?
	Were the people that you have mentioned, Smu Bengu, Molefi and Sithole, also members of the Defensive Group?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, they were.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Thank you Mr Stewart.

MR STEWART: Thank you.
	What instructions were you given?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Do you mean in December?

MR STEWART: No, you mentioned that there was this group of you, a small group that was called together, what were you then told to do or what were you told that you had to do?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: We were told that Buthelezi, a driver of the IFP, will transport us to Durban where we would meet JP and JP will then give us further instructions.

MR STEWART: Is that the same JP Opperman that you mentioned earlier?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes.

MR STEWART: And is that also the same JP Opperman who also gave evidence at the trial of Peter Msani and others?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, that's the one.

MR STEWART: Okay then continue from there, you said that you'd be taken to JP where you would be briefed, then what happened?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Buthelezi came in a kombi and he transported us to Durban and dropped us off at the Malibu Hotel.  We went into the hotel one by one.  JP gave us instructions that we should go and surveil two houses at kwaMakutha.  One of them belonged to Victor Ntuli, the others number was 2020.  Later he told us not to proceed with 2020 and concentrate on Victor Ntuli's house.  From Malibu, Buthelezi took us to kwaMakutha ...[intervention]

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, were you told who Victor Ntuli was and why you had to keep surveillance of him and his house?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes.  We were told that Victor was a problem at kwaMakutha because he distributed arms for people to attack IFP members and he would sometimes collect funds for bail for members of the ANC.  He was the leader at kwaMakutha.
	Sometimes ANC guerrillas would come to his home and he would hide them there.  It was for this reason that he was supposed to be attacked, as well as his house.

MR STEWART: And did you then proceed to conduct this surveillance operation?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, we were told then ...[no translation] a night where we're going to do the surveillance on the following day.  I went and slept at Mpumalanga.  ...[intervention]

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, whereabout is kwaMakutha Mr Khumalo, for the benefit of those of us who are not from this part of the world.

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: It is next to Isipingo at the South Coast.

MR STEWART: For the benefit of the Committee, it's not far south from the Durban International Airport, southern area of Durban and there beyond.
	Mr Khumalo, what surveillance in particular did you yourself undertake?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: The first thing that I did, I looked for a house, the direction of that house, as to how to find it when I leave from Inusini to reach that area.  They indicated to me and they showed me that this is the house.  I looked at it and I actually checked at the people who usually come there and also checked the people who stayed there and the visitors and things like that.
	I was also checking the structure of the house and I realised that it was a four-roomed house like the other houses and behind it there is an out-building.  At times it would happen that at night you were to listen and there would be toyi-toying and I realised that people who are in that house, children could also be there and also the mothers.  Those are the things that I discovered.

MR STEWART: Over how many days did you conduct this surveillance?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: I suppose about four to five days but we did not exceed a week.

MR STEWART: To whom did you have to report back?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: I was supposed to report this to JP Opperman.

MR STEWART: And did you report to him the same things you've told us about what you observed?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, I did and there was a time where I reported everything that I was actually observing there, that I just explained to you.

MR STEWART: After you had reported back, what did you then have to do?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: After that we were taken and we were told that the mission is accomplished, that is Opperman told us and Buthelezi took us, who was with Kleside, took us back to the camp.  ...[intervention]

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, which camp was that?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: The Matikulu Camp.

MR STEWART: And is that in northern Natal, northern of the Tugela?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, it is like that.

MR STEWART: What happened then?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: (no English translation) and another offensive group and we went to Ulundi.  ...[intervention]

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, sorry to interrupt.
	It seems Mr Chairperson, that we may have lost some of the interpretation there.  The witness certainly spoke at some length and the interpretation I got was very short, perhaps we can just ask the Interpreter if we had lost something.

INTERPRETER: No, you didn't.

MR STEWART: Alright, if you'd carry on Mr Khumalo.

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: When we arrived at Ulundi it was just a crossed sea and there where we found JP, Kevin, Machubani who were standing there, and then we jumped off and JP came to us, that is to myself and Pumlani Mshemu and actually he told us that we must brief the Offensive Group about what we discovered there.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Mr Khumalo, when you Pumlani Mshemu, are you still referring to Xholani Mshemu?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, I'm referring to the same person.

SISI KHAMPEPE: And when you say you were approached with Mshemu by JP, what had happened to the two other members of your group, were they still part of the troop that went to Ulundi?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, they were there but JP only called myself and Pumlani Mshemu and actually the others remained and they were taken by Kevin who talked to them.  I don't know what he said to them.

MR STEWART: And did you then give a briefing to the Offensive Group?