Amnesty Hearings — Vereeniging — 1999-01-25

MR STRYDOM: The other paragraph you pointed out to me relates to the request for further particulars and the answer given there.  I'm going to translate this paragraph and you must tell me what you say is incorrect
"Shortly after the attack goods from Boipatong were burnt.  Mkhize and Damara gave instructions.  Themba Khosa said during a meeting after the attack that we should burn blooded clothes.  The video which I took during the attack was burnt."
Are you happy with that paragraph?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: To which extent are you not happy with that paragraph?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: It is that issue of bloodstained clothes, nobody gave such an order.  Damara, Xongo and Metjie Mkhize ordered us to burn the videos to do away with the evidence.

MR STRYDOM: Are you also known as or your nickname during that period as Stickenau?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Is that a nickname for a person that walks with a limp?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know a policeman by the name of Peens?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know a person by the name of Andries Nosenga also known as Matanzima.

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Where do you know him from?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: I know him from Madala Hostel.

MR STRYDOM: You've heard the allegations that's been put to the other witnesses which basically boils down to the fact that he came to the hostel before the attack.  What do you say about that?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is not correct.

MR STRYDOM: He also made a reference to a meeting that took place before the attack where Themba Khoza and Peens addressed the hostel dwellers.  Do you have any knowledge of that?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: In Mr Nosenga's affidavit it's also stated that on the night of the attack Casspir vehicles picked up various residents of the hostel including a person by the name of Lucky and he stated that he was limping.  Now if one accepts that reference to that Lucky, his reference to you, what do you say about these allegations?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: There were no police vehicles on that day.  We walked to Boipatong.  When we were next to an open space we stopped, split in two groups and went into the township. I did not see police vehicles on that day.

MR STRYDOM: During the course of the attack or shortly thereafter did you see any military vehicles?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: Yes, after the attack I saw two military vehicles and they wanted to stop us entering into Kwamadala Hostel.  Themba Mabote shot in their direction and they drove off taking the direction leading to Sebokeng.

MR STRYDOM: Was that the only defence force or police vehicles you saw during the course of the attack or shortly thereafter if I could put it that way?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: I saw them approaching from Vanderbijlpark.

MR STRYDOM: But when was that?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: When we were coming out of Boipatong.

MR STRYDOM: Now you indicated in your application that you were in Damara's group and you did explain briefly what did you do in Boipatong which places did you go to and what did you do inside Boipatong?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: We were breaking windows and others were getting into the houses, opening the doors.  I smashed the windows in Boipatong.

MR STRYDOM: Did you injure or kill any person in Boipatong?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: Could you see that any person was injured or killed by some other of your co-attackers?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: I could not see anything on that day but because of the shots that were fired there's a possibility that people might have been killed or injured and the next day it was reported that the people were killed in Boipatong and it was alleged that they were killed by the people from Kwamadala.

MR STRYDOM: Apart from breaking windows did you go into houses yourself?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: There is this one house that I got into and I took a video away but there were no people in the house, they had run away already.

MR STRYDOM: And is that video you returned to the Kwamadala Hostel?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Why did you take the video?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: I took this video to sell it in Kwamadala, we were starving.  I did not even have clothes to wear.  When I arrived at Kwamadala I only had the clothes that were on my person only so I wanted to sell this video so that I can buy clothes and buy food.

MR STRYDOM: Your parents, where did they stay during the attack?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: They stayed in Sebokeng.
ADV. DE JAGER: Could you return to your parental home?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: Why not?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: There was a group of comrades who accosted me, they assaulted me and they told me to tell them where my friend was.  They claimed that we were members of IFP.  I managed though to escape from them and a certain friend of mine called Mapondo advised me to go to Kwamadala Hostel, I did not know Kwamadala Hostel then.  I agreed, we went together.  He told us that there was accommodation at Kwamadala Hostel and we could stay there.  The comrades had killed Tompie Vilakazi who was my friend.  They chopped him with ...[indistinct] and pangas, I got very scared and I retreated to the hostel.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know why the comrades accused you of being a member of the IFP?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: Yes.  A certain boy who was a scholar at Lekwashando was killed, his name Lata so he was killed by my friends.  I was not present in that group now when they were searching for my friends they came to me but I told them that I did not know their whereabouts.  They then left with me, assaulted me with shamboks, I managed to escape to the police station, I met Mapondo, he advised me to go with him to Kwamadala Hostel.  He told me that there was accommodation and we would be safe and then we moved.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes I understand, I know that you were advised by Mapondo to go to hostel but what I want to find out is do you know, I mean apart from the fact that Lita Shando was killed there.  Do you know why the comrades accused you of being a member of the IFP?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: I really do not know, I do not know why they accused me.

MR STRYDOM: Apart from the fact that you could not return to Sebokeng, just prior to the attack could you move freely in the township Boipatong?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No we could not move free anywhere, not only Boipatong, Sebokeng included, Sharpeville and Boepalong.

MR STRYDOM: Did you know a person by the name of Victor Kezwa?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Were you a member of any hit squad?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: During the period before the attack were you aware of Victor Kezwa's activities?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: I only heard of them.

MR STRYDOM: When you got to Kwamadala Hostel did you become a member of the Youth Brigade?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Did you rape any person whilst you were in Boipatong during the attack?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: No.

MR STRYDOM: Now an allegation was made during the trial of this Boipatong Massacre case, that the allegation was made by one of the state witnesses that you bragged afterwards that you have raped a woman.  The witness also testified that he did not believe you and he thought that it was - you were just saying that to boost yourself but what do you say about the allegation that you said so?

SONNY MICHAEL MKWANAZI: This is a blatant lie.  The situation was very tense in Boipatong.  There was gunfire.  People were screaming.  There was no such act that could have taken place, an act of raping, the situation was just tense for such an action to happen, it was gunfire, people were screaming.  One would never take such an action.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know Prince Vanala Zulu?