Amnesty Hearings — Johannesburg — 1998-10-12

CHAIRPERSON: We're about to start I am informed, with the matter of Zandisile Patrick Kondile.  For the purposes of the record today is Monday the 12th of October 1998.  This is a hearing of the Amnesty Committee.  My name is Denzel Potgieter, I'm presiding.  I'm assisted by Advocate Gcabashe on my right and Mr Sibanyoni on my left.
	For the record, Mr Steenkamp, would you place yourself on record?

ADV STEENKAMP: Thank you, Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I'm Andre Steenkamp, I'm the Evidence Leader in this matter.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr van den Berg?

MR VAN DEN BERG: Thank you, Mr Chairperson, I'm Eric van den Berg, the legal representative of the applicant in this matter.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, gentlemen.  Advocate Steenkamp, are we ready to proceed?

ADV STEENKAMP: Mr Chairman, Honourable Members we are ready to proceed but I just want for the purposes of Section 19 put certain information on record regarding the victims in this specific matter if you would allow me.  Mr Chairman, Honourable Members, I was informed that both or all three the victims in this matter could not be traced at all.  They used to be employed at Langeberg Food Company, the Langeberg being referred to in the bundle.
	Mr Bates the Executive Officer was contacted as being the place of last employment of the victims.  Apparently they left the company a few years back already.  This incident happened in 1991.  No further information could be traced by either the evidence ...(indistinct) or the Investigation Unit in this matter.  That's all information I have on the victims, Mr Chairman, as you wish.

CHAIRPERSON: Are you asking that we proceed to deal with the matter in the circumstances?

ADV STEENKAMP: As you wish, Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr van den Berg, before we proceed with the application is there anything that you wish to place on record?

MR VAN DEN BERG: No, there is nothing, Mr Chairperson, we are ready to commence.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: (sworn states)

MR VAN DEN BERG: Mr Chairman, he will testify in Xhosa.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Just give me a minute before we start.  Mr van den Berg?

MR VAN DEN BERG: Thank you, Mr Chairman.
	Mr Kondile, is it correct that you seek amnesty essentially for two incidents, one for which you are presently serving a period of imprisonment and secondly for an incident which at the moment is being treated as an unresolved crime?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: Yes, that is correct.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Before we get to deal with the incidents Mr Kondile, I just want to let the Committee have some of your background so that they understand who they are dealing with.  Can you tell the Committee where and when you were born?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: I was born in Daveyton, Benoni on the 24th of February 1961.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Where did you attend high school and what standard did you attain?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: I attended school in the Transkei at a place called Mxanakwe and I stopped my education at standard eight or after I had passed standard eight.

MR VAN DEN BERG: The incidents for which you seek amnesty all took place in the context of violence at Langeberg Food Industries Ltd., when did you start working at Langeberg?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: I started working there during 1983.

MR VAN DEN BERG: And where was the factory situated?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: This factory is situated in Boksburg  East.

MR VAN DEN BERG: What job did you do there?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: I started off just as an ordinary labourer but after having gathered some experience I was promoted to be an operator, a machine operator.

MR VAN DEN BERG: What were your hours of work?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: The rules there were that we start all at the same time, that is a quarter past seven up till a quarter past five in the afternoon.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Were there one or two shifts per day?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: There were two shifts, that was the day shift as well as the night shift.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Were you a member of a trade union?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: That is correct.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Which trade union?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: I was a member of FAWU.

MR VAN DEN BERG: And FAWU is the Food and Allied Worker's Union?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: That is correct.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Were an ordinary member of FAWU or did you occupy any of the elected positions at FAWU?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: When I joined FAWU I was just an ordinary member but as time went on I was promoted and made to be a shop steward during the year 1991.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Were you a member of a political party?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: That is correct.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Which party?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: The ANC.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Which trade unions were active at Langeberg during 1990/1991?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: It was FAWU only and no other union operated within the area.

MR VAN DEN BERG: What was the relationship like between members of FAWU who supported different political parties?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: If I can recall properly there wasn't a proper relationship, there wasn't a wonderful relationship between the members of the union as well as other political groups.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Now FAWU was affiliated to COSATU, is that correct?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: That is correct.

MR VAN DEN BERG: What happened in the 15th of August 1991 at Langeberg Foods?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: According to my recollection, on the 15th of August just after having reported or clocked in when we were about to start working we could hear some chanting outside the building, that is at the gate.  People were chanting but because we were already inside the factory we did not know as to who these people were and as we were still working we realised that there were a lot of people inside the firm who were chanting and they were also having placards with them.
	We could not identify the people who were chanting but they were wearing IFP T-shirts, they also had some placards: "Down with shop stewards, Down with FAWU Union, Voetsak ANC, Amos is a dog".  Some of them had some weapons with, they bombarded the firm.  They marched right into it and we had to get out of the workplace.  
	We could not identify any of them and we were quite surprised as to how they gained entry because there were security guards at the gate.  Some of us were assaulted severely and they had to go to the management's offices.

MR VAN DEN BERG: You said that one the slogans was: "Amos is a dog", do you know to who that referred?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: Yes, I do know Amos, he was a chief shop steward whom we had elected to be a chairperson and we worked at the same factory with Amos.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Now a second incident took place on the 15th of August 1991 which involved two of your colleagues, can you tell the Committee about that?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: If I recall well there were two co-workers, that is my co-workers, they were also members of the ANC and they were members of FAWU.  They were abducted on their way to the train station by Inkatha members and they were taken to the Wadeville Hostel.  	They were asked certain questions by these Inkatha members and they were also taken to an open veld where they were shot at.  The intention was to kill them but luckily Wellington survived but John was killed execution style.  It is John who later related to us that Ntuli was present amongst the attackers as well as the abductors.  So he was the sole survivor of the incident.

MR VAN DEN BERG: Was this incident told to you by the survivor?

ZANDISILE PATRICK KONDILE: Yes, he related to us, that is the survivor related the story to us as to how he survived and how they were abducted at an earlier stage.

ADV GCABASHE: Was it John who survived or Wellington who survived?  There's been a bit of a mix-up I think.