Amnesty Hearings — East London — 1999-04-30

RHANDILE BHAYI: We went to a house, we went to the servants quarters, we knocked there with the aim of getting a person who would assist us, direct us as to where the man's house was, the farmhouse was because we did not know where the farmhouse was situated.
	We borrowed a pliers, we knocked there at that house but they refused, that is the servant's house, they refused to open for us.  We insisted until such time they opened the door.  When they opened, as we were knocking there someone enquired, asked who, he wanted to know who was knocking at the door.  We told that person that we were comrades from Tanzania, we wanted to get to the farmhouse.  They opened the door and we got inside.  We asked them to direct us to the farmhouse.  We borrowed the pliers with the aim of cutting the telephone wire. 
	We left that house, we went straight to the farmhouse.  When we arrived there we saw a pole, a telephone pole.  One of us climbed up the pole, that was Inzunzi Manatoza and then he cut the telephone wire.  Having cut the telephone wire we went to the main house, we knocked there.  I was also there I was among the people who were knocking there, we were knocking at the door.
	Melvin Nkosana was the one who was talking at the door.  He knocked and he said we were visitors, we were paying Mr Eric Cobus a visit.  When he heard the voice, when he detected that the people who were talking outside there were Xhosa people he said "I'm not going to open the door because I'm afraid you're going to shoot me" and he said that - he started firing.  Melvin got a broom from the veranda.  He knocked with that broom hitting the window with that broom.
	We went to the other side of the house, to the other side at the front of the house and we saw a window there, bathroom window that was closed.  It had some net, a thin net, it was covered in a thin net and we pulled that net, we pushed the window up and we got inside.  The other people, the others were still surrounding the house.  When we got inside the house we heard gunshots.  They were heard from the direction of the corridor where his bedroom was.  I opened a cupboard, I saw a rope in that cupboard.  As the others were still destructing by hitting the windows, as he was still paying attention to the people who were disturbing him under windows, this is when we got a chance to tie this rope, to tie this bedroom door that was on the passage with this rope, then we tried to pull it but it was very difficult for it to bend or be removed.  We did not get a chance to get to his bedroom because he was firing.  If my memory serves me well I think a gas cylinder was taken out of the house to the window, to his bedroom window.  We placed them there but I'm not very sure, I'm not so sure about this, we placed these gas cylinders and we opened them, trying to release the gas inside.  We lit a match and there was a big flame.  Our aim was to try to get him out of this room.  Even there he did not give up.  He continued firing.  I ran away leaving the others behind.  I went home.  That is all.

MR KINCAID: Rhandile, when you attacked Mr Cobus did you do so for any reasons of ill will or spite or malice, any ill feeling that you bore him?

RHANDILE BHAYI: No, that is not correct.

MR KINCAID: The next incident is the attack on the farm of Mr Pretorius and the home of Mr Senti.  We have been given a broad detail of what happened during this attack.  Can you tell the Committee just how you personally involve yourself and what you did during the attack on Joe Senti and on Mr Pretorius?

RHANDILE BHAYI: We left, we went to a house, we went to the servants quarters with the aim of asking someone to accompany us to the farmhouse.  We wanted this person to accompany us to the farmhouse.  Our reason for us to go there to the farmhouse, we wanted this person who was going to accompany us to the farmhouse to call the white man from the house and when this white man comes out and this white man would be taken straight back to the house by force.  We went there and my colleagues knocked there but myself and the others, we never reached the house.  Some members of the group reached the house and they knocked there and I could see that the owners of the house were not prepared to open.
	After some time we heard a sound.  As we were trying to run away one of us came and he told us "don't run away, this is us, do not run away, come back".  We went to this house.  When I got into the house the light was on, there was a man who was bleeding in his hand.  I enquired and pleaded with them and I enquired why did they shoot this man.  Hunsian Ntonga replied and said this was not done deliberately.  As I was talking to Hunsian Ntonga, Hunsian Ntonga was one of the people who had a firearm.  Hunsian Ntonga was one of the people who were armed with a firearm he told me that that was not done intentially.
	We asked the lady of the house to accompany us to the white man with the aim of getting assistance for her husband because we were not there to attack him, that happened by accident.  This lady tried to go with us.  We went to her next door neighbour.  We knocked there and they were refusing to open but at the end they opened.  We asked them to accompany us with this lady to go to the white man.  I cannot remember whether this person was a man or a woman but I remember that we got at the scene in that house.  The reason for me not to remember is because I was very shocked because of what happened and that other ...[indistinct], I was not expecting that to happen.  
	They agreed and we left with them.  When we arrived there, there was a water tank.  I took cover behind this water tank.  I did not see the front part of the house.  The lady shouted, calling the owner of the house.  I did not even see whether the owner of the house came but I heard a sound and when I heard that I ran away.  I went home.  That is all.

MR KINCAID: With the attacks on Mr Senti and Mr Pretorius did you do so for any personal reasons or any desire to inflict injury out of malice or hatred or any other reason of such nature?

RHANDILE BHAYI: No, that is not so.

MR KINCAID: Do you confirm the apology tendered by Jimmy Nokawusana to the victims of these attacks?

RHANDILE BHAYI: I am saying I'm deeply sorry for what happened to the victims.  Even now I'm so worried that they are not present at this hearing because I wanted to utter those words in their presence.

MR KINCAID: And do you confirm the contents of your confirmatory affidavit which you signed in April?

RHANDILE BHAYI: Yes that is correct.

MR KINCAID: Thank you Mr Chairperson.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR KINCAID

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Kincaid.  Yes, Mr Clarkee I assume that you wouldn't have any questions?

MR CLARKE: No questions thank you Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Ms Patel any questions?

MS PATEL: Thank you Honourable Chairperson.
	Mr Bhayi, can you tell us the group that went to Mr Hansel's house, how many were you more or less?

RHANDILE BHAYI: It was quite a large number of us.  We were more than seven.

MS PATEL: More than seven, but seven to maybe ten people or was it more than ten people, can you say?

RHANDILE BHAYI: Yes that is correct.

MS PATEL: How many more, twenty people, thirty people, give us a rough estimation please?

RHANDILE BHAYI: About fourteen or fifteen.

MS PATEL: Fourteen or fifteen, okay.  And at Mr Cobus' farm?

RHANDILE BHAYI: Even there it was a large number of us.

MS PATEL: Can you give us a rough estimation please?

RHANDILE BHAYI: Between sixteen and seventeen but I'm not sure.

MS PATEL: Okay and at Mr Pretorius' farm?

RHANDILE BHAYI: I think we were fourteen or fifteen.

MS PATEL: Okay now the rest of your co-applicants have said that there were at least double the number that you've given us present at these incidents.  What is your comment on that?