Amnesty Hearings — Bloemfontein — 1998-08-18

MR MBANDAZAYO: Mr Chairman, I'm calling Abel Khotle.

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: (sworn states)

MR MBANDAZAYO: Mr Khotle, you have an affidavit in front of you and it's also before the Committee, do you confirm that this affidavit was made by yourself and you abide by its contents?

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: What appears on the affidavit, it's the truth.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now, Mr Chairman, I'll go to paragraph 5 of his affidavit
"I confirm that I gave an order for the operation in Wesselsbron Supermarket after receiving approval from the Director of Operations.  I also confirm that I was the regional commander at the time of the operation."
	Now, can you tell the Committee, how did it come about that you seek an approval from the Director of Operations for the operation at Wesselsbron?

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: Firstly, I would say, as Mr Khotle, I was a member of A P L A, that's APLA.  APLA has a chain of command, and then as the regional commander I was a subordinate and there were those who were above me, I had to consult with them before I do any commission or any operation.  There are two things.  One, (Sotho), I would receive some instructions, then I would follow those instructions.  Secondly, of that chain of command... (intervention).

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, may we ask you to stick to one language, whether you prefer English or whatever, but it's very difficult to follow the translation and to interpret if you switch languages please.

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: I would speak Sotho.  What I want to say is that there are two things, if it happens that I'm deployed in a particular area, I would receive instructions from above that you should do certain operations up to a certain point.  Secondly, because of the respect for the chains of commands, I must by all means consult with those above me before I execute any operation in any particular area.  Shortly, those are the most important issues.  It is because of the respect of the chains of command, as APLA was a military institution, that is why I have to report at all times to those who are above me before I do any operation, though I have a limited discretion to do certain operations.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now, Mr Khotle, can you, with regard to this one, Wesselsbron Supermarket operation, can you tell us what actually took place before you sought the approval from the Director of Operations?

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: Firstly, at the time when I was in this province, after being deployed in this area, I was able to make assessments of specific areas, and I was able to make assessments of the region as a whole.  That is a requirement so that every APLA soldier, when he arrives at a certain place, he must do that assessment of that particular area.
	What happened is that before the Wesselsbron attack, my comrades, that is Ryber, who is Bhani, arrived, as I was expecting him from Umtata.  When he arrived, I took him from Welkom to Wesselsbron at Mnyagene Township.  Mnyagene Township I sought accommodation for him and then he found that accommodation.  It was within his scope of his work that when he arrived in a particular area, he should make his own assessment, then he should look for areas where he, I would use this word, say potential targets.  
	What happened is that he stayed in Mnyagene for some time, then he returned to Welkom and reported to me that he was able to identify a certain place, he said this is the right place that that place should be attacked.  He gave me reasons why that area should be attacked.  The first reason was that during the time when he conducted his reconnaissance or that information-gathering, he was able to find out that that place was frequented by security police and then again by members of AWB.   
	After he reported to me and gave me the full details of that particular place, I was obliged to make my own reconnaissance at the supermarket.  This incident happened in June.  In the late May or the last week of May, I started to continue with my reconnaissance.  I did them in two days, that is Friday and Saturday.  It is within these two days that what I heard from Bhani is true.  
	On the first week of June, I departed from Welkom on Friday and I went to Wesselsbron.  I left on Friday deliberately late in the afternoon, around six to seven o'clock, knowing that the taxi would take me next to, would pass next to the supermarket.  I alighted the taxi at the taxi rank, becuase they were waiting for taxis from the township, because that taxi started from Odendaal, Odendaalsrus to Wesselsbron, and it did not go through the township.  I stayed there for a while, waiting for a taxi from the township.  I went to that supermarket.  At the door, when I entered, I met one of those people who were there and who was armed with a pistol.  He was wearing private clothes.  I entered inside.  I went to the fridge, I took a drink, I took some fruits.  
	At the time whilst I was taking those cooldrinks and the fruits, I was looking around the area.  I paid at the counter and when I went outside, that person whom I found at the door who was having a pistol, that is the time when he was leaving the area, and thereafter I left the store.  Outside I saw a taxi which came from the township.  Then I entered into that taxi to Mnyagene Township.  
	On Saturday, I went back to Welkom late in the afternoon.  I did that deliberately, because I wanted to pass again at that store.  I went there and waited for taxis from Wesselsbron to Odendaalsrus where I would embark on a taxi to Welkom.  I went inside again and looked inside.  On that day, I saw one person who was talking with other people, and he was having a pistol, but he was not the same person as the one I saw on Friday.  I passed and I went to Welkom.  
	On the second week, if I remember well, I returned.  I arrived at the same time late in the afternoon, that was on Friday.  I found the situation being the same, there would always be one person who was armed.  I went to the township.  The following day I left early in the morning.  On Saturday I returned to Welkom.  When I arrived in Welkom, I took a taxi to Umtata.  Then I met the Director of Operations, that is Comrade Leklapa Mpashlele.  I explained to him about the situations in Free State and about that particular target in fact, Wesselsbron.  In a discussion, we were able to identify that place as a potential target.  Then he gave me an approval that I should return and instruct the unit which was present, which was led by Comrade Bhani, that it should execute the operation.  That's how the operation was executed.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Now, can you tell the Committee whether before the operation took place, was there any other person who knew about the operation except yourself and Bhani?

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: The other person who knew about the operation is Comrade Mpashlele.  There is no other person except we three.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Are you saying to the Committee that there is no member of the unit, maybe that you told one member of the unit that there's going to be this operation at Wesselsbron?

LERATO ABEL KHOTLE: There is no other person about this operation except Comrade Sibande, that is Dennis, who did not know about this operation.  What I went there is that I should come with a deception plan.  The deception plan was that this member should be informed that in Welkom there is a place which should be attacked, not in Wesselsbron.  That's what I did, because I wanted to safeguard the security of the target and the security of the people who are going to take part in the operation.

MR MBANDAZAYO: Can you tell the Committee, why did you come up with the deception plan to Dennis Sibande?