Amnesty Hearings — Bloemfontein — 1997-09-02

ADV MEMANI: Yes, did you torture these people because they had personally offended you?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: They were arrested in the office and I had no complaints against them.

ADV MEMANI: When you tortured them, did you torture them for personal gain?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: I tortured and assaulted them because of the instructions I received by those Officers who were seniors to us on that day.

ADV MEMANI: And it is common cause that those seniors were policemen in the Security Branch?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: That is true.

ADV MEMANI: When these persons were tortured, were you acting within the cause and scope of your employment as a policeman?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: That is true, Sir.

ADV MEMANI: Did you receive any personal reward for torturing these people?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: No, I was never awarded for that.

ADV MEMANI: Mr Chairman, that concludes this application.

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: Sorry, Mr Stander, is that Mr Stander?

MR STANDER: That is me, Mr Chairman.

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: The person you are appearing for, is that the one who is the victim in this instance?

MR STANDER: That is correct, Your Honour.

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: What is his version, does he confirm that this incident did in fact take place?

MR STANDER: He confirms that, Mr Chairman.

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: Thank you.

ADV MEMANI: The next incident that we will deal with, is incident number 2.14 of the pre-hearing meeting, the torture at Botshabelo.  This is at pages 31 to 35 of the bundle, Mr Chairman.
	Have you got it, it is number D in your papers, at page 9.  The acts of offence - torturing comrades at Botshabelo in 1986, do you have that in front of you Mr Ngo?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: Yes, I have it Sir.

ADV MEMANI: Will you tell the Committee about this incident?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: It was in 1986, when the Botshabelo sub-Unit of the Security Branch ... (intervention)

ADV MEMANI: Hang on Mr Ngo.

CHAIRPERSON: Carry on.

ADV MEMANI: As the Chair pleases.  The members of the Committee might have missed what you have said.  Can you then start afresh.

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: It was in 1986, the members of the sub-Unit of the Security Branch who were stationed in Botshabelo police station were together with the following police:  Warrant Officer van den Berg, who was the sub-Commander of that Unit and Warrant Officer Mbanjani who was the assistant Commander of the sub-Unit and Sergeant Smith and Constable Lesale reported to Colonel Coetzee in Fountain at the Security Branch office in Bloemfontein, about the students of Kohu High School that they were politically active and they were recruiting people or students from other schools in Botshabelo to join them in their struggle.
	And because of that recruitment, the situation in Botshabelo was beginning to be out of hand.  After he received that information, the two senior Officers, that is Stevenson and Colonel Coetzee instructed members of the Security Branch to report at 3 am at the Fountain Security Branch offices.
	When we arrived there, Colonel Stevenson and Coetzee they briefed the members that we are going to Botshabelo, we are going to detain those comrades from Botshabelo.
	At the time when we were detaining those people, we were supposed to be helped by the members of the Riot Squad and the Special Constables who were stationed at Botshabelo police station because they knew the area very well, more than us.

ADV MEMANI: Now, before you proceed Mr Ngo, you told us that the people were recruiting others to join their struggle, what struggle was this?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: They said the comrades from Botshabelo at Kohu High School were recruiting other students from other schools to join their struggle in Botshabelo.

ADV MEMANI: What struggle were they supposed to join?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: I believe maybe they struggle meant to take part in the demonstrations and boycotts which they were engaged in, as students.	May I continue?

ADV MEMANI: Yes.

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: After they have briefed us, we left, we went to Botshabelo police station.  When we arrived there, we met with the members of the Botshabelo police station.  We then went, proceeded to detain the comrades.  We detained plus minus 40 - 45 comrades from different houses.
	At the time when we were busy arresting or detaining them,  we broke the doors from various houses and the window panes of those house from those we didn't find them in the houses.  We assaulted or beat members of the families so that they should tell us the whereabouts of those we wanted and they were not in the houses.
	After we detained them all, all those comrades, we took them to Botshabelo police station, where we detained them at the controlled yard at Botshabelo police station.
	Warrant Officer Mbanjani as the person who was working in Botshabelo, was the one who was identifying those he thought were leaders of the comrades, among those who were detained.  Colonel Stevenson asked those comrades who were detained as whether they would govern Botshabelo.
	When they didn't respond to his questions, he said members of the Riot Squad should bring the plastic sjamboks.  When they arrived with those plastic sjamboks, Warrant Officer Mbanjani instructed those comrades to undress themselves and that they should be naked in other words.
	And that they should form a circle.  And then again, members of the Riot Squad should form a circle and that the comrades should run around that circle, whilst they were beaten with those sjamboks.  They were beaten on the head, on the body, everywhere where we able to beat them.
	After they were tired to run around and after we have assaulted them for some time, Warrant Officer Killian and Warrant Officer Koka said we should change the method of assaulting or beating or torturing.
	He said we should tie the knots on the ends of those sjamboks.  After we have tied those knots, we should hit those comrades on their private parts.  Because of hitting them with those knots on the private parts, some of the comrades were bleeding on their private parts.
	Some of them, their private parts were swollen.  Whilst they were screaming and holding their private parts, Warrant Officer Mbanjani said we should instruct them to make exercises and then each comrade should do 100 push ups and frog jumps and other kinds of exercises which we are able to make them do.
	If they are not able to complete 100 push ups, we should start again to beat and kick them.   If all those comrades were beginning to be weak and not able to continue, and lying on the floor, he said we should pour water on them and leave them there so that they should be detained and be able to make a cover up for those torture.
	The members of the Security Branch who took part in the torture of the comrades in Botshabelo, the list is as follows:  It is Lieutenant Shaw, Lieutenant Erasmus, Warrant Officer Ramoseu, Warrant officer Tsoametsi, Warrant Officer Killian, Warrant Officer Koka, Sergeant Mamome, Warrant Officer Cronje, Warrant Officer Swanepoel, Constable Motsamai and myself and Constable Mtyala.  That is my testimony in that regard.

ADV MEMANI: Will you please turn to the next page.