Amnesty Hearings — Richards Bay — 1998-04-23

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes I do not know for certain because we were firing and I was not alone. We would be shooting at random at people's houses. We would shoot at houses at random. We were doing this as we were walking along the streets. I would not know if there are people who died or were injured during this attack.

MR STEWART: Mr Dlamini can you clarify it for the committee what you understand the motive to have been for those attacks and the other attacks like them, those random attacks we mentioned a few minutes back?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Nthena as a person who was my commander I thought that Nthena was instructing us to go to war. If he said something, if he issued an instruction you would just follow it. So I thought that he was actually taking us to war. So I followed those instructions as a soldier.

MR STEWART: Nthena Mkhize explained the motive for this attack and amongst other things he said that it was to ensure that people in J1 would be intimidated not to give information about the attacks and to discourage further attacks on the KZP. Do you remember that?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes I do remember.

MR STEWART: That it was also to demonstrate the presence of the IFP in Esikoweni?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is correct.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) agree with what Mr Mkhize said about that motive in any way or do you accept how he explained the motives?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: He spoke the truth. That is what happened. Because IFP leaders at the time would meet with Nthena. That is why Nthena said what he said.

MR STEWART: Mr Dlamini I am going to take you to incident 4 on page 395 paragraph 44. This is described in your affidavit as the murder of Nphthal Nkulu. Now we have had evidence here by other applicants about the murder of Nphthal Khumalo. Do you accept that you are mixed up here with the name and that the name given by the others is the correct name?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is correct. Nthena and Romeo gave the correct name.

MR STEWART: Will you tell the committee about your involvement in this murder?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I was still residing at Mr Pipi Biyela's house together with Ijoni Hlongwane. Because the situation was tense at that time and Mr Biyela complained that he was not safe. They would hold meetings with Mkhize and Nphthal's name was mentioned in one of those meetings. Nphthal stayed near Mr Biyela's house. Our intention for staying at Mr Biyela's house was to actually investigate Nphthal Nkumalo and find out where he stayed. We didn't know him. Mr Biyela eventually found a policeman, Victor Buthelesi who knew Nkumalo. We left in Biyela's white Ford Meteor and went to Mrs Mbuyazi's house and we collected several and various guns that we going to use. We were with Buthelesi in the car and he was the one who was going to identify Nphthal. After picking up the guns we drove to an area next to Npthal's house. Although I may not be able to explain where exactly this area is.
	On arrival we saw Mr Nkumalo coming out of his house. He was accompanied by people we did not know. Victor Buthelesi then pointed at him and he said that was him. Before that I think I have forgotten to mention that we were driving to Mr Npthal's house in Mr Biyela's car with ... We went nearer to the house and on nearing the gate we started shooting at him. Although we shot at him we were not certain whether he had indeed been injured or hit. Mr Hlongwane went closer to him and shot as well as Victor Buthelezi.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct)

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I heard later on that he had indeed been killed.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) person who was with him, was that person hit or killed?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I am not sure but what I heard was that Npthal Nkumalo had indeed died at that incident. From there we drove in Mr Biyela's car and fled. We took the main road in J1.

MR STEWART: Mr Dlamini sorry to interrupt you. This is where you were chased and you managed eventually to get away. The others have given evidence about it. I don't think it is very important for us to deal with it in any detail now. The point is you then had to leave and a car followed you but eventually you managed to get away. Is that right?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: That is correct.

MR STEWART: Now I want to take you to incident number five which is on page three hundred and ninety six (396) which is an attack on a RBM bus. Is that Richard's Bay Minerals?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: That is correct.

MR STEWART: Why in your understanding was it decided that you should all attack this bus?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: The bus that we were supposed to attack I think it was (...indistinct) had COSATU workers as passengers and we knew that COSATU belonged to the ANC. That area was also an ANC dominated area at the time. We went and attacked the bus. It ferried people in the evenings at around ten, taking them to work. We laid in ambush at a bus stop. The bus approached and it stopped. When it stopped we threw a hand grenade into the bus.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) do you remember who threw the hand grenade?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I don't remember quite clearly but I think it was (...indistinct) Mkhize.

MR STEWART: If I remember correctly the evidence of Mr Hlongwane, I will be corrected if I get it wrong, he said that he did it. And that is what you say in your affidavit. Could that be right?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: As I have mentioned that it all happened quickly. I don't quite remember. It could be that it was indeed him.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) after this hand grenade was thrown in the bus?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: We threw the hand grenade and it exploded. As it did so the bus could not move. We then fired shots at the bus. We fired shots using AK47's and G3's firing at the windows. Thereafter we fled to Mrs Mbuyazi's house.

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Mr Dlamini do you know how many people were killed and injured in that attack?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I do not remember well. I don't think I learned how many people were injured but I am sure that some people were injured.

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Mr Dlamini do you know if there were people who were killed?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I do not know.

MR STEWART: When you returned to Mrs Mbuyazi's house had she known what your operation was going to be that evening?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes she knew because each time we went out on an operation we would find her waiting for us outside the house. She ensured that we had come back safely and she appreciated and thanked us for doing a splendid job.

MR STEWART: Mr Dlamini I am going to take you to incident number 6 on page 397. This was the plan to murder a security guard at the Eshowe Hospital. Now we have heard testimony that there was also at some time a planned murder of male nurse at Eshowe Hospital. Do you remember that?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes I remember.

MR STEWART: So although that is not mentioned in your affidavit have you since been reminded of that? In your affidavit you mentioned a planned murder of a security guard at the Eshowe Hospital but its also been mentioned that there was at one time a planned murder of a male nurse at Eshowe Hospital. But you don't mention that latter planned murder. In other words the one of the male nurse. Is that right?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: That is correct.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) now being reminded of that by the testimony of the other applicants. Is that right?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes.

MR STEWART: Can you explain to the committee what you remember about that? Or those planned murders at the Eshowe Hospital?