Amnesty Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — 1998-02-10

CHAIRPERSON: That is a different question from what you have been asking.  The previous question, you were asking him why he would have chosen the white people as targets.  In response to which you got quite a mouthful.  Now what you are asking is something different now.
	You are asking him why if he wanted to kill white people, he chose to kill white people who were at a party enjoying themselves.

MR PRIOR: Mr Chairman, I accept that it adds to it, but in essence the target that he chose were white people at a discotheque/party.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, and not for example white people who were at a different place.  That is the input of your question?

MR PRIOR: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: I think it should come otherwise.

MR PRIOR: All right, can I put it that way as you have clarified it.

CHAIRPERSON: That is right.

MR PRIOR: I am just trying to understand why you chose the discotheque as a target on that evening?  Are you saying it was as a result of a command or an order that you got or was it something that you decided on personally or was it an order to avenge or revenge the deaths that were occurring on the trains as you referred to?
	Can you explain what the reason was why that specific target was selected by yourself?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: To put it clear, I was given instructions as orders by Jones, I would refer to him as Power or Mzala to go and carry out operations in Newcastle.
	He didn't mention to me that I should go and attack a disco or a restaurant.  However, I shall attack places where white people are meeting.
	I tried to explain that that it wasn't a decision from me.  I left Umtata to Newcastle through orders.  I didn't leave Umtata on my own.
	I went there through instructions.  And also when I attacked, it wasn't my own personal vendetta, it was following instructions from my Commander.

ADV POTGIETER: Mr Tanda, perhaps just to try and clarify this thing, your instruction was to find a place, a target which is frequented by whites, that was the order from Jones that was given to you, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

ADV POTGIETER: You had spent quite a bit of time in Newcastle between January and the 14th of February when this thing happened and you were looking around for targets that qualify in terms of that instruction that you got from Jones? Did I understand it correctly?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.  We also had problems we came across, because when you are ready to carry out an operation, you have to look at the area, the way in and the way out of the area because you have to make sure that the operation succeeds and also to make sure that the people involved in the leadership of such operations, doesn't get arrested.

ADV POTGIETER: So what you are saying is that taking into account the logistical situation, all those issues that you have spoken about, the access and the exit from the place and that sort of thing, taking the logistics into account, taking into account the order that you were given, taking those things into account, you concluded that these two places, the restaurant and the disco, would qualify as targets?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

ADV POTGIETER: Now, your Commander the person that you took instructions from, was Jones, is that correct?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.  As I said he was also known as Power, Mandla.  The name that we used while we were in Newcastle was Jones.

ADV POTGIETER: You said that when you were arrested, the police found a telephone in your possession which you had used to communicate with Jones?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: That is correct.

ADV POTGIETER: ... in Newcastle, up to the incident, were you reporting to Jones?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, report the situation at that time to him.

ADV POTGIETER: ... your observations, and were you reporting the fact that you had identified these two targets?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Yes, those were the things which I had to report and also explain that the operations haven't yet been carried out because of this and this reason for example, transport.  Because if you look at Newcastle, the town and the place where we were staying is far apart.
	Therefore that led us to a situation where we had to hijack a car and get to Newcastle, because it is not easy to get access to the town.  Those were the things that we were looking at.

ADV POTGIETER: Did you have to get clearance to put it that way, from Jones for the specific operation, did he have to clear the targets?  Did he have to confirm that those targets are in order, you can proceed?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: What happened is that when he wants me, I shall report back to him as to the progress of the operations.
	I will tell him all the problems, for example that we had problems with the transport.  I also told him that we identified a target, the disco and the restaurant.  We said it was the restaurant and the second option would be the disco.
	Therefore it wasn't a full report, I just informed him about the operation and after the operation, we were supposed to give a full report.

ADV POTGIETER: When you conveyed the targets to him that you had identified, what was his attitude?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: He said we have to make sure that the work continued as planned.

ADV SANDI: Did you engage Mr Tanda, in any further and perhaps a detailed conversation with Mr Jones about the two targets or did you just say to him we have identified two targets, the restaurant and the disco?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: There was nothing to discuss because according to instructions given to us by him, they didn't give a specific target.  He said we have to attack places which normally you will find white people, he didn't say a hotel, a disco or any other place.
	We have to, ourselves, identify a target.  He said, he stressed that we had to attack places that were frequented by white people.

ADV SANDI: In other words you were not contacting Mr Jones in order to get the go ahead from him?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: Truly I will say that give an example, when a person is in Cape Town, talking for example about a famous person for example Archbishop Tutu, you as a person who is sitting here, sitting in this hall in Pietermaritzburg, will be able to know better here, you wouldn't be able to know because he is not here.
	He said to me and Andile go and attack white people.  I won't be able to say whether he came to Newcastle or not.  It is difficult for me to say he said that we should go and attack the disco.  He said we will identify the targets ourselves and all that he said was that we should go and attack white people.

MR PRIOR: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Did you question the instruction or the orders given by Jones as to the nature of your targets?  Did you ever ...?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: I have already explained clearly that when you are briefed about our operations, you are told that when given instructions, you have no right to question.  You have to carry out that particular instruction and after carrying out the instruction, you have to come back and give the report as to what you have done.
	If you have done the operation, the report will be accepted by the Commander and thereafter you have a chance to ask as to why you were given such a particular instruction, for example to go and attack in Newcastle, but I as a person never got that chance to ask because we were arrested.

MR PRIOR: If you had any problems with the nature of the attack, you would have cleared that up before the attack and not after, don't you agree?

WALTER FALIBONGA TANDA: As I said, I used to contact him to tell him about the progress.

MR PRIOR: Right, I want to put to you that it would seem, I am not going into any detail in these other events, but the Newcastle attack seems to be a substantial departure from your normal target that you had experienced from 1992.  Would you agree with that?