Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 2000-08-31

LINDANI NTEANI: I would like to use Zulu.

LINDANI NTEANI: (sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: Please be seated.

MS MOHAMED: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Mr Nteani,  during 1991, were you a member of any political party?

LINDANI NTEANI: Yes.

MS MOHAMED: Which party was this?

LINDANI NTEANI: I was an ANC member.

MS MOHAMED: Did you occupy any specific rank within the organisation?

LINDANI NTEANI: Yes.

MS MOHAMED: What rank was this?

LINDANI NTEANI: I was the Chairperson of the ANC Youth League.

MS MOHAMED: For which area?

LINDANI NTEANI: In Mkababa, the Danganga Branch.

MS MOHAMED: For how long did you hold this rank?

LINDANI NTEANI: Prior to being the Chairperson of the Youth League, I was President of the Gangani Youth Congress, that was prior to the unbanning of the ANC.  When the ANC was unbanned, I was then appointed Chairperson of the Youth League.

MS MOHAMED: Mr Nteani, you were present in court when Mr Mpanza gave his evidence, isn't that correct?

LINDANI NTEANI: Please repeat that question.

MS MOHAMED: Let me just rephrase this.   Do you know the applicant, Mr Mpanza?

LINDANI NTEANI: Yes, I know him.

MS MOHAMED: How do you know him?

LINDANI NTEANI: I first knew him around the 1980's, when we were both members of the kwaMashu Youth League where I used to reside.  That was prior to his departure for exile.   We later met in 1989, when I was in Angola, where I underwent a crash course.
	At that time, he was an instructor at that base in Bangwe in Angola.

MS MOHAMED: When did you return to South Africa?

LINDANI NTEANI: I returned towards the end of 1989.

MS MOHAMED: Did you ever meet Mr Mpanza thereafter?

LINDANI NTEANI: I met him either in November or December 1991.

MS MOHAMED: Where did you meet him?

LINDANI NTEANI: At kwaMashu.

MS MOHAMED: What did you all speak about when you met him?

LINDANI NTEANI: I had left Mkababa to see him because of a problem that we experienced in our area.  There was violence between the ANC and the IFP.  We also experienced problems with the police prior to the violence erupting between the ANC and the IFP, there had been conflict with the police, so that when the IFP came into the picture, this violence escalated.  When I went to see him, I wanted to find out from him if he could assist in the supplying of firearms as well as the training of people in our area, who would be responsible for protecting the community, in other words Self Defence Units.

MS MOHAMED: What did he say?

LINDANI NTEANI: Firstly he told me that it was rather difficult because they did not have weapons.   He informed me that when they came back from exile, they did not have weapons.  I then requested him to try whatever means to secure these weapons because of the extent of the violence in our area.  He then promised that he would see what to do.

MS MOHAMED: Why did you specifically choose to speak to Mr Mpanza about this problem?

LINDANI NTEANI: The first reason was that he is the one person I knew better amongst MK cadres.  Secondly, I regarded him as my Commander, because when I underwent training, he was the Commander at Angola.   Also we worked very closely when we were still members of the kwaMashu Youth League in the 1980's.
	Another reason was that he was very disciplined in following policies.  Also as a Chairperson of the Youth League, I had to approach somebody who had discipline, who would carry out his activities in a manner that was in line with the policy, that was the reason why I approached Ziba.

MS MOHAMED: When you put this request to him, what was his response?

LINDANI NTEANI: As I have already mentioned, he said there was a problem of the non-availability of firearms.  After I had further pleaded with him, he promised that he would see what he could do.

MS MOHAMED: Did he ever come back to you with progress on your request?

LINDANI NTEANI: We did contact each other on a few occasions, however, he did not specify what steps he was taking, he just promised that I should wait and he would come up with something.

MS MOHAMED: So did he ever come back to you and tell you exactly what, did he ever get back to you with a positive response or a negative response, apart from these initial discussions?

MR LAX: He has just told us that they did contact each other a few times, he never told him what he was going to do, but he promised that he would come up with something.

MS MOHAMED: Thank you Mr Lax.  Did he ever get back to you after that?

LINDANI NTEANI: No.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you ever give him advice as to what to do?

LINDANI NTEANI: I did not know what he should do or what he could do.  I relied on him as a cadre, so there was nothing that I suggested to him.

CHAIRPERSON: So you didn't give him advice or suggest anything that he should do, you had faith in him as a cadre and you left it up to him, correct?

LINDANI NTEANI: That is correct.

MS MOHAMED: Thank you Mr Chairman, I have no further questions.

MR LAX: Just while you are, can you just explain one thing to us.  He put you down as the person who gave him the orders?

LINDANI NTEANI: I will say perhaps he regarded me as such because of our discussion.  I think he responded to that question when he testified.  I cannot comment on it, because he is the one who wrote it down.

MR LAX: Yes, but you regarded him as your Commander, not the other way around?

LINDANI NTEANI: The distinction is that Ziba was a soldier and I was more active in politics.   Normally soldiers receive directives from political leaders.  They on their own, do not take initiatives, but they follow directives from political leaders.

MR LAX: Then why did you tell us earlier that you regarded him as your Commander?  That is why you went to him, because you regarded him as your Commander.

LINDANI NTEANI: I have explained that he was a Commander in the military.

MS MOHAMED: Thank you Mr Chairman, I have nothing further for this witness.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS MOHAMED

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.   Thank you, you are excused.
WITNESS EXCUSED

MS MOHAMED: Mr Chairman, I would like to call Mr Shabalala.

CHAIRPERSON: Who is he?

MR LAX: He is Mayibuya, the one from eSikhaweni.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Shabalala, which language would you wish to use?

TULANI SHABALALA: Zulu.

TULANI SHABALALA: (sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: You may be seated.

MS MOHAMED: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Mr Shabalala ...

MR LAX: Just for the record, are you Tulani Shabalala, the person referred to in these affidavits?

TULANI SHABALALA: Yes, that is correct.

MR LAX: And you were also known as Mayibuya?

TULANI SHABALALA: Yes, that is correct, that is my combat name.

MS MOHAMED: Mr Shabalala, were you a member of any political organisation during 1991?

TULANI SHABALALA: Yes, I was an ANC member as well as being a member of MK.

MS MOHAMED: Did you hold, apart from this, did you hold any other particular rank within the organisation?

TULANI SHABALALA: Yes, I did.

MS MOHAMED: Can you tell us what that rank was?

TULANI SHABALALA: I served on the Regional Executive Committee of the Natal Region, I was also   the Head of Security in the Intelligence section.  I was also an MK member.

MS MOHAMED: Around 1991, which area were you based in?

TULANI SHABALALA: At Empangeni.

MS MOHAMED: What was your role there?

TULANI SHABALALA: As I have mentioned, I was Head of Security responsible for the protection of the leadership in the region and when national leaders arrived at Empangeni, I would be responsible for security.  I was also Head of Intelligence, responsible for gathering information.  I was also Commander of MK.

MS MOHAMED: Mr Shabalala, do you know the applicant, Mr Mpanza?

TULANI SHABALALA: Yes, I know  Ziba Mpanza.

MS MOHAMED: How did you know him?

TULANI SHABALALA: I first knew him from kwaMashu where I used to reside.  I also met him in Angola, where I had undergone a training course in shooting as well as in communication.