Special Hearings — Mandela United Football Club Hearings — UNKNOWN

MR RICHARD: Now, at that stage, you and  Sledge started doing something, please tell us what you did.

JERRY RICHARDSON: We did a lot of things with Sledge.  Some pretty bad things, but I am disturbed that Sledge is around and he is not willing to come and testify.  Sledge is very much alive and kicking.
 We started torturing the youths in the manner that the boers used to torture freedom fighters.  The first thing that I did to Stompie was to hold him with both sides, throw him up in the air and let him fall freely onto the ground.  Mommy was sitting and watching us.
 I think we threw Stompie about seven times in the air and he fell onto the ground.  He was tortured so severely that at some stage I could see that he would ultimately die.

MR RICHARD: Was he only thrown up into the air and dropped or was any other assault performed on him?

JERRY RICHARDSON: There is a lot of things that we did to Stompie.  We kicked him, we just kicked him like a ball.
 We did a lot of things.

MR RICHARD: Now, did any sjambok ... (intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: Excuse me.  Just hold it there.  Could you try to - it is a very difficult thing - thank you.

MR RICHARD: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Now, you were in this room and Stompie was being assaulted.  The question that I am trying to ask is who started the assaults, how was he assaulted and for how long and in what manner?

JERRY RICHARDSON: I have not come to play chess here.  I do not want to cry  but this has charged me emotionally, because the things that we did as the Mandela Football Club, they are horrible, they are barbaric.
 There is a lot of things that we did and I am growing scared now to say some of the things.

CHAIRPERSON: We would request you to really stick to the points.  This is a very emotional period for all of us.  Could you please just tell us in detail, as to what happened and who started assaulting and can you please just answer your questions briefly because you have described in detail as to what you did to Stompie.  We just need the basis things, you need not go into full details with regard to this matter, because there are a lot of people listening and this is a very touching moment for all of us and we would just request you  to stick to the  basis points.

JERRY RICHARDSON: Chairperson, I respect you and I respect your decision.  I believe that we have been coming here for the past six, seven, she has not been crying.  And you usually admonish the people to keep quiet, I appreciate the job that you are doing, but when we switch off the lights, you are in your houses, you've got securities and bodyguards.  We are in prison.
 Chairperson, I respect you, I revere you.  I knew that if I talk about Stompie, Stompie's mother will cry, but I would like you to give me a chance to express myself fully because I haven't yet dropped my bombshell, I have bigger things coming.
 And when people start crying, this poses a problem for me because I haven't yet detailed whatever I did.  Twosome Motawu usually says when days are dark, friends are few.
 I will request you Chairperson, because this is a very touching story, it touches me as well, the whole world knows what is happening.  Even my children are missing me as much as Stompie's mother misses Stompie.
 You are threatening me that you can lay charges against me, there is nothing that I have done.  You are listening to my story.  Mrs Mandela is not going to cry and Joyce is crying.

CHAIRPERSON: I have requested you and we have listened to your plea, we are all having a difficulty and if you can, please try to meet us halfway.  Try to give us the basics so that we can get to the root of the truth.  Can you continue or would you like us to adjourn so that you can regain your composure?

JERRY RICHARDSON: No.  Okay, you can continue to the other aspects.   She will not forget that her child was killed in such a brutal manner.
 I killed Stompie under the instructions of Mommy.  Mommy never killed anyone, but she used us to kill a lot of people.  She does not even visit us in prisons.  She used us.

CHAIRPERSON: She will get an opportunity to come and express herself and answer to all the allegations that are being put to her, so you should not worry about Mommy, you should really worry about yourself.  You should answers put to you.  We will appreciate it if you can do that.

MR RICHARD: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Where we were is that Mrs Mandela, the Football Team, Stompie and the others including Katiza Cebekhulu were all in a room.  You said that he was being assaulted.
 Now, if I read from the notes, is it correct that the people that beat Stompie were Mrs Mandela, Katiza, Sledge and yourself?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, but there are others.  Everybody who was there participated as well as the other members of the Mandela United Football Club.

MR RICHARD: Then Sledge and you threw Stompie into the air and he fell to the ground and you kicked him, is that a summary of what you said?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Let me start with Kenny.  Kenny was assaulted with fists by Mommy until I stopped Mommy.    I took Kenny, I assaulted Kenny with fists and at that time that I was busy with Kenny, Mommy was grabbing another one.
 At some stage she actually grabbed one of the youths by the hair.  Whilst we were busy sjamboking the others ones, others were busy with fists, kicking, it was a whole lot of commotion.

MR RICHARD: Right, now how long did this go on for?

JERRY RICHARDSON: This went on for about two hours.

MR RICHARD: For the sake of time, to paraphrase, what was said here goes as follows.  To quote, we used a sjambok, shoes and a light cane, fists and so on, is that correct?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, that is very true.

MR RICHARD: As a result of these beatings it came out that Stompie said that he regretted selling out MK guerillas, he prayed for mercy and asked to be taken home, is that correct?

JERRY RICHARDSON: That is correct.

MR RICHARD: And then after the two and a half hours of assaulting the youths and Stompie, you felt that it was enough and is it correct to say that the other three individuals, ie Kenny, Thabo and Pelo were also badly assaulted, but not as badly assaulted as Stompie?  Is that correct?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, that is true.

MR RICHARD: Then at approximately 21h30 that evening, you had supper which was brought to you by one Gogo?  Correct?

JERRY RICHARDSON: I don't remember that part.

MR RICHARD: And Stompie by that stage was too badly injured to eat?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, that is true.

MR RICHARD: And then what Sledge and you did was you gave them blankets and you, Sledge and Ronnie Skekoni slept with them.  Is that correct?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, that is true.

MR RICHARD: So, we get ourselves to the next morning.  You went and saw Mrs Mandela, what report did you make to her.  I can't lead you further?

JERRY RICHARDSON: Yes, that is correct.  The following morning I went to Mommy to give her a report back.  I told her that Stompie was worse off than the other kids, he had been badly injured and I wanted to take him back to his place.
 But I could see that Stompie was in a very bad shape.  I realised that he was going to die anyway, and my opinion was that he should just be finished off.

MR RICHARD: Carry on.

JERRY RICHARDSON: I have got a problem.  I don't trust, when the lights go off, I get scared.

CHAIRPERSON: Order please.

JERRY RICHARDSON: I am speaking the truth now.  We were not supposed to take Stompie to Parys because I took a pen and gave it to Stompie to write his address.

MR RICHARD: Mr Richardson, you are going too fast now.  The next morning, is it not true that you waited for Guybon Kubheka until about 18h30 that afternoon and he wanted information about the four people you had collected from the church?

JERRY RICHARDSON: That is true.