Amnesty Hearings — Palm Ridge — 1998-11-24

DUMA MOSES NKOSI: As ANC branch in Thokoza, in December 1990 there was violence that erupted in the community and there were soldiers that emerged from Polla Park to Thokoza.  I would say that at the time people who were dwelling at hostel four and five, as other people were evicted from the community area because they were Xhosas, now there was no longer peace between Polla Park and four and five hostel as a result of that.
	The one, two and three hostel got down to attack Polla Park.  Now that happened in December 1990.  I do not remember the date quite well but I may guess and say it was on the 13th.  The road were flooded with corpses, dead bodies.  If I'm not mistaken I will say Buthelezi Street and way up to Skonyela and going down to Madondo.  That is where you would find a number of corpses lying down on the road.
	The person who was the President of ANC, President Mandela and the one who was the Minister of Police, Adriaan Vlok did arrive in a helicopter, arrived at Thokoza at the time.  As a people who were active, we accompanied them in police vehicles, touring the area so that they would see for themselves as to what resulted from what has happened or what had happened.  You would find the other corpses that were lying there were cut open and some arms would be lying around.  The corpses were all over the roads and the weather was not conducive, it was raining.
	In the beginning of 1991 as a branch of ANC in Thokoza, when we had a meeting at a certain church in BMC(?) where we had convened for a meeting as the ANC and other members, the members requested us as leaders that we should sit down and reason with the IFP or have discussions or negotiations with the IFP.
	We did try that but around April - I think the meeting took place in February, where we met with the ANC members.  Then in April, because of the help that we got from the Duluxe employees in Alroad, Mr Paulo Kandoti helped us to manage to get hold of Abraham Msizi of IFP, then we had our first meeting in April 1991, to try and discuss the Peace Accord and try to bring the whole situation into order.  
	I do trust and hope that you will remember that the peace-making and the National Peace Accord, there was an agreement in August amongst all the organisations and after we've negotiated and discussed with the IFP, we began to change the approach, that we should go and adhere to the policy of the National Peace Accord.  
	Shortly after August 1991, whereas the residents of Thokoza under Pierresho Kamay, the Chairperson, we tried to look into the situation and how we can help to bring stability in the area.
	I would like to emphasise that at the time of the IFP march that was in September, there was already peace in the area.  We also had hope that things would come back to normality.  This is where I would end in answering.

MS GCABASHE: Can I just ascertain, Xeba, was he a person with particular influence in the community?  This is before you knew he was an informer, obviously.  Who was he?

DUMA MOSES NKOSI: Xeba was a resident at Polla Park and he was also a member of the structures that were aimed at protecting the community.  What I am saying here is that I have no knowledge as to whether he became part of the police at the time when he was a member of the structure, or before or after that, I have no idea.

MS GCABASHE: Just one other area.  You have said that our President Mandela and the then Minister of Police, Adriaan Vlok came to Thokoza.  This was at the end of 1990?

DUMA MOSES NKOSI: It was in December 1990.

MS GCABASHE: Are you able to indicate on that map the streets that you have named, Buthelezi Street, Skonyela Street, Madondo?  Just to give us an idea as to where most of the trouble was for 1990.
MR NKOSI INDICATES ON MAP

MS GCABASHE: Thank you.  Now from your indication on the map, those three streets actually were part of Thokoza, right inside Thokoza, yet the fight was supposed to be between the hostel residents and the Polla Park residents.  So you are saying they brought this fight right into Thokoza and this is how and when the residents started reacting and starting talking about how to deal with the broad problem.

DUMA MOSES NKOSI: I was referring the incident, that one day incident.  I'm trying to say that - I'm actually going to explain how we all became a part of this.
	The two groups, one from Polla Park and one from the hostel confronted each other from both directions and as a result you would come across corpses lying all over the place, especially the three streets that I have just illustrated.  Some fled but yes, people were lying all over the place, dead bodies that is.
	One more thing.  The belief that we had at the time was that the people who were perpetrating this violence do not want to see peace in the area.  I would also like to indicate other points, the very fact that there was this plan to attack the community.  
	One other point that I would like to raise is that it was at the time that we also realised that drugs were distributed all over the area but it is understandable because it's public knowledge.  I am not lying about this.  Yes, we have bits and pieces of evidence coming up that the Thokoza community was flooded with drugs, especially the youth were very vulnerable and susceptible to being misled.
	One other last point pertaining to the harassment of the community.  The weapons were easily available and that makes us believe that we were being set against each other.  The people in Thokoza for example are unemployed, the state of the economy is bad.  Be it as it may, drugs were brought in, weapons were brought in so that people could kill one another.  That is why we are saying that the whole plan ought to have been clear so that people could understand that they were being harassed for the mere reason that the ANC was present.
	If you look at the ANC branches at Thokoza and Khatlehong, this is where the ANC had far much more members in relation to other areas.  The ANC had the biggest branch of the ANC in the whole country based there.  It is for this reason that when the community said we are dying for the ANC, we could as well see and understand that, but what was very painful was that the ANC was not killing people but people were dying because of the ANC.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Nkosi, what kind of drugs were introduced into the area?

DUMA MOSES NKOSI: Mandrax.  They would refer to it by different names.  They would call it "Idula", "Ipilisi" and soforth.  And that is what gave them the energy to stay up through the night.

CHAIRPERSON: And were there some distribution points, were there people who started to deal in mandrax in the area, or how did the distribution occur?

DUMA MOSES NKOSI: I think there was no fixed channel when this whole thing started, but I believe there are some people who emerged and started selling drugs at the time.  Right now there may be different dealers and channels but for a start I think only a few people were introduced to the drug and such a person would introduce the drug to a friend and soforth.
	I trust now that the opportunity to sell these drugs opened up at the time.  That is how the drugs were introduced.

CHAIRPERSON: Were there any attempts to enlist the assistance of the police to deal with this drug problem, and if so, what was the response to that?