Amnesty Hearings — Boksburg — UNKNOWN

MR MAPOMA: Do you know how Victor Malinmoetse happened to lose his head?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I don't know, sir.

CHAIRPERSON: The time now is just after 11 o'clock, at an appropriate time would you indicate so that we can take the tea adjournment?

MR MAPOMA: Thank you, chairperson, I think I won't be long, I'll take about five to ten minutes, in fact five minutes, not more than five minutes with this witness and thereafter I think we could ...(intervention).

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, all right.

MR MAPOMA: You said when you killed these people, you thought that you were killing the enemy of the community?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I said so, sir.

MR MAPOMA: Did you hear from the community that these people are enemies of the community?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: The community did not say, but according to their activities I perceived them as the enemy of the community.

MR MAPOMA: And you are referring to their alleged criminal activities?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: Yes, for example in the morning when we wake up, we would find that people were burnt in their shacks.

MR MAPOMA: You said you thought they don't know the constitution of the ANC Youth League, did you know the constitution or the policy of the ANC, you as a member of the ANC?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: According to my knowledge, a member of the ANC cannot harass the community where he lives, that is why the way they were behaving themselves, they were not loyal to the constitution of the ANC, but they were doing gangster activities.

MR MAPOMA: Now according to the policy of the ANC, can a member of the ANC kill a supporter or a member of the ANC?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: No sir.

MR MAPOMA: Thank you, no further questions, chairperson.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR MAPOMA

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Sibanyoni, do you have any questions?

MR SIBANYONI: Thank you, Mr Chairperson, I have one or two questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, all right.

MR SIBANYONI: Mr Nkomo, these people who were killed on the veld, do you agree they were members of the ANC Youth League?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I don't believe that they were members of the ANC Youth League, because of their criminal activities.

MR SIBANYONI: Do their criminal activities make them not to be members of the ANC Youth League?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: That is correct, their criminal activities shows that they were in disguise that they were in the membership of the ANC Youth League.

MR SIBANYONI: When the ISU, Instability, I mean Internal Stability Unit, arrived at Bulelwa or Blanko's house to collect the corpse, were you present?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I was next to the shack where they were kept, sir.

MR SIBANYONI: When these youth were driven or taken to the veld, I reckon it was already broad daylight?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: Yes, it was daylight.

MR SIBANYONI: Where was the members of the communities, were not other people around who perhaps tried to intervene that these people should not be taken to the veld?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: No, there were people who were trying to intervene, because after the Stability Unit left, all those people disbursed.   When we drove them to the veld, there were no people around.

MR SIBANYONI: Thank you, no further questions, Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.   Mr Malan, do you have any questions?

MR MALAN: No questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, thank you.   Mr Motata?

ADV MOTATA: Mr Chair, I'll rather put questions after the tea break.

CHAIRPERSON: We'll take a tea break now, we will return at half past eleven.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: (s.u.o.)

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, Mr Motata?

ADV MOTATA: Thank you, chairperson.   Mr Nkomo, this question of gangsterism existed before the 7th of December 1993, would I be wrong if I said so?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: Yes, it was long in existence.

ADV MOTATA: And we know that prior to that, the 7th of December 1993, there were people dying and some, as you said, burnt in their shacks, isn't it so?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: That is correct.

ADV MOTATA: And prior to the 7th of December 1993, no action was taken against the gangsters?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: It was once tried to call the members of the so-called Youth League to discuss these activities.   Then they separated themselves from the SDU, they decided to be  independent, because they were told that criminal activities are not wanted in the community, they must actually protect the community.

ADV MOTATA: This Vips, we know that he was the leader of what you term gangsters?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: Yes, he was the leader.

ADV MOTATA: Was any action taken prior to the 7th of December 1993 against him?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I remember that the executive of the SDU called them, they called the executive of the youth, they sat around the table to discuss the situation, and the report that we got was that they reported to them, but well they don't know whether they will stop with their acts of taking people's property.   I remember at one stage block D called a meeting, it was only men and the youth, and they were being warned to stop taking people's properties, hijacking cars and killing people just on the basis of a suspicion.

ADV MOTATA: If, or rather let me put it this way, were those who were doing the hijackings identified amongst the so-called ANC Youth League?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: Yes, together with Vips, those are the people responsible for these criminal acts.   For instance the killing of Majosi with his two cousins and the looting of his shop, they came to the executive of the SDU asking for forgiveness, they said they heard that Majosi was a member of Inkatha.

ADV MOTATA: After these meetings which were where they were warned and they asked for forgiveness, did these acts of criminality continue?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: That is correct, they continued.

ADV MOTATA: And no action was taken after warning was given to them, no action was taken?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: The action that I remember that was taken, they were told not to patrol at night anymore, they must only patrol during the day, because when they patrol at night, people die.

ADV MOTATA: As far as you know, did they stop patrolling at night?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: They stopped for a while, but during our patrol at night, we met them patrolling.

ADV MOTATA: And you did nothing when you met them at night patrolling?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: No sir, we just left them.

ADV MOTATA: Would you explain to us why, on the 6th of December 1993, you decided on this drastic action to now run them up, what was the reason therefor?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: The reason was that they killed Bulelwa and the chairman of the SDU, Comrade Blanko, these were the things they have been reprimanded for, they were told to stop such actions.

ADV MOTATA: And Comrade Blanko was chairman of the SDU's, hence you said, "Now enough is enough"?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: That is correct, he was the chairperson.

ADV MOTATA: Now you mentioned names Makobong, Sonte, Michael Armoed and others when you went out to look for these people.   Did you know who you were going to look for?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: No, I did not know who we were looking for, we were going to search for those whom we would find, and anything that would trace them to the incident.   I already told you about those we caught in possession of the cigarette cartons, Vusi and Tusanang, they confirmed that they were together at Blanko's house.

ADV MOTATA: Before this search for these people, did you ask your comrades which people you were going to look for, for instance people who killed Comrade Blanko?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I did not ask.

ADV MOTATA: Other than those you mentioned, how many of you were in your group when you went out to look for these people?

LANGA MICHAEL NKOMO: I do not remember the others.   I could have given you all the names when I gave you those I have mentioned, others I do not remember.