Amnesty Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — 1998-02-10

MR PRIOR: Mr Malevu, what I want to just hear from you as a member of committee of the PAC, were there clear signals coming from the leaders of the PAC, were they being filtered down clearly to people like you on the ground, that the armed struggle was to continue, or did there seem to you to be confusion as to whether the armed struggle should continue or not?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: The suspension of the armed struggle frightened me as I have said it was resolved that it should continue and that people had different views as to whether they should continue or not.
	However, at the end we are bound by the resolution which said that it has to continue and also the leaders from the regions also sent the very same message that it should continue.  So we had to obey them as members.

MR PRIOR: You went to Sweden, that was shortly before the attack in February, it was the 14th of February is that right?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: Was that in your capacity as a member of the PAC or as a member of the Trade Union?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: As a Civic Organisation member.

MR PRIOR: Were you aware at the time, or had you heard about the St James church attack in Cape Town, as well as the Heidelberg attack in December of 1993?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: You mean at the conference?

MR PRIOR: Well during your stay, when you went to Sweden, that was in the early part of 1994, were you aware, had you heard that those attacks had taken place?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: I wasn't told but I had seen it on the newspapers.  There wasn't a structure that gave the information to me.

MR PRIOR: Were you aware that APLA had claimed responsibility for those attacks?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: At the time when I got the information?

MR PRIOR: Yes, that is when you were in Sweden or shortly thereafter, that is before the Newcastle attack?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: I don't remember well as to how the information was which I found in the papers.  Whether the PAC claimed to have been responsible, I don't remember well.

MR PRIOR: All right.  Are you able to recall whether there was any international condemnation on that type of operation?  I am asking you particularly whilst you were in Sweden?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: The complain regarding white people?

MR PRIOR: That the international community was opposed to that type of operation where innocent civilians were being killed in restaurants and in churches?  Were you aware of that voice that was in Europe at the time?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: Yes, it used to happen.

MR PRIOR: Now, when you came back to the Republic you then told the Committee that you then actively participated in the preparation for the attack on the Newcastle discotheque?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: Were you able to give any information to your colleagues, Mr Tanda and Mr Shiceka  and the others regarding the identification or the identity of the target?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: If I remember well, we arrived on Friday, the operation was carried out on Monday.  I think they had already done most of the preparation when I arrived.

MR PRIOR: You became aware that the Crazy Beat discotheque was to be attacked at some stage before the attack, is that correct?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: Did you know that from your, I mean you lived in that area, did you know that it was a discotheque, it was a place where people went to enjoy themselves, to dance and to drink, is that correct?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: Yes, I knew.

MR PRIOR: Did you also know that those people were unarmed civilians?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: It is clear that they are usually armed, you see them when they go around, carrying their firearms.

MR PRIOR: Are you saying that the patrons of the Newcastle discotheque were normally armed, they carried firearms?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: Not all of them, but it is clear that as a man you normally carry firearms.

MR PRIOR: Is that just something that you accept from what you have heard or what you have read, or do you know that from your own knowledge?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: That is from my own knowledge.

MR PRIOR: What I am driving at, is that can you possibly explain to the Committee, how was the attack on a discotheque where civilians were in attendance going to assist the struggle that the PAC and APLA were embarked on, can you assist us on that?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: According to the information that I had with regard to the operation, it was that there will be many white people at the place where they will be enjoying themselves.

MR PRIOR: Yes?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: I will say that is the crux of the matter.

MR PRIOR: An attack in those circumstances, against white people, predominantly white people, how was that going to assist in overthrowing the regime, or how was it going to assist in achieving democracy?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: The PAC's principles are clear.  It also stated in one of principles that one of their aims is to topple the oppressive government and if they do attack the white people, the ruling people, the government will take it seriously and they will go about trying to change.

MR PRIOR: But it was common knowledge at that time, February 1994, that the elections were scheduled for April, as your counsel put it, two months away?  Is that not so?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: And by all accounts the indications were overwhelmingly that there will be a black majority government?  Maybe not a PAC led government, but certainly an ANC led government?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: It wasn't very clear since the ANC insisted that we should continue attacks, we didn't believe or wholly believe in the elections.

MR PRIOR: Sorry, I don't follow that.  You say the ANC indicated that the attacks should continue, I didn't quite follow?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: I am saying even if we were about to go through the elections, the organisation at the conference took a resolution that we should continue with the armed struggle, knowing that there will be elections.
	They were using the strategy that they will go to the elections while also attacking at the same time.

MR PRIOR: All right, let's put it in a different way.  Correct me if I am mistaken, was the attack on a purely white target, in other words involving white civilians, was that to put pressure on the white section of the electorate, in other words to pressurise them into voting the right way, in other words away from the Nationalist Party led government at the time?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: No, we didn't attack them so that they should love us.

MR PRIOR: Why did you attack them, can you maybe explain that?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: It was clear that when you attack them, the people have the channel to go to government and tell them that there should be change in the country.

MR PRIOR: Did you do anything to advise your colleagues from APLA, that is your two co-applicants or any of the others, to desway them from attacking the discotheque?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: I never discouraged it.

MR PRIOR: Mr Chairman, I noticed it is one o'clock, are we going to carry on?  I will probably be another ten minutes at the most.

CHAIRPERSON: Then maybe, let's carry on.

MR PRIOR: As the Committee pleases.  As far as you were concerned, and I am referring to what was in your mind, can you tell us, who ordered, who was the person that gave the order to attack the discotheque, in other words to attack, and I can put it in this context, a white target?

BONGANI GOLDEN MALEVU: In regards to the issuing of orders to go and attack, I shall think that that will come from the armed wing, and I wasn't involved with that.