Amnesty Hearings — Nelspruit — 1999-02-02

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Ms Bosman.  I just want to get clarification on one very minor aspect.  When you gave evidence you said that you saw Mr Hadebe at about 10 o'clock on the 28th of September, this is when this incident, the day of the occurrence of the incident, you saw him coming out of the company crying and you didn't know what he was crying about.  Now you saw him crying, how did you know that he was crying?  You saw tears coming out of his ...(intervention)

JOHANNA MSIBI: Yes, I saw his tears and he was leaving, going towards the gate.

CHAIRPERSON: Oh, I thought maybe there was a mistake in the translation or something.  Ms Sithole, oh sorry, Mr Sithole.

MR SITHOLE: Thank you, Madam Chair, I think that's the evidence on the side of the victims.  We are not going to call any further witnesses.
WITNESS EXCUSED

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.  Well we are greatly indebted to all of you for having made these proceedings to be as curtailed but also detailed as possible.  And our gratitude to Correctional Services for having acceded to our request and true to our undertaking, indeed we have been able to finalise at least this portion of the  evidence before four thirty.
	Where do we go from here, Mr Claassen, Mr Sithole and Ms Thabete.  I'm not calling you lastly because you are a lady, because you are our Evidence Leader, I think the ball should really be in Mr Claassen's court.  Insofar as the presentation or argument is concerned, do you want to address us today, which you can proceed to do and we don't need in that case the presence of the victims if Mr Sithole will be around.  You can proceed to do so or you may elect to do so tomorrow morning.

MR CLAASSEN: Thank you for the opportunity, Madam Chair.  If it will suite all the relevant parties I would prefer to address the Committee tomorrow morning.

CHAIRPERSON: Can we just arrange with you some of the issues that we would like you to apply your minds on when you prepare for your address.

MR CLAASSEN: Certainly, I would appreciate that.  You will see that from the papers and on the evidence led by Mr Hadebe in particular, his testimony is basically that he only participated in the planning of the attack and that planning was on the 27th of September, but denies participation in the attack that led to him being convicted for the offences for which amnesty is being sought.  We would like you to address us specifically on that issue, whether he can qualify for amnesty for the offences for which he's convicted, on the basis of his participation only to the extent of planning for the commission of those offences.
	You may wish also to apply your mind on the question of proportionality and obviously on any other issue that you would like to address us on but mainly and fundamentally we would appreciate if you could give us something, specifically with regard to the first issue.

MR CLAASSEN: I will do so, and I thank you for the opportunity, Madam Chair.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Sithole, do you have any objection to the address being presented tomorrow morning without your clients being here?

MR SITHOLE: No, Madam Chair, I don't think it will have any effect whatsoever on my clients.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, we would like to extend our appreciation for the efforts I think made by the victims in attending these hearings.  We hope that on its own will go a great way in trying to heal the wounds that we know have been bleeding for quite some time.  We'll now bring these proceedings to a close and we'll resume tomorrow at 9 o'clock.  Thank you.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS