Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA: (Sworn, States)

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  (Inaudible) ... help you to tell your story, and what I'd like you to do to start with is just tell us where you were born and where you are from?

WITNESS:   My name is Nhlanhla Philemon Madlala.  I reside at Elandskop under Chief David Ntombela, as well as Nsikayezwa Zondi.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  How old are you?

WITNESS:   I am 32 years old.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  (Inaudible) ... previously a member of the police force.

WITNESS:   That is correct.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  In what capacity were you a member of the police force?

WITNESS:   I was a special constable.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  (Inaudible) ... special constable?

WITNESS:   I will first start by telling you as far back as 1987.  As I have already explained that I was staying at Elandskop.  We were staying there and we moved because we wanted to build a house with Reverend Zuma, who is a member of the IFP in Inanda.  We continued to build that house, and there were sporadic outbreaks of attacks between UDF as well as the IFP members.  And one day Mr Zuma came to us, asked that we should go and stay with him so that we could assist him together with Shayabantu Zondi whenever there was an attack from the UDF.  We stayed at his place.  At times during the night the UDF would come to attack and we would also launch a counter-attack, and there would be outbreaks of fights until the Unit 19 came from Pretoria.  They also came and sided with us.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  Sorry, Mr Madlala, if you could try and speak into the mike then the people can hear what you're saying.

WITNESS:   I've got a problem.  I've got stitches at the back so I can't sit properly.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA: We can try and get the wire extended.  Just one second.  (Pause)

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA: MACHINE SWITCHED OFF

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA:  Mr Madlala, are you a bit more comfortable now?

WITNESS:   Yes, I am comfortable.

NHLANHLA PHILEMON MADLALA: (Inaudible) ... Mr Madlala, more carefully?

INTERPRETER: We can't hear you.

INTERPRETER:  Just try and speak up a bit please.  You were telling us that you then went to stay with Shayabantu Zondi, near his place, and you used to help with defending that area from attacks, and were involved in counter-attacks with the UDF, is that correct?

WITNESS:   We were protecting ourselves from the UDF's attacks.  We were trying to protect the chief, as well as the King's place.  Whenever the UDF came to attack we would also launch a counter-attack, and a shooting spree would start, until the police from the Unit 19 in Pretoria would come to our assistance.  They were camping at Imbali Hostel.  Whenever there was a fight that broke out the police would arrive and assist the IFP, and there would be a shooting spree.  The UDF people would be shot at.  And at the end of the fight there would be some casualties and some dead bodies.  They would be carried and taken out of that particular area.  I don't know where these bodies were taken to.  Whenever the police came in the afternoon they would camp until late, and they would drink liquor.  At times we would be taken with other members or other youths who were staying at the chief's place, and we would be directed to point out certain places where there were UDF members.  And whenever we had pointed these houses out these people would be tortured under the guise that they were looking for guns.  And whenever they could not get guns they used to assault the people.  We used self-made guns and we used to be given ammunition by the Unit 19.  I still remember one particular policeman who was involved in this was Waterson.  It was very difficult to see as to whether there were any people who died, because whenever a person fell the UDF people would pick that corpse up and run away with that corpse or the body.  At times we would also do that.  Then on this particular day in 1987 - that was towards the end - Chief Shayabantu said we should attend a meeting at Morowa House because we were wanted as new recruits.  Then our names would be submitted, as well as the ranks, and we were taken as members of the Inkatha Freedom Party.  And at the beginning of 1988 we were taken in buses and we were taken to Cape Town a Koeberg Training Camp.  That's where we were trained.  Then in 1988, whilst we were still at the training centre at Koeberg we were divided into 12 groups, that's 12 platoons.  Each platoon had 34 or 36 members, and I was in the 11th Platoon.  My instructor was Sergeant Bekker as well as Sergeant van der Toon, and the commander was Major Smith.  We were there at that camp as members or followers of the Inkatha Freedom Party.  We were trained and we were deployed in certain different rooms and different houses.  We were actually taught or trained about different types of cases.

INTERPRETER:  What sort of cases were those?

WITNESS:   That's where they explained as to what we should actually do to the victims, or what we should do when we had raped some of the victims.  If you had killed a person that would be regarded as murder.  Maybe if you shot the person and killed that person they would tell us that that was murder.  They actually explained the different types of offences.

INTERPRETER:  (Inaudible) ... criminal law ... (incomplete - end of Side B, Tape 5)

WITNESS:   We were taught about certain ranks within the police force.  Every morning we would go to the parade ground and conduct some prayers, and thereafter we would go to our classes.  That's where we realised that some of us could not even write, because we did not even know English, we didn't have a command of the language.

INTERPRETER:  (Inaudible) ... sorry for the interruption ... (inaudible) ... some of you couldn't write, and obviously some of you then translated for the others, is that right?

WITNESS:   Yes, that is correct.

INTERPRETER:  Yes, continue.

WITNESS:   Then after 12 we would be taken out of the classrooms and we would be taught how to march.  And we would do this up til 2 o'clock, and we were told to go and rest in our respective rooms up til the following day.  Every day that was what was happening.  Then on the second week of our training a certain policeman who was working for the Security Branch, Mr Webber, this policeman came in a helicopter.  We were all summoned to convene at a certain place.  That is at the dining hall.  As soon as we were at the dining hall Major Smith, as well as Mr Webber, came into the dining hall.  Major Smith introduced Mr Webber and told us that he was from the Natal region.  Mr Webber said, "As you are here you have come to be trained to kill all the members of the UDF, because it has been sent by the ANC to render the country ungovernable, because it wanted to overthrow the government." If I could just interrupt you there, just to clarify.  This policeman that came, where was he from?    ---   He was from 'Maritzburg.

INTERPRETER:  Where is he stationed?

WITNESS:   He was last stationed at Alexandra.  I don't know at present as to where he's stationed.

INTERPRETER:  Is his name in fact Mr Varber.

WITNESS:   I think Webber was the name, the common name.

INTERPRETER:  He was a Security Branch policeman from Pietermaritzburg?

WITNESS:   That is correct, he was from 'Maritzburg.

INTERPRETER:  Continue and tell us what else he told you.