Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1998-08-11

MR STRYDOM: Would that include the Boipatong community?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, that's correct.

MR STRYDOM: You also make mention of some kind of attack that was launched by the community or the Self-defence Units from Boipatong on kwaMadala Hostel, can you just tell us more about that?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: What I would say is, the attack of kwaMadala Hostel was by the Vaal Triangle at large.

MR STRYDOM: But was there any specific attack in the full sense of the word, on kwaMadala Hostel, or might I say attempted attack?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: It happened many times.  I do trust and hope that there is no-one who doesn't this because it became a practise that people kept saying they are going to attack the kwaMadala Hostel.

MR STRYDOM: To get to the attack itself, when did you become aware for the first time that an attack was going to take place on Boipatong?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: What I know firstly with regard to Boipatong attack, there was a meeting convened where as a community of kwaMadala Hostel or hostel dwellers we complained to our leaders that why would they be so quiet when we were being harassed and tortured in this manner because those days people who were after us were Boipatong community or Boipatong people.
	The leaders therefore said they understood perfectly well what we were complaining about and they were going to sit down and think over this matter.  There was another meeting that was held.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know when this meeting was?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I don't quite remember but it may happen that it took three weeks prior to the attack.  And again there was a meeting that convened, that I trust it took or it was held a week prior to the attack where Mr Bhekinkosi Mkhize attended and told us that each and every man had to get himself ready or prepared.

MR STRYDOM: If I can interrupt you, ...[intervention]

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: There is something I would like to explain or get straight.  I would like to get this first point straight:  It was not a meeting that was about what I just explained, it was an ordinary meeting, a general meeting, that after the meeting was over we had complaints which were lodged by certain people, forwarded to the leaders ...[intervention]

CHAIRPERSON: Is this the meeting that was held approximately three weeks before the attack on Boipatong?

MR LAX: Sorry, I didn't catch your answer there.

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I did respond.

MR LAX: What was your answer?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I said there was a meeting.  The meeting I'm referring to is the one that took place three weeks prior to the attack, Boipatong that is.

MR STRYDOM: Who were the leaders at that meeting?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I think I will take this opportunity and explain about the leaders at kwaMadala Hostel.  Firstly there was a committee, a large committee which was referred to as a Senior Committee.  The Chairman of that Committee was Thembikosi Khumalo.  His assistant was Richard Ndwandwa.  The Secretary was Jerome Zuma.  I've forgotten his assistant.

CHAIRPERSON: Who have you forgotten?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: The assistant to the Secretary, I've forgotten his name.  The Treasurer was Swenke Buthelezi and his assistant was a man I knew as Ngobese, and the organiser was Gazu.  Gazu is one of those who were killed at Boipatong.  I only recall those from the Senior Committee.
	We had a Youth Committee.  The Chairman was Nicholas Buthelezi, his assistant was Victor Mthembu.  The Secretary was Matabelo.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Khanyile, would you just speak slowly so that we can make notes of what you're saying.  The Chairperson was Nicholas Buthelezi?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, that's true.  Matabelo, that is,  his assistant was Tzwee and another one that I knew was Bazooga.  Others I knew them from seeing them but I did not know their names.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know what the other names of Tzwee are?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: No, I only know that one.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know what are the other names of Bazooga?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: No, I knew him as Bazooga.

MR LAX: You say you knew the others by sight, approximately how many members of that committee were there?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: According to my knowledge there were eight in each committee.  Senior Committee had eight, as well as the Youth Committee had eight members.

MR LAX: Were you a member of any of those committees?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: No.

MR STRYDOM: These committees, were they IFP Committees or hostel committees?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: These committees that I've referred to were IFP Committees, now I am proceeding to the hostel committees.
	We also had another committee that was dealing with the hostel problems.  The committee of the kwaMadala Hostel were also the employees of ISCOR, working in ISCOR.  
	Firstly, the one that was in charge of that place or the area was Mr Moses Mthembu and another man whose name I have forgotten although I remember his surname and he was Kumane and three others who were working as security men who were controlling the entrance and the exit, or the coming in and the going out of people.  One of them was Mr Shohisa and the other was Mr Nthule and Mr Mkwanazi.  These are the ones who were in charge inside.
	We also had another committee or maybe the Indunas, they were two only ...[intervention]

CHAIRPERSON: These Induna, they were not part of the house committee?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: No.  ...[No English translation]

MR LAX: Sorry, we're not getting any translation.  Mr Khanyile, can you just repeat from the point where you started talking about the Indunas Committee.

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Okay.  There were two Indunas, the first Induna was Bhekinkosi Mkhize and his assistant was, I knew him as Mzizi.  Those were the ones who were in charge or who were our leaders.
	Each time we had traditional weapons.  And again there was Vanana Zulu.  Vanana was a Prince.  He had no position that he occupied but as a child from royal family or his is a prince and he was amongst us being the majority Zulus.  We always acknowledged him as our leader.  There is nothing that would take place without consulting him.  That is how the hierarchy was at the kwaMadala Hostel.
	There's a slight thing that I'm forgetting.  We had also had another committee which dealt with the death.  As we lost so many souls we had a committee that specifically dealt with that, collecting of money for the preparation of funerals, we were just the two of us.  	Myself I was the collector of monies, in fact I was something like a secretary and there was another one that I was working with and he was taken as a chairman of this two-man committee.  I am forgetting his name.  His surname is Mpungosi.  I have forgotten his first name, Mpungosi is his name, I've forgotten his first name.  That is how the hierarchy of leadership was at the kwaMadala Hostel.

MR STRYDOM: In your application you make mention of a person with the name of Damarra Chonco, what was his position?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Damarra Chonco, I'm remembering now, he was one of the Senior Committee members.  The ones I have already listed for you, he was one.  He formed part of the Senior Committee.  This was a man whom we knew very well.  We collected the money and he would be in a position to go and buy weapons to protect ourselves, he said.

MR STRYDOM: I want to take you back to the meeting you've mentioned that took place three weeks before the attack.  That is the meeting which you said was a general meeting about some of the residents who started to complain about their situation.  Who was chairing that meeting?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I don't remember.

MR STRYDOM: Then you made mention of another meeting approximately a week before the attack, what was the nature of that meeting?