Amnesty Hearings — Hammarsdale — 1998-08-12

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: One day my homes was hit by Mkhize Nkosi, you pass one house away from my home.  Roy was like a Coloured when you look at him, Njeleni, Sgangi, that I still remember, those are the ones that I still remember.  No, I started it in the middle, let me start - when I met Roy he was actually with the son of Shosi, that is Vusi Shosi and Njeleni.  When I was going down nearby Mtoyi I was with another girl.  Her name was Pumsili Umbata.  As we were walking down nearby Mtoyi, when you pass Eustace, or Eustace was another place and then they just shot with a 9 mm randomly up.  At that time I took the shirt out of my trouser, they thought I was armed.  We just walked and we said nothing.  When I arrived at home -that is where he made that gunshot - nearby Nglovu, he wasn't actually pointing the gun at me he was just shooting at random, up.  I just kept quiet and looked at them and that evening I also heard a gunshot again and I heard the sound that it's a rifle and my dad said - at home it was in a four roomed house with the back bedrooms and dad said they should call me and father asked if I can hear that gunshot and before he could swallow his words I was standing on the passage and Baba was lying down already and the bullet just entered through the window in the kitchen and it hit the wall and we then realised that these people are attacking our home.  No, no, I made a mistake when I said it's Pumsili, it was Maureen Tuzi.  At that time that girl that I left her in my room at the back and after a short while I saw my brother's house it was on fire and also they were in the ...[indistinct] they were throwing stones and there I heard the girl screaming and then I just - I was lying down in the kitchen when I was trying to peep outside, Buthisa, Sgangi and Njeleni and Buthisa and Sgangi had a gun and they were on our neighbour and they approached from the stairs with another girl and they were just saying "you bitch, Ngata's bitch" and this girl said "I don't know where he is" and they stabbed the girl there on the street severely and then they came back and that girl just lay there and then they came back and they were throwing stones on our house.  We didn't even have the gun, I was just holding my dad and my dad was complaining that his house is actually being - they're finishing his house and I'm pressing him down and he wants his sticks now and I was pressing the door, so and as they were pushing the door I was moving backwards and later on, when they already left my elder brother went out on the kitchen door and went down and went up and followed Daloxholo and them.  When they arrived with the guns the girl was just there was down, actually went down crawling up to my home and we asked and then I was asked and then - and I explained to the girl and we took her to Mirren Hospital and they realised that she has 32 wounds and then I came back.  I sat down with Zekele and after that Zekele asked me whether I know Nglovu's and I told him that I know and that's how we met and then we went there and we attacked there.  It was my group with Delatolo's group and then we went and then we made some gunshots there.  And that house, the structure of that house was sort of a bullet proof.  The person who was actually shot who was on our side, was Matlo Dalala on the arm.  Kholani, Mshengu shot Roy, the Coloured Roy on the arm, so on both the sides people were actually shot on their arms and then the windows were broken and then we ran away but Madla Induna was on the road.  We couldn't actually enter the house because it was a crossfire.  That's how we actually attacked that house, Nglovu's house.

MR WILLS: And you say that to the best of your knowledge nobody was killed in this attack but persons on both sides were wounded, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes it is like that.

MR WILLS: But in any event it was your intention to kill the persons in that house if it had been possible that night, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes, we were going to kill all of them.

MR WILLS: Now you refer in 20.7 to the attack of a UDF house in Unit 3 Mpumalanga and the death of a middle aged person found therein.  Can you tell us about that incident?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes.  Nearby the stairs, the double storied house at Madlala's, there's a boy, Zekele Langa, was staying on that row and there was a boy at Las Vegas who was busy talking there and then that boy was problematic on that line and then we went, we went to pour petrol, myself and Zekele and then we just passed that place and we didn't see anyone during the day and the afternoon.  The very same day, we went back with Teleweni and when we arrived there we found one gentleman not of our age and another lady.  They didn't want to open and we were asking them to open but they didn't.  Ngovele then was wearing size eleven in shoes.  Even how tough and how strong that door is he would just kick it once and it would open.  I knocked on the window but when we entered all the lights in the house were on.  When I knocked, all the lights went off, when I knocked they kept quiet and then I went at the back and then I knocked again and they were quiet and Ngovele went back, kicked the door and it opened and then we stood there.  I went in and then they followed me.  I went on the stairs, stood on the passage and they entered all the rooms, checking or searching under the beds, everywhere and they didn't find this person and we came back and talked with this gentleman and then while he was asked and then he said nothing and Zekele Langa stabbed this man.  We were just standing and then we went.

MR WILLS: Why did you attack that house, what was your purpose in going to attack that house?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: It had a UDF member.

MR WILLS: So Unit 3 - where did Unit 3 fall in relation - what sort of area was it, a UDF area or an IFP area?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: It is the base of UDF.

MR WILLS: Did anybody tell you to attack that specific house?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I wouldn't dare go without being told and when a member, IFP member comes to report something to Zekele and Zekele would actually tell us that we should do that work, that job should be carried out and then I could just proceed and yes indeed it was Zekele who told us to carry out that task.

MR WILLS: You've mentioned two Zekele's, Zekele Langa who I believe was your cousin and Zekele Nkethle.  Which Zekele told you to do this attack?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I'm referring to Zekele Nkethle who is the member of the central committee.

MR WILLS: Now the last incident you refer to here that you can recall is the murder of a Sangoma who stayed next door to Mrs Dlamini, is Itoto's mother, also in Unit 3 in Mpumalanga.  Can you tell us why you or what you know about the murder of this Sangoma?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes I can explain.  The one day the comrades killed Dlamini's member or person who was under - or thereafter Toto died.  If I'm not mistaken whether Itoto was the third one or the second one.  Itoto died.  Thereafter and this mother then went - we were at the IFP meeting by then and this mother thereafter went to Zekele Nkethle and said he's just discovered that her house, how her house has been destroyed or finished and again that very same house, some boys arrived from Clermont, that is the comrades and they would actually be finished in that house.  She was talking to Zekele Nkethle.

MR WILLS: Just sorry, Mr Hlongwane, you're not giving your evidence clearly.  This woman, what was the name of this woman, was that Mrs Dlamini?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes it is Mrs Dlamini.  She is the neighbour of the Sangoma.

MR WILLS: Yes but was she the person who went to Zekele and complained about the people from Clermont coming to stay in her house?