Amnesty Hearings — Hammarsdale — 1998-08-12

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: As I was still telling him about these girls, Zekele told me that after doing this we must do something really bad so that other girls should learn that they should never be sent to spy on Inkatha areas therefore it was left to my discretion to decide what to do to them.  We returned.  Before that, I found Zekele with other councillors holding a meeting, councillors from all the units.  He asked one old man to take us where we were supposed to go and return us to him thereafter.  This old man took us and we left with him and when we arrived at that place where we left the girls, we told them that as from now you should know that we are going to kill you.  We raped them because Tanda Mia had been raped also by Sgangi and others.  This was a normal procedure that a female member of Inkatha would be found dead after being raped.  This happened on both sides.

MR WILLS: Yes, Mr Hlongwane, I just want to just be clear.  You say in paragraph 37 of your affidavit, you say that you raped the women prior to you going to Zekele's house, is that correct?  Sorry, in paragraph 34 of your affidavit.  I just want you to look at that?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I don't remember whether it was before or after.

MR WILLS: Yes and then is it not so that the group of you killed the one girl and attempted to kill the other and the other girl actually survived, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I would not have done anything to them but I was there to issue out commands.  I was not supposed to use my gun because that medicine that we were supposed to concoct thereafter would not work.  I commanded the boys to stab them, I remained with one girl in the house.  They reported to me that they had already stabbed the one girl.  I left her in the car, I took that kerchief that had been given to me and wiped blood from her neck.  After stabbing the second girl I did the same with the kerchief, wiped blood from her neck and then I took both these kerchiefs to Mr Nkethle.

MR WILLS: Now is it not so - is it not so as my original question was, was that one of the girls survived this incident and that was a person by the name who you later learnt was Estella Nsomi, is that correct?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: That is correct.

MR WILLS: And it was largely on the basis of her evidence that you were convicted for both the murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and rape in the what was then the Supreme Court some two and a half years ago, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I disagree, I was arrested and prosecuted for things that happened at eSikhawini.  The leadership of Hammarsdale heard me and I was not prosecuted for these crimes.

MR WILLS: I'm going to get on Mr Hlongwane, but I think it's - you'll recall that later on, much later, you were prosecuted in respect of this incident.  Do you recall that?  In Pietermaritzburg?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes I remember.

MR WILLS: But that was after, long after the incident.  In fact as I recall your friend Mondli Duma was prosecuted before you and then at a later stage you were prosecuted for this incident is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, Mr Hlongwane - sorry Mr Wills - could you give us or give us the approximate ages of the girls at the time that this incident occurred?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I am not able to estimate.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Were you not advised about the ages of these young women during the trial in question that you are being questioned about by Mr Wills?  Were you not told during your criminal trial the ages of the people concerned?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Even in though I was told but a lot has been on my mind since that time therefore I cannot remember exactly some of the things.

MR WILLS: I see, you can see from the ...[intervention]

SISI KHAMPEPE: From the post-mortem report which is a page 105 of the record.

CHAIRPERSON: It was fourteen.

SISI KHAMPEPE: They were fourteen years of age, only one person though.  According to my records, Mr Wills, I have only one post-mortem and that's relating to Sigli Ndala, I don't have any report of whatever nature concerning Stella Nsomi.

MR WILLS: Yes, thank you Mrs Committee Member, I understand that.  I know that Mr Ngubane will be able to help us but I think that it's - I'm not going to dispute the fact that both of those girls were of approximately fourteen years of age at the time.  If you refer to the judgement on sentence on this matter at page 98 of that same report, you will see that the judge refers and I quote, on line 20
"To as far as aggravating circumstances are concerned, the features which appear to us to be the most relevant are that the victims of your crimes were two young defenceless girls of about fourteen years of age."

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Wills.

MR WILLS: Mr Hlongwane, you then go on after this incident to explain how you were - attempts were made to arrest you immediately or fairly soon after the incident, you returned to, after the actual crime, you returned to your barracks at the special constable's base in Pietermartizburg.  Do you recall that?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes it's like that.

MR WILLS: And you were told by somebody that the police were looking for you.  Can you just explain who told you and what you did about that?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: When I arrived to start on duty at ten an IFP member who was a leader at Kwandengnezi told me when we were at the parade ground, myself with Mondli, when I said I'm tired I can't go on duty today because I'm tired and then we went to sleep at Mochi's house and a phone call from Mr van Vuuren was received that I mustn't report on that day, the police are looking for me.  Indeed I did not report and then I went back home and then I took my clothes and then I went to Zekele's.  That's the person who actually contacted me, Van Vuuren who is a Warrant Officer.

MR WILLS: Yes and then, to cut a long story short, you went into hiding in Ulundi, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Zekele Nkethle gave us money to come to Ulundi and when we arrived there we actually got Msesi and actually our work was appreciated by Mr Buthelezi - Mr Khumalo, I beg your pardon.

MR WILLS: Mr Hlongwane, I just want you to be a bit more accurate in your evidence.  You left Hammarsdale with Mondli to go to Ulundi, is that right?  With Mondli Duma, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I was sent by Zekele Duma to Zekele Khumalo.

MR WILLS: Yes but who was the person, Mondli was with you, is that right?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes it is like that.

MR WILLS: And who did you meet in Ulundi?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: We met M.Z. Khumalo who was the assistant of M.G. Buthelezi.

MR WILLS: Now did M.Z. Khumalo know why you had come to Ulundi?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I would like to explain M.Z. Khumalo.  He is the one who was actually working hand in hand with the Special Branch, the cases done by Inkatha and the Special Branch done at Caprivi so when I arrived there, M.Z. Khumalo, he by the time I arrived he knew that, which cases I was involved in and he knew what I came for here at Ulundi.

MR WILLS: And you say he knew the case, are you referring to the case that you were running away from, that was the murder and the rape that was committed with Mondli?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: Yes indeed, I'm referring to that one.

MR WILLS: And did he know about the details of that case?

ISRAEL HLONGWANE: I was even arrested and he knew everything and he was paying me knowing very well what I was doing.  I was talking with him because I used to go with him everywhere.  M.Z. Khumalo was like a father to me and I was even arrested in 1993, he was still giving me money, paying me.  I was getting money from Inkatha and I was used to help Inkatha and offering my assistance and he knew all the details and he knew all my steps.