Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 2000-10-06

MR LAX: Could you just go a little bit slower, Mr Mbandazayo, the Interpreters are struggling a little bit.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Thank you, Chairperson, I'll do that.
"The whites, as they were referred to then, were people who benefited from the apartheid regime.  Such an attack to such class of people would speed up the change, especially the negotiations that were on at that time.  It was also to weaken the apartheid government, because Translux as a parastatal body would lose money as people, the whites would feel insecure.
		It must be mentioned that the benefit I referred to is the power they have to vote and we, the African masses, had no vote.
		Late Sichumiso Nonxuba informed me that I was to be a Commander of the operation and Mandla would be sent from Umtata to Beaufort West, to assist in the operation.  
		On his arrival, I showed him the operation area and plan.  The following day, the 27th August 1993 at 12 midnight, we attacked the Translux bus at Ghamka River bridge near Fort Beaufort town.  The Translux bus was from Cape Town en route to Johannesburg.  We both retreated after firing some shots.  We heard later by late Sichumiso Nonxuba, when we phoned, that he heard the news that eight people have been injured in our operation.
		On the 28th, Friday, of August 1993, Mandla went back to Umtata with both firearms and ammunition.  We were never arrested and it was on the 9th of May 1996 that I was questioned by police with regard to the 27th August 1993 incident.  I denied any knowledge of that matter.  
		The operation was successful because the State President, then Mr de Klerk, was out of the country in Chile, he stated that there were parties that were going to withdraw from the negotiations and he also cancelled his official trip and came back to South Africa.
		A few months later a date of the general election was set.  This is my view of the political situation and it is how the incident was politically motivated."
	Statement submitted by the Deponent and the signed original by Mr Henge, Chairperson.
	Mr Henge, do you confirm that this affidavit was made by yourself and you abide by its contents?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: Yes, Sir.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Chairperson, as I indicated, I would like to just before anything else, go to paragraph 10 for clarity.
	Mr Henge, can you tell the Committee what do you mean by you were phoned by late Sichumiso Nonxuba in Umtata to select a target that is specifically Translux bus, to attack it?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: Actually Comrade Sichumiso phoned me and he told me they have already selected a target actually, I was to attack the target.  So I have to choose between the two that were going through Beaufort West, the one that was going through at 5a.m. in the morning and afterwards the other one was going through at 12 midnight.  So we chose the target.

MR MBANDAZAYO: So what you are telling the Committee is that Mr Nonxuba identified the target, but yours was to choose which of the targets you were to attack?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: Yes, due to the conditions.  Our condition then - I have to select a target that I'll know that it will be appropriate for us.

MR SIBANYONI: In actual fact, on paragraph 12 you elaborate on that, you say
"To choose which of the buses would be a best target in my operation"
You confirm that?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: Yes.

MR SIBANYONI: Thank you.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Thank you, Chairperson.  Chairperson, I wanted just to make sure about that paragraph, because I'm aware that - I'm indebted to the Member of the Committee, that there was in other paragraphs explained that he had to choose.
	But Mr Henge, now when you alleged that Mr Nonxuba phoned you, can you tell the Committee how did you know Mr Nonxuba before this incident, before he phoned you.

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: When I went to Transkei for my basic training I met him and it was said that he would be - I'm under his control, he is the Commander that I have to obey orders from.  So I knew him from Transkei.  So that is why he phoned me.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now when you underwent training in Mvumelwano, who was your Commander there?  Who trained you, who gave you the basic training?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: The person who gave me the basic training was a comrade known as Jomo, he was the one who trained me.  Sichumiso, I think he was a member of the High Command, so he asked an instructor, who was Jomo, to give me instructions.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Chairperson, I think some of the Members of the Committee know about Mr Nonxuba, he was one of the deputy's to Letklapa Mpahlele, the Director of Operations.

MR LAX: I can confirm we've heard many, many incidents and lots of evidence dealing with him.  Just for those of the members of the public present, he was a Commander based in Umtata and he was unfortunately killed, I can't remember the year, but it was after these operations.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Yes, Chairperson, he died in 1996 in a car accident.  He was, for the benefit of the members of the public, he's the man who was involved with the St James incident, he was commanding in St James.  He was also involved in the golf club incident.  He was from court in King William's Town when he was involved in the accident and he died.
	Now let's come to this.  When he phoned you, why Translux bus?  Did you ask him or did he tell you why Translux bus, you have to attack Translux?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: Sichumiso, when he phoned me he gave me an order to attack the Translux bus, so he didn't ask me, can I or would I or should I, he gave me an order to attack the Translux bus.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now at the time you were given the order, did you have any firearms when you came back from your basic military training initially?  Did you have any arms with you in Beaufort West?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: No, when I came back from Transkei I had no arms.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now you further indicated that you went to Transkei to fetch arms, how did you do that, did you have your own car or were you using the public transport?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: I was using the public transport to go and fetch the arms.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now you indicated that the arms, you were given arms, you took the arms from Ngangelizwe location in Umtata, can you - and these arms you were given by Sipho Polite, you knew him as Polite.

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: Yes, Polite went to - I phoned and I told them that I'm coming and he went to the bus terminus, took me from there, we went to Ngangelizwe and at Ngangelizwe we took the two R4 rifles, we put them in a suitcase, then he took me back to the public transport, then I went back to Beaufort West.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, Mr Henge, if I could just ask you a question.  You say you got two R4 rifles, if you take a look at page 116 of the documents, it talks about the R5 rifle, magazines and finding R5 ammunition.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Which page, Chairperson?

CHAIRPERSON: 116, paragraph 24.  This is a statement by Immanuel Motseke Kayane.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Chairperson, if I may chip in on this aspect.  I don't know the relevance of this, because this was relating to Gotle incident, Abel Oupa Gotle.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes I was just wondering what it was.  So it's nothing to do with this?

MR MBANDAZAYO: None, Chairperson, bar when I was going through the ... I did not find any relevance to this incident, Chairperson.  I don't know.

MR LAX: Just from this point of view, what I assumed, reading it, was that possibly the R4 mentioned in paragraph 12 was one of the R4s that may have found its way to that arms cache in Lesotho.  But I've seen this affidavit before in other matters and I'm not quite sure why it was put in this bundle, but it may just be for background information.

CHAIRPERSON: So you're sure it was R4s, not R5s that you got?

THEMBINKOSI HENGE: It's R4s, Sir.