Amnesty Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — 1998-02-10

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: As we were given instruction to attack places where white people meet, that is the criteria we used to identify the target.

MR PRIOR: And that decision or the specific  target for example, the discotheque was your choice?  It was a choice made by yourself as the local Commander?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: It was our choice.  When we were given instructions, they never selected targets for us, Mandla.  He said we will identify targets and we will attack these places that are frequented by white people and we identified the target ourselves.

MR PRIOR: I understand that.  He gave you an instruction in principle what was to be done, and you selected the specific target to be attacked, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I don't really understand what you are trying to ask me.  I don't understand the questions.

MR PRIOR: I have no difficulty now, I am just trying to clarify what you are saying, in other words Mandla, Jones, Power, whoever he may be, said the policy now is to attack white people wherever they may gather.  He never said go and attack the discotheque at Newcastle?  That was your choice, you selected that  target as the Commander in Newcastle at that time?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: For example you could have attacked the primary school or a hospital, is that correct if you so wished?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I don't think it was based on revenge, maybe to revenge a June 16.  I knew what was supposed to be a target if I have to choose a target.
	I knew that we had to choose a target where there are white people, I don't think I would have gone into a school and shot young children where they are studying.

MR PRIOR: If they were white people, what was stopping you, it was part of the instruction to attack whites where they were gathered?
	Or are you saying there were some guideline that you were following?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I am not going to answer for another person, however, I personally I wasn't going to select children as targets because we all knew that it will happen that we will have to meet the white people again in future, therefore attacking children I don't see any reason why I should have involved myself in such a way I had to get into a school and shoot children.

ADV SANDI: Sorry Mr Prior, can I just come in here for a moment and maybe put the question in a slightly different way.
	Did you choose the Crazy Beat disco as a target because in your understanding it was one of the places frequented by whites?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

MR PRIOR: Would you agree also from your observations or your surveillance on a previous occasion before the attack, that many of the white people attending the discotheque were very young people, in fact teenagers?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: On that specific date when we were surveiling, I didn't see young youth entering the place, I only saw white people there.

MR PRIOR: You see, what I am trying to just understand from you, were there any guidelines, were there any points beyond which you would not go in selecting your targets?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I will say that the instruction is where there are white people, although it doesn't specifically refer to ages, I personally as a Commander, I wasn't going to attack children.

MR PRIOR: Maybe I can ask you a different way.  Why did you feel, or why did you believe that the patrons at the Crazy Beat disco on the 14th of February 1994, were legitimate targets in your view?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: It is because before the attack, I took Bongani, he drove me to do surveillance over the target and also the restaurant.  Sorry, I am referring to the disco.  I knew the place before going there to attack it, and I knew the targets.

MR PRIOR: ... assume that you did not believe that members of the Security Force, either policemen or military personnel, white personnel, were attending that place because you chose the target purely because it was attended by white males and females, presumably who were not children?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.  To add, it is clear that the operation wasn't specifically directed to police or soldiers.  Power made it clear that we should attack white people, whether they will be soldiers or police.  I wouldn't know whether it is an issue because if you dress like that and Andile dressed in the way he looks, I won't be able to identify who is a police between you and who is a police and who is not.
	Soldiers are identified by uniform.  You cannot just look at a person in the face and recognise a person as a particular person like a police or whatever.

MR PRIOR: I want to put to you the same question or a similar question as put by the Chairman to Mr Malevu.
	It appears, or it would appear from the fact that at the restaurant which you never attacked because there was a chance that black people may have been injured, that the attack on the discotheque was purely along racial lines or for racist reasons.  
	The people there were to be killed purely because they were white people and for no other reason, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I wouldn't like to agree with you because apartheid, if it were to continue, it was clear that the people who were going to be in charge or in control, was going to be white people.
	If we don't look at apartheid and look at the reason as to why liberation movement fight only against the white people, we will find the reason.  From there as we are talking here today, we talk about the 20th of March 1966, that was the incident caused by white people, based on racial lines and when we talk about June 16, it is an incident which was caused by white people which was based on racial lines.
	And other many cases where things were done on racial lines, together with things like the train shootings, therefore we can't stress the racial issue, because we were fighting for the land which was in the hands of the white people, who were not prepared to hand back what belonged to the African people.
	Therefore we see that as an oppressive situation, therefore we can't talk of apartheid if we don't see white people.  People who were oppressing the African people in a country where we were born.  You are saying that the white people were doing the right thing by oppressing us, which was wrong, and we were fighting because we were oppressed and only people that were voting for the government of the day, were the white people, who also enjoyed the vote and (indistinct).
	Therefore all the people who were prominent in apartheid, were white people.  Even the professional people, you will find that the Judges of South Africa are mostly dominated by white people and they chose that even the communists under their hands, referring to myself personally, I ended up in standard 2, I never benefitted anything through apartheid.
	Most white people enjoyed the situation under the white apartheid government.  Most of us black people ended up in jails, however the same people who were supposed to enjoy the privileges of the freedom that we fight for.  For example P.W. Botha (indistinct), he should come and work with the TRC, therefore he can get (indistinct).
	He is saying that because it is a status issue which plays a role in this situation.  If I was wrong for fighting for freedom, it should be made clear.

MR PRIOR: I have understanding to what you say, but my question is simply, I am trying to understand why you selected a discotheque where people were ostensibly having a party.  Why you chose to murder or kill, if I may use that word kill, in your own evidence, as many people as you wanted or could have killed.  I just want to understand that?