Sapa-Ap Policeman Denied Amnesty in Biko Killing

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa January 9 1999 - SAPA-AP

POLICEMAN DENIED AMNESTY IN BIKO KILLING

A policeman has been denied amnesty in the killing of black liberation leader Steve Biko, making him liable for possible criminal charges in a case that shocked the world and hastened the end of apartheid, sources said Saturday.

Former Detective Sgt. Gideon Nieuwoudt was denied amnesty because he and four other officers, who are also applying for amnesty in the 1977 beating death of Biko, did not admit to any crime, said George Bizos, an attorney representing the Biko family.

The five officers testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission last year that Biko, despite being outnumbered and exhausted after weeks of incarceration, tried to attack one of his interrogators while in custody in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth.

The officers say they tackled the 30-year-old Biko, accidently slamming his head against a wall. He was then taken in a police van, naked and bleeding, on a 750-mile (1,200-kilometer) ride to a prison in Pretoria, where he died of massive brain injuries on Sept. 12, 1977.

"They did not admit they committed a crime," izos tod The Associated Press. "By their own story they would not be entitled to amnesty."

Only those who fully confess to politically motivated crimes committed during apartheid are eligible for amnesty.

The ruling by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee was made on Dec. 15, but has not been made public because it came as the Christmas holidays began.

Truth Commission spokesman Mdu Lembede, in a telephone interview, confirmed Nieuwoudt was denied amnesty. Lembede said he would not have any details until Monday, when the Truth Commission's offices reopen.

Lembede said rulings in the amnesty applications of the four other policemen have not been made yet.

Bizos said the amnesty committee's ruling left Nieuwoudt open for possible criminal prosecution.

"For murder, there is no statute of limitations," Bizos said in a telephone interview.

However, Nieuwoudt would apparently be free from facing charges of manslaughter or culpable homicide, for which the statute of limitations is 20 years, according to Bizos.

It would be up to the attorney general of Eastern Cape province, where Port Elizabeth is located, to decide whether to initiate criminal proceedings, Bizos said. The attorney general's offices were closed and no one was immediately available to comment.

Nieuwoudt's attorney, Francois Van Der Merwe, expressed confidence nothing more would come of the case.

"I doubt whether any civil or criminal procedures will emanate from this," he told South African Broadcasting Corp. television. In the mid-1970s, Biko was a leading black figure, with a message of black pride that especially appealed to township youths oppressed by white rule.

His death sparked an outcry at home and abroad, spurring activism that eventually contributed to the end of apartheid. It also inspired the movie "Cry Freedom," with Denzel Washington portraying Biko.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JERUSALEM January 9 1999 - SAPA-AP

ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS CAN ACHIEVE RECONCILIATION:TUTU

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said Saturday that Israel and the Palestinians can achieve reconciliation if their leaders are prepared to take risks.

Tutu, who received the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his 30 year struggle against the apartheid regime in his native South Africa, was speaking at Jerusalem's Yakar Institute for Social Concern.

He told the gathering that many people had said the regime of discrimination aginst no-whites could not be overthrown without a bloodbath, yet the peoples of South Africa had done it, and achieved reconciliation.

"So if it could happen to us it can happen anywhere." he said. "Can anyone tell me why it cannot happen here?"

However this could only be achieved if leaders on both sides are prepared to take risks, he said, to face the truth and to say they are sorry.

Welcoming the Archbishop, the institute's director Benjamin Pogrund described him as "a moral compass."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 11 1999 - SAPA-AP

POLICE MAY FACE MURDER CHARGES IN KILLING OF STEVE BIKO

A top prosecutor said Monday that policemen who killed anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko might be tried for murder in a case that stunned the world and fueled resistance to white rule.

Such a trial would be a landmark event in South Africa, whose post-apartheid government created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to expose apartheid's horrors and to offer amnesty to those who fully confessed to politically motivated abuses.

Five police officers sought amnesty in the 1977 beating death of Biko but denied any wrongdoing, testifying that he hit his head against a wall in a struggle during interrogation.

The Truth Commission announced Monday it denied amnesty to one of the former policemen, Col. Gideon Nieuwoudt. The decision - first reported by The Associated Press on Saturday - leaves the state with the option of charging Nieuwoudt with murder in Biko's death.

Les Roberts, attorney general for Eastern Cape province where Biko suffered the fatal beating, told the AP he would wait for the Truth Commission's rulings on the amnesty applications of the remaining three former officers before deciding whether to prosecute. The fifth amnesty applicant, Col. Harold Snyman, died of cancer last year.

"I don't want to do this piecemeal - I want the whole picture," Roberts said in a telephone interview.

If all four former officers are denied amnesty - as appeared likely since their testimony was virtually identical - Roberts said he might offer leniency to one or more of the men in exchange for them testifying against the others.

There is no statute of limitations on murder. A person could be charged with murder even when a killing was not the ultimate goal of an action - for example a severe beating - but was a foreseeable possible consequence, according to Roberts.

Truth Commission spokesman Mdu Lembede said he didn't know when the commission would rule in the remaining amnesty applications.

Biko's son Nkosinathi welcomed the Truth Commission's decision on Nieuwoudt because it leaves him open to murder charges. Nkosinathi Biko said he believed the policemen lied about Biko's death.

"He had bruises all over his body, his rib cage, his left eye and a number of lesions on the brain," he told the South African Press Association.

Nieuwoudt was denied amnesty because he and the other officers did not admit to any crime, noted George Bizos, the Biko family's attorney.

"If this comes to trial, it would be a most significant vindication of the amnesty process," Bizos told the AP. "Amnesty is not there for the asking. There are certain legal requirements: That you should tell the truth about what happened, where the orders came from, there shud be full disclosure."

Bizos said he also believed the policemen lied about Biko's death, saying the injuries were inconsistent with their story. The officers testified the 30-year-old black consciousness leader tried to attack one of his interrogators while in custody in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. They testified that they tackled Biko, accidently slamming his head against a wall.

Biko was then taken in a police van, naked and bleeding, on a 750-mile (1,200-kilometer) ride to a prison in Pretoria, where he died of massive brain injuries on Sept. 12, 1977.

Biko's death sparked an outcry at home and abroad, spurring activism that eventually contributed to the end of apartheid. It also inspired the movie "Cry Freedom," with Denzel Washington portraying Biko, and the song "Biko" by Peter Gabriel.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 12 1999 - SAPA

UPCOMING AMNESTY APPLICATION FOR BOIPATONG PERPETRATORS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday announced that 13 Inkatha Freedom Party members would next week appear before the amnesty committee for their role in the attack on Boipatong residents in 1990.

On the evening of June 17, about 200 men from Kwamadala hostel, armed with automatic rifles and other weapons, attacked the Boipatong township in the Vaal Triangle. Residents were hacked, stabbed, shot, beaten and disembowelled.

The Boipatong massacre, in which 46 people lost their lives, nearly destroyed peace negotiations between former National Party leader FW de Klerk and the African National Congress.

The partly-heard amnesty applications will be heard over a two week period from January 18 to 29 at the Iscor Recreational Club in Vanderbijlpark.

The hearing was first heard on July 6, 1998, at the Sebokeng College of Education.

The applications of Victor Mthandeni Mthembu, Vincent Khanyile, Mhlupheki Shabangu and Jack Mbele were earlier heard from July 6 to 14 and from August 11 to 14, 1998.

During this time, the application of Andries Nosenga was introduced to the panel.

Zuko Mapoma will lead evidence during the hearing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 12 1999 - SAPA

TRC GIVES AMNESTY TO 18 AND REFUSES IT TO FIVE

Eighteen 18 people across the political spectrum have been given amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and five were turned down.

The TRC said in a statement on Tuesday the 23 were applying for amnesty for crimes committed shortly before the 1994 elections. The crimes included murder, illegal possession of arms and explosives, sabotage, and conspiracy to murder.

Among those given amnesty was Inkatha Freedom Party member Boy Vusimuzi Gwamanda for the 1990 conspiracy to kill Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa. He also applied for amnesty for a sporadic shooting spree in the strife-torn Ndwendwe district near Durban in 1993.

Gwamanda testified before the TRC's amnesty committee that he was ordered by Dingizwa Mfayela, an IFP leader at Ndwendwe, to embark on a shooting spree in the area and to target African National Congress supporters.

Announcing its decision, the committee said: "Little is known of the conspiracy to assassinate Mr Phosa, but taking into account (his) high political profile, the only reasonable inference that can be drawn is that the conspiracy had a political objective.

"(Gwamanda) was manipulated...

"We are of the opinion that the applicant was not part of the conspiracy merely for personal gain, but that he was being used by the conspirators to effect their plan, and as such was an agent of the conspirators."

The committee said while Gwamanda was not a satisfactory witness, it was of the view that he made full disclosure of all the relevant facts as required by the law governing the TRC.

"There is no reason why (he) should present false testimony. He has not been arrested, charged or convicted in respect of any of the incidents, and it is his evidence that has brought these incidents to light.

"He (was also) subjected to cross-examination by the legal representatives of various implicated persons as well as the legal representative of Mr Phosa," the committee said.

Other people granted amnesty include two members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, Pieter Magiel Breytenbach and De Wet Johann Strydom, for sabotage and the murder of Kleinbooi Ramolla near Bultfontein in 1994.

Philane Zondi, member of the ANC's former armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, was granted amnesty for the murder of IFP supporter Sihle Makhapheni Mpanza at Empangeni in 1994.

Two members of the former Pan Africanist Congress armed wing, the African People's Liberation Army (Apla), Mangaliseni Bhani and Cyril Ngema, were granted amnesty for the murders of Joao Manuel Jardim in Randfontein in 1994; and John Khanyile at Umlazi and Christopher Nhlanhla Myeza near the University of Durban-Westville in 1992.

Ntsikelelo Jackson Zwayi's amnesty application for a 1994 murder near Swartkopies Road in Alberton was also successful. ANC members John Fanyana Mndebele, Sipho Silas Nkonyana, Ncholas Mfundisis Zwane, Jabu Mkhwanazi, Mzwandile Gushu, Paulos Pistol Nkonyane, David Elvis Majola, Mandlenkosi Enoch Mnisi, Mpumelelo Livingstone Lukhele, Bongani Sibusiso Khaba and Lucky Petros Mbokane applied for amnesty for murder and the attempted murder of Black Cats gang members and IFP members at Wesselton near Ermelo between 1990 and 1993.

At least 17 people were killed and scores were injured in the conflict between the Black Cats and ANC supporters.

The committee said : "Having regard to the motives for the attacks, the context in which they occurred, in particular the fact that the attacks were directed against political opponents who had the actual or perceived support of the police, we are satisfied that the applicants are entitled to amnesty.

"It is clear that some of the victims were caught up in the crossfire and we accept that the attacks were mainly directed against those who were responsible for the violence."

The five refused amnesty included Phakamile Cishe and Kwanele Msizi, who murdered two policemen and an alleged informer in Zwide Township, Port Elizabeth in 1990.

Nkosinathi Emmanuel Ntuli, who murdered Nhlanhla Msane at Kwa Makutha in 1991, was also denied amnesty, as was Pelele Lawrence Shongwe for the murder of Ernest Malele in Ermelo in 1994.

Nevertheless, Shongwe was granted amnesty for the 1993 murder of Bongani Malinga in Ermelo.

Petros Bhekinkosi Mthalane was refused amnesty for the murder of Clement Mxolisi Mchunu near Ixopo in 1993.

The committee recommended to the TRC that the dependants of the deceased and those who were injured in the attacks should be considered for compensation and relief as laid down in the law that governs the TRC.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON January 12 1999 - SAPA

NIEWOUDT MAY ASK FOR REVIEW OF TRC DECISION, ATTORNEY

Gideon Nieuwoudt, whose application for amnesty for his role in the 1977 death in detention of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko was rejected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, may ask for a review of the decision, his attorney said on Tuesday.

Port Elizabeth attorney Francois van der Merwe said Nieuwoudt was reviewing his options.

His client was one of the most feared members of apartheid South Africa's security police in the Eastern Cape in the 1980s.

He was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 1996 for blowing up three black security policemen and a police informer near Motherwell in December 1989.

Van der Merwe said: "I haven't taken a decision at this stage. Calling for a review of the decision is more likely, but we are still considering our options."

He said he had not yet heard anything from the TRC's amnesty committee - which made its ruling on Nieuwoudt's application on December 14 but released a formal statement only on Sunday - regarding his other clients in the Biko matter.

Nieuwoudt's amnesty application was heard separately from his former security police colleagues.

TRC spokesman Vuyani Green said the amnesty committee was yet to rule on the applications of Lieutenant Daan Siebert, Warrant Officer Rubin Marx and Warrant Officer Johannes Beneke.

Eastern Cape attorney-general Les Roberts said on Monday no decision to prosecute Nieuwoudt would be made until the amnesty committee made a decision on the remaining Biko applications.

Roberts said he was also waiting for the results of Nieuwoudt's application for his role in the murders of the Pebco Three in May 1985 and of Cosas activist Siphiwo Mtimkhulu and his friend Topsy Madaka in April 1982.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 14 1999 - SAPA

TRC TO HEAR AMNESTY APPLICATION IN PE FOR VARIOUS CRIMES

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hear amnesty applications at Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape next week for crimes committed during the eighties, the TRC said in a statement on Thursday.

