Amnesty Hearings — Ermelo — 1998-09-14

ROMEO MBUSO MBAMBO: We left her place.  We went to my house and we came straight to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.  It was becoming late when we arrived.  We stopped at a police station, in front of the police station in Khangwane.  We waited there for some time.  It was becoming dark and a Mercedes-Benz car came.  It looks like it was white.  A male came out of the Mercedes-Benz and talked to Siphiwe Mvuyane, and he went back into his car and we followed this car.  We proceeded until we arrived at Bushbuck Ridge.  There is a shopping complex in that town and when we arrive at the area, we stopped in a parking just outside the entrance of the shopping complex.  Siphiwe instructed us to come out and to go to the person who we met at the Khangwane Police, driving a white Mercedes-Benz.  Siphiwe talked to this man.  He came back to us and got into the car.  We waited a moment and then a young man came and talked to the person who was in the white Mercedes-Benz.  The person in the white Mercedes-Benz came to tell us that Mr Theledi is not there, he's in Pretoria, and it looked like he will not be back to Bushbuck Ridge for some few days.  We have to drive back to KwaZulu-Natal.  I reported to Mrs Mbuyase because Siphiwe Mvuyane have to proceed to Durban and if we were to go back to Bushbuck Ridge he was supposed to come and accompany us.  After some weeks Siphiwe came back and we drove back to Bushbuck Ridge.  We were three.  It was myself, Siphiwe Mvuyane and Israel Hlongwane.  We went to the Khangwane Police and we met the very same white Mercedes-Benz, and it's occupant talked to Siphiwe.  Siphiwe came back to us.  It was on this particular second day when Siphiwe introduced us to this man who was driving the white Mercedes-Benz.  His name was Willie Moekwena.  He was introduced as an IFP coordinator at Ulundi and also in Mpumalanga.  We were introduced to him. We got into the car and we proceeded towards Bushbuck Ridge and it was drizzling on that particular night.  We went there and stop just at the entrance of the shopping complex that I've already mentioned.  On that particular day Mr Theledi was pointed to us.  He was inside the shop, and we were standing outside.  As we were waiting there were so many police in the area, surrounding area.  I think they were the Lebowa Police, because their cars had LP registration numbers.  We waited until they left and the shops were close.  Japhi came out with the other people he was with.  They got into a red car which look like a Honda.  They left.  On that particular day we left about the operation, we didn't proceed.  Siphiwe talked to this Willie Moekwena who was driving the white Mercedes-Benz, and we drove back to KwaZulu-Natal, and we went back to report to Mrs Mbuyase, and Siphiwe went back to Durban.  It went on like that.  Siphiwe Mvuyane was killed at the University of Durban-Westville in Durban.  Wiseman Nconco came to me at Esikhawini.  He was driving a sky blue VW kombi, a Caravelle.  I used to know it as Siphiwe Mvuyane's car.  He delivered - he told me that the IFP in Mpumalanga and Nelspruit, they are still complaining that the person who is troubling them, who is supplying firearms coming from Mozambique to Ermelo is still alive and nothing has been done about him.  We went together with this man and explained this to Mrs Mbuyase.  Mrs Mbuyase instructed that we should come back to Nelspruit and therefore we had to proceed to Nelspruit.  We went to Nelspruit.  It was on Friday evening when we left Empangeni, and we arrived here in the early hours of the morning.  We went to a township known as KaNyamazane in Nelspruit.  We stayed in one house there and during the day, on Saturday, Willie Moekwena, who was said to be a coordinator, came with driving a kombi which looks the same as the one we were driving in.  It didn't have registration numbers written.  We have already removed the number plates in our cars.  It was no longer the NT, it has the computer numbers, registration numbers.  The other one had also computerised numbers.  And we get into the cars and we proceeded following each other, going towards the Bushbuck Ridge direction and we were put into his own hotel.  We stayed there.  And someone by the name of David came.  It looks like it was a brother to Willie Moekwena.  He was sent to go and do a reconnaissance as to whether Mr Theledi is there.  We waited the whole Saturday, and we were told that he went to Johannesburg or Pretoria, and on Sunday evening we decided to go back to Durban because we couldn't find him and we will come at another date.  We agreed.  Willie Moekwena said we must go to Nelspruit in town to buy food.  We got into a car, his car, Willie Moekwena's car which is a Caravelle.  I've already explained, as looking the same as the one we were driving, and therefore we drove to Nelspruit.  As we were driving on our way we met a Honda Prelude which was red.  Willie said, "This is the person", and he referred to him as Mr Theledi.  We proceeded forward and did a U-turn and went back to stand at his place.  We waited until it was late and when it was becoming dark, because when we left KwaZulu-Natal to Nelspruit we were armed with our issued firearms as KwaZulu Police.  We were not holding AK47, Makarovs, all those unlawful firearms because we're afraid of meeting a roadblock on the way, and we knew that we'll get firearms in Nelspruit.  Mr Moekwena took out an AK47 which we were supposed to use.  When I took the AK47 I find that it was muddy, full of mud.  It looks like it's been used before, and I realised I can't use such a firearm because it's not safe, because it has been used before.  The AK47 I'm talking about was brought by David who was a brother to Willie Moekwena.  I told them I don't trust this AK47.  They say to me they don't have other firearms.  We said we'll use our own issued firearms and we'll report when we go back and there might be tampered with when we go back to KwaZulu-Natal to hide the evidence.  Mr Willie Moekwena explained to us that - he asked us actually as to whether we still remember how Japhi looks like and he ask us to describe him to him.  And I told him he has short hair, he doesn't have long hair.  He has cut his hair and he's growing grey.  His hair is growing grey and he's also clad in a lot of jewellery.  He's also armed with a gun which he normally puts on his leg and he also had a bodyguard who is armed with a shotgun.  And we proceeded to this place.  It was myself and Wiseman Nconco.  Wiseman was wearing a bulletproof vest inside and a jean and also a black hat.  I was also wearing a jean and a T-shirt which was black and also a cap which was black.  We went there.  We found him and we agreed that when we arrive there we are not going to speak Zulu, we are going to speak English because when wearing these hats, they wouldn't be able to distinguish whether we are whites or coloureds.  We entered and we found him in the supermarket next to a tiller.  We greeted him in English.  He responded back.  We proceeded along the shelves in the shop.  We turned around the shelf and come back.  We were on the other side of the shelf.  When we're coming back I told Wiseman to go and stand at the entrance, to wait for me because I was supposed to shoot him.  As I was turning around the shelf proceeding towards him, I already pull out my firearm.  I was holding a Z88 9mm.  I shot him with this firearm.  It was about some few shots and he fell to the ground.  After he fell to the ground I shot him on his head.  After he collapsed I saw his firearm on his leg.  I just went out of the door and turned towards the back of the building.  It looks like the police barracks.  I went through and jump a fence and I was coming out of the Mkowena Complex.  We left our car about a distance from the scene. We entered into a white 4X4 car.  I'm sorry, I don't remember whether it was Willie Moekwena who was driving or David himself.  We left the scene and they dropped us next to our car.  It was already dark because it was at night.  We get into our cars and we drove back to KwaZulu-Natal.  We arrive late at night at home.  The first thing we did was going to Mrs Mbuyase to give the report.  She was so happy and she said she'll call Ulundi to report this report and thereafter we went back to our police station.  We phoned the Mkowena family to find out as to whether he died or not and they confirmed that he died and we went back to Mrs Mbuyase to report that it's true, he is dead and she was so happy saying that she's going to give the report to Ulundi.  And that's how Japhi Theledi died.