Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — UNKNOWN

<UNKNOWN>: pproximatelya week before the St James incident took place, Makoma told me that an operationwas going to take place and that we were to prepare ourselves. He did not tellme when or where or what operation would take place or what the target or targetswould be. He instructed me to prepare myself by getting into top physical conditionand more importantly, I was instructed to get weapons and ammunition in Umtata,Transkei from comrades at the

<UNKNOWN>: PL

<UNKNOWN>: High

<UNKNOWN>: ommand. I cannot recall the names ofthese persons, I was given their code names and I cannot remember them any longer.I went to the Transkei on the Monday before the incident and returned on theThursday. I went alone on a bus, I went to the address I was instructed to goto and there met some

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<UNKNOWN>: comrades and they gave me two R4 rifles, 365 roundsof R4 ammunition, 3 M26 handgrenades plus the sum of R200-00 rand.

<UNKNOWN>: t this pointI was not told why I had to collect the arms and ammunition, or for what purposeit would be used. I knew, however, from my training, that it would be used forsome or other operation. On my return to

<UNKNOWN>: ape Town, on the Thursday, I tookthe bag containing these arms and ammunition to a house in Khayelitsha.

<UNKNOWN>: fterI left the arms and ammunition at the house, I was instructed to inform SichomisoNonxuba, now deceased where the house was where I stored the arms and ammunition.I did as I was told and took Nonxuba to the house, left him there and I don'tknow what happened to the arms and ammunition after that. I did however, seethe same bag on the Sunday when the operation took place and while we were atthe Langa taxi rank. I assumed that the same military hardware was in the bag.On that Thursday when I left Nonxuba at the house in Khayelitsha he told methat we would meet again on the Saturday, the 24th of July, 1993 at approximatelythree o'clock at the Iona shopping centre in Guguletu. When I arrived therethe Saturday afternoon I saw Nonxuba and Mlambisa there for the first time.Nonxuba introduced Mlambisa to me as

<UNKNOWN>: ubrey and he told me that

<UNKNOWN>: ubrey was goingto work with us. Nonxuba instructed me to prepare four petrol bombs on the Saturdayand that I had to have it ready for the operation on the Sunday.

<UNKNOWN>: t this point,all that Nonxuba told me and

<UNKNOWN>: ubrey, that there would be an operation the followingday, the Sunday. On that Saturday I prepared the petrol bombs. On Sunday, 25July 1993, we met at the Uluntu community centre in Guguletu. This time Makomawas also with us. We met between eleven and twelve noon.

<UNKNOWN>: t this point Nonxubatold me that I was going to be part of the operation. He still had not toldme what the nature of the operation was, what the target would be or what timeit would take place. We were told to meet again at 6 pm at the Langa taxi rank.I was ordered to bring along the petrol bombs. When I got to the Langa taxirank before 6pm Nonxuba was already there and I noticed that he had broughtthe bag which I had brought from the Transkei.

<UNKNOWN>: little later Mlambisa and Makomaarrived in a Datsun motor vehicle. When I got into the car, the

<UNKNOWN>: ommander ofthe operation, Nonxuba, said that we were going to the target. He still didnot reveal any details of what the target was going to be. I was told that Iwould be the security, Mlambisa the driver. I was sitting in front with Mlambisa.Nonxuba and Makoma were going inside.

<UNKNOWN>: fter they came out of the building Iwas to use the petrol bombs to throw them inside.

<UNKNOWN>: s Mlambisa drove, Nonxubawas giving him directions as to how to drive and where to drive. It is onlywhen we got to the place which was identified by Nonxuba as the target did Irealise that it was the St James church. We had circled the church about threetimes. There were many cars and it appeared as if there were many people insidethe church. Mlambisa drove into the parking area at the church and parked approximately10 metres from the entrance to the church. Mlambisa reversed the car so thatthe back was facing the entrance. Nonxuba and Makoma got out, each one armedwith a rifle and a grenade. They then entered the church. I heard a grenadeand gunshots and then saw a red car stopping in front of us, apparently to blockus. I got out of the car and threw a petrol bomb at the car and Mlambisa gotout and shot at the car, causing the car to speed away. Then Nonxuba and Makomacame out of the church, jumped into the car and we immediately sped away. Idid not do what I was supposed to do, that is to throw the petrol bombs insidethe church. I do not know what happened inside the church, but I am fully awarethat with the arms and ammunition carried by Makoma and Nonxuba, that peoplewould be killed or injured. When we were in the car and making our getaway,Makoma said that someone had shot at him inside the church and that he was bleeding,but neither Makoma, nor Nonxuba said what happened inside the church. Nonxubadid, however, ask why I did not throw the petrol bomb and then I explained tohim why I did not do so. We then drove to a place under the direction of Nonxuba.I later learned that this place is called Ottery. Mlambisa and I left Nonxubaand Makoma there at a house in Ottery with the weapons. Mlambisa and I tookthe car to a scrap yard in Ottery, left it there and returned to this houseon foot. We slept at the house that night. That same night, we watched the newson

<UNKNOWN>: NN and I saw for the first time what happened inside the church. On theMonday morning Nonxuba and I took a bus to Wynberg and from there a taxi toGuguletu. Nonxuba got out in Guguletu and I went home to Old

<UNKNOWN>: rossroads witha taxi. I stayed at home for a while and I left to go to New

<UNKNOWN>: rossroads to mycousin's place. There I laid low for a short while, but then after a week ortwo, when I heard that Makoma had been arrested, I left for the Transkei bybus. I stayed in Umtata in a safe house. I was arrested in February 1996 inconnection with the St James case, but I was already in custody after beingarrested on 1 November 1995 in connection with an armed robbery which allegedlytook place in

<UNKNOWN>: rossroads. This case against me has now been withdrawn. I deeplyregret the loss of life which occurred as a result of the operation of whichI was a part on Sunday the 25th of July 1993.

<UNKNOWN>: t the time I was 17 years oldand I followed the orders that I was given without questioning it. I was veryimpressionable then and regarded the older

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<UNKNOWN>: operators such as Nonxuba asheroes. I wish to ask the family, relatives and friends of the deceased andother victims who were injured, for forgiveness. I respectfully submit thatmy application complies with the requirements of the

<UNKNOWN>: ct, that the offenceswhich I committed and associated myself with, were offences associated withthe political objective, committed in the course of the conflicts of the pastand that it accords with the provisions of Section 22 and 23 of the

<UNKNOWN>: ct andthat I have made full disclosure of all the relevant facts relating to the StJames incident, which is within my personal knowledge.

<UNKNOWN>: ccordingly, I respectfullyrequest that I be granted amnesty in respect of those offences relating to theSt James incident".

<UNKNOWN>: nd it is signed by

<UNKNOWN>: assie Nzikizi Mkhumbuzi and itwas signed on the 7th of July 1997.

BERNARD MAKGABO NGOEPE: Mr Mkhumbuzi, willyou stand up please?

CHAIRPERSON: Swear him in, Sisi.

BASSIE NZIKIZI MKHUMBUZI: (sworn states)

SISI KHAMPEPE: You have beenproperly sworn in, you may sit down.

CHAIRPERSON: You have heard your counselread your affidavit, did you understand it? Do you confirm the contents of thataffidavit?

BASSIE NZIKIZI MKHUMBUZI: Yes, I do confirm.

<UNKNOWN>: re thereany questions Mr