Twelve people are applying for amnesty for crimes ranging from assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm to robbery and murder.

Two members of an disbanded African National Congress-aligned self-defence unit, Tamsanqa Mali and Lulamile Stemele, are applying for amnesty for murdering a farmer in Ado.

Lumko Mnkumanda is seeking amnesty for robbing a Port Elizabeth bakery and killing security guard Norman Beaton.

In terms of the law governing the operations of the TRC, victims or their next-of-kin have the right to attend and be legally represented at the hearing.

The hearing at Centenary Hall, Ntsehekisa Street, Port Elizabeth will be chaired by Acting Judge Sisi Kampempe. It will take place from Monday to Friday next week.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PHNOM PENH, January 17 1999 - SAPA-AFP

TUTU TO BE CALLED UPON TO HELP WITH KHMER ROUGE LEADERS TRIAL

The expertise of South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu could be called upon to help with plans to put on trial leaders of the Khmer Rouge, according to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"We are looking at the South African example of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission as an interesting one, where they have the end of apartheid and a level of justice and peace," he told AFP and the French daily Le Monde in an exclusive interview late Saturday.

"We are deciding if we should to invite Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Cambodia to help us, or if we should send a delegation to meet him," he said, adding that any tribunal "must be linked both to justice and reconciliation."

But Hun Sen warned that any judicial process must not fracture Cambodia's fragile peace.

"Even if 300 or 500 men rebel against us, it is a problem," he said, calling for "justice and not revenge."

"We have to be very careful in how we proceed," Hun Sen said, noting the complications surrounding the fate of General Augusto Pinochet, and division over whether the former Chilean dictator should face charges at home or abroad.

In the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, those accused of crimes against humanity were given amnesty in exchange for giving detailed accounts of their role in crimes committed during the brutal apartheid regime.

Backing a trial on Cambodian soil, Hun Sen said the model was "just one of many options, and one possible answer to the many questions that have been raised."

There have been mounting calls for a trial for Khmer Rouge leaders following last month's defection of nomimal leader Khieu Samphan and ideologue Nuon Chea, both architects of the 1975 to 1979 Pol Pot regime that claimed up to two million lives through torture, execution, overwork and starvation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 17 1999 - SAPA-AFP

DE KLERK 'SHOCKED' TO LEARN OF ARMY TERRORISM: AUTOBIOGRAPHY

South Africa's last apartheid president F.W. de Klerk was "deeply shocked" to learn that the army was engaged in terrorism while he was in power, an autobiography extract published Sunday said.

De Klerk, who has always said he never sanctioned the often brutal underground actions of the army, said he only became aware that the army was involved in illegal and criminal activities after an investigation in 1992.

Following allegations against the army, De Klerk appointed then army chief of staff Lieutentant General Pierre Steyn to carry out an "in-depth investigation" into the South African Defence Force's (SADF's) intelligence functions.

"What he had to tell me was deeply shocking," De Klerk says in a part of his autobiography, The Last Trek - A New Beginning, published in the Sunday Times newspaper.

Steyn's report showed a "defence force in which a number of units were no longer under effective control were actively pursuing their own political and criminal agendas."

At a hurriedly convened meeting of the cabinet, according to De Klerk: "We listened dumbfounded, while General Steyn unravelled a complex web of unauthorised, illegal and criminal activities within some units of the defence force.

"He alleged that some units had been stockpiling weapons in South Africa and abroad; that they had been providing arms and assistance to elements within the IFP (the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party) ... "

The IFP was involved in a rivalry war against the now-ruling African National Congress (ANC) which left about 20,000 people dead over a decade.

Steyn reported some units "were involved in the instigation and perpetration of violence; and that they were involved in activities to discredit the ANC and to sabotage the negotiation process."

The then-ruling National Party and other political parties were at the time in talks to end white minority rule.

"One particularly shocking allegation was that elements of the defence force had been involved in carrying out a chemical attack on Frelimo soldiers in neighbouring Mozambique," De Klerk said.

The ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) had close links with the ANC.

De Klerk has told the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC), investigating human rights abuses during apartheid, that he knew nothing of state-sponsored terrorism while he was president between 1989 and 1994.

The TRC has exposed the involvement of the security forces, including high-ranking generals, in death squads, bomb attacks and other crimes.

Last year De Klerk was successful in forcing the TRC to black out sections of its final report, released on October 30, which implicated him in such activities.

The matter will be contested in court on March 4. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NELSPRUIT January 18 1999 - SAPA

TWO IFP MEMBERS TO SEEK AMNESTY FOR BUS ATTACK

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday appealed to victims of a bus attack that took place at Heidelberg, near Nelspruit, in 1992 to come forward before the amnesty hearings start in Nelspruit in February.

Commission spokeswoman Ruth Faragher said two Inkatha Freedom Party members were applying for amnesty for the bus attack on September 28, 1992, which injured 12 people, African Eye News Service reported.

The two applicants are Mzobona Leonard Hadebe and Raphael Senzangakhona Sithomo.

"While the committee is in contact with some of the victims, many of them hae changed places of residence or work and the identity of others is impossible to establish from official records," said Faragher.

In terms of the law governing the operations of the TRC, the victims, next-of-kin or any interested party had the right to attend the hearing, give evidence and be legally represented.

The victims of the bus attack were Granny Tsoari, Sipho Johannes Mabuso, Sipho Gama, Nombusi Alinah Emily Nhlapho, Zwelibanzi Fikile Nhlapho, Manuanu Mirriam Twala, William Thopa Thabatha, Petrus Mfanufikile Nhlapho, David Hlongwane, Sophie Mnguni, Meshack Malete and Philemon Mnguni.

The amnesty hearing, scheduled to last one week, will take place at the Nelsville Community Hall from February 1.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK January 18 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICATIONS OF BOIPATONG ATTACKERS COULD BE SCRAPPED

The applications for amnesty by six former hostel dwellers who have admitted taking part in the Boipatong masssacre in Vanderbijlpark in 1992 could be struck from the roll if they cannot explain their failure to appear at an amnesty hearing on Monday.

The six, who have applied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty for their part in the attack, were due to appear at the hearing in Vanderbijlpark on Monday together with 10 other applicants, but did not arrive.

The hearing began in July last year but had to be postponed to this year when the committee ran out of time to hear the testimony of all 16 applicants.

The chairman of the amnesty committee dealing with their applicatons, Judge Sandile Ncgobo, told the legal representatives of those absent that their applications would be struck from the roll unless they arrived on Tuesday and offered acceptable reasons for their failure to appear.

The six are Moses Mthembu, Sipho Buthelezi, Petrus Mdiniso, Sibongeleni Mkhize, Richard Dlamini and Paulus Mbatha.

Four other applicants who are presently serving jail sentences for their part in the massacre also did not appear at Monday's hearing. They are Timothy Mazibuko, Sonny Mkwanazi, Tebogo Mazibuko and Jack Mbele.

According to the TRC's evidence leader Paddy Prior, the prison authorities had not complied with a request to transfer them to the venue.

Ncgobo also asked that an explanation for this oversight be sought. He said if it was found that a prison official had not done his duty, this would be intolerable.

The rest of the 16 former hostel dwellers who have applied for amnesty for the massacre were present at Monday's hearing.

The massacre took place on June 17, 1992 after tension between Inkatha Freedom Party supporting hostel dwellers and the mostly African National Congress supporting residents of the Boipatong township erupted into violence.

The heavily armed party of IFP supporters entered the township at night and carried out random attacks on residents, resulting in 46 people being killed and 21 injured.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN January 18 1999 - SAPA-AFP

TRUTH COMMISSION COULD HELP CAMBODIA: NTSEBEZA

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other members of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will help Cambodia establish a similar process to deal with its past, a senior TRC official said Monday.

Dumisa Ntsebeza told AFP that Tutu, who headed the commission designed to establish the truth of atrocities committed under apartheid and effect reconciliation, would be happy to teach Cambodians what he has learned.

"If possible he will take the process we had in South Africa to try and resolve the past in Cambodia in a way that would promote peace and reconciliation in Cambodia."

Ntsebeza was reacting to a statement by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that his government would call on the TRC leader for advice on bringing Khmer Rouge leaders to justice without compromising peace in Cambodia.

"I can say without fear of contradiction that the archbishop does not support the idea of the International Criminal Court as the only solution to such situations," Ntsebeza said.

"Though no two countries are the same and the TRC is not a panacea for all other conflict situations, the archbishop takes pride that this has been a process like no other before.

"So it would be safe to say that a lot can be gleaned and we would give as much as they want to take," he said.

Ntsebeza, who headed the TRC's investigation unit, said he would personally be happy to assist in the process and believed other commissioners of the body, which completed most of its work last year, would do the same.

"If I were approached I would give everything I think they could glean from me," he said.

TRC spokesman Mdu Lembede said the TRC had not been approached by the Cambodian government.

Calls have been mounting for Khmer Rouge leaders who helped establish the Pol Pot regime - which claimed two million lives through torture, execution, and starvation in the 1970s - to be brought to trial.

Tutu is currently on sabbatical in the United States.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 18 1999 - SAPA

FORMER POLICEMAN TO APPLY FOR AMNESTY FOR KILLING HIS WIFE

A former Security Police captain will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria next week to apply for amnesty for killing his wife.

Commission spokesman Mdu Lembede on Monday said Michael Bellingan claimed he killed his wife to silence her.

In his amnesty application Bellingan said Janine Bellingan, the mother of his two children, was going to reveal his illegal activities. She also threatened to make public information that would compromise the SAP.

Mrs Bellingan's body was found on September 21, 1991 at the family home in Gallo Manor near Sandton. She had been strangled and bludgeoned. A break-in was simulated to create the impression that she was killed by robbers.

Bellingan was jailed for 25 years in March 1995 after a trial that attracted a great deal of interest. He is serving his sentence in maximum security at the Johannesburg Prison.

A three-member TRC amnesty committee panel will hear Bellingan's application from January 25 to 29 at the Idasa Centre in Prinsloo Street in Pretoria.

Bellingan says his wife was about to expose an elaborate scam involving other senior police officers in which large sums of money intended for the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa was intercepted.

Bellingan claims they stole the money with the help of their contacts at a prominent bank.He has also applied for amnesty for other offences, including arson, housebreaking, blackmail, perjury and invasion of privacy.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK January 19 1999 - SAPA

DRAMATIC NEW VERSION OF BOIPATONG GIVEN TO AMNESTY COMMITTEE

A dramatic new version of the events of the Boipatong massacre in the Vaal Triangle in June 1992 was given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearing in Vanderbijlpark on Tuesday.

A former inmate of KwaMadala hostel, who has admitted being part of the attack on the Boipatong community, on Tuesday handed in a statement to the TRC's amnesty committee implicating the police and senior Inkatha Freedom Party officials.

Andries Matanzima Nosenga, 25, handed in a separate amnesty application to those of 16 former hostel dwellers who have applied for amnesty for the massacre.

In a statement to the committee on Tuesday he outlined a different chain of events to those given by the other applicants.

Nosenga has appealed to the TRC for protection because he claims he has received death threats. He has also asked to be kept in a different prison from the other applicants. His request is being considered by TRC officials.

The other 16 applicants have repeatedly denied police involvement in the attack, and claim it was carried out because of attacks on them by residents of Boipatong. They applicants have also denied the involvement of senior IFP officials in the planning and execution of the attack.

Nosenga claims he joined the IFP and moved into KwaMadala hostel after a fallout with African Naional Congress members in Evaton in the Vaal Triangle.

He said that during the two years he spent at the hostel he was taught to use a firearm and was told to attack the nearby community of Boipatong, which was largely ANC-supporting.

He said IFP Gauteng leader Themba Khoza was a frequent visitor to the hostel, and played a major role in planning the Boipatong massacre.

Describing a meeting at the hostel shortly before the massacre, Nosenga said Khoza and former murder and robbery police sergeant Pedro Peens were present.

"During the meeting we were told to go to Boipatong and kill the dogs. Khoza said a certain insect should be killed..." He said hostel leaders at the meeting agreed that the residents should be killed because they were not human.

Peens agreed to supply police Casspir vehicles for the attack.

Nosenga said that during the night of the attack he saw about four Casspirs in a field near Boipatong, and also saw Peens shooting at residents. He said he killed eight or nine people himself during attack and fired off about 120 rounds from an AK47 rifle. Peens has been supoenaed to testify at the hearing, and is expected to appear on Wednesday.

Nosenga said on the following day Khoza returned to the hostel to collect the weapons used in the attack, and praised the people who took part. About a month later he attended a rally held in Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal to celebrate the success of the attack. "The leader of the IFP (Mangosuthu) Buthelezi held a speech in which he thanked us for the good job we carried out in Boipatong," Nosenga said.

Earlier, six of the applicants were reprimanded by committee chairman Judge Sandile Ncgobo for not appearing at the hearing on Monday. The six, who faced the possibility of having their applications for amnesty rejected because they were not present on Monday, claimed there had been confusion about the date and the venue for the hearing.

