Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1999-10-05

MR DEHAL: I see you deal with this count very briefly.  Can you please read that.
MR McBRIDE
	"There were three operations on this night.   The others were the mini-limpet mine explosion, the vegetable oil tank storage facility in Chamberlain Road and the third one was the limpet mine explosion outside (it should be mini-limpet mine) outside the Copper Shop in Brickhill Road.  For these acts I was convicted and sentenced for all three of them.  These were done on the same day, although some exploded before the others, they were actually - charges were laid sometimes last, because the first ones in some cases, had the longer timing devices.  Matthew Lecordier, myself and Antonio du Preez carried out these operations.  Antonio drove.  He dropped us off as if we were fishing or we were going to go fishing.  This oil pipe is the same oil pipe that goes out to the Reunion terminal for tankers, that comrade Rashid referred to earlier, that another unit was tasked to sabotage this terminal.  We had found the pipe that leads to the terminal, to the oil refinery.  It is right next to the sea, hence we would not have been out of place if we pretended we were going fishing.   Myself and Matthew went and (it should be) placed the charges on the oil pipes, two charges, two limpet mines.  We walked off and Antonio came back and picked us up."

CHAIRPERSON: Did the mines go off, do you know?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, they went off, I think sometime in the morning.  I think  we set a longer delay on them, than for the others, so although they were placed first, they went off last.  That is my recollection.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know what damage if any, they caused, the extent of it?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, information which I received days after and at a later stage, was that there was, the two oil refineries contacted each other and the one indicating to the other, that there is an explosion at the feeder pipe, and that they should close off the valves, and I think it was Engen informed BP ...(indistinct), no, it is not ours, so there was a dispute.  The result was that a lot of oil leaked out and burnt.  The canal was then destroyed also, from the heat it cracked up and they had to fly in a special chemical to put out the fire.  It burnt for about 12 hours anyway, it was quite substantial.  I think in the trial they said R1 million, or something like that.  But I imagine it might have been more.

MR DEHAL: Mr McBride, if I may just take you back to A1, pages 9 and 10,  when you talk of the three operations, do you mean operations enumerated incidents 18, 19 and 20 because all three of those are operations that took place on the same date and here they are recorded as being 21/22 June, correct?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: You now deal with the next incident, which in that bundle is enumerated 19, and which is the mini-limpet mine explosion at the vegetable oil tanker at the corner of Lawley and Chamberlain Road.

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes.
	"The same modus operandi here was carried out as per the preceding operation, accept that I got out of the car alone and placed the charge myself."

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Mr McBride, what is a vegetable oil tanker, is this cooking oil tanker?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Sir, at this stage I understand that is what the police information was, but subsequent damage indicated that this was quite a corrosive chemical, because a number of the drainage pipes out to the yacht basin were damaged, including some of the yachts that were moored there.  It couldn't have been ordinary oil.

CHAIRPERSON: This says vegetable oil tanker, so was it a vehicle, a lorry, a tanker, a tank?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: No sir, it was a storage facility.

CHAIRPERSON: So we call it a tank, not a tanker?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is right, sir.

CHAIRPERSON: Why did you choose that as a target if it was vegetable oil?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: I didn't choose it because it was specifically vegetable oil, I chose it because it was in the heart of an industrial area, in Jacobs.  It was in close proximity to Wentworth.

CHAIRPERSON: Would you have classified that as a propaganda operation?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Propaganda and economic sabotage.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.

MR DEHAL: Mr McBride, may we now lead to item 20 on page 10 of A1, which is the limpet mine explosion outside the Copper Shop in Brickhill Road on the same date?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct yes.

MR DEHAL: You deal with that under paragraph 16.

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.  This was regarded by us as an unsuccessful operation.
"The target was originally a police vehicle that parked almost on a permanent basis at the bottom of Point Road.  This is Point Road I think Smit Street intersection.  Matthew's task was to place the limpet mine in this vehicle and we would pick him up afterwards.   On his way to the vehicle, after being dropped off, he became scared because he was under the impression that he had been spotted by the police and he panicked and dropped the explosive device into a refuse bin.  In all three incidents carried out on 21/22 June, there were no injuries and no one was killed.  The three operations were all intended to continue the sabotage campaign, disrupt the oil supplies as in the first one - the economic sabotage and armed propaganda.   This as per instructions and policy of the ANC then."

MR DEHAL: You see on page 10 of bundle A1, item 21?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes sir.

MR DEHAL: That deals with the sabotage of the water pipeline?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct.

MR DEHAL: Do you recall that operation?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, I remember that.

MR DEHAL: This is an aspect that you must have been charged with?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: Yes, I was charged for this.  Convicted end sentenced.

MR DEHAL: Do you mind dealing with the content of paragraph 17 relating to this?
MR McBRIDE
	"Alan Pearce, Matthew Lecordier and I were involved in this operation."

MR DEHAL: A little slower Mr McBride.
MR McBRIDE
	"At the stage this took place, Alan Pearce had been recruited by Matthew Lecordier into the cell that was made up of him and Antonio du Preez.  As an operation which was in line with the disruption of industrial water supplies to the New Germany/Pinetown area and which sought economic sabotage and armed propaganda on behalf of the ANC.  This operation was also planned as an initiation operation for Alan Pearce and he and Matthew and Antonio would be working together.   The modus operandi was the same.  
	I dropped off Alan and Matthew.  The intention being that they must get confidence of placing charges without me.  I then picked them up after about five minutes, and they placed the charges and drove off.  The pipes were damaged and the water supply to the industrial area, was disrupted for a few days.  There were no deceased and no persons injured.  I was convicted and sentenced for this operation also."

MR DEHAL: Thank you.   That concludes the list of incidents recorded on A1 from pages 6 to 10.  I may now take you to your application for amnesty, particularly to page 106.  Do you see item (f) and (h) there?

ROBERT JOHN MCBRIDE: That is correct, I see that yes.

MR DEHAL: Now, can we deal with item (f) first, because it was not enumerated in those pages we have just dealt with and deals in part with other aspects possibly?  You say there you recruited, trained and supplied with the weapons, a combat unit in Taylorshof, Macabisa area of Edendale, Pietermaritzburg.  You say you do not know the names of the persons you trained.  Can you tell us a little bit about that count for which you seek amnesty?