Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1998-04-17

ROMEO MBUSO MBAMBO: Yes that is correct.  That was not the end of it, we did not only expose what we did, we also went on to assist the eSikhawini community after our arrest.  The eSikhawini will also remember that there was a day when they were attacked on the day of The Line T.V. drama.  We had been arrested by then, we were no longer at eSikhawini but people who were continuing to operate were still at eSikhawini.  This T.V. drama, if I were explain so that those who don't know should understand, was explaining or discussing the dying of people and shooting of people in trains in Johannesburg and the characters were used as assassins in the drama, these characters spoke Isizulu and therefore in Johannesburg it was assumed that a person who spoke Isuzulu came from Natal and therefore he was Inkatha.  Many IFP leaders including Temba Kosa in Johannesburg spoke loudly and vociferously about this T.V. drama in the media in all sorts of community forums, explaining that this drama would anger AmaZulu so that they would be pushed into fighting because the kind of picture portrayed in the drama was such that AmaZulu are the ones who were killing people in the trains.  As I have explained that when it is said that AmaZulu would get angry and fight, that is actually a command.  Here at eSikhawini M.R. Mkhize of the Empangeni office and as well as the member of eSikhawini in J2 who is also a leader of the IFP at the time, Solo Dube, together with B.B. Biele the Mayor, they brought together Constable Umleje who was working at the eSikhawini Police Station as well as Jabulani Kanele from Port Danford who was working at the bakery and they gave them G3's, they then went to attack all houses in J1.
	All houses that were watching television on that hour during which the drama was shown on television, that was
actually a sign to the effect that what Temba Kosa from Johannesburg was saying was actually a word of instruction that would be carried out.  
	That is not the end of it, I will also explain further as to how we knew that because we were incarcerated.  There were white police officers who were investigating the case for which we were arrested.  One of the them was Major van der Zwagen and Brigadier du Preez.  They booked the three of us out from the Pietermarizburg prison and they took us to a park where we braaied meat.  A combi from their unit also arrived.  In that combi was Jabulani Kanele, Jabulani Kanele he was a suspect.  Major van der Zwagen then told us that there was a person who was claiming to be one of our members and they were investigating him about the incidents of the night of "The Line".  We then got into the car and we asked Jabulani Kanele how things were going at eSikhawini.  Because he trusted us, because at the time nobody knew that we had now started working in collaboration with the I.T.U., he then told us the entire story.  We then told him to relax and that nothing was going to happen to him and then related this story to Major van der Zwagen and Major du Preez. 
	These two policemen were not investigating to arrest this guy but just to confirm if he was indeed one of our members and then they would release him because Major van der Zwagen and Major du Preez were then at the time working for Inkatha.  I have evidence of this which I can demonstrate.  They took Dina Mkhize saying that they are taking him to make statements to the Goldstone Commission.  He was kept in Pietermaritzburg at Townhill for the entire week, he made these statements and then they took these statements to M.Z. Khumalo in Ulundi.  I heard when I was asked by B.B. Biela as to why Dina was betraying them now.  When I asked how he knew about this he said Brigadier du Preez had taken Dina's statements to M.Z. Khumalo.  What I'm saying today can be attested to by several witnesses.  Captain Mazumkunu, Sergeant Masila and other policemen who worked within the I.T.U. with whom I was with when Biela told me this at his home.

MR WILLS: Yes, Mr Mbambo, thank you for that.  We're at the end of the day now, but in short if I can summarise the purpose, as I understand it, the purpose for your co-operation with the police after all of these atrocities and your co-operation with organisation like the I.T.U., like the Truth Commission, and previously with the Goldstone Commission, is simply for one purpose only and can you tell us what that purpose is, very briefly?

ROMEO MBUSO MBAMBO: It was to assist the I.T.U. to wipe out the hit squads because we regret our activities, we recognise our mistakes.

MR WILLS: Yes thank you very much.  Mr Chairperson there are one or two very small little issues that I'd just like to cover tomorrow just to round up this evidence but I see the hour is late so if I could do that in the morning?

CHAIRPERSON: Yes certainly Mr Wills, we will then, seeing that we've come to the end of the day's proceedings we'll adjourn until 9.30 tomorrow morning in this hall as well.
WITNESS EXCUSED
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS