Amnesty Hearings — Durban — UNKNOWN

WITNESS:   No, it was not the day before we killed him.  We did this over a few days.  It was a process.  It was not the day before we murdered him.

UNKNOWN: My I just find out - may I interpose, Mr Marais?  When did you get to Durban with Mr Mamasela after you had been instructed by Brigadier Skoon to listen carefully to what Mr Coetzee was to say to you in connection with an important mission you were to conduct?

WITNESS:   I remember that when I met Brigadier Skoon I went immediately to Joe.  I can't remember whether I got him in Soweto or Vlakplaas, but I did not sleep in Vlakplaas, I went straight to Durban.  We could have arrived that night or early in the morning.  I can't remember.

UNKNOWN: Mr Nofomela, I just want to find out the date and the month if you can be of assistance with that information.

WITNESS:   It was November 1981.  I cannot remember the date precisely.

UNKNOWN: /MR MARAIS

MR MARAIS: Mr Nofomela, you were involved in the poisoning of Mr Mxenge's dogs, is that correct?

WITNESS:   Yes, it was not me, it was Dirk Coetzee who poisoned the dogs.

MR MARAIS: Now, on the day of the killing of Mr Mxenge can you describe to the Committee what took place?

WITNESS:   We went to his place of work.  It was time for him to go home.  We found his car still there.  Brian Ngulungwa knew the area quite well.  I can't remember where it was.  He then drove ahead of us and we followed him.  When we got to his house we actually used another route and we got there first before him.  We then parked our car not far from his house.  We then waited for him there.  When we saw him coming he stopped.  Brian - I can't remember whether it was Brian or David, but they stopped the car such that they could stop Mr Mxenge.  Joe had a pistol, I had my own Makaroff.  He then asked us if he could help us.  We said yes.  We asked him to shift over.  He switched his car off.  Joe then entered into the car.  I got into the car at the back.  David followed us.  Then we got next to the Umlazi Stadium.  When we got there then David stabbed him, David Tshikalanga.  He is the first one who stabbed him.  And then from there, with the exception of Brian - Brian just stood there with his gun - that's when we started stabbing him until he died.

MR MARAIS: Did you personally stab Mr Mxenge?

WITNESS:   Yes, I did stab him.

MR MARAIS: Certain items belonging to Mr Mxenge were removed from the scene.  Do you remember which items?

WITNESS:   I remember Joe taking his jacket and wearing it, also his watch, also his wallet.

MR MARAIS: /Did you

MR MARAIS: Did you at that stage then leave the scene and leave Mr Mxenge's body at the Umlazi Stadium?

WITNESS:   Yes, Sir.

MR MARAIS: Where did you go from there?

WITNESS:   We all went to C R Swart Police Station, where Dirk Coetzee was, to tel him that we had brought Mr Mxenge's car and that we had killed him.

MR MARAIS: What were your instructions about the killing beforehand from Mr Coetzee about what you should use to kill Mr Mxenge?

WITNESS:   They said that we should not use the guns that we were carrying at all, but we should use knives that he had given us so that it would look like a robbery.

MR MARAIS: And when you reported back to him after the execution of your act was he satisfied?

WITNESS:   Yes, he was satisfied.

CHAIRPERSON: Perhaps this might be a convenient stage to take the short adjournment.  We'll adjourn for 15 minutes.
SHORT ADJOURNMENT
ON RESUMPTION

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, please proceed.

MR MARAIS: Thank you, Mr Chairman.

MR MARAIS: Almond BUTANA NOFOMELA

MR MARAIS: Mr Nofomela, you were giving your evidence about taking Mr Mxenge's car back to the police station at C R Swart.  What happened there?

WITNESS:   (Incomplete - start of Side B, Tape 2) ... changed the numberplates, and then we gave Dirk Coetzee the clothes which we had on and we went our separate ways.  And he told us not to go Umlazi, take the van that we were travelling in and change

MR MARAIS: /the numberplates

MR MARAIS: the numberplates and put on the canopy.  It did not have a canopy at the time, and he told us to put on the canopy and not to go anywhere, remain in and around town until he got into contact with us again.  And that is what happened, and they left and we remained behind.

MR MARAIS: There was evidence that you received an amount of R1 000,00 after this event.  Do you remember that?

WITNESS:  Yes, I remember that as well.

MR MARAIS: (Inaudible) ... when you received the money?

WITNESS:   It was after a while, possibly a week or two after the incident when Dirk Coetzee and gave me the money, and he also told me that David Tshikalanga and Joseph Mamasela were also going to receive it.

MR MARAIS: Did you have any idea before killing Mr Mxenge that you would receive money after the event?

WITNESS:   No, I was not told anything about money at the time.

MR MARAIS: When you received this order from Dirk Coetzee did you question the order at all?

WITNESS:   No, I would not have been able to ask.  You were not to ask any questions when you were given an instruction.

MR MARAIS: Thank you, Mr Chairman, I have no further questions of this witness.

MR MARAIS: NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR MARAIS

CHAIRPERSON: I understand your evidence to be that when you went to Vlakplaas your original duty was to assist in identifying ANC members, is that correct?

WITNESS:   Yes, Sir, that is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you in fact do that?

WITNESS:   Sometimes I did so.

CHAIRPERSON: Are you in a position to tell us how many ANC Comrades you identified while you were at Vlakplaas?

WITNESS:  I did not identify them personally.  They were identified

CHAIRPERSON: /by the

CHAIRPERSON: by the askaris who had come from ANC ranks and come to work with the Security Branch at Vlakplaas, but those that were with me at the time did not identify anyone, not in my presence.

CHAIRPERSON: It soon became clear to you that you were required to do some work other than identifying ANC Comrades?

WITNESS:  Yes, Sir.

CHAIRPERSON: And what did you understand that to be?  What were you required to do?

WITNESS:   I did not know what it was.  I just saw when I had to execute that I was supposed to do a certain job.  Initially I did not know what it was, but when I was eventually told it was when the instruction was to be executed.

WILSON J: You've told us how you got into the car with Mr Griffiths Mxenge, the four of you.  Was he sitting in the front passenger seat then?

WITNESS:   I remember him sitting in front, Sir.

WILSON J: And who was driving?

WITNESS:   Brian Ngulungwa was driving the vehicle.

WILSON J: And you drove to the Umlazi sports ground.

WITNESS:   Yes, Sir.

WILSON J: And he was then stabbed, David stabbed him.

WITNESS:   He was the first one, Sir, that's correct.

WILSON J: Was he still sitting in the front of the car?

WITNESS:  He was already out of the vehicle.

WILSON J: Oh, did you take him out?

WITNESS:   He was sitting between Joe and Brian in front and I was sitting at the back.  When we got to Umlazi Stadium Joe first got out and pulled him out.

WILSON J: David stabbed him then when he was standing there, is that so?

WITNESS:   Yes, Sir, that is correct.

WILSON J: /(Inaudible)

WILSON J: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   Then we all stabbed him, myself, David and Joe Mamasela.

WILSON J: Was he still wearing his jacket?

WITNESS:   I don't remember him having worn it at the time.

WILSON J: Can you give any reason why he was stabbed so many times?

WITNESS:   The reason I suspect is that all the time he was not falling to the ground, he was fighting.

WILSON J: He fought to save his own life, didn't he?

WITNESS:   That's correct, Sir.

WILSON J: Did he have any weapon?

WITNESS:   No, not that I know of.

WILSON J: And the three of you, who were the only three armed with knives, went on stabbing him.

WITNESS:   Yes, Sir, that is correct.