Amnesty Hearings — Umtata — 2000-02-01

MR MALAN: Alright, what happened then?
MR GUMENGU
"Mr Mfazwe had assured us that there was no problem and we are still going to continue with the plan whenever we get a chance.  I went on with my duties as usual.
	In January 1988, after some Xmas party I was going to the office and from there I was going to Johannesburg.  Just in the evening before that I was in the office in the evening, phoning, making calls as I was waiting for Capt Mfazwe who was in East London.  
	One policeman came by in a uniform.  This policeman was coming from Butterworth Police Station and as we were sitting there at the reception he told us that there is a member from our office but he was not sure whether it was Mjayzi or something who was in the Meikso building, who wants to be helped because he had caught a person who was wanted and he was in need of some reinforcement.
	Tjane and Smooi left, walking towards the direction, I remained in the office.  After leaving the office I was called by Capt Xoyia who was also in the office when this report came.  He gave me the car keys that he was using to go and help Tjane in that assignment because they're going to have problems without transport.
	I indeed took a car and I found them on the way and they got into the car.  We went there to Meikso building and they alighted while I was still looking for the parking.  When I found parking I also alighted from the vehicle and went to the Meikso building and when I reached the ground floor there was Mjaise standing there, who instructed me to get - who told me to get inside, meaning that I should up the stairs, but he did not tell me as to what was happening.  I did so.
	When I arrived on the first floor I saw Smooi, Smooi before he could utter anything two children came by who were working in one hair salon on the second floor.  They were coming and they were calling me because they knew me and they were telling me to please go to the salon and try and solve the problem that was about to happen there.
	I rushed to the second floor, I found Tjane, Sthembele Zokwe, Thamsangca Nxaba was also there.  Thamsangca Nxaba had his hands in the air, Sthembele Zokwe was not lifting up his hands but Tjane was pointing him with a firearm.  When I got in here I saw Thamsangca Nxaba begging Sthembele Zokwe to please lift up his arms, but when I got in he did so without even mentioning it. I searched them quickly.  Aaron is Mr Tjane, who told them that he was arresting them for interrogation, they should go with us to the office.
	We took them into our car though we were squashed in the car, it was overloaded.  We went to the office.  When I got in the office I concentrated on the job that I was doing as I was still waiting for Capt Mfazwe.  Sthembele Zokwe was taken to the interrogation room and this Thamsangca Nxaba.  I never focused that much on them as they were interrogated.  What was on my mind all the time was the instruction that he should not be taken to any jail, therefore I had to do my job to kill him, but at that time the conditions did not allow me to do that because he was already arrested and it was impossible to complete my mission.
	After a while, when the time to close the office came at about four or five, I was called by W/O Spambo and the others, the group from the Anti-Terrorism Unit.  He told us that he had interrogated the two men and Sthembele Zokwe admitted to having handgrenades in his home, what we should do was to go to his house and search the premises.  And he told us that on our way there we should be aware because all the time he's always with the others like Tami Moweli, like Ixongxo and the others that he had trained and one gentlemen from the Ngcokwe family.  He was working with those people, therefore he told us to be more cautious when going to Sthembele's house. 
	And Capt Xhoyia also said I can still go with them there and I can just go and see Mr Mfazwe in his home and he was going to take car of everything, he was going to account for the fact that he had used me.  I asked about the handcuffs but no-one had the handcuffs in the office.  I went to the car to fetch my handcuffs and I handcuffed him.
	We got into the cars, two or three of them, but all of us were under W/O Spambo's command at the time.  When we reached Namakwe we knew our own ways of operating, how do we position the people, at what points, which one is the most important point when it comes to positioning ourselves.  As usual myself and Tjane got inside following Sthembele to the house.  Some of the members were taking positions outside, outside the house.
