Amnesty Hearings — Pretoria — 1997-02-26

UNKNOWN: Perhaps I could just, so that there are no secrets, perhaps I could just inform you what the 
situation is in regard to the first matter.
	You will notice the top one was the original Mr Chairman, you will notice Mr Chairman in 
paragraph 2.1 that Brig. Schoon refers to application for amnesty by J Cronje and four others and then over 
the page he lists the incidents in paragraph 2.2 in which he is implicated by way of the 19(4) notices and 
then pertinent to this particular matter which you are about to deal with now, he deals with in paragraph 3 
and perhaps I should read it into the record Mr Chairman then it is there, unless you have other directions 
in this regard, perhaps you just wish to read it yourself?

UNKNOWN: Will you just read that into the record?

UNKNOWN: Yes, if I may, Mr Chairman. Paragraph 3.1 he says,
		"In December 1996 an amnesty application was
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UNKNOWN: 199

<UNKNOWN>: launched for me before the Amnesty Committee where inter alia I deal with this relevant 
incident.  I confirm the correctness of my own role in this as described in the application 
of Jack Cronje ...."
obviously referring to the written application Mr Chairman,
		"... but I do not have any personal knowledge of how the operation was executed. As a 
result I cannot be of much assistance to the Amnesty Committee in this regard and for 
that reason my amnesty application on Page 58 does not contain much information". 
So it is really a question of no contest at this time as matters stand on the papers, Mr Chairman.

ADV DE JAGER: Mr Visser, could I just get clarity on that, we know that these men have been murdered. 
Brig. Cronje says he received instruction from Brig. Schoon and Gen. van Rensburg, I don't know if you 
are representing Gen. Steenkamp I am sorry not Van Rensburg - to go and find out where Nyanda resided 
and then to eliminate him. Was that an instruction to go and kill him?

UNKNOWN: Mr Chairman as I understand it, yes, and Brig. Schoon confirms it as being correct but I 
am not representing Steenkamp.

ADV DE JAGER: We just want some clarity on the word "eliminate" because it gets used quite often and 
sometimes I get the impression that not everyone is ad idem as to what it means.

UNKNOWN: I would be surprised if he said "eliminated" meant anything other than what we know it to 
mean.

UNKNOWN: Yes.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Thank you Mr Chairperson, may I be 
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ADV DU PLESSIS: 200

UNKNOWN: permitted to call Brig. Cronje?

UNKNOWN: Yes, please do.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Thank you Mr Chairman you will find this on Page 52.

JUDGE WILSON: Has General Steenkamp been given notice  Mr Mpshe?

MOKOTEDI MPSHE: Mr Chairperson, I will have to go through my file.

UNKNOWN: Alright, go through your file and let us know.  Let's proceed in the meanwhile.  I am 
sorry, where were you referring to?

ADV DU PLESSIS: Page 52 Mr Chairman.

UNKNOWN: Thank you.

ADV DU PLESSIS: May I be permitted to proceed?

UNKNOWN: Just swear him in.

UNKNOWN: (s.u.o.)

ADV DU PLESSIS: Brigadier Cronje, this incident took place approximately 
February 1983. Is that correct?

UNKNOWN: Yes, that is correct.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Where were you stationed at the time?

UNKNOWN: I was the Commanding Officer at Vlakplaas.

ADV DU PLESSIS: What was your rank at the time?

UNKNOWN: I was a full Colonel.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Very well.  If you look at Page 53 of your application, could you explain to the 
Committee, and I will stop you where I want to put any extra questions, could you explain exactly what 
happened in this incident?

UNKNOWN: Zwele Nyanda was a prominent member of the ANC.  He was the head of the ANC's 
operations in Natal, at Natal Machinery.  The Security Branch knew that he resided 
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UNKNOWN: in Swaziland.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Could I just stop you there please, Brigadier, we have just received a request from the 
interpreters that when you read off your documents you please do it a bit slowly because they cannot keep 
up with you, so if you could please just read out a bit slower.
	After several acts of terrorism where civilians had been killed had been planned by him, what 
kind of acts were those?

UNKNOWN: These were bomb explosions as far as I know inter alia?

ADV DU PLESSIS: Were there any limpet mine explosions in which he was involved?

UNKNOWN: I am not sure, but it is possible that there was a limpet mine explosion.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Brigadier could you explain to the Committee how the instruction came about and 
where it came from?

UNKNOWN: Brigadier Schoon, who was my direct commanding officer at Vlakplaas at the time, gave 
me such an instruction and also General Steenkamp who at that stage was the head of the Security Branch 
in the Republic.  The instruction was to go to Swaziland, establish where Nyanda resided, where he 
operated from and then to eliminate him.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Could we proceed with the third paragraph.

UNKNOWN: The information was obtained from an informant. I would just like to correct - it was 
dealt with by the Piet Retief branch that Nyanda was residing in a house outside of Manzini. The informant 
provided us with the address. Captain Eugene de Kok, Warrant Officer Van Dyk, Constable Almond 
Nofomela, Constable Geoff - it was Sigu(?) 
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UNKNOWN: and I went to Vlakplaas from the Oshoek Border Post. At the Oshoek Border Post, a warrant officer from 
Piet Retief and a Warrant Officer Rohrig from Witbank proceeded with us to a hotel between Mbabane and 
Manzini. At approximately 1.00am that morning we went to Manzini and we initially attacked the house 
with stun grenades. All of us were involved.  When we launched our attack lights were switched on inside 
the house and I could see Nyanda moving, running from one room in the house to another and also running 
down the passage. Someone shot him in his legs from outside, I cannot remember exactly who that was.  
Thereafter he went into the bathroom where he locked the door. Someone else who was in the house, in the 
bedroom, at that stage, jumped out of the window and ran away.
	Almond Nofomela shot at the man and injured Geoff Besigu(?) in his ankle in the process. I shot 
the door of the house open and when I kicked the door open there was a man in the kitchen who had just 
come from the passage into the kitchen, he was wrapped in a blanket, he jumped up and ran down the 
passage. Immediately I went after him and I kicked open the door of the bedroom he had fled into, the light 
was on and I started shooting at the man. I killed him.
	There was a woman hiding in the wardrobe, we left her there and did not injure her. Thereafter I 
went out through the kitchen door again and I saw Nyanda trying to jump out of the bathroom window.  
Eugene de Kok shot him with an AK47, he fell, got up and ran away. De Kok shot him in his back 
whereafter he remained lying there. 
	We quickly searched the house and found documents containing plans to attack defence force 
vehicles 
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ADV DU PLESSIS: 202