Ncgobo said the applicants should have taken it upon themselves to establish the time and place for the hearing.

The massacre took place on June 17, 1992 after tension between Inkatha Freedom Party-supporting hostel dwellers and the residents of the Boipatong township erupted into violence.

The heavily-armed party of IFP supporters entered the township at night and carried out random attacks on residents, resulting in the death of 46 people and 21 injuries.

The hearing will resume on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN January 20 1999 - SAPA

BUTHELEZI TO SUE THE TRC

Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who is also Home Affairs Minister, says he is suing the Truth and Reconciliaton Commission over an affidavit by an amnesty applicant on the June 1992 Boipatong massacre.

The affidavit was made by Andries Matanzima Nosenga, 25, who handed in a separate application to 16 former hostel dwellers who have also applied for amnesty for the massacre.

The amnesty hearing is being held in Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal Triangle.

In a statement on Wednesday Buthelezi said: "The TRC itself solicited the affidavit rather than waiting for the applicant to come forward, and in doing so ignored the applicant's own lawyer, who was not informed or present when the affidavit was taken."

The IFP said it had information that the applicant had not applied for amnesty, and the TRC approached him for a statement.

Nosenga's affidavit implicated the police and senior IFP officials. He claimed he attended a rally in Ulundi about a month after the massacre, during which Buthelezi congratulated those who carried out the attack.

Buthelezi's statement denied this. He said he had never congratulated anyone for any crime, nor had he authorised or condoned any gross violations of human rights.

Buthelezi said: "No wonder that Nosenga stated what the biased TRC has wanted to hear for so many years, namely allegations against me.

"My lawyers are suing the TRC because there is no evidence to support its statements that I was in any way involved in gross violations of human rights, and it seems that the TRC is now going to the desperate extreme of fabricating such evidence itself."

Buthelezi said the TRC had nothing to do with a judicial process in which evidence and allegations could be tested and contradicted.

"Anybody can say what he or she wishes with impunity, especially if it is what the TRC wants to hear. "If anyone is serious about making allegations against me, he or she should have the guts and decency to do so in a court of law or outside the immunity granted by the TRC's hearings, where I can prove that he or she is a despicable liar."

TRC spokesman Mdu Lembede said Nosenga's amnesty application was received by the TRC on August 25, 1996. Lembede said an affidavit was attached to the application Nosenga made from Leeuwkop prison. The affidavit was dated June 1996.

Lembede said the IFP was represented at the amnesty hearing and lawyers were free to cross-examine Nosenga on his affidavit.

All documents related to the Boipatong massacre were made public during a public hearing in Vanderbijlpark in August 1998, Lembede said. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK January 20 1999 - SAPA

HOSTEL MEN CONTINUE TO DENY POLICE INVOLVEMENT IN BOIPATONG

Former KwaMadala hostel dwellers on Wednesday continued to deny police and senior Inkatha Freedom Party members were involved in the Boipatong massacre in the Vaal Triangle in June 1992.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee is in Vanderbijlpark, hearing applications for amnesty by 16 former inmates of the local hostel near the local Iron and Steel Corporation foundry.

The men have admitted being part of an attack on the nearby Boipatong community in June 1992.

Qambelani Buthelezi, 45, told the committee on Wednesday he knew of no police involvement in the attack, and also denied knowing notorious gangster Victor Kheswa, who is alleged to have been staying at the hostel at the time.

The applicants have all denied police or high-level IFP involvement in the attack, and claim it was carried out in retaliation for harassment of hostel dwellers by the African National Congress-supporting residents of Boipatong.

The denials by the hostel dwellers continue in spite of a version of the events on the night of the attack presented to the committee by another applicant, Andries Matanzima Nosenga, 25.

The former ANC supporter who defected to the IFP two years before the massacre has claimed the attack was instigated by the IFP's Themba Khoza along with a former police sergeant, Pedro Peens.

Nosenga has also implicated other policemen, whom he claims he can identify as having been present on the night of the attack.

Khoza has denied Nosenga's claim.

IFP president Mangosuthu Buthelezi has given notice that he will take legal action following claims that he congratulated the people involved in the Boipatong massacre.

Nosenga is due to testify to the committee during the hearing. Peens has been subpoenaed to testify, either later this week or next week.

The amnesty hearings are being attended by a large audience, including survivors of the Boipatong attack.

The massacre took place on June 17, 1992 after tension between IFP-supporting hostel dwellers and Boipatong residents erupted into violence.

A heavily-armed party of IFP supporters entered the township at night and carried out random attacks on residents, resulting in the death of 46 people and 21 injuries.

The hearing will resume on Thursday.

© South African Press Association, 1999 This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG January 21 1999 - SAPA

TWO EX-APLA MEMBERS REFUSED AMNESTY

Two men who claimed to have been former members of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, were denied amnesty by the TRC in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission spokesman Phila Ngqumba said Bonile Wanga and Aron Dingane applied for amnesty for separate incidents of armed robbery on Kirkwood and Grahamstown farms in the 1980s, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and escaping from prison.

Wanga and Dingane claimed the robberies were committed on behalf of the PAC to acquire arms to use in the struggle against the apartheid government.

Ngqumba said the TRC amnesty committee found that the crimes had not been politically motivated.

Former APLA member Silimela Ngesi was successful on Thursday in his amnesty application for attempting to blow up an East London petrol depot in 1993.

The committee began hearing amnesty applications in Port Elizabeth on Monday and is scheduled to finish the hearing on Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association LONDON January 22 1999 - SAPA-AP

FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT OUTLINES RECONCILIATION PLAN

Former South African President F.W. de Klerk says he plans to establish an institute for reconciliation to reinvigorate the goodwill and understanding he considers seriously undermined by the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

De Klerk said Thursday that soaring crime, annual growth stuck at 3 percent and a dearth of foreign investment also had taken some of the gloss off South Africa's triumphant, peaceful transfer to black rule in 1994.

"There is a sense of disappointment after the euphoria and surprise," De Klerk said at a lunch organized by the Association of American Correspondents in London. He was in Britain to promote his autobiography, "The Last Trek: A New Beginning," published this week.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, "while it did some good work, because of its unbalanced approach and composition ... really failed to set alight a reconciliation process," de Klerk said.

"Instead, unfortunately, they have rekindled to some extent a sense of polarization," said De Klerk, who brought an injunction to prevent the commission naming him in its report as the collaborator in attacks on government opponents.

In the book, he elaborates on his belief that the commission chairmen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former opposition lawmaker Alex Boraine, were far from impartial. He also accuses them of trying to harry him into admitting that his government had authorized gross violations of human rights.

De Klerk said he hopes his new institute will be "a catalyst ... to fill in certain voids" in the search for lasting reconciliation in South Africa.

The institute also will focus on promoting social and economic development, he said, including coordinating efforts by those outside the government to encourage foreign investment.

"So much is being done, but nobody hears of it," he said. "We need to bring all this information together."

Another goal will be to promote multi-party democracies elsewhere in Africa, De Klerk said.

"There are many fledgling democracies in Africa. Much more must be done - internationally also - to strengthen the democratic process," he said.

"The world is looking again at South Africa ... for more guidelies and more success in how multiracial, multi-ethnic societies can find a sort of lasting harmony," he said. "In South Africa, we have a laboratory on the issue of cultural diversity."

"The Last Trek: A New Beginning" - which charts De Klerk's formative years, his political rise, the tortuous negotiations that led to whites handing over power, and the failure of his first marriage and relationship with his new, second wife - will be published in the United States in March.

© South African Press Association, 1999 This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 25 January 1999 - SAPA

BANKER LAUNDERED STOLEN UNION FUNDS, AMNESTY COMMITTEE HEARS

Large amounts of money stolen from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa by security police in the 1980s were laundered through Nedbank with the help of a senior bank official, the Truth Commission's amnesty committee heard on Monday.

Numsa claims it lost about R2,8 million in donations that was mailed to the union but intercepted and banked by the security police in an account specially opened for this purpose in the name of Nicolas Umsa (N Umsa), Business Day newspaper reported.

"Nedbank was very helpful to the security branch," Michael Bellingan, a former security police captain and convicted murderer, stated in his amnesty application.

Bellingan, serving 25 years in prison for murdering his wife Janine in 1991, claimed the killing was a security police operation because his wife threatened to make public the scam and other sensitive police actions.

He is applying for amnesty for the murder, the theft of an undisclosed amount from Numsa, and 16 other crimes, including arson, housebreaking, obstructing justice and perjury.

"Cheques destined for leftist organisations were regularly obtained via mail interception. To my knowledge, most of the regions were involved in this practice," Bellingan said in his application.

He stated that in 1988 he was approached by General Gerrit Erasmus, then the head of the police's intelligence and Stratcom units, to see if any of his contacts in the banking world would assist with the intercepted cheques.

"I approached an ex-colleague, Basjan 'Basie' Bouwer, who then worked at Nedbank. this was a safe option, because Basie was an old Stratcom operator and Erasmus and Bouwer were on familiar terms."

A fake passport was supplied to Bellingan by a security police colleague and an account was opened in the name of Nicolas Umsa.

The theft of cheques was an initiative of the top structures of the security police and everyone in the securitx branch knew about it, Bellingan testified.

He claimed that during his years as a security policeman, his late wife on several occasions removed top secret documents from his locked briefcase and threatened to make information public.

"In order to neutralise the threat I decided to eliminate Janine," he said. While supposedly out of town on police business, Bellingan staged a burglary at their home and strangled and bludgeoned his wife to death.

He said his colleagues knew about the murder and claimed he had been promised immunity from prosecution.

"My colleagues knew it was me. At no stage did anyone on the police force rebuke me fgr the deed," he said.

NEDBANK DENIES CLAIMS IT HAD SPECIAL RELATIONS WITH SECURITY BRANCH

Nedbank did not have any special relatins with the South African security branch during the 1980s, Nedcor Bank company secretary Willem Kruger said on Tuesday.

Kruger was responding to claims made by a former security police captain and convicted murderer, Michael Bellingan, who said large amounts of money stolen from the National Union of Metalworkers of SA by police were laundered through Nedbank with the help of senior bank officials.

Bellingan told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Mobank "was very helpful to the security branch".

Numsa claims it lost about R2,8 million in donations mailed to the union but intercepted and banked by the security police in an account specifically opened for the purpose in the name of Nicolas Umsa (N Umsa).

Bellingan, serving 25 years in prison for murdering his involvement in the killing was a security police operation because his wife threatened to make public the scam and other sensitive police action.

He is applying for amnesty for the murder, the theft of an undisclosed amount from Numsa, and 16 other crimes ranging from arson, housebreaking and blackmail to obstructing justice and perjury.

He said in 1988 he was approached by General Gerrit Erasmus, then head of the police's intelligence and Stratcom units, to see if any of his contacts in the banking world would assist with the intercepted cheques.

"I approached an ex-colleague, Basjan `Basie' Bouwer, who then worked at Nedbank. This was a safe option, because Basie was an old Stratcom operator and Erasmus and Basie were on familiar terms."

Responding, Kruger said Nedbank has co-operated fully with the authorities and the TRC providing them with information at the bank's disposal since the Nemsa fraud was discovered in 1990.

"Although Bower was employed by Nedbank at the time, he became involved in this particular issue in his personal capacity, without Nedbank's knowledge or consent.

"Furthermore, Nedbank did not have any special relationship with the security branch, nor did it pursue a policy of helpfulness towards the branch," Kruger said.

He said the amount deposited into the Nedbank presented only a minor portion, R61000, of the total amount referred to in Bellingan's amnesty application.

Bower was dismissed from the bank years ago for an unrelated incident.

© South African Press Association, 1999 This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK 26 January 1999 - SAPA

KWAMADALA HOSTEL DWELLERS STICK TO THEIR STORY ABOUT BOIPATONG

Former Inkatha Freedom Party members who are applying for amnesty for the Boipatong massacre on Tuesday continued to stick to their story that the attack was merely a retaliation for the harassment they suffered at the hands of residents of the township.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee has been hearing testimony by 16 former occupants of the KwaMadala hostel who have admitted being involved in the Boipatong massacre on June 17, 1992.

They have all denied the involvement of high-ranking IFP officials or the police.

Many of the applicants have also denied personally attacking or killing anybody during the night of the attack. They all claim the attack was not planned, but a spontaneous reaction to the assault and burning of hostel dwellers by the African National Congress-supporting youths of Boipatong.

One applicant, Sipho Buthelezi, 30, told the committee on Tuesday that he deliberately fired shots into the air on the night of the attack so as to avoid injuring residents. He admitted that he was armed with a pump action shotgun, but denied he had fired it at people.

Danny Berger, who is appearing for victims of the attack, told Buthelezi during cross-examination that he was misleading the committee and that he had in fact fired shot3 at House 666 in Boipatong on the night of the attack.

At that point a woman in the audience began wailing tncontrollably and had to be helped out of the hall.

Berger then put it to Buthelezi that a youth by the name of Percival Sebelao had been shot in the face with a shotgun at that address on the night in question. Buthelezi denied this and insisted he had not shot anyone on the night.

