Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 1998-09-08

NORMAN ARENDSE: Now when you were deployed to Cape Town or to come to Cape Town, what were your instructions?  Can you tell us what your instructions were?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: The instruction was to recruit Africans and establish APLA units and train comrades for the task force, the task force that would defend the members of the PAC and to ensure no enemies infiltrate the PAC, and to ensure that the APLA soldiers who are coming, I should welcome those and make sure that the operations here in Cape Town are going on.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Were you also instructed to carry out any operations?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is so.

NORMAN ARENDSE: When you instructed to carry out operations, who were to be the targets?  The operations were to be carried out against whom?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Our targets were people like the SAP, SADF and whites because those were the people who were oppressing the Africans.  As everyone knows about this history of South Africa, that the land of the Africans were taken from the Africans.  We never had rights as Africans in South Africa.

NORMAN ARENDSE: The targets, whose task was it to identify the targets?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: The commander of the unit was the one who would take a decision about the target to be attacked and monitor that target.

NORMAN ARENDSE: So these targets which we're going to deal with now, would it be correct that you were responsible for identifying them as targets, in your capacity as unit commander?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is so.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Now let's deal with the first one: The Khayelitsha Police Vehicle Attack in Zolo Budd Road or Drive, I think it's also referred to.  This happened towards the end of 1992, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Correct.

NORMAN ARENDSE: You were involved in the attack with someone by the name of Mtura: M-T-U-R-A, and together with Gcinikhaya Makoma, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Correct.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Tell us about the attack, how did it come about?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: The two people here, Mtura and one comrade and the third comrade was Gcinikhaya Makoma.  Mtura came in the company of one comrade.  When they came I had to contact Mzala as my commander.  I wanted to know what was happening.  I wanted to know whether these comrades were here to work in Cape Town.
	I later realised that they were supposed to work in the area of Transvaal.  Mtura said these comrades should go.  They were to be involved in an operation and leave Cape Town thereafter.

CHAIRPERSON: Which comrade was supposed to go?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: It was Mtura and one other comrade, I don't know his name.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, but you said: "Mtura said that these comrades should go".

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: It is Mandla who said I must involve them in an operation.  It's Mandla who was my commander.

NORMAN ARENDSE: So do I understand you correctly that Mtura and one other person came to your house and Mandla then instructed you to involve the two of them in this particular operation?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct, that is so.

NORMAN ARENDSE: So it would have been you, Mtura, the other person who is not known to you, and Makoma.  The four of you were involved in this operation?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Were all of them members of APLA?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Mtura and the other comrade were a members of APLA and Gcinikhaya Makoma was still receiving training from the task force.  He was a very disciplined person and also obedient.

NORMAN ARENDSE: How did Makoma become involved in this operation?  Was he also instructed by Mzala or did you instruct him, how did he get involved?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I'm the person who instructed him to be involved, to get involved because we needed a person who was going to give a signal when the other people would be busy doing something else.  Makoma and the other comrade were there to give a signal whenever the police van was coming from the bushes.  If it's coming from Makoma's side, therefore he would give a signal and if it was coming from the direction of the other comrade the other comrade would also give a signal because we wouldn't see it coming.

NORMAN ARENDSE: So the operation was to attack a police van, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

NORMAN ARENDSE: You attacked the van with weapons?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, that is correct.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Tell us about the weapons used during this attack.

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I used an R4 rifle, Mtura had an R4 rifle and I gave Gcinikhaya Makoma an AK47 and I gave the other comrade an AK47.

NORMAN ARENDSE: And just tell us about the operation itself, did it take place, what time of the day did it take place?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: It was late in the night.  I'm not sure about the time, but it was late in the night.

NORMAN ARENDSE: And did you fire on the van?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, I shot at the vehicle and Mtura did so, though my firearm locked.

NORMAN ARENDSE: So was it only you and Mtura who shot at the van?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes.

NORMAN ARENDSE: What was the purpose of the attack, why did you attack the van?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: The purpose, we wanted to hit the police van and when it stops and I would issue an order to those people who were therefore signal, I would order them to disarm these police so as to get more weapons for the other soldiers.

NORMAN ARENDSE: When you shot at the van did the van stop?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: No, it did not stop because my firearm locked when it was supposed to release the third bullet.  So the operation was not successful because the van couldn't stop.

NORMAN ARENDSE: So you regarded this as an unsuccessful operation?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, that's correct.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Did you report the operation to the APLA High Command?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, after that I phoned Mzala and I told him about this operation and I told him that the operation was not successful.  I told him that Mtura and the other comrade left Cape Town.  They left Cape Town the following day.

NORMAN ARENDSE: And what happened to Makoma?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: After the operation I released Gcinikhaya Makoma to go back to his family.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Was Makoma from Cape Town?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, he was residing at Site C.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Do you know what happened - you shot at the van, do you know whether - I take it you hit the van?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, though I'm not sure whether anyone was injured but I'm sure that no-one died there during that attack.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Okay.

ADV SANDI: Sorry Mr Arendse.
	Mr Tanda, did the shots hit the body of the police vehicle?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: You fired two shots, then you AK47 locked, is that what you said?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: It locked when it was supposed to release the third bullet, my firearm locked.

ADV SANDI: Mtura had also fired a shot at the vehicle?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: Thank you.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Walter, were you charged criminally with this particular offence?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: No.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Did you go to court for it?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: No, I never appeared but I am the one who released that information when I was filling in the application form.  I was never charged for the offence.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Maybe we can just move on then to the next offence in respect of which you seek amnesty.  This is the Cross Roads Police Attack.
	Now your orders you received from Mzala, is that correct?  Directly?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, correct.

CHAIRPERSON: For this particular attack?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I got order from Mzala because I used to connect with him telephonically and he said I must involve Africans in operations.

NORMAN ARENDSE: Did it also include the Cross Roads Police Attack?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes.