Amnesty Hearings — Durban — UNKNOWN

WITNESS:   Mr Chairman, during November, early November - from early November onwards we were operating as a whole Vlakplaas team.  All four teams were operating in the Durban area on instructions, and as usual I reported to Brigadier van Hoven's office as officer commanding every morning at half past seven, and every afternoon at 4 o'clock for debriefing and briefing.  A few days before the 19th of November, on a morning briefing, he asked me to make a plan with Mr Mxenge.  He then in very short terms briefed me that he was an ex Robben Island convict, that he was an attorney, that they were trying to build up a case against him, because he was an acting instructing attorney in all ANC cadres cases who were caught in the country, and that an amount something R200 000,00 went through his bank account.  He then took me over to the office of then Captain Andy Taylor.

MR DE JAGER: Did he add - sorry to interrupt.  Did he add anything to the words, "You must make a plan with Mr Mxenge"?

WITNESS:   He did, Mr Chairman, in the sense that he said we must not use guns or make him disappear, we

MR DE JAGER: /must make

MR DE JAGER: must make it look like a robbery.

MR JANSEN: Can you continue.

CHAIRPERSON: Can I have the name again?  Who was it that gave you those instructions?

WITNESS:   Brigadier van der Hoven, the regional commander then in Port Natal in the C R Swart Square Security Police.

MR JANSEN: Can you continue.  What happened thereafter?

WITNESS:   He then took me across the passage to Captain Andy Taylor's office, the officer who handled the Mxenge case, who was on his specific case dealing with his surveillance, his phone tapping, etcetera, who then gave me a short description of his office and his house, of how many dogs he had on the premises.  If I recall correctly he said it was four.

MR JANSEN: Before you continue, did van der Hoven tell Taylor why he had brought you there?

WITNESS:   It was a very short conversation in the line of, "Give Dirk the information on Mxenge."  So it was very clear to me out of that conversation that Andy Taylor already knew what was planned, or what went on in van der Hoven's head, or that they had discussed it previously.

MR JANSEN: Okay, could you continue with what happened with Taylor.

WITNESS:   Captain Andy Taylor also supplied a photograph of Mr Mxenge, which was, I would guess, about two by three inches - bigger than a passport photo, with a checkered jacket on.  I think it's one that was shown to me also - just a larger version of it was shown to me one day by a TV journalist in the programme.  And he then sent one of his black juniors with us to go and show us Mr Mxenge's place of work, his motor car, which was parked opposite the offices, where there was at the time no

MR JANSEN: /building,

MR JANSEN: building but just a prefab wall, and ... (intervention)

MR JANSEN: Do you know the name of that black colleague which went to show you?

WITNESS:   Unfortunately not, no, Mr Chairman.

MR JANSEN: Continue.

WITNESS:   As well as the Audi which was parked behind the wall opposite Mr Mxenge's office.  He then also went with us to show Mr Mxenge's house, and the information was also given to us that he usually works late at night, and his wife usually leaves before him.  I requested Brigadier van der Hoven at the time to arrange with Brigadier Skoon for him to send Joe Mamasela down for me as I would pick him as one of my team members.  At the time Joe Mamasela was actually working with West Rand Security, Captain Jan Coetzee, who succeeded me on the 31st of December 1981 as commander at Vlakplaas, but whenever Captain Jan Coetzee didn't have work for him he would work with us, or when I needed him it would be arrange with Captain Jan Coetzee.  So Brigadier van der Hoven arranged and, according to my recollection, Sergeant Schutte brought Joe Mamasela down on the 17th of November during the night which the dogs were poisoned.  He brought down with him from Vlakplaas a hunting knife and two Okapi knives.  Four pieces of meat we got from the police single quarters kitchen, and I had a bottle of strychnine in the back of my car, green crystals which the farmers used in the earlier days for jackal, to kill jackal that caught their sheep.  Small slits - I made four pieces of meat, small chunks of meat with four slits in it, and put knife point - only a small knife point of strychnine in each piece of meat.  This was not for the dog to taste the strychnine, and if you put in too much

MR JANSEN: /the dog

MR JANSEN: the dog would vomit it out.  We then, on the night of the 17th, gave the pieces of meat - went to Mr Mxenge's house. Myself, and if I recollect, if my memory doesn't let me down, Captain Koos Vermeulen, Paul van Dyk, Almond Nofomela and Joe Mamasela drove to Mr Mxenge's house, where Almond and Joe got out of the car and the meat was distributed in the yard of Mr Mxenge.  The next day some of the dogs got killed, I don't know exactly how many, and the idea was to leave it open for them to decide where they want to commit the murder, either at his place of work coming out, or on the road, or, if the situation might fall into their discretion as the right moment, at his house without being hampered by the dogs.  Almond and Joe observed Mr Mxenge's office and his movements.  The murder took place a day or two, if not three, after the poisoning of the dogs, and in fact on the night of the 19th of November.  I had an arrangement with them that I would meet them ... (incomplete - end of Side A, Tape 2)

CHAIRPERSON: Very well, this will be a convenient stage to take the adjournment.  We will resume at 2 o'clock.

MR JANSEN: Thank you, Mr Chairman.
LONG ADJOURNMENT
ON RESUMPTION

DIRK JOHANNES COETZEE: (Still under former oath)

MR MSHE: Mr Chairman and Members of the Committee, before we continue I just want to put this on record, that during lunch time I was with Attorney Christo Nel, who is the attorney to Mr Andrew Taylor, whom we have informed, as well as van der Hoven, and I indicated to him that the Form 2 is going to be served.  Then he said, "No, there's
	/no need
no need for that.  We waive you serving it on us.  We are aware.  We shall do whatever is necessary on our side."

CHAIRPERSON: That will be recorded.  You may proceed.

MR JANSEN: Thank you, Mr Chairman.

MR JANSEN: QUESTIONS BY MR JANSEN CONTINUED

MR JANSEN: Mr Coetzee, when we adjourned you were busy testifying about the poisoning of Mr Mxenge's dogs and the arrangement to meet the members of the team at the bar afterwards.  Could you just continue from there.

WITNESS:   Mr Chairman, on the Thursday night of the 19th it was a rainy night.  I did not do my usually early rendezvous of 8 and 9 o'clock, but did go there at 10 o'clock.  I found the bakkie with which they travelled parked in front of the pub in Field Street.  I parked behind it and I went into the pub, where I found Joe Mamasela with Mr Mxenge's jacket on, his watch on his wrist.  He handed me a wallet, which he said they took from Mr Mxenge, and car keys.  They told me that they have already changed into new clothes, and I took all their old clothes and shoes from them, because the instructions was that they should dress in old clothes before the operation, and make sure that there is nothing in their pockets that could fall out or be left at the scene which could identify or may leave leads at the scene.

MR JANSEN: If I may interrupt at that stage.  Did you give the members of the team any instructions as far as the way in which the murder had to be committed?

WITNESS:   Yes, I did, Mr Chairman.  I said they should specifically not use guns, and must make it look like a robbery, and it was decided on knives, that Mr Mxenge will be killed with knives.

MR JANSEN: /Did you

MR JANSEN: Did you give them any instructions as to how they should go about to conceal their involvement, or possible police involvement?