Amnesty Hearings — Hammarsdale — 1998-08-11

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, the instruction yes.  As I was deployed here at Mpumalanga my job was just to attack and kill whatever was called a comrade whether I received the instruction or not, I was just trained to do that.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Mr Stewart, I don't think your question has been clearly answered by your client.  I don't know whether he understood the gist of your question.

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, was this Jabulani Makatini your superior officer within the KwaZulu Police?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, at the time when we were in the car because he was the person who was the officer.  He was our superior.

MR STEWART: And did you accept instructions or orders from him as to what you must do?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes.

MR STEWART: And these included those activities that you've told us about?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes.

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, Incident 5 in your application which appears at page 359 is referred to as an attack in Isinatingi in Pietermaritzburg and it says that that took place in about November/December 1987, do you recall that incident?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, I remember.

MR STEWART: Tell us how you came to be involved in that incident.

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: At that time Madlanduna came and I was Zweli Dlamini, Danny Molefe, Tulani Vilagazi, Smu Bengu, Xwali Mshengu but I've forgotten the others.  We went to Isinatingi.
	On arrival we found Zweli and Trevor Nene who were guarding a house belonging to an IFP member.  We saw houses that were burning and we did see the people who were burning the houses.  There were comrades coming from an area called Gigi.  
	On arrival we joined the people who were trying to fight against the comrades, trying to stop them.  People were throwing stones at each other ...[intervention]

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo sorry, before you carry on, do you remember the name of the IFP person whose house you referred to?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: I remember his surname Ngcobe.

MR STEWART: And now if you'll tell us, you say that there were these clashes and you joined in, tell us about that.

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: We kept on throwing stones at each other and some of them started shooting and we then withdrew our guns and returned fire.
	Police in a helicopter arrived at the scene and the crowd dispersed.  We ran away and hid in the very same house that we had come to.  At that time I saw two people on the ground.  I realised that they had been shot.

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, what firearm did you have?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: I had a .38.

MR STEWART: That's a revolver.

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, it is.

MR STEWART: And the other that were with you that you've mentioned, Zweli Dlamini, Trevor Nene and Madlanduna?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: I don't know if Madlanduna had a gun but I didn't see it because they had already been in the area.  I think they had police issue guns.  I don't remember whether they were HMC's or not.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Mr Stewart.
	Did you shoot anybody, you yourself?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: No, I did not.  I did not even fire my gun, I just drew it.

MR STEWART: And you say you saw two people who appeared as though they had been shot, do you know by whom they had been shot?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: No, I do not but they had been shot by somebody in our group but I don't know who because we were many.

MR STEWART: When you were taken to that area and you joined in these clashes which were taking place, what was the purpose of your going there and joining in, what were you supposed to do?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: The people who were attacking the area were comrades, UDF comrades.  The area that they were attacking was an IFP stronghold.  In joining the fight against these people I was helping my organisation, the IFP, because they were under attack.  If I did not join in the fight I would accept that or I would be implying that the UDF should actually defeat the organisation, therefore I was protecting my organisation.

MR STEWART: Are you aware whether you've ever been investigated in relation to this incident, or have you ever been charged in relation to it?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: No, I've never been prosecuted.

MR STEWART: Now you mention in your application that at one time you were trained as a Special Constable at Koeberg, will you explain to the Committee how that came to be?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: In January 1988 we were summoned to Amatikulu.  On arrival there I found other Caprivians and other IFP members, some whom I knew and some whom I did not.  Brigadier Marte summoned everybody who had trained at Caprivi and he told us that he wanted us to join the Police Force as Special Constables because the police in the Midlands region appeared to be collaborating with the UDF and therefore we were supposed to join this branch so that we could keep watch.  	We enquired whether we would continue to be paid or not and he said yes.

MR STEWART: Mr Khumalo, now at this time you had already been operating for some time with a KwaZulu Police Appointment Certificate and acting at some times
as a KwaZulu Policeman, what was the purpose now of becoming a Special Constable in the South African Police as opposed to merely staying in the KwaZulu Police?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: As there was a huge problem in Pietermaritzburg we could enter the area but not freely but if we became Special Constables we would be able to get into the area freely and work freely.  I think there was a group called Group 19 or Group 18 that was problematic in the area.  We would therefore be able to work in this area where they worked and in this way we would be able to infiltrate the SAP.

MR STEWART: Was that area at Pietermaritzburg outside of the jurisdictional area of the KwaZulu Police?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, it was not under the jurisdiction of the KwaZulu Police.

MR STEWART: Okay you've explained how you got called together and it was explained to you that you must join the Special Constables and that you would be paid for that, what then happened about the training?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: We went to Koeberg in January and returned in mid-February and on returning we were deployed to Pietermaritzburg.  We stayed in a hostel called De Huis and continued working, doing guard duties and patrol duties. 	When we patrolled we would be under a permanent member of the SAP.  I think we worked for about a month because thereafter they did not keep their promises, people from Inkatha, they did not pay us our salaries that we had been accustomed to, instead we were being paid the R100(?) which was paid to Special Constables.
	I decided to go back.  All Caprivians returned to Ulundi and we told them that we were stopping our work here because we were no longer receiving our salaries.  That is how we resigned.

MR STEWART: About how many Caprivians were involved in this Special Constable training and who then left?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Although I'm not sure of the exact figure, I think we were about 100.

MR STEWART: And were there other people who remained on as Special Constables who were not Caprivians?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, some of them continued.

MR STEWART: You explained that your grievance was that you were not getting your usual monthly salary but only the R300 as a Special Constable, what was your usual salary that you referred to?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: I can't remember whether I was earning R900 at the time.  I think it was around that figure.

MR STEWART: Now in your application you deal with Incident 6 on page 362, which you refer to as an attack on Magoba's Shebeen in Unit 2 in Mpumalanga and you give it as being during 1988 but no more specific than that, do you remember that incident?

BHEKISISA ALEX KHUMALO: Yes, I do but I should first explain that we are not the people who attacked at this place but we were present when we heard of this attack.