Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 2000-08-28

CHAIRPERSON: Good morning.  For the purposes of the record I am Judge Pillay.  I'm going to ask my colleagues here to identify themselves for the purposes of the record and so too the various representatives.

JUDGE POTGIETER: My name is Denzil Potgieter.

MR LAX: Good morning, my name is Ilan Lax.

MR MGIDLANA: My name Tangwe Fika Mgidlana.  I'm appearing for the applicant in this matter.

MR NONTENJA: My name is Sidwell ...(indistinct) Nontenja.  I'm appearing for the victims.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you spell you name?

MR: S-I...

CHAIRPERSON: No, the surname please.

MR NONTENJA: N-O-N-T-E-N-J-A

CHAIRPERSON: Nontenja.

MR NONTENJA: That's correct.

MS THABETHE: Thank you.  My name is Thabile Thabethe.  I'm the Evidence Leader for the TRC.  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Which application is this, Ms Thabethe?

MS THABETHE: We are hearing the application of Basil Dumisane Mafu.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.  Mr Mgidlana.

MR MGIDLANA: Thank you Judge.  I will lead the evidence of Mr Mafu.  May he be sworn in?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: (sworn states)

MR MGIDLANA: Thank you Chairperson.

MR MGIDLANA: Mr Mafu could you give us your full names?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: My full names are Basil Kanye Dumisane Mafu.

MR MGIDLANA: Where and when were you born?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I was born in Roelofvale in the erstwhile Transkei on the 11th of September 1957.

MR MGIDLANA: You are here to move an application for the granting of amnesty in respect of certain incidents.  Which political organisation did you belong to?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I belonged to and still belong to the African National Congress.

MR MGIDLANA: When did you join the ANC?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I joined the ANC around 1978 and joined its military wing in 1981, 1980.

MR MGIDLANA: Did you receive any military training?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I underwent military training in Angola and the Soviet Union.

MR MGIDLANA: Having undergone military training, where were you deployed?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I first served in the military camp of the ANC in Angola.  Later on I served in the front, that is inside South Africa, as a Regional Commander for the Transkei.

MR MGIDLANA: Do you recall the year in which you served in the Transkei?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I think I was infiltrated into the country at the beginning of 1986, or late 1985.  I can't recall the dates exactly, but I operated in the Transkei between the years 1986 and 1987, that is being physically inside the country, in the Transkei.

MR MGIDLANA: When you say you operated in the Transkei, what kind of operations were you involved in?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I was involved mainly in covert operations of the nature of assault on police stations, ...(indistinct).  I think mainly those were the operations.  I'm also saying when I was physically inside the Transkei, because even if I was still outside the Transkei, having retreated to a neighbouring country, I still held the responsibility of Regional Commander for that area.

MR MGIDLANA: I gather that you were a Regional Commander, is that correct?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: That's correct.

MR MGIDLANA: When did you become the Regional Commander?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I was the Regional Commander from, as I'm saying, from the beginning of 1986 up until I would say 1988, if I'm not mistaken.

MR MGIDLANA: As a Regional Commander, what duties did you have to shoulder?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I had to shoulder the responsibility of advancing the struggle in the area I was deployed in.  This involved both political and conducting military operations, so I had a number of units under me, deployed in the area.

MR MGIDLANA: In your application for amnesty you have almost about three incidents.  Can you tell us which one happened first?

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Mgidlana, he's mentioned four, together with one that seems to be a blanket application, being (e).

MR MGIDLANA: Let me rephrase the question.  You have mentioned about three incidents in which you were directly involved, by directly, physically involved.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: That's correct.

MR MGIDLANA: The fourth one being the one that took place in Mzamba.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: That's correct.

MR MGIDLANA: Now in respect of those that you were directly involved, are you able to tell us which one happened first, so that we start with that?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: If I may remember well, I think the Borris Sedawu bombing was the first one, if I still recall.

CHAIRPERSON: Which one did you say?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: The Borris Sedawu bombing.

MR MGIDLANA: Do you recall in which year did it take place?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I think it was 1986.

MR MGIDLANA: Are you able to tell us with whom were you personally involved by the way?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Together with Maziz Makadeza.  We discussed this operation with Setselo Manki, they are unfortunately both deceased now.  Setselo Manki then was working as a clerk at the Borris Sedawu building.  We therefore organised a limpet mine which we primed and handed over to Setselo Manki to go and place, if I remember well I think it was the registry section of the Borris Sedawu building, which he did.

CHAIRPERSON: Who is that?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Setselo Manki.

CHAIRPERSON: He was the one that was working at ...

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: The three of you discussed this matter and in terms of the plan Manki would go place that bomb in what you say was the registry section.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: That's right.

MR LAX: Was he a clerk in that section?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I beg your pardon?

MR LAX: Was he a clerk in that section or where was he working?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I'm not sure whether he was in that section, but he was working within that department.

MR LAX: That department?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Yes.

MR MGIDLANA: Do you know which department that was?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I can't be sure whether it was the Department of Interior or whatever.  I'm not sure of the department exactly.

CHAIRPERSON: Well anyway, it doesn't really matter.  He had access to the building.

MR MGIDLANA: Now, are you able to tell the Committee as to why did you chose Borris Sedawu building?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: This was more of a political statement, because I remember at the time, I think it was at the time of the death of King Sebata, so there was a lot of arrogance on the part of the then Transkei Government.

CHAIRPERSON: So who was head of it then?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Pardon?

CHAIRPERSON: Who was the head of the Transkei?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: It was Matanzima, then as I'm saying ...(intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: Whose death are you talking about?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: King ...(indistinct) Sebata.  So there was a lot of arrogance on the part of the Transkei Government pertaining to that and there was a lot of ill feeling within the communities in general, so this was in relation to that, it was a political statement on the part of the African National Congress.

CHAIRPERSON: Tell me more about this arrogance.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: About the?

CHAIRPERSON: About the arrogance on the part of the then Transkei authority.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: King Sebata, Dalingyebo had been persecuted out of the Transkei and he went into exile.  He was exiled to Lusaka, Zambia.  I think that's where he passed away, so during his passing away, there was a lot of adverse publicity on the part of the Transkei Government.

CHAIRPERSON: Against?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Against Sebata and the ANC, so we wanted to respond to that arrogance in a way which could be seen by everybody, that the ANC is opposed to what the Matanzima Government was saying.

CHAIRPERSON: Sebata was a known supporter of the ANC?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I beg your pardon?

CHAIRPERSON: Sebata.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: He was by then a member of the ANC.

MR MGIDLANA: According to your plan, having chosen Borris Sedawu building as a target, what time did you want this bomb to go off?