Amnesty Hearings — Bloemfontein — 1997-09-02

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: I have got the page.  The comrades I am able to remember whom we were torturing on that day is comrade called Juluka, who was staying at A section at Botshabelo.  He was doing standard 9 in Kohu High School.  He was injured on the eyes because of the beating.
	The second one is Mokoto, who was staying at D section.  He was doing standard 7 at Goreotuto High School in Botshabelo.  He was injured on the private parts.
	The other one is Mkhusenku, his other name is Thabangu, he was staying at A section at Botshabelo.  The girl was Maleshoane Molekane, who was staying at 1869, A section.
	The police who took part in the torture are as follows:  Captain Tsomela, Warrant Officer van den Berg, Warrant Officer Mbanjani, Constable  (indistinct)Katake, Sergeant Smith, Constable Thula, Constable Simon Senyane and Constable Lesale.
	To explain well, Constable Tsomela whom I have mentioned, was the Station Commander of Botshabelo at that time.  That is a person who arranged that we should arrive there.

ADV MEMANI: Mr Chairman, may I take instructions?  Thank you Mr Chairman.  Mr Ngo, did you torture these people as a result of any personal grievance that you had with this people?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: No Sir.

ADV MEMANI: The people who were acting on the instructions of and together with whom you were acting, were they policemen in the South African police force at the time?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: That is true.

ADV MEMANI: Did you act within the cause and scope of your duties as a policeman?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: Yes Sir.

ADV MEMANI: Did you torture them for any personal gain or reward?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: We were instructed to torture them as they were trying to rule Botshabelo.

ADV MEMANI: The question was did you torture them for personal gain or reward?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: No, I was not torturing to get any gain.

ADV MEMANI: I think the answer should be I did not torture them to get any gain.  Now, that concludes the application listed as 2.14, the torture at Botshabelo and we will now proceed to the application in respect of the unlawful use of gangsters at 2.15.  It appears to pages 36 to 43 of the bundle.
	Mr Ngo, this is at page 14 of your pages and it is incident E, it is acts of offence - the use of gangsters to attack political activists.  Do you have that in front of you?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: Yes, I have it.

ADV MEMANI: Now, will you tell the Committee about this application?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: It was in 1986, around 1986 and 1985 when we were posted for a special duty with members of the Security Branch in Brandfort who were Warrant Officer Ramoseu, Warrant Officer Bester, Warrant Officer Cronje, Warrant Officer Swanepoel, Constable Tax and myself.
	The work of the sub-Units as was set by Colonel Coetzee was as follows:  to observe and monitor political activists in Brandfort and to open up groups of gangsters who would work with the Security Branch, to plan and support the attacking strategies against the comrades and to plant seeds of propaganda in the townships and to recruit political activists to be members of the Security Branch.
	To explain under the first one which is observation.  It was instructed that we should, we were instructed by Colonel Coetzee to monitor the speeches of Winnie Mandela and the people who were her close contacts in Brandfort.
	The things which we were doing were bugging the telephones and even at Winnie Mandela's house so that we will be able to hear her conversation together with her close friends.

CHAIRPERSON: Whose telephones did you bug?

MPHITHIZELI NELSON NGO: Winnie Mandela's friends and her contacts and her telephone was also bugged.
	The things which we were listing at Brandfort police station, there was a machine which we used to listen which was controlled by bands.  If people phoned her or she phones them, because we were using the earphones.
	We were doing this because we wanted to gather evidence so that we will be able to charge her in court if there is any evidence gathered to make a charge against her.
	In the gangsters, as we were instructed by Colonel Coetzee, three gangsters were supposed to be established in Brandfort.  The first one is Eagles Club, the second one is Anti-comrades and the third one is Three Millions.
	When Eagles Club was formed by members of the Security Branch, by recruiting students who were doing standard 10 in the schools, or in the Masidiso High School in Brandfort, they were sent to SADF base where they were given indoctrination courses and those courses were done by members of the Intelligence in Roodewal.
	The objective of the Intelligence Members services to conduct those courses, was to teach those students the strategies and the way of suppressing students and student bodies like COSAS and Student Representative Councils, which were there in the schools and to replace them with bodies called the Prefect System.
	And teachers were used who understood or who liked the Prefect System to support the Eagles Club in the school.  The teachers who were recruited, were instructed to strengthen those Clubs.  If they found that the teacher is supportive, he was given courses by the members of the Intelligence Service or the South African Defence Force members in Roodewal.

ADV DE JAGER: Where is Roodewal?