Buthelezi and the applicants have disputed claims by Matanzima Nosenga who has made a separate application for amnesty and claims the police escorted the hostel dwellers and also participated in the attack.

He has also named high-ranking IFP officials as being party to the planning and execution of the massacre. Nosenga is due to testify after the 16 applicants have completed their accounts of the massacre.

Former policemen Gerhardus Greef and Pedro Peens who have been i-plicated in the massacre are also due to testify but are unlikely to do so during this week's proceedings.e hearing continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999 - SAPA

SDU AMNESTY APPLICATIONS.....[problems with receiving].... CONTINUE IN FEBRUARY

About 37 self-defence unit amnesty applicants will appear before the Truth and Reconciliatioy committee next month in connection with the East Rand strife of the early 1990s.

TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said the hearings would be part of more than 100 applications the committee had received from SDU members and would be held at the Central Methodist Church from February 1 to 12.

Hearings for the first group of applicants started on November 23 and another 55 were heard from January 1 to 19.

Due to the nature of the conflict in Thokoza, the majority od applicants did not mention specific dates or acts but referred generally to the defence of communities over five years.

SDU commande.....[problems with receiving].... rs, foot soldiers, and the political leadership who sat at central command meetings would participate in the hearings.

Advocate Andreenkamp would lead evidenc.....[problems with receiving].... e.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999 - SAPA

SELF-DEFENCE UNITS KILLED ANC YOUTH SUPPORTERS ON EAST RAND, COURT TOLD

Witnesses told the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday that self-defence unit members rounded up African National Congress Youth League supporters and killed some of them at Katlehong on the East Rand just months before South Africa's first democratic elections.

The court's public gallery was packed with Katlehong residents - on one side the families of the victimn the other, supporters of the men accused of killing 11 ANC Youth League supporters.

The men allegedly committed the murders in December 1993 using guns the the comun)ty had bought to protect itself from outside enemies or the 'Third Force'.

Nceba Michael Sonti, Siviwe Ngama, Michael Armoed, Thabiso Ntoma, Petros Mthembu, Langa Nkomo and Oscar Motlokwa face 25 charges including 11 of murder, four of attempted murder, six of kidnapping and two relating to illegal firearms.

They have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Six are out on R2000 bail while Motlokwa is serving a jail term for a different crime.

The accused are among 13 men whose amnesty application concerning the the charges was rejected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

ANC youth league member Jabulani Nxumalo on Wednesday told the court that SDU members armed with spears and automatic rifles came to his home one evening and banged o Nxumalo said he was stabbed with a sharp object and forcibly taken to a shack on the outskirts of Katlehong where three other ANCYL comrades were with their hands and feet tied with wire.

One Of the men at the shack - a family acquaintance named an court only as Koos - was surprised to find him among phe "detainees", he said.

"Koos told them that I was to be killed because I knew them and would be able to identify them."

The trial continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 27 January 1999 - SAPA

NO NOBEL PRIZE FOR DE KLERK IF BELLINGAN'S WIFE STILL ALIVE

Former president FW de Klerk would not have been given the Nobel Peace Prize if former Security Branch captaIn Michael Bellingan had not killed his wife Janine, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee was told on Wednesday.

Bellingan told the committee he believed if he had not murdered Janine and she had leaked information about his work and Security Branch operations as she had threatened, De Klerk would not have been honoured, the Pan Africanist Congress would not have suspended the armed struggle and setting the date for the 1994 elections would have been disrupted.

"My judgment may have been slightly affected by the accumulated stress of my work and the fact that it was a desperate situation," Bellingan said.

Bellingan is applying for amnesty for bludgeoning his wife and stRangling her in September 1991 as she slept in the couple's bedroom.

He is serving a 25-year jail sentence for the murder.

Bellingan has also applied for amnesty for laundering cheques stolen by the police from the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa, and for 16 other incidents.

On Wednesday he apologised to his wife's family and said he deeply regretted murdering her.

"I know what this did to them. I feel the burden of complicity. I've had a lot of time on my own to deal with my own guilt."

Under cross-examination by advocate Wim Trengove, acting for Mrs Bellingan's family, Bellingan agreed he had left his wife .....[problems with receiving].... battered body for his children to find the next morning, but said the maid usually arrived before the children awoke.

Trengove said it was absurd that Bellingan claimed to have loved his wife but had to kill her out of patriotism.

Bellingan claimed that he could not approach his superiors in the branch about his wife's threats to leak secrets as he feared he and his whole family would be killed.

"I couldn't trust my colleagues not to kill my wife and children," he said.

Trengove suggested .....[problems with receiving].... that Bellingan and his sister, Judy White, had conspired and lied before other tribunals and that Mrs White, who he was staying with around the time of the murder, was involved in the murder.

Bellingan claimed he left Pietermaritzburg about 6pm on a Friday night, hitchhiked to Durban where he bought an air ticket under a false name - which he could not remember - and flew to Johannesburg ab.....[problems with receiving]....

He said he returned on the 6am flight the next morning and hitchhiked back to Pietermaritzburg in time to meet his sister for tea at 9.15am.

Trengove said the only flights that nighpm, and the dollowing day the first flight was at 8am, reaching Durban about the same time he claimed to have met his sister in Pietermaritzburg.

The hearing continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association HEARING-PINETOWN- SAPA

WEEK-LONG TRC AMNESTY HEARING TO START IN PINETOWN

Eight members of the Inkatha Freedom Party will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee at a week-long hearing in Pinetown near Durban starting on Monday next week.

They are applying for amnesty for the killing of political opponents in Kwa-Zulu Natal between 1989 and 1992, during the height of political violence between the IFP and African National Congress, TRC media director Mdu Lembede said on Thursday.

The hearing, which will continue until February 5, will be held at Pinetown's Magistrate's Court in Chancery Lane, starting at 9am daily.

The first applicant to testify, Vusi Thokozani Manqele, is seeking amnesty for his involvement in the murder and attempted murder of two married ANC supporters in KwaMakhutha in July 1991.

Manqele claimed the couple were indirectly involved in the murders of his three sisters. He was convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment for the attacks in 1992.

On Tuesday, Mbuzeni Nsindane and his brother Mzwandile Nsindane will testify on the killing of Thabani Mgobhozi, 18, in October 1990 at Amahlongwa and two people, one a member of the then SA Defence Force, a day later. They claimed they had hoped to drive out ANC members from an IFP stronghold.

On Thursday Solomon Khanyile will appear before the committee, to apply for amnesty for the murders in 1989 of three pople in Umlazi, who he claimed were United Democratic Front members.

Khanyile has also applied for amnesty for the attempted murders of ten people, arson and malicious damage to property.

He was given three death sentences, later commuted to life sentences.

Wanda Mdletshe will testify on Thursday for the killing of ANC member Khelhla Ntshingila in Driefontein in March 1992. He is currently serving a twelve year prison term for the killing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA Jan 29 - SAPA

BELLINGAN HAD EXTRA-MARITAL AFFAIR WHEN HE MURDERED WIFE: TRC

Former security policeman, Michael Bellingan, was accused at the Truth and Reconcilation Commission's amnesty hearing on Friday of having an extra-marital affair at the time he murdered his wife.

Bellingan who is applying for amnesty for the murder of his wife Janine in September 1991, denied the allegation.

He told the amnesty comittee in Pretoria he had never had an extra-marital affair and claimed his relationship with his wife had been sound at the time.

The claim was made during cross-examination of Bellingan by Jan Wagenaar, who is appearing for four former security policemen.

Wagenaar told the committee that according to the policemen who once worked with Bellinghan, he spent a weekend at the police holiday resort of Port Edward on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, two weeks before murdering his wife.

Wagenaar said the woman was his present wife, Renata, who he married after he killed Janine.

Bellingan denied the claim and said he did not have a relationship with his current wife until after Janine's death.

The former "dirty tricks" policemen is serving a 25-year-prison sentence after being convicted in 1995 for killing her by beating her with a wheel spanner and then strangling her with the cord from a hairdryer.

Wagenaar said it was painful for him to bring up the matter of an affair with another woman, but said he was obliged to do so because his clients would testify about the alleged illicit liaison.

"Maybe they will come and testify about something like this, but I did not have an affair with another woman," Bellingan said.

He is applying for amnesty on the grounds that he had killed his wife because she had threatened to expose sensitive security police information which had come into her posssession.

However Bellingan has been unable to name a single person who authorised him to take such drastic action and claims he did so out of duty towards the (apartheid) state.

Wagenaar, who is appearing for former policemen Brigadier Andries Oosthuizen and Deon Els and former security police generals Johann van der Merwe and Gerrit Erasmus, put it to Bellingan that he had no political motive for the murder.

Wagenaar also accused Bellingan, who during the course of his work had intercepted cheques addressed to the National Union of Metal Workers, of using the funds for his personal use.

"Your wife found out about this and threatened to expose you and this would have caused considerable harm to your bright career in the police," Wagenaar said.

"And coupled with this you were having an affair with another woman, which led you to murder your wife without any political motive whatsoever," Wagenaar said.

Bellingan gave no other answer but to deny the allegations.

The policemen will testify to the committee when the hearing resumes on April 12 this year.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NELSPRUIT Jan 31 - SAPA

TWO IFP MEN TO APPEAR BEFORE TRC FOR BUS AMBUSH

Two Inkatha Freedom Party members are expected to appear before the TRC's amnesty committee in Nelspruit on Monday for a week-long hearing into an ambush on a bus in 1992, the TRC said on Sunday.

TRC spokesman Vuyani Green said Mzobona Leonard Hadebe and Raphael Senzangakona Stohomo are applying for amnesty for killing one person and injuring at least 40 others in an ambush on a bus near Ratanda hostel near Heidelberg in Gauteng on September 28, 1992.

Green said the bus was transporting passengers from the Nelspruit area.

The hearing is expected to begin at 9am at Nelsville Community hall, Grace Street, Nelsville in Nelspruit.

Green appealed to all victims of the attack and their families to attend the hearing Hadebe and Stohomo are both in prison for the attack. Sapa /jt/jje

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 1 February 1999 - SAPA

DE KLERK EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT RACIAL POLARISATION

Former State President FW de Klerk on Monday expressed concern over what he described as growing racial polarisation in South Africa.

He said many whites felt alienated because of crime, declining standards and state interference in their lives, while blacks were disillusioned about unfulfilled expectations.

"It is a bad situation," De Klerk told a Pretoria Press Club luncheon.

He said Deputy President Thabo Mbeki's recent observations about South Africa comprising two nations - one rich, white and insensitive, and the other poor, black and angry - should be taken seriously.

"His comments ... signal growing racial polarisation and black criticism of minority attitudes and approaches."

De Klerk said some whites tended to withdraw again from the challenges of Africa. They were being tempted to live on islands of well-being, isolating themselves behind security walls and electric fences from the poverty around them.

"There is an inclination to abandon the political terrain to the overwhelming majority ... and to sit somewhat apathetically on the sidelines and criticise the government."

De Klerk called for a commitment by all South Africans to make the new dispensation work.

"Our privileged groups should know that their future is interwoven with that of disadvantaged communities."

On his newly-released autobiography, entitled "The Last Trek - A New Beginning", De Klerk said the book was an attempt to counter what he described as the demonisation of former Afrikaner governments.

He rejected the notion that past heads of government were evil and that they had been driven by hate. They, instead, strived for justice for all.

"I don't deny that our policies, in the end, led to a morally unjustifiable situation which has brought and pain to many people.

"But that fact cannot rob us of the claim ... that we took the initiative to change direction, to dismantle the edifice of apartheid that we have constructed."

De Klerk said he was happy with the recognition he received for his own role in South Africa's transformation.

"I am a happy man as I stand here. I have no gripes and no axes to grind with anybody."

De Klerk went out of his way to dispel the notion that his book reflected bitterness towards President Nelson Mandela. Media reports on passages that refer to Mandela were selective, he said.

"I do bring accolades to Mr Mandela, recognising him as a great man. At our last meeting we agreed to have lunch early this year." Asked about his attitude to former State President PW Botha, De Klerk expressed some sympathy with Botha's refusal to testify in person before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The basis of Botha's decision was the TRC's initial indication that it would only require written evidence from him, De Klerk said.

On the criticism of former Cabinet colleagues Pik Botha and Roelf Meyer on his conduct while the National Party was still part of the government, De Klerk said: "I am similarly critical of them for not standing up to the ANC enough, thus forcing me to do so."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NELSPRUIT 1 February 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICANT ADMITS TO LYING IN HIS STATEMENT

A former Inkatha Freedom Party youth brigade leader, serving 10 years in jail for murder, on Monday admitted lying in his amnesty statement, African Eye News Service reported.

Anthony Ndlangamandla, 29, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Nelspruit he made the statement after he was sentenced to jail in 1996 because he was scared of serving a jail term.

"I was very young and would have been put in maximum B prison which is not conducive for youngsters like me."

He said he was not in his "right sense of mind" when he wrote the statement, but added his motive for the murder remained political.

Ndlangamandla was imprisoned for axing to death the African National Congress chairman of Lahlompondo village in Pongolo, KwaZulu Natal, Ben Nkosi.

