Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 1997-07-08

NORMAN ARENDSE: Reads
"I, the undersignedMongesi Christopher Manqina do hereby make oath and state that
1.	Iam 24 years old and I am currently serving an 18 year sentence at theBrandvlei Prison for the murder of Amy Biehl.
		Thefacts to which I depose are true and correct and within my personalknowledge unless the context indicates otherwise.
		Ihave read the affidavit of Ntombeko Ambrose Peni and I confirm the contentsthereof insofar as it relates to me. 
		Ihave also read the affidavit of Vusumzi Samuel Ntamo and I confirm thecontents thereof insofar as that relates to me.
		Inparticular I confirm having attended the meeting at the Langa High UnitPASO launch at the Langa High School. I attended that meeting with Ntamo.I also attended the meeting in my capacity as vice chairperson of theGuguletu Comprehensive Unit branch of PASO. 
		Iconfirm that political speeches were made at the meeting as describedby Peni in his affidavit and that we were inspired and motivated bythe militant speeches made.
		Weleft that meeting in a group but that group split into two groups afterthe police had arrived on the scene in Vanguard Drive while we werestoning a truck and trying to burn it.
		Ntamoand I were in a group which ran towards the Langa Station. We were about50 to 60 people in the group. We ran towards the Langa Station but therewas a delay because someone had allegedly stolen a gun from a policeman.When the Khayelitsha train came we changed platforms and boarded thattrain and got off at the Heideveld Station.
		Wegot to Heideveld just before five p.m. We re-grouped and walked alongNY110 towards NY1. On the corner of NY1 and NY110 there is an ApostolicChurch and this is where I met a girlfriend. She wanted to know whatwas happening and I told her that we had been at a meeting and thatwe were on the lookout for "targets", by which was meant governmentand company vehicles.
		Atthis point we were singing and chanting political slogans. 
		WhileI was talking to this girl I saw that a truck was being stoned by therest of the group. NY132 is about 15 to 20 metres from the corner ofNY1 and NY110 where I was talking to this girl. 
		Abeige Mazda 323 was also being stoned. The car stopped and the driver,Amy Biehl, stumbled out of the car and started running towards the Caltexpetrol station. We chased after her and I tripped her and she fell downnext to a box with the name "Caltex" inscribed on it. I asked one ofthe persons in the crowd for a knife. I got the knife and moved towardsAmy Biehl as she was sitting down in front of the box facing us. I satin front of her, probably a foot or two away, I took the knife and stabbedher once in front on her left-hand side. I only stabbed her once. Sevenor eight others armed with knives also stabbed at her. 
		Iheard the evidence of Professor Knoebel at court and he confirmed thatshe was stabbed once and that this blow was fatal. I accept that itmust have been the wound which I inflicted.
		AsI stabbed her some people were still throwing stones at her and someof these stones struck me on the shoulder. However, I only sufferedsome minor injury which did not require any treatment. 
		AfterI stabbed her the police came and I saw people running away and thatis when I also decided to run away.
		Istabbed Amy Biehl because I saw her as a target, a Settler. 
		Iwas highly politically motivated by the events of that day and by theclimate prevailing in the township. Political tensions were furtherheightened after White policemen and some White passers-by had shotat us along Vanguard Drive.
		Ihave always been inspired by the slogan "One Settler, onebullet". I share the understanding of the meaningof the slogan as set out by Peni in his affidavit.
		Iconfirm that Ntamo and I are friends because we grew up together inLanga, but I have only come to know Peni and Nofemela because of theAmy Biehl case. I may have seen them that day, but like many othersin the crowd, I did not know them.
		Iconfirm that I had completed my application form which is on the recordat pages 18 to 20 on the 9th of May 1997 with the assistance of LetlhapaMpahlele. I had also completed the application form in Xhosa which isfound at record pages 21 - 26. The translation appears from the recordat pages 27 - 33.
		Iwish to deal with some of the particulars which I mentioned in my application.
		Firstly,in paragraph 9 at record 28 I mention that I killed Amy Biehl. I alsomentioned the names of Nofemela and Ntamo.
		Inparagraph 10(a) at the record pages 29 and 30 I mention that the objectivewas to get the government to abolish Standard 10 examination fees. Thisis correct. 
		Atthe time there was large-scale dissatisfaction amongst PASO membersand all Black students about examination fees which we had to pay. Atthe time COSAS had also launched Operation Barcelona which we, as PASO,supported.
		Theissue of fees was also on the agenda at the PASO meeting which we attendedon 25 August 1993.
		Inparagraph 10(b) at the record on page 30, I set out my justificationfor committing the murder of Amy Biehl. I have always been inspiredby the slogan "One Settler, one bullet", and at the timeI was aspiring to become an APLA operator. When the PASO executive membersordered us to go out and prepare the groundwork for APLA and to makethe township ungovernable I regarded this as an instruction to alsoharm, injure and kill White people.
		WhenI saw that the driver of the vehicle which we had stoned, and whichhad come to a standstill was a White person I immediately asked oneof the comrades in the crowd for a knife. For me this was an opportunityto put into practice the slogan, "One Settler, one bullet".
		Inparagraph 11(a) of the record at page 31 I state that the deed was committedunder the instruction of Sabelo Pama. Pama of course is now deceased.In 1993, either in March or June, SABC TV had relayed a speech madeby Pama which inspired me. Pama was a very well-known military figurein APLA. It is not correct, as I state in my application, that he mentionedOperation Barcelona. It is well-known that Operation Barcelona was aCOSAS slogan. 
		Mentionof "this is the year Cream Stone", is not correct. It should read "thisis the year of Operation Great Storm". Operation Great Storm was ofcourse adopted by PASO and was also adopted by the PASO meeting thatday. 
		Duringthe criminal trial the statement made by Ntamo was admitted as evidence...."
and his statementMr Chairman, is at record pages 49 and 50.
"Inthat statement he correctly mentioned that I had asked for a knife andthat I was the one who stabbed Amy Biehl".
That's on the recordat page 50.
"Ideeply regret what I did. I lied during the criminal trial in orderto get off. I did not reveal to my legal representatives that I hadstabbed Amy Biehl and throughout the trial I had maintained my innocence.I was, however, subjected to ill-treatment by the police and they forcedme to make a statement. What I had said in the statement was, however,largely correct, namely that I was the one who stabbed Amy Biehl.
		Iwish to apologise to my legal representatives and to the Court whichfound me guilty, for not telling them the truth. I am now revealingto this Committee what actually happened.
		Iapologise sincerely to Amy Biehl's parents, family and friends and Iask their forgiveness.
		Irespectfully submit that I have made out a proper case for this Committeeto grant me amnesty as contemplated by Section 20 of the Act. 
		Irespectfully submit that I have complied with the requirements of theAct that the offence which I committed was associated with a politicalobjective committed in the course of the conflicts of the past and thatit complies with the provisions of Section 20(2) and (3) of the Actthat I have made full disclosure of all the facts relevant to the AmyBiehl murder and to this application".
End of affidavit.Thank you.
	I don't haveany additional questions to ask Mr Manqina.
NO EXAMINATION BYADV ARENDSE