	We got through the kitchen door, we walked in the veranda that was there.  We asked for the keys.  I asked for the keys and he told me that the keys were there and he pointed at many places and I instructed him to take the keys but he was handcuffed.  As we were instructed that in any house that we are getting in, the person who should get inside is the one who is actually apprehended, because weeks before that it happened that somewhere in Soweto white city, Security Police were shot at where the police decided to leave the person behind and get inside and they were not aware that it was a trap.  And we were told in the briefing that never again and the people who should open the house is supposed to be the person who is caught, so that if there's a shooting inside or booby-traps, he should be hit first.  Then I removed the handcuffs and instructed him to open the door.  He looked for the key in his pocket and even on top of the door, I cannot remember, but he did manage to get the key.  He opened the house.
	When he opened what gave me a shock is the fact that he got quickly inside the house and then he closed the door.  I asked him to open the door because he was actually holding the door.  After that, as I was asking him to please open the door, he did and he was bending forwards when he opened the door.  As we were in the passage it was dark in that passage at the time.  Because of the light that was coming from the window that was in his room I could see that he was not standing up straight, he was bending forward and holding a handgrenade with his hand lifted up with this handgrenade.
	It became apparent to me that he was trying to locate us and throw the grenade and when I saw that, I shouted "grenade!" and then I dived towards the kitchen door and I took cover there.  At the same time there was a gunshot and a very loud explosion that sounded like a handgrenade, but the first to go on was the gunshot and then after the explosion.  Then there was smoke in the house.  As I was in the kitchen I decided to get out of the house.  W/O Spambo came and asked if we were safe, Tjane said yes, we were safe.  W/O Spambo got inside the house.  After that they came back as I was still sitting outside, because I was not prepared to get inside the house because all this gave me a shock.  Though I was given my instruction, but this whole thing would be very suspicious and I had told myself that it was not the time for me to do per instruction, my own instruction.
	Spambo communicated through the radio for an ambulance, senior officers on duty or a reinforcement but it was very difficult to get any assistance.  At some stage I took the car, I went to Butterworth.  When got in there I reported the matter to Mr Maliwa who was in his house at the time though there were other members who were waiting in the office.  I told them what happened and I went to mr Maliwa and I looked for photographers and I even went to the hospital to ask them to go and check the place.  I got some people and we went to the place, but I don't remember seeing anyone coming from the hospital.  
	When I got in there after the photographs were taken, though it was difficult to get photos because there were no films, some drawings were made and he was going to be taken to the hospital to be certified dead.  Because of the hospital assistance that did not come - I am not sure about this, I think he was taken in one of the security vans but I'm not sure which one and who the driver was, but I don't remember seeing any ambulance.  I remember very well that he was taken with us in one of the cars.  And at the time I had lost interest in what had happened and the manner it happened.
	We made statements the following day.  People from head office came, they inspected in loco and they said the matter should be handed over to the CID.  That was done.  Our CIDs said that they did not have any experience when it comes to explosives, they requested to involved East London, more especially the members who were involved in this incident because Tjane - except Tjane, myself and Kofu, who were specialising in the explosives.  Because they decided that if they can use any person from our office who has got experience in explosives, that would raise suspicions and therefore they decided to involve people from East London who were not involved in the incident.
	We were taken to W/O Viljoen who was the only head in the explosives at the time.  He took us back to Namakwe to the scene.  Because of some instruction that said some members should not set their foot on the scene, it was realised that I was the only person who had to take Viljoen to the place and I had to take the delegates from head office to the place.
	The inspection was done after a while, on the 21st of January 1988, whereas the incident took place on the 11th January 1988.  Just a day before the 21st of January I received a call because I was already in Johannesburg where I was staying.  I received a call to come quickly to Butterworth.
	I went to Butterworth, driving in the car.  I found Capt Mfazwe, Xhoyia and the others.  Those are the people who called me aside, telling me that the military government was in a problem, that problem was from Sangoni Partnership.  At the time this Sangoni Partnership was known as the active ANC office.  It became apparent that there were threats that were from the Sangoni Partnership, that they were going to blackmail the military government of Holomisa, the one that had just started.  They said that government was the government of the murderers.  That actually forced them as the government to take a stand that there should be a military propaganda to say that the people who committed the act were arrested, whereas they were aware that that was not going to go further because we were doing everything still within the law."