He told the commission he killed Nkosi to avenge his grandfather, then the IFP regional chairman who, he said, was murdered by ANC members under Nkosi's leadership.

Ndlangamandla said his grandfather was gunned down in before a power struggle between ANC and IFP members in Lahlompondo.

"Everyone was ready and armed with traditional weapons like spears, pangas and axes when an ANC member fired a shot that killed my grandfather."

Ndlangamandla said he saw Nkosi and other ANC members entering his grandfather's house and shot him dead.

"This is the day of the truths, and I'm telling the truth since I'm applying for amnesty."

He said the IFP accepted this motivation was political and thus paid for his R800 bail when he was on trial.

Two witnesses are expected to give their testimony on Tuesday when the hearings resume.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 1 February 1999 - SAPA

EAST RAND WAR BEFORE 1994 ELECTION RECALLED AT TRC

The war that broke out on the East Rand between supporters of the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party before the 1994 election was recalled at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearings on Monday.

A former Thokoza self-defence unit member described to the amnesty committee how he shot dead a supsected IFP informer during the height of the East Rand violence in the early 1990s.

Vusi Mbatha, 26, told the amnesty committee in Johannesburg he joined the ANC's SDUs after repeated attacks on residents of Thokoza by IFP supporters who lived mainly in the hostels on the East Rand.

He said he gained the impression that the IFP was eager to increase its support base on the East Rand by coercing locals to join the party.

He said after joing the SDUs he regarded the IFP as the enemy intent on intimidating local residents. He said members of his family had been killed in the violence and others had been driven out of their homes, which were later occupied by IFP supporters.

Mbatha told the committee one night he went to the office of the SDU in Thokoza and saw a known IFP supporter who had been captured by ANC comrades.

He said he knew the man, Bheki Khanyile, to be an informer of the IFP and decided that he should be killed.

Mbatha said he took an AK47 rifle from one of the SDU members and fired a volley of bullets into the man's chest. He said he then handed the rifle to other SDU members, who also fired shots into the dead man's body.

Mbatha said he could not remember exactly when the incident occurred but said it must have been between 1992 and 1994.

Mbatha is one of 56 SDU members who have applied for amnesty for the killings that occurred during the outbreak of violence on the East Rand in the early 1990s.

The hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 2 February 1999 - SAPA

22 SELF-DEFENCE UNIT MEMBERS TO APPLY FOR AMNESTY

Twenty-two former self-defence unit members will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee next week in connection with their part in the violence which engulfed townships around the Johannesburg area in the 1990s.

The hearing will be held in Mayfair, Johannesburg, from next week Monday, the commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

The applicants, who are currently serving prison terms, have applied for amnesty for incidents including murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

The TRC appealed to people who believed they were victims of or who were related to a victim of such incidents to attend the hearings.

Certain people believed to be victims of attacks in Alexandra, Heidelberg, Nigel, Kliptown, Duduza hostels, Tembisa, Diepkloof, Mmakaunyana village, Vosloorus, Sebokeng, Springs and Small Farm - or their next-of-kin - were asked to contact Thembakazi Koni at the TRC at (021) 245-161.

They are Johannes Mogabe, Moses Tsoari of Tembisa, Annah Mingi, a Mr Joubert, Joseph Fane Nkosi, Joseph Mkhabela, Boy Buthelezi, Jeseph Mthunzi, Jeffrey Dlamini, Sizwe Marule, Jan van Zyl, Sydney Moja, Montai, Hapile Ndumo, comrade Tlolane, comrade Winjie, Pat from Diepkloof, Elsie Mokoena, Thandi Tshabalala, Zandi Mnete, Freddie Lekgoka, Majika Philip, Kenel Paulos Malakoane, Godfrey Shiya, Kenel Skhosana, Oupa Kheswa, Bonga Khumalo, Fannie Abraham Mkhwanazi, Sipho Tshabalala, Mabuza Mhlongo, Popipo Ntsolo, Kaseke Joe Ngubeni, Makhazas Nodlela, Gogo, Ellen, Feida, Action, Zakhele, Power, Sphaphu, Stanley, Tekeri, Teggy, Rudolf and Aaron.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 2 February 1999 - SAPA

FORMER SDU'S ASK TRC TO PAY TRANSPORT COSTS TO AMNESTY HEARINGS

Former members of the Thokoza self defence units on Tuesday made an appeal to the Truth and Reconciliatioin Commission to pay their transport costs to and from their amnesty hearings in Johannesburg.

The request was made during an amnesty application by 56 former SDU members for their part in the violence that erupted on the East Rand in the early 1990s.

Judge Ronnie Pillay, the chairman of the amnesty committee hearing the applications, pointed out that there was no provision for amnesty applicants being compensated for their transport costs to and from the hearings.

He said it was the duty of the applicants to ensure they were present at the hearings to testify in support of their amnesty applications.

Pillay was responding to a request by Lawley Shein, appearing for the applicants, that they be reimbursed by the TRC for their transport costs.

Shein warned that a failure by the TRC to pay the transport costs could result in taxi violence.

Pillay said he found it unfortunate that the committee had been told of possible taxi violence if transport fees were not paid by the TRC. However he said it was not the TRC's duty to provide funds for transport to amnesty hearings by applicants.

Earlier the amnesty committee heard accounts of the summary execution during the East Rand conflict of people accused of being Inkatha Freedom Party supporters.

A former commander of the local SDU, Victor "Muchacha" Mabaso, 25, said he ordered the execution in December 1993 of Steven Radebe and Bheki Khanyile, who were suspected of belonging to the IFP.

Mabaso said Radebe was believed to be an informer and a person who provided "muti" for members of local IFP impis. Mabaso said he believed that the muti applied to combatants was made of body parts of slain African National Congress supporters.

He said Khanyile was killed because he was seen driving a vehicle carrying IFP supporters. He described how the two men were brought to the SDU offices in Thokoza and then pleaded for their lives when they realised they were going to be killed.

Mabaso said he had no option but to order their execution because if his superiors had found out that he had not killed known IFP supporters, he would have been killed himself.

The hearing continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 2 February 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO FOUR, DENIES AMNESTY TO THREE

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has granted amnesty to four applicants and refused amnesty to three others, the TRC's amnesty committee said in a statement on Tuesday.

The four successful applicants were Willem Willemse, a former commissioner in the Department of Correctional Services; two former members of the self-defence units of the African National Congress, Aaron Masuku and Nicholas Mabuya, and a former soldier of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, Silimela Qukumbana.

Willemse, 61, applied for amnesty in respect of aiding and abetting former Ciskei strongman Brigadier Charles Sebe in his escape from the Middledrift Prison near Alice in 1986.

Masuku, 36, and Mabuya, 30, both of the East Rand, applied in connection with the illegal possession of weapons of war.

Masuku was granted amnesty for the illegal possession of six AK47 rifles and ammunition at the Vosloorus Hostel in January 1991, and Mabuya received amnesty for the illegal possession of a handgrenade in Vosloorus in January 1992.

Qukumbana, 31, was granted amnesty for an attack on an East London petrol depot on August 19, 1993, the attempted murder of a number of policemen in a shootout in East London on the same day, malicious damage to property and the unlawful possession of various firearms and rocket launchers.

The three applicants who were refused amnesty were Apla cadres Xabiso Dingane and Bonile Wanga, and a member of the Pan Africanist Congress, Mncedisi Mfazo.

Dingane and Wanga were refused amnesty for the armed robbery of Robert Chapman in Grahamstown in December 1985, the armed robbery of Johan Klaassen in Port Elizabeth in November 1988, the illegal possession of firearms and escaping from prison.

They are serving 13 years and 24 years in jail respectively.

Mfazo applied for amnesty for the murder of Thozamile Ntoni in Noupoort in April 1993.

The amnesty committee found there was no political motive for the killing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NELSPRUIT 2 February 1999 - SAPA

BOMB SURVIVORS BRAND AMNESTY APPLICANTS LIARS

Witnesses on Tuesday branded two Inkatha Freedom Party hitmen as liars and urged the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee to deny them amnesty until they had confessed to the truth about their role in bombing a bus in 1992.

Witnesses and survivors told a TRC amnesty hearing in Nelspruit that Leonard Hadebe, 32, was lying by insisting he never took part in the attack that killed Thomas Tswari and cost Ouma Msimang her legs, African Eye News Service reported on Tuesday.

Hadebe is serving 30 years in jail for the murder. He told the hearing he only planned the attack but did not take part in it.

He and three accomplices allegedly hurled a handgrenade and petrolbomb into a fully loaded bus as it passed Ratanda hostel near Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal on September 28, 1992.

"I tell you that I never did this thing," Hadebe told the hearing. "I only planned it with other IFP and union members, but never actually took part in the attack.".

Hadebe conceded he booked himself off work on the day of the attack, but insisted he had been sick and nowhere near the scene.

One of the accomplices, Raphael Sithomo, also denied participating in the attack.

Sithomo, who is also serving a 30-year jail term, said he was out visiting friends at the time and heard about the attack on the radio.

He said: "But when I returned home I was arrested, charged and sent to prison for something I had nothing to do with."

A survivor of the attack, Johanna Msibi, branded both men liars and told the TRC not to grant them amnesty until they had confessed fully to their roles in the bombing.

Msibi said: "I still have scars on my body from that day and I tell you now that I saw Hadebe attack us. I knew him well and recognised him as he threw the grenade into the bus. He lied in court and he's lying now. I beg you not to grant him amnesty until he swears to tell the truth."

Msibi added the occupants of the bus had watched Hadebe and his accomplices walk up to the bus and had not reacted when they hurled their bombs at the windows of the vehicle because no one realised what was happening.

"We just watched them do it without any idea. I only realised they were trying to kill us when the whole world exploded."

The amnesty committee will give a ruling on Hadebe and Sithomo's applications after their legal representatives addressed the committee on Wednesday. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 3 February 1999 - SAPA

DE KLERK URGES CONSOLIDATION OF SA'S NEW BEGINNING

Disillusioned South Africans should resist withdrawing from politics lest it lead to greater polarisation and spark renewed conflict, former state president FW de Klerk said on Wednesday.

"We must avert this sense of disillusionment becoming a new departure point for bitter polarisation and for renewed tension that can lead to conflict in South Africa again."

De Klerk was speaking on themes in his recently published autobiography - entitled "The Last Trek: A New Beginning" - at a function in Johannesburg organised by Sheba, an organisation for women in business.

He cited growing dissatisfaction among the increasingly multiracial middle class as well as the poverty-stricken majority over the high crime rate, slow economic growth and unemployment.

But he urged South Africans to work to consolidate the foundations laid for a more stable and harmonious dispensation under the new Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

"I want to motivate to fight this sense of withdrawal and urge people to become more involved ... unless you do so this whole process can be derailed and can become unstuck.

"This new South Africa, warts and all, is a much better place."

De Klerk called on people to register to vote in the upcoming election, saying the country needed a healthier balance of power.

"It is unhealthy to have so much power concentrated in the hands of one party and so litle in the hands of the opposing parties."

People should also work for change through civil society.

Announcing his intention to set up a centre for reconciliation, De Klerk said the two main focus points of civil society organisations should be effecting reconciliation and addressing the development needs of South Africans living below the poverty line.

The Truth Reconciliation Commission process had left South Africa more in need of action for reconciliation than at any time before, he added.

"Unless all of us, in a constructive spirit, commit ourselves to being involved in finding solutions to remaining problems, South Africa will not realise its potential," De Klerk said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG 3 February 1999 - SAPA

FORMER SDUs ROBBED POLICE OF CASSPIR: AMNESTY COMITTEE HEARS

A former member of the Thokoza self-defence unit described at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearing in Johannesburg on Wednesday how he and his comrades robbed police of a Casspir, which they used to attack a hostel.

Aubrey "Magidi" Radebe, told the TRC's amnesty committee that in 1991 he and other members of the African National Congress-aligned SDU planned to attack and disarm a group of policemen in a Casspir at Phola Park squatter camp.

He said they opened fire on the policemen, who returned fire. During the exchange one policemen was killed, but Radebe said he did not know who fired the fatal shot.

"We gained access to the Casspir and drove off," he said, adding they used the vehicle to attack the nearby Khutuza hostel occupied by Inkatha Freedom Party supporters.

"We drove into the hostel where we fired several shots at the windows and threw petrol bombs," he said.

They later abandoned the Casspir and fled.

Radebe also described an attack on a bakkie that the SDUs believed was used to carry people harassing the local community. He said shots were fired at the vehicle, but nobody was injured.

James Koena, 25, another of the 56 SDU members applying for amnesty for their part in violence on the East Rand in the early 1990s told the committee he killed a man he suspected of being a police informer.

He said he shot Cri Mangaso in 1993 after receiving information that the man was a police agent.

However, his claim was denied by the dead man's sister, Thabesile Mangaso, who is opposing his amnesty application.

She told the committee the death of her brother had nothing to do with politics, but was purely a criminal act.

On Tuesday evening this week the former SDU members became involved in a dispute with TRC officials over demands for compensation for their travel costs to and from the hearings. When they were told the TRC did not pay the travel costs of amnesty applicants, some of the group threatened to confiscate a cellular telephone belonging to a TRC member to pay for their travel costs.

TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said the matter was later resolved when the ANC in Thokoza agreed to pay the travel costs for the former SDU members.

The hearing continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

NELSPRUIT 3 February 1999 - SAPA

MAN SHOT CHILDHOOD FRIEND SO IFP COULD WIN ELECTION

An Inkatha Freedom Party member told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Nelspruit on Wednesday that he killed a childhood friend so that the IFP would win the 1994 general election, African Eye New Service reported.

Solomon Collen Mtambo said he shot dead Mshengu Phungwayo of Kwadela township near Davel in Mpumalanga because he was a member of the African National Congress.

"My organisation did not have much support because many people were ANC members, so I decided to eliminate those ANC members who were obstacles for the IFP in the township," Mtambo said.

He said another reason he killed Phungwayo was because he received a tip-off that Phungwayo wanted to kill him.

Mtambo is currently serving 12 years in jail for murder and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, after he killed Phungwayo on May 29, 1993.

He denied shooting Phungwayo at point blank range from behind, but said they had argued and that he shot Phungwayo in self defence.

"I might have shot him from behind, but I did talk to him first," he said.

Mtambo said that he grew up with Phungwayo in Kwadela but that political differences tore them apart after Mtambo left the ANC for the IFP.

The TRC hearings are to continue until Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 4 February 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY HEARING CONTINUES FOR MK CADRES WHO KILLED COSAS LEADER

The amnesty hearing for four former Umkhonto weSizwe members who killed a prominent Soweto student leader in January 1988 after claiming he was a police spy resumes in Johannesburg in 10 days.

The hearing would have been held in Boksburg, but would now take place in Johannesburg, a Truth and Reconciliation statement said on Thursday.

The MK operatives were John Dube, Sipho Tshabalala, Wiseman Zungu and Nhlaula Makhubu. Dube was the unit commander.

They are applying for amnesty for the killing of Congress of SA Students' leader Sicelo Dlomo. The 18-year-old Dlomo was killed just after he played a starring role in the documentary "Children of Apartheid", made by US broadcaster CBS.

The four men said Dlomo had police bugging equipment.

Earlier Dlomo's death was blamed on the police and last year it was alleged before the TRC that African National Congress Women's League chairwoman Winnie Madikizela-Mandela had ordered his killing.

The amnesty applications of the four MK cadres were partly heard last year, but were postponed to between February 15 and 19 this year. The hearing will be at Methodist House in Rissik Street, Johannesburg.

The amnesty committee would also hear an application from four former MK cadres for the Ellis Park car bomb in July 1988 that killed two people and injured scores more, TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said.

These applicants are Eddie Shoke, Harold Matshididi, Lester Dumakude and John Dube.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NELSPRUIT 4 February 1999 - SAPA

IFP MEMBER DENIED AMNESTY IN NELSPRUIT

An Inkatha Freedom Party member who killed a childhood friend, saying he did so to ensure the IFP won the 1994 general election, was denied amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday.

Denying Solomon Collen Mtambo amnesty, the TRC's amnesty committee sitting in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, said there were too many contradictions in his statement.

Mtambo, of Kwadela in Davel, is serving a 12-year sentence for murdering African National Congress member Mshengu Phungwayo on May 29, 1993.

In his amnesty application, Mtambo said he wanted to eliminate members of the ANC in Davel so the IFP would win the 1994 election. He said Phungwayo, who he grew up with, was a stumbling block to the the IFP's success in the region because Phungwayo was chairman of the ANC Youth League.

Phungwayo's cousin, Trevor Phungwayo, said his cousin was an ordinary ANC member, not one of its leaders. The amnesty committee ruled that Mtambo had tried to create a political context to justify killing Phungwayo.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 4 February 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY COMMITTEE HEARS OF CYCLE OF REVENGE IN EAST RAND WAR

The cycle of violence during the East Rand war in the early 1990s was recalled during the Truth and Reconcilition Commission's amnesty hearings in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The TRC's Amnesty Committe heard testimony from former members of the self defence units of the African National Congress who are applying for amnesty for their part in the violence that beset the East Rand townships in the early 199's.

A member of the Thokoza SDU, Jethro Mtshali, 23, told the committee that he was at school at the time violence broke out in his area. He said he realised it was his duty to defend his community from attacks by Inkatha Freedom Party supporters so he joined the local SDU.

Mtshali described how he and other SDU members attacked the home of Gonabe Dube who he believed to be an IFP supporter and collaborator. He said that when SDU members knocked on the door, Dube hid in a back room but they broke a window and entered the house. He said he fired shots at Dube and believed he killed him but it subsequently emerged that his victim had survived.

Mtshali said that one of the members who had taken part in the attack was later killed in the ensuing violence in the area. He said he believed that the man died in a revenge attack by Dube's family.

Mtshali said he regretted the attack and asked Dube fr forgiveness. He is one of 56 former Thokoza SDU members who are applying for amnesty for their part in the violence.

Mtshali along with many other SDU members was never charged with murders resulting from the violence.

The hearing continues on Monday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 4 February 1999 - SAPA

THIRTEEN TO SEEK AMNESTY FOR KWAZULU-NATAL KILLINGS

An African National Congress supporter who participated in the massacre of 13 people at a night vigil in Verulam in 1990, and an Inkatha Freedom Party official who killed seven people and tried to kill four others in Imbali in the late 1980s, are among 13 people who will appear before the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in Pietermaritzburg next week.

The TRC said in a statement on Thursday that the hearing would be held from Monday February 8 to Friday February 12 at the Marian Centre in central Pietermaritzburg and would start at 9am each day.

The applicants are to appear before a three-member panel chaired by Judge Hassan Mall of the Durban High Court.

Bongani Gilbert Ngobese, 43, an ANC member currently serving a 45-year prison term, has applied for amnesty for the killing of 13 people at the home of IFP chairman Dingindawo Xulu in Conttonlands near Verulam during February 1993.

He also applied for amnesty for the murder of a Thulani Mzikayifani Mthembu in Cottonlands on 26 December 1991. A group of ANC supporters led by Ngobese attacked Mthembu at his home where he was viciously assaulted before being killed.

Five other people who applied for amnesty for Mthembu's murder are Lucky Christopher Mnembe, 27, Bheki Elliot Mgenge, Sibusiso Mhlongo, Orient Khambule and Philani Luthuli.

Phumlani Derrick Mweli, 25, who says he was deputy chairman of the IFP youth brigade in Imbali and is presently serving a life sentence, has applied for the murder of seven people and attempts on the lives of four others in Imbali between October 27 1988 and January 16 1989.

The other applicants are Sibusiso Mbi Dladla, 29, who says he was IFP youth organiser and leader of the self-protection unit in the Emahhashini Section of Estcourt. He is applying for killing a local school teacher, Mduduzi Owen Mabizela, on August 27 1993.

Linda Geodfrey Xaba, 40, an MK soldier who was trained in Cuba, has applied for amnesty for the murder of Frederick Sydney Baxter, a fellow ANC member whom he suspected of being a spy who had infiltrated the ANC.

He shot him dead in Mount Ayliff in November 1993.

The last applicant is Sikhulu Patrick Hlengwa, an ANC member who killed a fellow ANC member, Hlakaniphani John Mbeko, in Mfume in the early 1990s.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

NELSPRUIT February 5 1999 - SAPA

IFP HITMAN IMPLICATES SENIOR PARTY MEMBERS IN AMNESTY HEARING

A self-confessed Inkatha Freedom Party hitsquad member demanded amnesty on Thursday night after denying he had killed an opposition politician six years ago, African Eye News Service reported on Friday.

Mondli Wiseman Ngxongo, 32, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Nelspruit that he had helped plan assassinations. He said he smuggled weapons for the IFP, but never killed anyone.

Ngxongo is serving a 10-year jail term at Westville Prison for the 1993 murder of Bushbuckridge businessman Jappie Theledi.

His accomplice and triggerman, Romeo Mbuso Mbambo, is serving a similar sentence for shooting Theledi in his supermarket on June 13.

Mbambo was a policeman at that time of the shooting. He shot Theledi in front of seven witnesses before fleeing with Ngxongo.

Ngxongo told the amnesty committee a senior Umlazi IFP member, a Mrs Mbuyase, ordered the assassination and sent the two-man team to a Nelspruit police station to meet guide Willy Mokoena.

Mokoena, also a Bushbuckridge businessman, took the two men to his hotel and then helped them observe Theledi's supermarket.

"We walked into the supermarket and cornered Theledi near some shelves where Mambo executed him with a 9mm pistol while I stood guard. We then fled in a minibus van and we were not chased," said Ngxongo.

The hitmen and Mokoena then stopped at Mambo's police station in Esikhawini in KwaZulu-Natal, where they phoned colleagues in Mpumalanga to check that Theledi had died.

"After making sure that he was dead, we then phoned Mbuyase and reported that our mission was successful," said Ngxongo.

Ngxongo conceded he had not previously mentioned the role of senior IFP members in the incident, but said he had protected them out of loyalty until recently when they stopped visiting him in prison.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 7 1999 - SAPA

MANKAHLANA DENIES DECISION MADE TO REFUSE CASH TO APARTHEID VICTIMS

Presidential spokeman Parks Mankahlana on Sunday denied reports that a decision had been made to refuse compensation to individuals identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as victims of gross human rights violations.

He told Sapa the issue was still to be discussed in parliament when cabinet deals with the TRC report later this month or early March.

"Cabinet will give a concrete answer on what form reparations will take," he said.

Mankahlana said the government would put forward a suggestion that instead of making payments to the more than 20,000 individuals, symbolic reparations be made to communities and the nation as a whole, as it was not possible to attach monetary value to suffering.

He said this did not necessarily mean the suggestion would be adopted by cabinet.

The move will come as a blow to many of the officially designated apartheid victims who had pinned their hopes on receiving R26000 each, spread over six years, in line with the commission's reparations and rehabilitation committee.

If the government were to pay out the victims, the bill would amount to R520-million.

Mankahlana said it was true that money required for this might not be available and the government had to do something within its means to compensate people.

"It is a very complex situation. We have to do something as a nation, and not just for individuals.

"It has to be accepted that reconciliation is a process. Sometimes it is inevitable to aim for the skies and reach the clouds," Mankahlana said.

There were hundreds of thousands people who did not have a chance to go and testify before the TRC.

"How do you compensate a person who left school because of police harrassment. A person who wanted to be a doctor and had never gone back to school.

"When we reduce this into rands and cents then we are not addressing the whole notion of reconciliation, it has much more value than money," Mankahlana said.

Meanwhile, TRC spokesman Mdu Lembede said the commission had not received any official notification from government that it will not compensate people individually.

"As far as we know, people are going to be reparated as individuals as well as communities depending on their cases," Lembede said.

It has always been the commission's position not to place monetary value on reparation, but where a need arose people would be compensated in monetary terms, he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 7 1999 - SAPA

MARIUS SCHOON DIES

African National Congress member and poet Marius Schoon, 61, died at the Park Lane Clinic in Johannesburg just before 6pm on Sunday.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after testifying at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty application of Craig Williamson in November last year, a close personal friend, Hugh Lewin said.

Schoon's wife, Jeanette, and his daughter, Katryn, 6, were killed by a letter bomb in Lubango, Angola, in 1984.

Williamson has admitted responsibility for the bomb which killed Jeanette and Katryn but spared Schoon, who was not at home, and his son, Fritz, then three.

Fritz turned 17 on Saturday.

"He (Schoon) epitomised the sacrifices that people made for the struggle," Lewin said.

Schoon was imprisoned between 1964 and 1976 by the South African government for sabotage. Lewin and Schoon met in jail and were prison mates for seven years.

Schoon and his wife-to-be became involved after Schoon's release, when the two were both banned.

At the time it was illegal for them to be working together, and they started receiving threats.

The couple joined the African National Congress in Botswana in 1977 and later settled in Angola.

The two were never involved in the armed struggle, a fact that was confirmed by Mac Maharaj at Williamson's amnesty application.

Schoon accepted a job with the Development Bank of South Africa in 1990 after his return from exile.

Lewin, who was appointed a TRC commissioner, confirmed that Schoon brought a civil suit against Williamson earlier this year.

The application was put aside pending the outcome of Williamson's amnesty application, which will be wrapped up later this month when final arguments are presented.

Lewin denied that Schoon was outspoken against the amnesty process.

"He was very strong in pushing the case ... for there to be some justice to come out of Williamson's admissions that he was responsible for the deaths," Lewin said.

Schoon told the amnesty committee he never wanted to speak to Williamson, and found it "unfair and embarrassing" to be called on by the applicant's lawyer to reconcile with Williamson.

Sadly, Schoon will never know the fate the man whose actions gave him bloody nightmares for 15 years. Lewin said Schoon was operated on after he was diagnosed to try to reverse the cancer, but it did not resolve anything.

"He has basically gone down very quickly," Lewin said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG February 8 1999 - SAPA

I KILLED FARMER BECAUSE HE WAS "PROBLEMATIC": MK MAN

A former Umkhonto weSizwe member told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday that he killed Mount Ayliff farmer Sydney Bexter shortly before the 1994 election because the farmer had misled people on how to vote.

