Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 1997-10-27

NORMAN ARENDSE: Yes, Sichumiso Nonxuba.  Thank you.    After we had attended this refresher course, he instructed Mabala, Maxebo and Jantjie and I to be redeployed to different areas within Ixopo in the Transkei.
	The refresher course which I referred to, involved re-orientating us with the training and training methods which we had received while we were in exile.  The day before we left the Transkei for Cape Town, on the 13th of November 1993, the same group which is referred to in the previous paragraph joined up again at my place at Ixopo.  Indeed Nonxuba had brought first Mabala and Madasi, Madasi is also one of the applicants in this matter, and then Jantjie and Maxebo to my place.
	By the time he brought then, Nonxuba had already told me that we had formed part of the unit and that we were to be sent to Cape Town and that he was going to bring the other comrades to join me.  He, Nonxuba, had told me that we were to carry out three operations in Cape Town, namely to attack the Nyanga East Army base, to attack the  Lingelethu West police station and also to attack the Heidelberg Tavern.
	As far as I know, Nonxuba had not told any of the other members of the unit.  This strategy is quite normal within APLA, so that he had only told me in order to secure the operation and the target.
	In other words, it is a decision to only inform as few people as possible about an operation, just in case the Security Forces were to arrest any of the operatives.  
	After Nonxuba had taken the unit to the bus stop in his bakkie to Ixopo, we boarded a bus for Cape Town.  Nonxuba had also told me that when I arrived in Cape Town and I needed reinforcements, then I was to speak to one Siphiwo Mqweso, an APLA member.  When we arrived in Cape Town, we were to meet members of the then PAC Regional Executive Committee, who would provide the necessary logistical support and also provide us with arms and ammunition.
	Of the five members in the unit, only Madasi and Jantjie were from Cape Town and knew Cape Town well.  We eventually arrived at what I came to know as the Langa Taxi Rank.
	From there, Madasi and Jantjie showed us the way.  We had arrived in Cape Town during the course of the middle of the morning, in the middle of the week and from there we went to a house of the then Regional Organiser of the PAC, Michael Siyolo, who lived in Guguletu.
	When we got to his house, Siyolo appeared to have been waiting for us.  He arranged accommodation for us, dropping us off in pairs at different houses within Makaza.  Makaza, Mr Chairman, is Makaza, not the Macassar, which in fact I was confused with, the one in Somerset-West.  This Makaza is also in Khayelitsha.
	Siyolo first dropped of Madasi and Maxebo at his cousin's place and then he dropped me off, together with Mabala and Jantjie at another PAC member's place.  I remember his name was Ngesi.
	After we had found accommodation, we met frequently at various places.  I was appointed as Commander of the unit and I was responsible for coordinating and arranging meetings with other members of the unit.
	A few days before the first attack on the 17th of December 1993, we were joined by Theo Sibeko.  I had by now contacted Mqweso and he had made Sibeko available to us.
	Before the attacks, I went to see and look at the three targets for myself, together with Maxebo, who was the unit driver and Siphiwo Mqweso.  The arms and ammunition used in all three attacks, were supplied to us by members of the then PAC Regional Executive Committee, namely Theo Mabusela, Michael Siyolo and Richard Dala.
	They knew that we were APLA soldiers in Cape Town to carry out certain operations.  They were not aware, however, of when and where these operations were to take place.  I am personally aware that the arms were supplied to Mabusela by Mqweso and that Mabusela had then made these arms available to us by leaving it in a safe house in the Makaza area in Khayelitsha.
	I have since been told that Mqweso had been shot dead a week or so before the April 1994 elections by an unknown gunman.  I understand that his death was the result of a political assassination.
	The first operation took place at the Nyanga Army Base on 17 or 18 December 1993.  Those involved were Sibeko, Mabala, Madasi, Jantjie, Maxebo and I.  As far as I know, no one was killed in that operation.
	The second operation took place when we attacked the Lingelethu West police station.  This attack took place on the same day that we attacked the Nyanga Army Base and the attack involved the same members of the Unit.  As far as I know, no one was injured or killed during that attack.
	The third operation was the attack on the Heidelberg Tavern.  I had been ordered by Nonxuba to attack the Heidelberg Tavern.  He told me that it was a place frequented by members of the Security Forces.
	I did not question him about the command or the instruction or indeed whether he was sure that the place was frequented by members of the Security Forces.  I was trained not to question instructions or commands given my members of the APLA High Command.
	I went to the Heidelberg Tavern about three days before the operation, accompanied by Maxebo, the driver of the car, and Mqweso.  We went to the target purely to familiarise ourselves with the surroundings.
	I did not go inside the Tavern to see for myself.  We went there during the middle of the day I remember.  I disclosed to members of the unit for the first time on the 30th of December 1993 that we were to attack the Heidelberg Tavern.  
	Earlier on the evening of the 30th of December, I chose Madasi, Jantjie and Maxebo to go with me and to look for a car to use during the operation.  We found a car in Makhaya.  We had taken the car by force.
	It was either a bottle green or a blue Opel Record.  I now know from the evidence that was given in the criminal court, that it was a blue Opel Record.  The manner in which the car was taken by force  was described accurately at court during our criminal trial.  Mr Chairman, that is part of the record, that portion.  The owner of the vehicle gave 
evidence in court.
	After we took the car, we went back to Makaza to collect Mabala and Sibeko who had been waiting for us with the arms and ammunition.  The arms and ammunition were kept in a suitcase  and was made up as follows:  four R4 rifles, two AK47 rifles, one rifle grenade, two M26 hand grenades and two magazines for each weapon.
	For the first time, I was now briefing members of the unit about the target which was the Heidelberg Tavern.  I told them that it involved attacking the Heidelberg Tavern in Observatory.
	I was going to spring the attack by shooting first with the AK47 rifle, Jantjie would follow me with his R4 rifle, Sibeko would follow Jantjie with an R4 rifle and Madasi would shoot his rifle grenade as a withdrawal signal.  Mabala would throw a hand grenade before the rifle grenade was fired and Maxebo would be the driver.
	All of us left the place in Makaza shortly before twelve midnight, on the 30th of December 1993.  Maxebo drove straight to the Heidelberg Tavern.  When we arrived at the Tavern, Maxebo had pulled up on the "wrong side of the road."  When he stopped, I jumped out of the car and ran towards the entrance of the Tavern, armed with an AK47 rifle and I opened fire immediately, indiscriminately aiming to kill or injure as many people as possible.
	I did not enter the Tavern.  I saw Xolani Jantjie on my left and I also saw him shoot with his R4 rifle.  I do not know whether the other members of the unit carried out their instructions.
	I had shot a first time and pandemonium had broken out.  The place was in chaos.   There was a brief silence and I shot a second time and that is when I saw Jantjie also shooting.
	The attack lasted for about two to three minutes, if that long.  I then withdrew last.  The others were already in the car, which was idling and which was in fact moving very, very slowly.  After I got into the car, we approached a robot and some shots were fired in my direction.
	I rolled down the window and opened fire.  I now know that the fire which I had returned, had hit one Nosoleni Cheqveira, that is also mentioned in the judgement Mr Chairman, and that I have fatally wounded him.
	From Observatory,  we drove back to Site C in Khayelitsha.  I instructed Madasi and Maxebo to go and dump the car.  The rest of us stayed in a house in Site C until the following day.  Madasi had returned to join us after the car had been dumped I believe in Section 3 in Guguletu.
	The following day we gave Mabusela the suitcase containing the arms and ammunition at his house.  We never told him anything and he did not ask any questions of us either.