Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1998-03-24

ME DE KLERK: It seems according to the charge sheet that the first count of murder was that of Siza Enoch Nxele.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes.

ME DE KLERK: And then there was a charge of attempted murder of Mdikilwana Mkhezi.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes.

ME DE KLERK: And then there was a third count of murder, Elizabeth Zondiwe Khumalo, a female.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: That is true.

ME DE KLERK: Can you tell the Commission what happened to Mdikilwana Mkhezi, the attempted murder charge?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Mdikivana Mkhize is the one who was also stabbed and managed to run away.

ME DE KLERK: Yes and Elizabeth Zondiwe Khumalo?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: It means I am leaving the first scene.  We proceeded on our way home.

CHAIRPERSON: This was after the stabbing of the other two?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: yes.  On our way, we agreed that, because we knew that in our area, there is someone who was not going along with the IFP, we were going to take her out because we had already killed a person.

CHAIRPERSON: Carry on.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: He/she was not an IFP supporter.

ME DE KLERK: Why? What made her special? For what reason did you choose her?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: In our area, or in KwaZulu Natal, there was a law that when one owns dogs, one had to pay dog tax for them.  This person was one of the people who did not want to go along with this law.  He/she was even saying that the reason why we were paying this tax is because we were ruled be the IFP led government in KwaZulu-Natal.  Let me also say this person was not born and bred in our area.  She just came there to wed.  I heard that she was from the South Coast, at uMzimkhulu.

ME DE KLERK: In what capacity? What did she do?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: We then went to her place.  My uncle, Kikiza, who was present when this decision was taken, did not go with us to Khumalo's place where we went to kill.  I was accompanied by Mshengu, and a small Khumalo boy who was accompanying us.  He was not from the same Khumalo house where we went.  The reason why my uncle did not accompany us is because he had taken one of us - as I said that we were five - home because that person was more drunk than us.  My uncle's house is also in the direction where this accompanied person was going to.  This person would have been surprised if my uncle did not go with him because these people did not know anything about what we planned.  We had kept this as our secret.This small boy did also not know everything.  Let me also add that this Khumalo woman did not like the IFP t-shirts.  She used to say that she could get people from somewhere to come and put a stop to all this IFP thing.

ME DE KLERK: Well you now identified her as somebody that must be taken out. What happened?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: We planned to go...

ME DE KLERK: What did you do? Did you go to her? What happened?

CHAIRPERSON: After you decided that she had to be taken out whatever that may mean, what did you do?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: We went to her house.

CHAIRPERSON: I think all this was in response to a question about what did you do after you had made up your mind you were going to remove her what did you do?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: We went there.  I had a home made firearm, and when we arrived there, we first wanted to see whether the boy was staying there, who could be a problem, was there.  We went to his hut and found that he was not there.  We then kicked the door of the hut this woman was sleeping in, and because there was moonlight, she got out of bed.  I could see through the moonlight where she was, and then I shot her.  Mshengu, my co-accused, then finished her off with a knife.

ME DE KLERK: Yes what happened then?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Because we had finished the job that we came there for, we then left.

ME DE KLERK: What did you want to achieve by killing these people? That means the first incident and now the second one. What was your objective?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: In that area, IFP has a stronghold.  So, when we saw people like the ANC emerging, and would be a problem in the area, and might also grow to become more stronger in the area than the IFP, we thought it is a good idea to get rid of these people very soon.

ME DE KLERK: How old were you at that stage when this incident took place?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: I was twenty.

ME DE KLERK: And to which political party were you affiliated to?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: IFP.

ME DE KLERK: Were you a normal card-carrying member of the IFP? Were you a leader? Did you have?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: I am a card carrying member.  I am not a leader.

ME DE KLERK: When you decided (...intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: He says in his application in answer to question number 7 a. that he was an IFP supporter.

ME DE KLERK: Supporter?

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes.

ME DE KLERK: Did you ever receive an order? Did somebody tell you that it will be a good thing to go and eliminate people? Kill them? Why then did you make this decision now to go and kill the people if you did not receive orders?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: I did not receive any instructions.  Just because I liked my party and feared that it would perish one day. and because of this threat by this woman that she would go and get people from outside the area to come and put a stop to all this, it means to get rid of the party, the people belonging to that party needed to be killed.  There was therefore no reason for me to wait and get instructions.  I did it because I realised that danger was imminent.

ME DE KLERK: What was the position of the area of Mapumulu in August 1991? Was there peace in that area?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: It was peaceful.  There was no turmoil.

ME DE KLERK: Just explain to us? Did you say there was no turmoil in that area?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Was that because this was an IFP controlled area?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes.

ME DE KLERK: How do you feel about it? Are you sorry about what happened? How do you feel? What you have done.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: What happened is not nice, because people died.  I am sorry about it, because I have also lost my education.  I know that there are children who find it difficult now to be brought up without their parents.

ME DE KLERK: What do you want to say to the families of the deceased?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: I ask them to forgive me.

ME DE KLERK: Just one moment Mr Chairman. Just one explanation. What does the word "Nglova" means? That is now the word that you were called? The name that you were called by the people?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: I do not know its meaning.

ME DE KLERK: Thank you Mr Chairman.

ME DE KLERK: .

CHAIRPERSON: As I understand your evidence Siza Nxele was stabbed by your co-accused and your uncle. Is that correct?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes, that is true.

CHAIRPERSON: In your application form you say in answer to the question where you are required to give details about the political objective and the nature and particulars of your crime you said, this is paragraph 9 a. sub-paragraph 4
"I killed Siza Nxele and Zondiwe Khumalo."

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: I agree.

CHAIRPERSON: So how did you kill Nxele?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: In fact, I did not kill him with my bear hands.

CHAIRPERSON: So why did you say here that you killed him?

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: It is because the court decided to sentence me in connection with this case.  I would not blame the court, however, because it was found that I was present when he was killed.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Brink are there any questions you wish to put to this witness?

MR BRINK: Yes thank you Mr Chairman I won't be long. Mr Mthembu you have told the Committee that Mapumulu and indeed most of the rural area. Leave your microphone off until you are ready to answer the question because you are cutting me off. You told the Committee that Mapumulu was very strongly IFP. That it was predominantly IFP.

NIMROD MBEWU MTHEMBU: Yes.