Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 2000-08-28

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: We were hiding out in a shop in the Logwaiso area, near Dwessa, so this is not an operation which was planned by us but apparently the Security Forces had got wind of where we were.  On the day in question, unfortunately two of us had gone out on another mission, so when they raided the place, they found one cadres, that is Mbule Longono, who was at the residence at the time.  We only came back the following morning, not aware that the place had been raided.  When we became aware, because we had started in another area when we got this information that the place had been raided, so we went to the place which was raided because we thought that he might still be lingering around, to try and salvage.  That was the following day after the raid.
	Unfortunately we had an engagement with the Security Services before we could reach the place where he was, that is the shop in Logwaiso.  I'm not aware of any injury or death in that incident.  We were not out to assault, but we were mainly disengaging from the Security Services, because as I'm saying, it was early in the morning, at about, I think if I'm not mistaken it was between 8 and 10 in the morning, so we didn't fight with the purpose maybe to inflict injuries or casualties, but we were mainly disengaging, so that we can retreat in safety and that's what we did.  That was myself and Makadeza.  We later established communication and contact with Mbule Longono who also managed to get out of that situation.
	I am aware that one police officer, if I'm not mistaken, might have got injured in the ensuing battle, but I'm not aware of any fatalities.

MR MGIDLANA: When you say in the ensuing battle, at the time that you were already there, or before you arrived?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I'm not sure, I suspect that it might have been when they raided the place, that is when Mbule Longono was there, but I won't dispute if it's said he got injured in the second encounter, that is with ourselves and Makadeza.

CHAIRPERSON: I'm not too clear on this one.  You say your unit was hiding out at Mr Japhta's house and at some time it was necessary for two of you to leave that house for some other reason.  While you were away, you were informed that the police had raided that house.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: On our way back.

CHAIRPERSON: Ja, but you weren't at the house yet.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Pardon?

CHAIRPERSON: You were not at the house yet.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: We were not at the house.

CHAIRPERSON: Now, you then decided to go to that house.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Why?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: We went to the house because one of us we had left there the previous day.

CHAIRPERSON: Who was that?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: It was Mbule Longono.

JUDGE POTGIETER: Was he also called Kaya, you said?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Kaya Sizabane.

JUDGE POTGIETER: Was that his combat name?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I beg your pardon?

JUDGE POTGIETER: Was that his combat name?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: That's his combat name.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, now you left Longono there and then you wanted to go see what - why did you go there now?  You say you left him there the previous day.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: We left him there the previous day and the house was raided when we were not there, so when we came back, we got information that there had been a raid and it was our moral and military responsibility to go and establish exactly what happened and rescue him out of that situation because our concern was that he was alone and we were two who had left.

CHAIRPERSON: On your way there, you encountered the police.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: And there was a firearm engagement.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: That's right.

CHAIRPERSON: Ja.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: As I'm saying, I'm not aware of any fatalities in that ...

CHAIRPERSON: There was shooting across.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: There was shooting across, they also brought in a helicopter.

CHAIRPERSON: Now, do you know how your colleague Longono got injured?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I beg your pardon?

CHAIRPERSON: How did he get injured?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No, he was not injured in that situation.  He got out of that situation, as we later joined with him.

CHAIRPERSON: So his injury had nothing to do with this incident?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No, no, no, it was somewhere - he didn't die in that situation.

CHAIRPERSON: No, but did he get injured?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No.

CHAIRPERSON: Did he get injured in a separate matter?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: The injury I was talking about, I was saying I think there might have been a policeman who got injured in that situation, not Mbule.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, carry on.

MR MGIDLANA: When you met with these Security Forces, how far were you from the or to the Japhta shop?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Well as we were approaching the Japhta shop, there is a hill.  As we were coming over the hill, that's when we saw the police officers and they were travelling in a Golf, then they pursued us from there, so we were almost next to the - I think we were less than a kilometre from the Japhta shop.

MR MGIDLANA: When you say you later met up with Longono, where were you?  Were you still at Logwaiso or somewhere else?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No, no, we were not in Logwaiso.  After the shoot-out we manoeuvred to Butterworth and he had taken the route to Umtata, so we established communication and joined up.

MR MGIDLANA: Alright.  Then did you assist Longono then to escape out of the Transkei, or did he remain inside the Transkei area?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No, we left Transkei after some two weeks or so into Lesotho.

CHAIRPERSON: Was he in police custody when you returned, or planning to return to that safehouse?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: To the?

CHAIRPERSON: Safehouse.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No, he was not arrested.  He managed to escape.

CHAIRPERSON: No, that's what I'm trying to get at.  During the raid, was he found at that house?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Yes, he was in the house.

CHAIRPERSON: So he was arrested there.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: He was not arrested, he out-manoeuvred the police.  They had surrounded the homestead, but he managed to get out of the homestead.

CHAIRPERSON: So your engagement with the police, had nothing to do with his freedom?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: We didn't know by then that he had managed to get out of the house, because this had happened overnight and we were returning in the morning.

CHAIRPERSON: I know that, but now that you know what the facts are, I'm just confirming with you that his freedom was not the result of your engagement with the police?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: No.

MR MGIDLANA: Then in your application you also mention the Mzamba incident.  How were you involved in respect of that incident.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I was involved in the Mzamba incident in terms of supplying weaponry to Mayapi and Zamela, who were in my unit.

MR LAX: Did you help with the planning at all?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Pardon?

MR LAX: Did you help with the planning of that?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Well I would say it was preliminary planning in the sense of just identifying the target, not specifically where the limpet mine would be placed.

MR LAX: And did you give approval for that operation?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I did give approval for the operation.

MR LAX: And what was the object?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: The object was the Wild Coast Casino.

MR LAX: Yes, I know.  What was the objective of the attack there?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: The objective of the attack was to make a political statement in the area and in terms of taking the war to everybody.

MR MGIDLANA: When you say everybody, what do you mean?

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: Everybody, even those fraternised the casinos.

CHAIRPERSON: You say you supplied the firearms, or the ammunition.

BASIL DUMISANE MAFU: I supplied the limpet mines as well as the firearms, but there were no firearms used, it was only placing of the limpet mine.