Special Hearings — Caprivi Hearings — 1997-08-07

WITNESS:   We thought that as soon as we approach our own area out of Durban or out of the way we were going to make him board the first bus.  We said we would be able to ask him questions in the forest - ask him to give us the whole information, because we intended that as soon as he gives us the information all the people who were involved in the plot they should also be made to board the first buses.  However, it didn't happen that way, and when he saw us getting into the bush area down at Port Dunford he realised that we were going to kill him, and then he started to struggle and fight.  He was fighting seriously and you'd think we were fighting against three men.  During the fight so we had to shoot him.  He wasn't armed.  However, he would grab one of us and use that person to fight against us.  Therefore it was difficult for us to shoot him, because it was possible that we could hit one of us.  However, we managed to overcome him.  Unfortunately we didn't get the details which we wanted from him and since he was fighting we had to kill him as

INTERPRETER: /quick as

INTERPRETER: 2A quick as possible, and we left him there.  When we were getting into the car, I don't remember among us who suggested that we should do the very same method which is employed by the ANC, the method of burning our people, so that when they found him they shouldn't suspect that it's Inkatha who killed him.  They will think it's the ANC, so let's burn him as they also burn our people and necklace them.  Therefore we drained petrol from the car and we poured sand over him and we also poured petrol over him.  We burnt him and left him.

MR MACADAM: Was there any reason why this could not have been done in the Durban area, where you first kidnapped the deceased?

WITNESS:   We were afraid that if we were to kill him in Durban this case will not be investigated by us if they happen to discover his corpse.  It was to be investigated by the South African Police and we knew that Brigadier Mzimela is the one who is supposed to do the cover-ups for us, that in whatever we do we shouldn't be arrested.  Therefore Mzimela wouldn't have the access or the jurisdiction in Durban to do the cover-up's.  Therefore we have to take him to our own jurisdiction, where we knew that the case would be investigated by the KwaZulu Police, and we thought that was the safest way to do it.

MR MACADAM: What position exactly did Brigadier Mzimela hold?

WITNESS:   He was a District Commandant.  His offices were at Esikhaweni and he was in charge of five police stations - the KwaMsane Police Station, Bongilwane Police Station, Sundumbili Police Station and Esikhaweni Police Station and also Damanani Police Station.

MR MACADAM: And moving on to another aspect, do you have

MR MACADAM: /knowledge of

MR MACADAM: 2A knowledge of an Inkatha Freedom Party rally, which took place in the Esikhaweni area and which was disrupted by members of the African National Congress?

WITNESS:  You mean an Inkatha member?

MR MACADAM: [Break in recording]

WITNESS:   Oh.  Yes, I have information.

MR MACADAM: Can you tell us what transpired there?

WITNESS:    I don't remember when it was in 1992 and there was a rally.  It was an Inkatha rally.  One of the speakers who was present was Gideon Zulu.  During that particular day I was on duty and I was wearing camouflage uniform and we were doing the vehicle patrol and we heard people shouting from the stadium.  There were sounds of guns and it was rapid firing from automatic weapons.  Even our dignitaries have to crawl on the ground on their stomachs.

MR MACADAM: Can you tell us who the dignitaries were?

WITNESS:   The leaders were there, but those whom I want to mention it's Gideon Zulu, Prince Gideon Zulu, and also the chiefs were there, Inkosi Mathaba from Inyoni, and others.  Two young men entered the ground.  They were ANC men, and they started shooting at those people who were there.  People started running away.  Some were injured on their legs.  Some were running and falling into the pits as they were being fired at from behind.  Therefore this angered the Prince.  We ran to the place, myself and other policemen, and we couldn't find anyone because the young men ran away.  Even up to today they have not been arrested.  Umtwanakaminyo said to me that we should take drastic steps with regard to this incident.  While saying this he was brushing his big tummy after having woken up from the ground where he was crouching, and he said that this has

MR MACADAM: /angered him

MR MACADAM: 2A angered him and he said we have to change our strategy.  He said we shouldn't concentrate on these missions where we have to eliminate one target and they said we should do exactly what they did to us.  We have to hit them at bus stops, at their meetings, inside buses, if we knew that they were ANC people and they were going to a particular place, so that they can stop what they were doing, because they disrupted the meeting or the rally which then didn't continue.

MR MACADAM: Who exactly was this person who said these things?

WITNESS:   [No audible reply]

MR MACADAM: Can you tell us what position that person held or what his full names were.  I might have been mistaken, but I thought you just used one word as a name for this person.

WITNESS:   It is Prince Gideon Zulu.  He was the Minister of Welfare of KwaZulu Government and he was also from the KwaZulu Kingdom.  He was a member of the central committee of the Inkatha.

MR MACADAM: If you could proceed now to tell us what you did after these things were said.

WITNESS:   Mrs Mbuyazi said, "Mageba, we are going to have a meeting tomorrow".  We had that meeting at the council chamber in Hlanganani Hall, which is in Esikhaweni.  In that meeting we were trying to devise strategies as to how we strategise, therefore it so happened that his words - I'm referring to Gideon Sifiso, that we had to change our strategy, and we agreed that we have to change the strategy.  We are not only going to attack prominent leaders, so we will be hitting at random and hit anyone - anyone who is associated with the African National Congress.  It was said that we have to eliminate them.  And his words helped us in our strategy and it came

MR MACADAM: /into operation.

MR MACADAM: 2A into operation, and we agreed in that meeting, which was attended by Mrs Mbuyazi and Mr Biyela.  During the course of the evidence I will be able to - or the others will be able to give flesh to what I've said.

MR MACADAM: And we move on to another matter.  Sergeant Khumalo of the KwaZulu Police was killed.  Do you have any knowledge of that case?

WITNESS:   Yes, I know.

MR MACADAM: What happened there?