Human Rights Violation Hearings — Alexandra — 1996-10-29

OBED BAPELA: Yes, during that period I think it was the strategy of the South African police to identify a group of people that they can infiltrate and use against our own organisations and our own people, our own comrades and Alexandra did not escape that and maybe just to start by
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saying that in April when they could not find anybody or any gangster or any grouping in Alexandra that they can use against ourselves they themselves as the South African Police went into Alexandra and attacked the community under the disguise that they were Amagawas.  At that time in Soweto there was a group called - a gangster called Ama Cabasa and it used to terrorise members of the Cosas, Congress of South African Students and students in general in the schools of Soweto.  It was quite a fearful type of a gangster which used to kill.  And so the police then fashioned themselves along the activities of those Ama Cabasas, pretended to be a Ama Cabasa because they used to wear cloths on their heads when they went on a mission of attacking.  So they put those cloths on their heads, but then they had their uniforms on, the blue shirts and their navy blue trousers, but their blue shirts were not inside their trousers, they just pulled them out so that they pretended to be that group of Ama Cabasas who were on an attack.  And from the direction that they came from is the Wynberg police station and then entered Alexandra, attacked all those targeted areas and they attacked all those areas where it was places of our meetings where in some instances it was our own people, our own leaders who stayed in those places and attacked during that night.  And when they left Alexandra they retreated back to Wynberg police station and I think if the reconciliation has to work in Alexandra that incident really has to be spoken in the Truth Commission and one of them really should come forward and say we did it and we understand why they did it because at that time in Alexandra it was a no go area for police.  All policemen who stayed in Alexandra had fled Alexandra at that time of the
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six days war because they became the targets and Tebi was one who stayed in Alexandra, had to leave Alexandra under escorts and so.  And also there was a campaign you know that was there to isolate the police campaign.  Socially to isolate them, they should not drink in our shebeens, they should not fall in love with our women and no woman should be in love with a police.  This was the serious campaigns that were there and they were rejected completely by then and I think it aggrieved them that they have to flee their own homes, they have been rejected, they can't fall in love with women in Alexandra, they can't drink in Alexandra, they can't buy in any shop in Alexandra because that was how far they went to the extent and hence their attack and I think if they can really come forward and say we did it and we are sorry for what we did I think the community will be very happy.  And just in June before the state of emergency was declared the incident that provoked the Azapo UDF fight was a meeting of the Alexandra Youth Congress in Dagani camp which was held at the church at 9th Avenue between Selbourne and the other street, I just forgot the name, I think it is John Brandt.  So that meeting was there, I think it is number 45 or 41, that church.  The meeting was held there, the church was full and then when a sniper from Azapo came through the window shot and killed Matamola Mbelese and I think that then provoked the incident that it was this group that attacked because some of the people who were outside guarding the meeting, because at that time we used to guard our meetings because police would also come and attack and after having attacked  Alexandra as Ama Cabasa.  So after that incident obviously then it sparked the whole violence between Azapo and (indistinct) and I think as we said that
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they were infiltrated, I would fully agree that yes they were infiltrated because not everybody who was Azapo was in that particular mood of fighting and so forth.

YASMINE SOOKA: Is there anything else that you would like to add to your evidence that you have given already?

OBED BAPELA: Yes, my addition is that there are five policemen who really owe an apology, who owe information to the community of Alexandra.  That is Captain van Hysten who is still active in the police services up to now, Sergeant Alex - I just forgot his name but a very notorious police who killed a lot of our own people, including Michel Kukunene.  Sergeant Mtebi who was very instrumental during the 1976 killings, who is now a preacher, a repentant person, a person who is now a community activist, who can stand up and shout Amandla today.  If he can really come back to Alexandra from where he is residing, Spreadview, to come and really tell the committee of Alexandra what really happened and apologise and tell them that he is repentant and that he is one of them, he is now a comrade.  Also Zele who was instrumental to the killing of Vincent Tshabalala and the harassment of the committee of Alexandra, particularly activists.  And also Magade who was deployed at the Brixton Murder and Robbery Squad.  And one former police of the peri-urban police Sindani who was responsible for the death of his neighbour, Meisie Tshabalala, at 14th Avenue during the six days war.  If really this can really come forward and say the community of Alexandra embrace us, we are with you and then we were involved in a struggle and then we defended the wrong system unfortunately and give us an apology, I think the community will really greatly welcome them.  Number two is the incident I have already
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described of the Ama Cabasa attack.  We want information, we want to know what really happened on that day.  April 1986.  Thirdly is that a befitting honour to be given to all our heros and heroines in Alexandra who paid the ultimate price, whose blood nourished the tree of our liberation.  As we celebrate the 85th anniversary next year of Alexandra I think it would be a befitting honour if we could really give them that particular honour by creating tombstones for them or one big tombstone for all those fallen victims.  And lastly to the government of South Africa to declare Alexandra as a presidential project in honour of its people who are still alive today, who have carried the flag of freedom all these years since 1912 when Alexandra came into being, who remained an inspiration to all other towns, cities, rurals and other areas and who had sacrificed for the struggle of liberation in South Africa.  Thank you.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.  I will hand you back to the chairperson.

COMMISSIONER: Thank you very much Obed for a moving story of your past and the past of the people of Alexandra.  I will ask other fellow commissioners to ask questions.

MR LEWIN: Thank you, Madam Chair.  I would just like to ask one question. You mentioned Paul Erasmus, you have mentioned a number of other people, you have also in your original statement mentioned the fact that you felt you had been informed on by an informer who is still in the employ of the police. You have said let these people come forward, let us find out who they are.  What will your attitude be when you know them and when you know who they are and you discover for instance that they are still employed say by the police, by government?
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