Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1998-11-24

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: What I wish to say, I wish the Mkhize family was present so that they could hear what I am saying.
	What I did to them, was wrong and I wish to apologise for that.

MR NGUBANE: Are you prepared to meet them on a man to man basis and apologise to them?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes, very much.  I would appreciate that.

MR NGUBANE: Have you made any attempts to meet them at any stage?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes.

MR NGUBANE: Can you tell us what attempts you have made and what the result was of those attempts?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: At Westville prison, I attempted to get into contact with the Mkhize family.   It was not easy but I contacted the Welfare section in the prison and they were able to telephone the family.
	I had once telephoned them myself, but I also asked the Social Worker to telephone the family.  The Social Worker did this, and they discussed with the family, although I don't know how I can take our discussions further, but I have made that contact.

MR NGUBANE: When you made that contact, were you doing that on your behalf and on behalf of the other two applicants?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes.

MR NGUBANE: Do you feel sorry about what you have done, killing the deceased?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes.

MR NGUBANE: If you were not involved in politics, would you have killed the deceased?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: No.

MR NGUBANE: We have heard evidence that when you killed the deceased, the members of his family were also present and did you attempt to kill them at any stage?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: No.

MR NGUBANE: Okay.  Thank you Mr Chairman, I have no further questions.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR NGUBANE

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Ngubane.  Ms Thabete, do you have any questions to put to the witness?

MS THABETE: Just a few Mr Chairperson.  Mr Hlongwa, can you briefly tell the Committee members, how did you join the SDU and what procedure did you go through when you joined the SDU?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: There were discussions between ANC leaders.  It transpired that there were no people who protected the community, because the police could not protect the community, especially people who were ANC aligned.
	There was an agreement then that people should be chosen to protect the community.  We therefore met with those people who had been to that meeting, and we were elected to form this branch or to form this unit.

MS THABETE: Can you go back a little bit, who elected you?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Bukela Luthuli, he was the person responsible for that.

CHAIRPERSON: I think what you mean, you were selected rather than elected.  You were chosen or appointed rather than elected?

MS THABETE: You say Mr Mkhize, the deceased, was responsible for attacking the ANC.  Did he used to attack the ANC by himself or were there other people who he usually attacked the ANC with?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: He would be in the company of other people.

MS THABETE: So following that question, was Mr Mkhize the only person you targeted out of all the people that attacked you?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: No.  He is not the only person who was targeted, but he was one of the people whom we had targeted to remove.

MS THABETE: Just as a matter of interest and for the record, you say you have tried to contact the deceased's next of kin, who did you speak to?

CHAIRPERSON: You said that you managed yourself to telephone the family.  When you  yourself telephoned the family, do you know who you spoke to?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes, I do.

CHAIRPERSON: Who was that?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: At the first instance, I requested to speak to that family's elder boy.  I tried a second time, because I wanted to speak to him specifically and I spoke to his mother, and she told me that he no longer resided at home.
	Therefore I went to the Social Worker and asked them to speak to the mother because I didn't think that she would appreciate talking to me.

MS THABETE: You say you phoned to speak to the son of the deceased, is that correct?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes.

MR LAX: Sorry, I understood you to be saying that you spoke to not the son of the deceased, but the son of the family, the oldest son of the family.  Can you clarify that please?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: It was Nana, the family's eldest boy.

CHAIRPERSON: Is that the, who was the eldest boy's father, was that the deceased or the deceased's father?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes, the father is the deceased.

CHAIRPERSON: The deceased that you killed?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes.

MS THABETE: Do you know his name?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Yes, I do.

MS THABETE: What is his name?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Fanana Sixtus Mkhize.

MS THABETE: No, I am referring to the son of Fanana Sixtus Mkhize, the one you wanted to speak to?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Nanana Mkhize.

MS THABETE: What did you want to say to him, if I may ask?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: I wanted to request him that if he could maybe come see me in the prison, so that I could talk to him, because I deeply regretted what I had done to their family.
	I wanted them to meet me so that they could realise that I was indeed very sorry and remorseful about what I had done.

MS THABETE: Approximately how old would he be, the son of Sixtus, Nanana?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: Although I cannot be certain, he may be about 24, 26.

MS THABETE: No more questions, Chairperson.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS THABETE

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Ms Thabete.  Do you have any re-examination Mr Ngubane?

MR NGUBANE: No Mr Chairman, thank you.
NO RE-EXAMINATION BY MR NGUBANE

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Sibanyoni, do you have any questions to ask the witness?

MR SIBANYONI: Just one question Mr Chairperson.  Mr Hlongwa, by the killing of the deceased, Mr Mkhize, what did you people intend to achieve?

PALELA BEKHISENZO HLONGWA: We would not have benefitted much, but we wanted to be able to work freely or progressively in our organisation, because he was one of the people who attacked our organisation, who wished to remove our organisation's members.

MR SIBANYONI: No further questions Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Lax, do you have any questions to put to the witness?

MR LAX: No questions, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr Hlongwa, that concludes - sorry, Mr Ngubane, do you have any questions arising out of questions put by Mr Sibanyoni?

MR NGUBANE: No Mr Chairman, thank you.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR NGUBANE

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Thabete?

MS THABETE: No questions Mr Chairman.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS THABETE

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Hlongwa, that concludes your testimony, you may stand down.

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