Amnesty Hearings — Richards Bay — 1998-04-23

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: I would say (...indistinct) Mkhize told me that he had been to Ulundi to speak to Prince Gideon Zulu. He was driving a ZG vehicle. Prince Gideon Zulu had requested that there was a person who was very troublesome at Eshowe that we were suppose to eliminate. This was this male nurse that has been mentioned here. We did so. We left Esikoweni in the Opal Monza that Nthena was driving and drove to Eshowe. On arrival there we drove around the township sightseeing. Then we went to Prince Gideon's house at Eshowe. We spoke to his son, I don't remember the content of our discussion. I have also forgotten his name. From there we went to Eshowe. Before we arrived there we passed a garage where we met Mr Nguza, Prince Gideon Zulu's driver. Nguza was supposed to identify those two people at Eshowe Hospital. We followed his car until we arrived at Eshowe Hospital. On arrival at the hospital Mr Nguza identified the person we were suppose to attack, who was at the gate. One of them was at the gate and the other one was in the hospital. (...indistinct) Hlongwane and myself had small guns. We went into the hospital but then we realised that the situation was not conducive to carrying out the operation because there was many policemen. The presence of the police made it impossible for us to carry out the operation. We returned to the car and said (...indistinct) and Romeo we should leave because there are a lot of policemen around. We agreed and got into the car and drove into town. We parked for a while in town and had a few drinks.

MR STEWART: Mr Dlamini then is it right that you then did not execute that operation at that time?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is the truth.

MR STEWART: And from there you then proceeded on the operation which ended in the murder of Nate Gumede, is that right?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: That is correct.

MR STEWART: And you proceeded in that car to Durban. Will you tell the committee about what happened there when you went in the car to Durban to find Nate Gumede?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: When we left Eshowe using the very same car, Nthena had told us that there was a comrade. His surname was Gumede and he was a problem, a huge problem in Langiswa. And this boy was supposedly in Durban. And one person who knew his residential address was Andile. I would like to mention that I do not know all these people that I am mentioning here. I did not know Andile really but Nthena and Romeo knew him. It was agreed that he should be picked up from Esikoweni.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) affidavit you mentioned some one called Sandile. Do you realise that now that is an error? Whom you were referring to was this Andile Xhele you have now mentioned?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is correct. Yes Andile.

MR STEWART: He was to take you to where Nate Gumede was?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is correct.

MR STEWART: Proceed, tell us what happened?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: We took Andile and proceeded to Durban. We arrived in Durban quite late, it was dark. I would not know which entry point we used but Andile was the one who gave directions. We went into a certain place where Nate resided. We met an Indian person outside. Then Mkhize produced his appointment certificate as a policeman. I also produced mine and we requested to see Nate Gumede because we wanted to investigate and ask him questions about certain places. He showed us where Nate stayed. We went into Nate Gumede's room and we informed him that we were policemen and we wanted to speak to him outside. We produced our certificates to Nate and he realised that we policemen.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Mr Stewart I have been asked to take an adjournment now. I wonder if this would not be - I am interrupting here but if we could perhaps adjourn now and I see it is quarter to eleven and take the tea adjournment at this stage. Thank you. We will just take a short adjournment now.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
ON RESUMPTION

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry the proceedings will stand adjourned for a while longer for reason that we have some people who are going to be coming here to present a memorandum. Their presence and their presentation of the memorandum doesn't constitute part of the proceedings of this amnesty application hearing. So we will stand adjourned until such time as the memorandum has been handed over.
ON RESUMPTION

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: (s.u.o.)

MR STEWART: (cont)
	Mr Chairperson thank you. Mr Dlamini you have heard that the chairperson of this committee has asked that you commence explaining about the murder of Nate Gumede from the beginning and from that I think it would be most convenient for you to start from the time when you had finished at the Eshowe hospital and there was still the same group of you and you were in that same Opel Monza Meteor vehicle. And then you were to move to Durban. Explain from there?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Thank you. We went to Durban and we went into Nate's apartment. We took him along with us and as we were moving to the car he saw Romeo Mbambo sitting in the car. He started crying and we forcefully pushed him into the car. And as he entered into the car we started driving away with him. Along the way Nthena Mkhize was asking him questions. I cannot remember what questions he asked him but I do remember he asked him questions about Romeo. He wanted to know why he implicated Romeo so that Romeo ended up being arrested and who sent him and who was he working with. We drove all the way with Nate. (They request that the speaker try to speak up. So that the people at the back could hear what he is saying.) We proceeded with Nate in the car. There were questions that were put to him in the car. Questions as to who was working with him. And they wanted to know if he was working with people like Msomo of the ANC so that Romeo could be arrested. And they wanted to know who sent him to do these things. He was just crying in the car. He was not answering. We drove to Port Danford.
	On arrival at Port Danford we parked in the bush and he was taken out of the car. And it was said that because he didn't want to speak the truth they continued asking him who sent him and who instructed him to orchestrate Romeo's arrest. He didn't answer. But he realised that, that was his time to go. He knelt on his knees and prayed. Mr Hlongwane drew his .38 and shot him. Even though the .38 jammed at some time as this was happening he was praying. He prayed and everything happened so quick. He continued praying as the gun was being fixed. And Mr Hlongwane tried to shoot again, shoot him in the head but the gun still jammed and he fixed it again. And finally he shot him. I cannot remember how many bullets were fired but he did shoot him. 
	We took the car, we actually siphoned petrol from the car and this was poured over his body. We set him alight and we left.

MR STEWART: Mr Dlamini do you know who it was that instructed your group to murder Nate Gumede?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: As I have indicated that Nthena Mshope was our commander. He is the one who knows everything about this. He knew the origins of this. He is the one who was attending meetings so that the very same car that we were using to kill Nate was issued, made available so that we could use it to kill Nate. And we then went to Durban to pick up Nate after having failed to kill certain people at Eshowe.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) time that Mr Gumede was shot you were in the motor vehicle and not actually participating and holding him down or when shooting?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is correct. And as he was bleeding they pressed him down, that is Romeo. He was actually very strong. And at the time I was in the car.

MR STEWART: (...indistinct) car at the time that his body was set alight?

DAVID ZHELI DLAMINI: Yes that is correct.