Linda Geoffrey Xaba, who has applied for amnesty for Bexter's murder, told the commission's amnesty committee here that he had taken it upon himself to kill the farmer because he was "a problematic person".

"I suspected him to be a South African security agent," Xaba told the committee. "Members (of the African National Congress) said to me he was very harsh to them and that he frequently insulted people by use of the word kaffir."

Xaba is currently serving a 25 year sentence for Bexter's murder.

Xaba, who joined the ANC's armed wing in 1982 and received training in Cuba, moved to Mount Ayliff, in what is now the Eastern Cape, shortly before the poll.

He had fled the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands where he was being sought by police, after training members of ANC self- defence units. At one stage, he claimed, he received weapons from the late ANC Midlands leader Harry Gwala.

Soon after arriving in Mount Ayliff, Xaba said, "it came to my attention that there was a problematic person operating in the area, who was creating problems for the ANC and the individual members".

"One of my tasks was to assist in the organisation for the election and to run voter education classes for the rural people.

"When performing this voter education and teaching people how to fill out a ballot paper, a number of the rural people told me that I was wrong in teaching as regard the completion of the ballot paper.

"I was informed that these people had been told by Mr Bexter that one must put a cross next to the picture of the person you did not want - FW de Klerk.

"My effort to correct this misinformation, that is that you must put a cross next the picture of the person you wanted, were not very effective ... the rural people were convinced that a cross meant wrong," Xaba said.

Xaba said he reported the matter to the the ANC's local leadership on several occasions but received no response, so he decided to kill Bexter.

In November 1993, Xaba impersonated a cuxtomer and approached Bexter as the farmer was selling milk from the back of his van. He shot and killed Bexter with five shots of a 9mm firearm.

He then went to Umtata and reported the incident to the MK regional chief of staff he only remembers as "Sibusiso" and shortly thereafter left for Bloemfontein to join the National Peace Keeping Force in order to evade arrest.

However, he was eventually arrested on September 4, 1994 at the Marianhill tollgate near Pinetown for various other offences. Police later found that he was also wanted for Bexter's murder.

The matter was adjourned indefinitely to give other witness a chance to give evidence. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG February 9 1999 - SAPA

SIX ANC MEMBERS SEEK AMNESTY FOR IFP MAN'S DEATH

Six imprisoned members of the African National Congress on Tuesday testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pietermaritzburg during their amnesty application for the murder of an Inkatha Freedom Party-aligned man.

Bheki Elliot Mgenge, Sibusiso Mhlongo, Orient Khambule, Philani Luthuli, Lucky Christopher Mnembe and Gilbert Ngobese of Cottonlands near Verulam are serving between 12 and 25 years for the murder of Thulani Mthembu on 26 December 1991.

Leading the group in testifying, former ANC area vice-chairman Gilbert Ngobese said there was a political conflict between his party supporters and that of the IFP in the areas.

"Mthembu was harassing our members by referring to them as harlots' children, by tearing ANC T-shirts and threatening the whole community," he said.

"The IFP wanted to rule the area and prevented the ANC from holding its meetings. And so many people had been killed by the IFP in the area but not a single member of the party was arrested. Police would only come to collect the bodies and go."

Ngobese told the committee that he decided that Mthembu should be murdered.

Mthembu was shot and stabbed several times by a group of about 30 people.

Ngobese also applied for amnesty for the killing of 13 people at the home of IFP chairman Dingindawo Xulu in Cottonlands.

The proceedings resume on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG 11 February 1999 - SAPA

IFP MEMBER WHO KILLED UDF MEMBERS APPLIES FOR AMNESTY

An Inkatha Freedom Party member who shot several United Democratic Front supporters dead at Imbali township in Pietermaritzburg in the late 80s on Thursday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of his actions.

Phumlani Mweli, who is serving seven life sentences for killing seven people, and 23 years for four counts of attempted murder, told the TRC's amnesty committee he was carrying out instructions from local IFP leaders Abdul Awetta and Jerome Ngcobo.

"We were shooting randomly at people in UDF strongholds. We wanted to annihilate UDF members since they were in alliance with communists," Mweli said.

He said his leaders told him the IFP would organise lawyers in the event of arrests. His sister's house was later burned down by people he believed were UDF supporters.

In another application, African National Congress member Sikhulu Hlengwa of Mfume in Umbumbulu told the amnesty committee he participated in the murder of a man who claimed he was an ANC member.

Hlengwa said he killed Mthandeni Mbambo in January 1991 because Mbambo followed the ANC despite his membership of the IFP. He said ANC members saw Mbambo as a spy.

Hlengwa said he shot Mbambo once and other ANC members stabbed him to death. Hlengwa was sentenced to 15 years in 1993.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 12 February 1999 - SAPA

THOKOZA SELF DEFENCE UNIT GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Friday granted amnesty to eleven of the thirteen Thokoza Self Defence Unit members convicted of murders resulting from battles in the early 1990s between ANC-aligned Self Defence Units and the Inkatha Freedom Party's Self Protection Units.

Seated at the Johannesburg Central Methodist Church, the TRC's amnesty committee found that the "core of the fight between ANC-aligned SDUs and IFP SPUs was for political power", and that the applicants had satisfied all the amnesty requirements.

The applicants were Vusi Mbatha, who has been pardoned for the murder of Bheki Khanyile and possession of unlawful firearms; Victor Wanda Mabaso, alias Mochacho, for his role in the killing of IFP members Steven Radebe and Bheki Khanyile and unlawful possession of firearms; Sydney Vincent Nkosi for the murder of Jabulani Bube and damage to property of Bishop Mbongiseni Khumalo; and Solomon Dlamini, Themba Sibeko, Moses Kubheka and Chris Ngcobo, who were convicted of armed robbery, assault and malicious damage to property.

They raided the Klipriver police station where they demanded keys to the safe, took ammunition six pistols, three R1 Rifles and six pumpguns, which were distributed to other SDU members in Thokoza.

Another amnesty recipient was Aubrey Radebe for the murder of a policeman, the attempted murder of an unknown number of policemen, theft of a police armoured vehicle and the attempted murder of occupants of Khuthuza hostel on board the police vehicle.

Amnesty was also granted to Goodman Mbuli for killing an IFP member, Pin Ramaisa, and for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Sakhile Jethro Mtshali and Mziwazi Nxumalo had been serving sentences for kidnapping, pointing a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Mbongeni Otto Shabangu received amnesty his role in the killing of an unidentified Kwazulu-Natal policeman in Thokoza.

Shabangu assaulted the policeman with a stick and kicked him in the ribs, but other SDU members shot and killed the policeman.

Bongani Nkosi killed an IFP informer, an unidentified IFP member from Kwazulu-Natal, and was also linked to 11 counts of arson, unlawful possession of a firearm and malicious damage to property.

Tankiso Koena was granted amnesty for the murder of Morris Ngoza, who it was claimed was an informer for the police internal stability unit.

The committee refused amnesty to Joseph Motsoene for his attempted murder of two school teachers at Maphanzela Primary School in Thokoza.

Amnesty was also refused to Jimmy Makonde for the murder of a policeman. The two were, however, granted amnesty for possession of firearms.

In another hearing at Mayfair, Levi Ramonana Makoe was granted amnesty for the 1992 killing of Anna Mingi Feni in Sebokeng.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 14 February 1999 - SAPA

TRC FINAL REPORT TO REMAIN FREE ON WOZA WEBSITE

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report would remain free on the Woza website, Woza publisher Kevin Davie said on Sunday following reports that the document was no longer available for free on the commission's website.

The TRC apparently posted a notice saying it would cost R750 to access the report via the internet, although a summary of the report would be free.

Davie said the final report was one of the most important documents produced in the country and it was inexplicable that it was not available to download free of charge from the TRC and other government sites.

He said the full text of the final report would be available for free at http://www.woza.co.za/trc.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN February 15 1999 - SAPA

HALF OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS FEEL TRC CONFESSORS SHOULD STAND TRIAL

People who confessed past atrocities to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings should be brought to trial. That is the opinion of 50 percent of respondents in a survey on the TRC.

Half of the 2000 people interviewed by Research Surveys in November last year felt that the commission had been successful at uncovering past atrocities.

The respondents were asked questions relating to whether they thought confessors should be brought to trial and if they felt the commission had been successful in creating peace and reconciliation in South Africa.

Research Surveys said 23 percent felt confessors should not be brought to trial while 27 percent were unsure of how they should be dealt with.

Fifty-eight percent of blacks felt they should be brought to trial, compared to only 26 percent of whites.

"Older people were less eager to see confessors brought to trial with only 34 percent of them feeling this way, compared to about half the people in younger age groups."

Half of the respondents felt the commission was fair, with a strong skew towards black respondents - 61 percent of blacks felt this way compared to only 13 percent of whites.

Fifteen percent of the sample felt the commission to be biased and 35 percent did not know if it was fair or biased.

"Older respondents were less likely to regard the commission as being fair, with only 30 percent of respondents over 50 years of age holding this opinion, compared to more than half the younger sample who claimed that it was," Research Surveys said.

Of the 15 percent who felt the commission was biased, 36 percent claimed the commission favoured the African National Congress and 18 percent felt it favoured the black population.

Fifty percent felt the commission had been successful at uncovering past atrocities, 14 percent felt they had been neither successful nor unsuccessful and 14 percent felt they had been unsuccessful, while 23 percent had no opinion.

Almost two thirds of blacks felt the commission had been successful in uncovering past atrocities, compared to only 15 percent of whites.

Overall, 44 percent of the sample felt the commission had been successful in bringing about peace and reconciliation, with 19 percent of the opinion they had not been successful. Thirteen percent felt they had been neither successful nor unsuccessful and 24 percent had no opinion.

Fifty-six percent of blacks felt the commission had been successful in promoting peace and reconciliation with only five percent of whites holding this opinion.

"In short, the research shows that approximately half of South Africans are pleased with the work done by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is clear that this support is mainly from black South Africans and not white South Africans who appeared to show little support for this commission," Research Surveys said.

The 2000 respondents of eighteen years or older were drawn from major metropolitan areas throughout South Africa and were fully representative of the urban population in terms of race, age and income, the statement said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 16 1999 - SAPA

STUDENT ACTIVIST KILLED BY ANC; AMNESTY COMMITTEE HEARS

A former Umkhonto we Sizwe commander told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Johannesburg on Tuesday that he ordered the killing of student activist Sicelo Dlomo in 1988 because he suspected him of being a police informer.

John Itumeleng Dube, 37, a former commander of MK, the military wing of the African National Congress, is applying for amnesty for the murder of Dlomo in Soweto in January 1988.

Dlomo, who had been detained by police on several occasions, was found dead in an open area near Emdeni in Soweto. He had been shot in the head and police were suspected of being involved in his death.

However, Dube and three others admitted by way of their applications for amnesty that they carried out the murder of 18-year-old Dlomo.

Dube, who is now a captain in the SA National Defence Force, told the committee Dlomo had been a member of his MK unit operating underground at the time. He said he began suspecting Dlomo of being an informer after the youth was detained by police.

Committee chairman Judge Andrew Wilson said he found it strange that Dube had become suspicious of Dlomo after being detained because normally people who had been detained by police were treated with sympathy rather than with suspicion.

Dube replied that what made him suspicious was that Dlomo had been arrested in possession of a Makarov pistol and a handgrenade, but had been released within hours.

He said police would not normally release a person found in possession of a firearm within hours.

He then confronted Dlomo and found on his person a transmitter which appeared to be the type used by police.

Dube explained that this could have endangered MK's undergound structures and decided to have the youth killed.

Dube's version of the events leading to Dlomo's death was disputed by Tony Richard who is appearing for the deceased's family. Richard put it to Dube that Dlomo had in fact been detained by police and assaulted in an attempt to force him to inform on the ANC.

However, Dlomo resisted and after being released he returned to the ANC structures and reported the attempts to recruit him.

Dube replied that he could not dispute this but insisted that he had strong suspicions about Dlomo's role as a police informer.

When Dube was asked about his own role as a police informer, he had difficulty answering the question and repeatedly replied that he did not wish to dicuss the matter.

Richard then suggested to Dube that his refusal to answer the question should be interpreted as an admission that he had in fact been an informer. He then suggested to Dube that he had arranged for the death of Dlomo because he feared the youth might expose Dube's own role as a police informer.

Dube denied this and attempted to explain his refusal to answer questions about his relationship with the police by saying he had been instructed by senior ANC leaders to infiltrate the police and was thus reluctant to reveal their names to the committee.

The hearing continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 16 1999 - SAPA

IFP MAN GRANTED AMNESTY FOR MURDERING ANC MAN

Inkatha Freedom Party member Wanda Bonzani Mdletshe was on Tuesday granted amnesty for the murder of African National Congress leader Kehla Ntshingila at Driefontein, KwaZulu-Natal in March 1992.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in a statement said Mdletshe, who is serving 12 years for the murder, complied with the requirements set out in Section 20 of the Promotion of Truth and National Reconciliation Act.

"Such evidence as we have in the case can lead us only to the conclusion that the killing was an act of deliberate political assassination.

