Amnesty Hearings — Mmabatho — 1998-08-03

ADV MOTATA: ...do your clients, of June, I'm sorry, thank you, Mr Chairman, do your clients give any explanation why they were inactive until they made the telephone call on the 29th of July?   In other words, when did that notice come to their attention, and secondly when they phoned the office, they wanted to know about the hearing, why were they inactive for that period, that is of a month?

MR ENGELBRECHT: Could I just take instructions on that?
	I'm instructed that the notice was sent to Mr Eugene Terreblanche in his personal capacity, and not to the body, the AWB, the general staff.   It was only at a later stage that the AWB decided to, as a body, to oppose the application for amnesty.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Hendricks, from the applicant's point of view, you were ready to proceed today?

MR HENDRICKS: Yes, Mr Chairman, we were.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.   Yes, thank you, Mr Hendricks, Mr Engelbrecht, Mr Van den Berg and Mr Mpshe, in view of the fact that the application for postponement is not opposed and also because of the reasons given for the application to enable the AWB, who intend opposing the application, to properly prepare themselves, and also because of the misunderstanding or whatever one may call it that resulted in the documentation only arriving so late last Friday, we are of the view that this matter, in order for it to be properly heard and properly presented by all sides, should be postponed, as has been applied for.   It is unfortunate.   Sure, we are all aware that we in the Amnesty Committee have a tight schedule and have many, many cases or matters to hear, and any delay of course complicates the whole process. 	The matter is then postponed until the 21st of September 1998.
	Mr Mpshe, I take it it will be at the same venue?

MOKOTEDI MPSHE: It will be in the same venue, Mr Chairman, thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: At this venue, and Mr Engelbrecht, if I could please impress that we commence on that day, whatever happens, it is approximately six or seven weeks from now, that should give sufficient time to enable you to properly prepare yourself.

MR ENGELBRECHT: As it pleases you, Mr Chairman, may I make an application that the committee issues an instruction that the two witnesses, Peter de Ionno and Ray Hartley, be subpoenaed for the 23rd of September?

CHAIRPERSON: I think if you could just speak to Mr Mpshe about that, Mr Engelbrecht, and we can deal with it out of here, I don't know what the, if there are any complications in that regard, because the issuing of subpoenas does not come from the committee itself, if you read the Act, it comes from the commission and it's got to be signed by a commissioner, so I'm sure some arrangement can be made in that regard.
	Mr Mpshe, there was another matter set down, the matter of Ambrose Armstrong Ross, I see in my documentation it was only set down for the 5th of August, that's Wednesday, would it be possible at all to make arrangements for that to be brought forward at least until tomorrow morning, and then allow us two days to hear that matter, rather than just the one?

MOKOTEDI MPSHE: Thank you, Mr Chairman, actually I've already started fast-tracking it to tomorrow.   The committee will know before 12:00 midnight today whether we are going on tomorrow, but I have already started negotiations.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.   Yes, well then that is the situation, the matter is postponed and I apologise for any inconvenience caused to the people who have come, because of the postponement, but unfortunately I think in order that this matter be properly handled, that it be postponed.
	We'll adjourn at this stage and then we'll reconvene as soon as possible, probably tomorrow, for the other matter that we're hearing, that is the application of Ambrose Armstrong Ross.
	Thank you.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
MATTER POSTPONED TO 21 SEPTEMBER 1998