Amnesty Hearings — Welkom — 1998-11-19

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: Chairperson, I was just a member of the "Wen Kommando" of the AWB and not of the "Ystergarde" or the other groupings affiliated to the AWB and we also did not have a name for our cell.

CHAIRPERSON: The explosives that you used, were they homemade or were they of the military type?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: Chairperson, initially we received explosives from the mines and at some stage we received instructions to manufacture explosives from fertilizer which we used later.

CHAIRPERSON: You've mentioned that the objective of this campaign that you've described of explosions, was directed towards the, to have an influence on the negotiations that were taking place in the country at that time, is that correct?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: That's correct, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Did the actual election play any role in the campaign, the April the 27th, was your campaign directed towards the actual polling day at all, to disrupt that, to cause chaos, to put off the elections?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: No, Chairperson, our purpose was that we had to negotiate with the National Party and the ANC before the elections in order to have a definite answer before the election because we were afraid that if it did not happen there were would be a great probability that when the ANC was in power they would tell us later that they are not interested at all to negotiate.  And it did happen and Mr Mandela or, it did not happen and Mr Mandela appointed a Volkstaat Committee which is still being negotiated.

CHAIRPERSON: At that stage, were you a member of the AWB on a fulltime basis?  Was that your employment as such?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: No, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, thank you.  Mr Loubscher, do you have any questions arising out of questions that have been put?

MR LOUBSCHER: Just a single question, Mr Chairman.
	Mr Labuschagne, this campaign which you launched, was this for the furtherance of the AWB or was it for the Volksfront?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: Mr Chairperson, the Volksfront was established at some stage, I cannot recall the date, and there were a whole lot of Afrikaner organisation which sided with the Volksfront and this caused that it seemed as if the Volksfront would negotiate our political objective between the National Party and the ANC, so it was for the Volksfront at that stage which rose out as the stronger negotiating party.

CHAIRPERSON: The Volksfront was an umbrella body under which a number of other organisations belonged to really?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: That's correct, Chairperson.

MR LOUBSCHER: Mr Labuschagne, did I understand you correctly that your links with the AWB were broken, you resigned from the AWB during the course of this campaign?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: That is correct, Chairperson.  As it was mentioned at a stage in the documents, we did not want to reconcile ourselves with some of the methods that the AWB used to assault people for example, and to murder them and all the things that were associated with that.  And it would seem from their actions as was evident later in Mafikeng, their inability to handle the situation properly.

MR LOUBSCHER: And after you broke all links with the AWB, on whose behalf did you continue with the campaign?

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: Chairperson, it was continued under the banners of the Volksfront ...(end of tape)
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR LOUBSCHER

MR TAKA: I have no further questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR TAKA

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Mapoma?

MR MAPOMA: No questions, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mr Labuschagne, that concludes your testimony, you may stand down.

JAN CORNELIUS LABUSCHAGNE: Thank you, Chairperson.

MR LOUBSCHER: This is the evidence I wish to adduce on behalf of Mr Labuschagne.
WITNESS EXCUSED