Amnesty Hearings — Richards Bay — 1998-04-14

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: Thank you.  I would like to say on arrival at the Durban airport, we did not go through the normal airport procedure as would usually be the case when people go through the check out points, or the check in points.
	I am saying this because later on there might be questions that might put me in a difficult position.  It is for this reason that I would like to explain that some things were not following the legal procedure and the accepted procedure, pertaining to the check in points at the airport.
	I am saying this because we were taken into a plane as would be the case with cargo.  The plane was very close to the furniture removal truck in which we were being transported and we jumped like cargo as it was being off loaded and loaded into another truck.
	That on its own explains that there was something sinister about this whole thing.  When we arrived at the airport where we waited at twelve o'clock, we were now approaching the airport and we realised that there was life where we were now headed.
	We travelled such a long distance that the flight itself, changed to freezing point.  On arrival at the airport, lights went off.  We landed at the airport with lights off and on landing, we were taken into some vehicles that are said to be armoured vehicles, Unimos, the ones that are used by soldiers.
	We used almost the same system as we did in the airport where we got into the flight, it is like cargo was being loaded.   We left at about twelve o'clock at night, and we travelled for about three hours, headed for the camp at which we would finally be trained.
	What we observed along the way was that Unimos are no longer the same as furniture removals, they are a little bit open and people who did military training, would understand what kind of a vehicle I am talking about.
	What we observed however, was that the boards, the road signs and as we came here to Richard's Bay, many of you might have noticed the road signs and the boards indicating direction, indicating how far Richard's Bay is.
	The kind of boards that we came across along the way were covered with sacks and plastic bags.  The kind of plastic bags that are used for garbage.  I am saying this because I know that at the end certain questions would have been answered by so doing.
	Maybe the Commission and the IFP lawyers who are present here, will find it easier to follow.

MR WILLS: Thank you Mr Mkhize, if you can now answer my question in relation to the type of training that you received.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Mr Wills, I don't want to be interfering with how you are leading your witness in chief, but maybe you must have consulted with Mr Mkhize, he should ask that you ask certain questions because you know the kind of evidence that he should prefer before the Committee and to the public.
	It would really, I am just bothered by him prejudging the kind of questions that will be put to him by either the members of the Committee or the people who will be representing any implicated persons.

MR WILLS: Yes, thank you Ms Committee member.  The I must stress that at this point in time, the witness does have a desire to detail his evidence as he feels that that is important for the members of the community who might want a detailed version, but if you can just bear with me for the rest of the afternoon and then I will consult later on and I am sure we will come to an acceptable arrangement.

CHAIRPERSON: We are here to hear your applications with regard to the various incidents which you have made reference to in your affidavit and while we appreciate your, the circumstances of your joining the Police Force, the training that you received, not only at Caprivi but at other places, is to a degree relevant to your application.
	It is not necessary to go into very fine detail with regard to these preliminaries.  If certain questions are put to you under cross-examination relating to what happened at Caprivi and details of your training, etc, which you might not have referred to in your evidence in chief, then surely you will be protected by myself as Chairman because we understand that - well, you must understand that we cannot go into great detail with regard to that training, because it is not one hundred percent relevant to the incidents which come later.
	If you bear that in mind, then perhaps we can get through the preliminaries quicker.

MR WILLS: Thank you Mr Chairperson.  Mr Mkhize, if you can quickly go through the kind of training you received, thank you.

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: I will like to respond to the Chairperson first, before I get to the question.  Chairperson, can I please say that the details that I am mentioning here, I do that because in this Commission and in the general public, I appear as a criminal.
	I appear as a person who because of his criminality just wiped out the entire community. Statements made by the IFP, B.B. Ndlovu, that are broadcast on the media implicate me as a criminal.
	I would like to make it clear to the Commission and the public that the criminality that they are according me today, started at that time before the training, during the training, and after the training, when I started killing people.  That is when the criminality started.
	That I was taught by them.

CHAIRPERSON: You can proceed.  I don't want to hinder you in your evidence, I am just saying we don't have to get the very fine detail as to the exact training that you received, but those points that you feel that you wish to stress, be free to do so.

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: I would also like to say that coming to this Commission, is not just to seek amnesty.  What is more important is to clear my name and explain to the public what happened.  It is therefore important that I mention all the details so that everybody will know what happened.

MR WILLS: Thank you Mr Mkhize.  If you could proceed with the answer to that question of mine, about the details of your training.

BRIAN QUNA MKHIZE: Will you please repeat the question?

MR WILLS: Yes, Mr Mkhize, please can you briefly describe the training that you received at the Caprivi?