Amnesty Hearings — Vereeniging — 1999-01-19

CHAIRPERSON: When you say your life was in danger, and therefore you decided to tell Qunchu that you better launch an attack, your life was in danger from whom?

MR MKHIZE: The hostel residents from kwaMadala could have attacked me.

MR STRYDOM: After your discussion with Qunchu, did he agree that Boipatong should be attacked?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, he did.

MR STRYDOM: Who was responsible for planning the attack in more detail?

MR MKHIZE: It was myself and Qunchu, but I was the one who had the responsibility of doing it and Qunchu was my assistant.  I was his Commander.

MR STRYDOM: Was there any other leaders or senior people responsible for the decision, the decision now to attack Boipatong?

MR MKHIZE: No, none.

MR STRYDOM: During the week preceding the attack, was any other leadership structures informed and notified about the decision to attack Boipatong?

MR MKHIZE: Please repeat the question.

MR STRYDOM: I want to know after your decision, your and Qunchu's decision to attack Boipatong, did you take it up with other senior people or other leaders for instance in the IFP?

MR MKHIZE: No.  Not even one of them.

MR STRYDOM: Weapons were used during the attack on Boipatong.  Can you tell the Committee who was responsible to get the weapons and to distribute the weapons?

MR MKHIZE: I cannot say because it was dark, but I know that I had a firearm and I also know that some other people also had firearms, but I cannot tell who had what weapons.

MR STRYDOM: The question really is, before the attack, to gather weapons, who was responsible to make sure that when the attack comes, that there will be weapons?

MR MKHIZE: We already had weapons.

MR STRYDOM: These weapons, do you have knowledge where they came from?

MR MKHIZE: We used to actually collect money and buy these weapons.
	The person who was responsible for actually buying these weapons, was Mr Qunchu.

MR STRYDOM: And these weapons, did they include AK47 rifles?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, that is correct.

MR STRYDOM: On the 17th of June, the attack took place.  What I want to know now, what happened just before the attack, what happened in the hostel?  How did it come that everybody left the hostel and moved towards Boipatong?

MR MKHIZE: We rang an alarm to call everybody to gather at one venue, from where we moved on to launch the attack.

MR STRYDOM: Who rang the alarm?

MR MKHIZE: Even though I would not be in a position to know, it was at night, but I had already instructed that we should go out and launch the attack.

CHAIRPERSON: Who was having this alarm?

MR MKHIZE: That is exactly what I am saying, it was at night, and therefore I am not in the position to say exactly who was ringing the alarm.

CHAIRPERSON: Was there anyone in the hostel perhaps who was charged with blowing this trumpet?

MR MKHIZE: I moved from one hostel apartment to the next, informing people.

CHAIRPERSON: Is there any particular person who used to go around using this trumpet or alarm to ring it so as to inform people to come together?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, there was one person responsible for that duty, but he was not available that day if I still remember very well.

MR LAX: Just, if you will allow me Mr Strydom, sorry, everyone talks about this alarm.  What exactly was it?  Some people talk figuratively about a trumpet.  Just explain to us what kind of alarm was it, how did it work?  Was it electronic, was it a siren?  What was it?

MR MKHIZE: We have a trumpet and we also had something that looked like a speaker.  Those are the things that we used.  The speaker would sound like an alarm and this would inform people about a gathering.

MR LAX: So it was like a loudhailer from the way you are demonstrating with your hands, that had an alarm sound?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, that is correct.

MR LAX: And then in addition to that, there was a trumpet, an actual trumpet?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, we also had a trumpet, but on that day, I cannot be certain as to whether we used the trumpet or not, or whether we used the other system.

MR LAX: Sorry, you didn't give someone a specific instruction to go and sound the alarm, or did you?

MR MKHIZE: No.

MR LAX: Who made the decision that the people should be called at a certain time and that the alarm should be sounded?

MR MKHIZE: I did that.

MR LAX: So then you did give someone an instruction to do that?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, that is correct.

MR STRYDOM: This alarm, is it called a Megaphone with an alarm at the back of the Megaphone?

MR MKHIZE: Yes.  Even though I would not know exactly, but it is an alarm system, you can carry it around and speak through it.

MR STRYDOM: It is one of those instruments where you can speak into it and you press the button and you speak into it, and it enhances the sound?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, exactly.

MR STRYDOM: At the back of this instrument, there is an alarm.  You put that alarm on, the alarm will sound through this microphone or the speaker actually, through the speaker?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, that is correct.

MR STRYDOM: When this alarm went off, let me ask you this way, normally when the alarm goes off, what will the residents of the hostel do?

MR MKHIZE: We used to use it when we were going to rallies or attending urgent meetings.

MR STRYDOM: Will the people gather when they hear the sound?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, that is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Where will they gather?

MR MKHIZE: There is a stadium inside the hostel, at the kwaMadala hostel, that is where we used to gather for meetings.

MR STRYDOM: On this particular night, did the people come to the stadium?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, they did.

MR STRYDOM: Were you at the stadium when the people arrived?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, I was present.

MR STRYDOM: Did you address the people as they were coming in the stadium?

MR MKHIZE: Yes, I did.

MR STRYDOM: What did you tell them?

MR MKHIZE: I told them there was nothing else to do, except for attacking.

MR STRYDOM: Attacking which place?

MR MKHIZE: Boipatong.

MR STRYDOM: Did the people initially arrive with weapons at the stadium, or not?

MR MKHIZE: Some of them were not armed, some were armed.
	Some suggested that we wait for them, because they were still going to fetch their arms.

MR STRYDOM: And the women and children, what happened to them?

MR MKHIZE: We told them to go back to their houses, because it was not necessary for them to be there, we only wanted males.

MR STRYDOM: Apart from the arms, did the people wear any identifying marks or things like that?

MR MKHIZE: Yes.  We used to use head bands.

MR STRYDOM: What was the purpose of the head bands?

MR MKHIZE: The purpose was for us to be able to identify one another.

MR STRYDOM: Still there at the stadium, when you said that Boipatong should be attacked, did you give any detail as to exactly how Boipatong should be attacked, or will be attacked?

MR MKHIZE: No.  I cannot remember very well, but yes, I remember that I indicated that we are going to enter Boipatong.  Nothing else was going to be done, except to attack.
	We were aware of the existence of the Defence Unit members at Boipatong, and these are the people who were responsible for burning people.

MR STRYDOM: Who led the people out of the hostel en route to Boipatong?

MR MKHIZE: It was myself.

MR STRYDOM: Were you armed?

MR MKHIZE: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: What kind of arm did you have?

MR MKHIZE: I had an AK.

MR STRYDOM: Now, I want you to tell now in your own words what happened just prior entering Boipatong.

MR MKHIZE: When we arrived, we waited for others to arrive and thereafter we entered.
	There were many of us and some of us had been left behind, but we waited for them and when they arrived, we then got entry into Boipatong.

MR STRYDOM: Did you give any further instructions at that stage?