Amnesty Hearings — Richards Bay — 1998-04-14

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: Yes, he was aware.  Bebebeyela was part of the entire activities that we conducted.

MR WILLS: Mr Mkhize, I want to turn now to the next incident, which commences at paragraph 56 of your affidavit, page 102 of the record.  It concerns the murder of Naftha Nqumalo.

ADV MOTATA: Mr Wills, may I just interpose here?  Just to follow up on the question you asked about Bebebeyela's car.  What I want to know from you Mr Mkhize, did you use Bebebeyela's car with his consent, in other words did he give you the car to use in these attacks you have enumerated?

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: Yes, that is so.  He gave us permission to use the car.

ADV MOTATA: Thank you Mr Wills.

MR WILLS: Thank you Mr Committee member.  Can you again explain to the Committee members and the members of the public, the circumstances surrounding your involvement and the involvement of others in the murder of Naftha Nqumalo?

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: In this incident, as I have already explained that even though instructions came from Captain Langeni, it was mostly things that I knew of because we were on good terms and cooperated with the local leadership of the IFP at eSikhawini.
	I knew about this things, but it was not policy that I should know why the person was being killed.  My job was to get instructions from Captain Langeni to kill someone.  It happened by chance sometimes that I knew the reasons for killing a person.
	This happened because of the good cooperation between myself and the local leadership of the IFP at eSikhawini.  
	There was an allegation that Mr Nqumalo was involved in mobilising in the factories.  I think he worked at a certain factory in Richards Bay.  There were certain people in these factories who were IFP members, who brought it to the attention of the IFP leadership at eSikhawini that Mr Nqumalo was very active in opposing the IFP and the kwaZulu Police in the factories where he worked.
	The greatest problem about him was that he was very persuasive and people listened to him.  When he mobilised against the IFP, he could sway the people that he was talking to, he could convince them to hate the IFP.  He was reportedly very good at mobilising.
	There was also an allegation that Mr Nqumalo was highly regarded in the ANC and was earmarked to contest a Mayoral position.  If this happened, and he got the support, this would overthrow Mr Bebebeyela.  This could be problematic for the organisation because if Bebebeyela was no longer in authority, our organisation would have been harmed.  If I can make an example, things like the news of Klangelani Hall, that was not granted to the ANC, they could not use that hall because Bebebeyela was in position, in authority.
	The ANC could not even hold gatherings because of this, so if Mr Bebebeyela lost his position, the IFP would be harmed.   If Mr Nqumalo was in a position to contest this position with Mr Bebebeyela and win over Bebebeyela such that the ANC will then be in control of the area, the ANC would use that opportunity to wipe out the IFP because they would have the authority and therefore the power to wipe out the IFP.
	That was the reason why Nqumalo was targeted to be killed.  I remember that on the day we were using Mr Bebebeyela's Ford Meteor.  I remember that I was driving the car.  Victor was with me, Romeo was also present.  I had fetched him from a course at aMatikulu.
	Zweli Dhlamini was also there.  Israel as well.  When we left we were just intending to do reconnaissance, not really to hit him on that day, but we had our weapons with us.  But when we passed his house, we saw him coming from the house, he was with certain people, approaching the gate.
	We then passed the house.  Who knew him was Victor Buthelezi, Mr Bebebeyela's body guard.   He was the person who was going to point him out to us.  When he advanced to - we proceeded on.  I cannot remember quite well how many people were in his company, three or four, I cannot remember, it is quite long.
	He was in the company of males.  He looked like a person who was walking them to the gate after a short visit to his home.  We drove passed and we parked at a dust road.  We put off the car to look around, it was beginning to get dark, dusky.
	We came back on foot.   It is quite a short distance.  On walking back, we walked back at the time when they were actually parting, that is why I am saying he was actually walking them to the gate after a visit.
	We have now decided to make use of this opportunity and on getting nearer to them, Victor pointed him out to us.  We shot him and he dropped dead, and we fled.
	I took the steering wheel and on starting the car, I saw a KZP bakkie leaving at a high speed.  Isn't it gunfires had been heard already.
	I drove without having turned on my headlights and this KZP van followed us and we fled right up to Mkoboza with the same people in my company.  I drove further down, taking the eMalahleni road, and we were still being pursued by this KZP van.  I took my left at Mazankala, approaching the road that was connecting us to kwaDlangezwa.
	The very same KZP van was pursuing us.  We decided to stop and speak to the Police and they indicated some people in the car, some people in the car in which we were travelling, indicated that if we did that, we would be arrested, because in the very same Police Force, there were ANC Police people who were planted to work within the Police Force and we didn't know what the situation would be like if we stopped.
	Israel suggested that we should just shoot at them, but we hesitated.  We didn't think of that as a good idea and we exchanged ideas as we were fleeing and the van was right at our heels.  They apparently noticed that we are the ones that opened fire, and I approached the crossing at kwaDlangezwa and the van was still at our heels.
	We took the Empangeni road, still being pursued and we decided that we should overtake the cars ahead of us, and I would turn off my headlamps and proceed overtaking, so that the ones pursuing us, should not see when we indicate and overtake.
	I just turned off my headlamps, overtook some cars and proceeded on.  We arrived at some place, I am not sure whether it is Bassonia, and there is a road there that proceeds towards Ndebayake and we took a dusty road at some sugar plantation and the van that was pursuing us, proceeded on and we concluded that we have actually managed to get away.
	We took back the correct registration numbers for the vehicle in which we were travelling and we took out several things, like guns and hand grenades and we suggested that people like Zweli should walk on foot.  We decided that there is no way that we can be found now that we are travelling in the car with its correct registration number.
	All the guns and arms that we had, had been off loaded from the car and we remained with our licensed firearm.  The group that were left there, walked on foot towards Nqwelezwani, heading for M.R. Mkhize who was in charge of the Inkatha Offices at Empangeni.
	Myself and Romeo stayed behind and we were to drive back.  I had to take Romeo back to (indistinct), and the remaining group proceeded on with the guns that we left behind, and we drove back to eSikhawini.
	I went to the Police station and I learnt that the incident had already been reported at the Police station.  If I still remember very well, I arrived at the same time as the hearse was arriving to pick up the corpse.  I reported to my authorities that we have already done it, they were happy that we had finally eliminated Naftha Nqumalo.
	We were not charged, nor arrested, nor prosecuted for the incident.  The case just disappeared, just like that, to date.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Mr Wills, may I intervene before you proceed to the next incident.
	Mr Mkhize in your affidavit you stated that Constable Lucky Mbandwa also participated in this operation.    Is that correct?