"There is no hint in any of the evidence of any different motive," the statement said.

Mdletshe testified that he left his home at Morna to visit his girlfriend at Driefontein on the day in question.

On his arrival at her house he was told that she was attending an IFP meeting and he proceeded to the meeting.

He met Alfred Sipho Ngema, an IFP leader in the area, who invited him to his home.

Ngema asked him to kill the deceased who at that stage was standing across the street.

The applicant knew the deceased was a member of the ANC and although he was not personally attacked by the deceased, the deceased was around when he and others were attacked by members of the ANC.

Mdletshe testified that he did not question the request because he regarded him as an IFP leader and he knew the deceased was an ANC member in a leadership position in the party.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 17 February 1999 - SAPA

THREE IFP MEMBERS TO APPEAR BEFORE TRC FOR AMNESTY

Five Inkatha Freedom Party members are to appear before the TRC's amnesty committee in Boksburg next week in connection with an attack on the Zevefontein squatter camp in northern Johannesburg, in which three people were killed and six injured on February 12, 1994.

Alfred Ndlovu, John Sithole, Phathumuzi Magwaza, Elias Mbatha and Mlandelwa Mpungose are currently serving jail sentences for murder, attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

In another matter, three other IFP members, Bheki Xaba, Norman Mbatha and Thulani Mlaba, will appear before the amnesty committee in connection with a shooting incident at the funeral of the wife of an East Rand IFP leader, Bishop Mbhekiseni Khumalo.

It is alleged that when a shooting erupted at the funeral following a rumour that there could be trouble, Mbatha shot back, killing Monna Philemon Skonyana.

Four other men were convicted with Mlaba, Xaba and Mbatha for the killing. The applicants are serving their sentences at different prisons in Gauteng.

The hearings will be held at the Boksburg City Hall from next Monday to Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 17 February 1999 - SAPA-AP

PROSECUTOR TO REOPEN BIKO CASE AFTER POLICE DENIED AMNESTY

A prosecutor Wednesday said the denial of amnesty for Steve Biko's police assailants opens the door for potential murder charges.

South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission rejected amnesty for the three surviving officers who interrogated the black consciousness leader in 1977. Another has since died and the fifth was denied amnesty in December.

Any prosecution would be likely to re-inflame passions about a man who became synonymous with resistance to apartheid. The case sparked an outcry at home and abroad and hastened the end of white minority rule.

Les Roberts, top prosecutor for the Eastern Cape province, said in a telephone interview that he would re-open the case.

"We are going to have to make a study of the whole issue. It's quite a complex one, working out whether we have a case to prosecute or not," he said. "All I want to say is, the matter is open."

But his remarks suggested the chances of prosecution were not overwhelming.

The statute of limitations for any count less than murder has expired. Other prosecutors - and Roberts himself - had found there was not enough evidence to prosecute the officers on lesser charges. And the statements made by the officers to the panel would most likely not be admissible.

"Our options are murder or nothing," Roberts said.

The likelihood of a murder charge rests mainly on the hope that one or more of the four officers would turn state's evidence and testify against the others, he said.

Roberts didn't rule out other strategies.

"One never knows. In criminal cases, funny things can happen," he said.

The human rights panel on Tuesday rejected amnesty for policemen Harold Snyman, Daniel Siebert, Jacobus Beneke and Rubin Marx. Snyman died of cancer and Gideon Nieuwoudt's application was considered, and rejected, separately.

The panel denied them amnesty because they had failed the cardinal test - - they admitted no crime. Further, the panel found they had continued their lies of decades about the circumstances of Biko's death.

The five said Biko tried to attack one of his interrogators while in custody, and that he accidentally slammed his head against the wall during a scuffle that ensued.

The panel said they most likely were angered by Biko's defiant posture - including sitting in a chair without permission.

Biko, 30, remained chained naked to a metal gate in a standing position for two days. He was then taken in a police van on a 750-mile (1,200- kilometer) trip to a prison in Pretoria, where he died of brain injuries on Sept. 12, 1977.

"I do believe there has to be a prosecution and it has to happen speedily," said Peter Jones, a friend who was with Biko at the time of the arrest. "I'm looking at a murder trial," Jones told SABC radio.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 17 February 1999 - SAPA

AZAPO HAILS BIKO AMNESTY RULING

The Azanian People's Organisation on Wednesday hailed the decision by the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to refuse amnesty to four former security policemen for the murder of black consciousness activist Steve Biko.

Azapo spokeswoman Kedibone Molema said in a statement that the organisation was rejoicing at the decision as it had always been opposed to the granting of amnesty to those who murdered and maimed the heroes of the struggle.

"We hail this outcome as a small victory for our position."

Had amnesty been granted, it would have added insult to the great injury of Biko's murder, she said.

Azapo criticised the government's for its decision not to pay reparations to victims of gross human rights violations, but to consider 'symbolic' reparations to affected communities instead.

"If this is indeed true, it would represent the most blatant indication of the low regard the government has for the suffering of the majority in this country, and show that they will not hesitate to renege on their promises."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 17 February 1999 - SAPA

BIKO FAMILY WELCOME TRC AMNESTY DECISION

Steve Biko's family on Wednesday welcomed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's decision not to grant amnesty to the policemen involved in the death of the black consciousness leader in 1977.

"The decision is significant in that it is a departure from the inquest findings that nobody was to blame," the family said in a statement issued by his son, Nkosinathquest findings that nobody was to blame," the family said in a statement issued by his son, Nkosinathi.

The family said it was reviewing the findings of the TRC's amnesty committee, and taking legal advice.

"Similarly, we trust that the Attorney-General of the Eastern Cape will decide appropriately," the family said.

The committee on Tuesday dismissed the application by four former Port Elizabeth security policemen for amnesty for Biko's death in custody.

The TRC found that Biko died of a head injury sustained on September 6, 1977, during a scuffle with policemen when his head collided with an object in room 619 in Port Elizabeth's Sanlam Centre. He died six days later in Pretoria Central Prison.

An inquest set up by the apartheid government shortly afterwards found no one responsible for his death.

The TRC committee found that the policemen, Harold Snyman (who has since died), Daniel Petrus Siebert, Jacobus Johannes Oosthuysen Beneke and Rubin Marx, did not qualify for amnesty because their actions in Biko's death could not be associcated with a political objective.

The committee was also not satisfied that the men made a full disclosure of the facts.

"In the pile of half-truths, lies and amnesia that have characterised the inquest as well as the (TRC) hearings, there are a number of certainties," the family said.

Since Biko suffered extensive brain haemorrhaging from injuries that could not have been self-inflicted while in the company of the applicants, one or more of the officers was accountable for his death, said the family.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 17 February 1999 - SAPA

BENZIEN GRANTED AMNESTY FOR KRIEL'S MURDER

Jeffrey Benzien, a former member of the anti-terrorist unit of the apartheid police, was on Wednesday granted amnesty for the murder in 1987 of African National Congress activist Ashley Kriel.

Kriel was gunned down at his home in Athlone, Cape Town, on July 15, 1987.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in a statement on Wednesday said Benzien was also granted amnesty for the severe torture and assault on Ashley Forbes on April 16, 1986. Forbes suffered a damaged eardrum.

Benzien, presently a captain in the police airwing, was also granted amnesty for torturing a number of political activists - including Tony Yengeni, now the ANCs' chief whip. Benzien favoured the "wet bag methhod" of torture, in which a bag was placed over the head of the victim.

Benzien was pardoned for the torture of Bongani Jonas. He denied medical attention to Jonas, who was seriously wounded in a shooting, and instead carried on his interrogation while Jonas lay on the floor writhing in pain.

Benzien was also granted amnesty for the torture of Peter Jacobs, on whom he administered his "wet bag" and the electric shock methods continuously for more than five hours during interrogation, and for assaulting and torturing Nico Pedro who was arrested near Lesotho on August 15, 1987.

He also received amnesty for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm on ANC activist Gary Kruser, whom he tortured and severely assaulted while trying to get information from him.

He was also granted amnesty for committing perjury in Kruser's trial and at the inquest proceedings on Kriel's death.

Benzien's wet bag method which was widely publicised when he displayed it during a public hearing, entails making the victim lie on the ground on his stomach, with his hands handcuffed behind his back.

Benzien would sit on the victim's back and pull a wet cloth bag over his head. The policeman would twist it tightly around the neck and cut off the air supply to the victim.

Benzien bragged during his hearing that his method was so effective that he invariably got the desired results within a matter of thirty minutes.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 17 February 1999 - SAPA

FIVE VLAKPLAAS POLICEMEN INVOLVED IN RIBEIRO KILLING GET AMNESTY

Five security branch policemen were on Wednesday granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee for among other things the death of Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife at their Mamelodi home outside Pretoria.

The five applicants are Jan Cronje, Vlakplaas commander during 1985, Willem Mentz, Paul van Vuuren, Roelof Venter and Jacques Hechter.

Offences for which the men were granted amnesty include the murder of 10 youths who were lured from their homes in Zeerust in 1987 on the pretext they were leaving the country for military training.

Vlakplaas policemen allegedly ambushed the minibus transporting the youths and injected them with chemicals which left them unconscious. The minibus was then pushed over a cliff and burst into flames. No-one survived the blaze.

The policemen were also granted amnesty for the 1983 assassination of Zweli Nyanda, the younger brother of current South African Defence Force chief General Siphiwe Nyanda.

They were granted amnesty for the murder of Piet Ntuli in July 1986. He was Minister of Interior in the KwaNdebele homeland at the time.

During his application in connection with the Ribeiro couple's murder, Cronje told the committee he was personally involved in the conspiracy and planning of the Ribeiros' death, but did not take part in the actual killing.

He said the couple was murdered by two black soldiers who had been flown in from Angola especially for the killing and were flown out the same night.

Apart from the murders, the five were also granted amnesty for conspiring or attempting to kill high profile political opponents including Deputy Education Minister Smangaliso Mkhatshwa and former Pan Africanist Congress deputy president Dikgang Moseneke.

Amnesty was granted for assaulting rightwing leaders Eugene Terre'Blanche and Jan Groenewaldt, as well as Dullah Omar, presently Minister of Justice and Mac Maharaj, presently Minister of Transport.

The applicants were also granted amnesty for the deaths of a number of youth activists from KwaThema in Springs whose cells were infiltrated by Vlakplaas askari Joe Mamasela, who supplied them with booby-trapped handgrenades.

Venter was granted amnesty for his role in the killing of another Vlakplaas askari, Brian Ngqulunga, who was allegedly part of the Vlakplaas team who killed Durban human rights lawyer, Griffiths Mxenge.

Ngqulunga was allegedly killed by his colleagues who suspected he was about to spill the beans about Mxenge's death. His murder was apparently ordered by Colonel Eugene de Kok.

The five policemen were granted amnesty for a number of other murders, attempted murders, arson, torture and abduction. They were granted amnesty for the murder of policeman, Richard Motsabi in Hammanskraal, who was suspected of working for the African National Congress.

Amnesty was refused for the death of his wife, Irene, who was allegedly killed to silence her because she recognised Mamasela among her husband's killers.

The five were also refused amnesty for acts committed outside South Africa.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 18 1999 - SAPA

ACTIVIST MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED BECAUSE OF TAPE MUSIC PLAYER

A prominent young activist who was killed in 1988 may have lost his life because his tape music player was mistaken for a police transmitter, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee heard in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Sicelo Dlomo, 18, received international publicity after appearing in a Dutch television documentary entitled "The Children of Apartheid".

He was found shot dead in an open field in Soweto in January 1988. His death was at first blamed on the police but four members of the African National Congress' military wing Umkhonto we Size later applied for amnesty for killing him.

The commander of the MK unit, John Itumeleng Dube, 37, told the committee this week that he ordered the murder because he suspected Dlomo of being a police informer. One of the reasons he gave the committee for his suspicions was that the young man carried a police transmitter with him.

However former members of the Detainees' Parents Support Committee (DPSC) told the amnesty committee on Thursday that Dlomo always carried a Walkman styled tape music player on his belt.

Joe Thluwaele, who worked with Dlomo at the DPSC offices in Khotso House in Johannesburg, told the committee he never suspected the youth of being an informer. He said Dlomo fled Soweto and stayed with him in his flat for four months to escape continuous police harassment.

Thluwaele also told the committee that on the day he was killed, Dlomo was carrying about R1000 to R1500 in cash that he was to deliver to the DPSC from the ANC.

However, when Dlomo's body was found there was no sign of the money.

Another former DPSC member, Ntombi Jane Mosakare, told the committee she saw Dlomo soon after he was detained by police.

She said he told her and others in her office that the police tried to recruit him as an informer.

He said he agreed to co-operate with the police in order to be released as soon as possible, but remained committed to working for the ANC.

A report prepared by another member of the DPSC after a debriefing session she held with Dlomo after his arrest is expected to be handed to the committee when it resumes on Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

PRETORIA February 22 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT OF RUTH FIRST BOMB BLAST

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee heard a dramatic account in Pretoria on Monday of the letter bomb explosion that killed Ruth First in Maputo in June 1982.

Former apartheid spy Craig Williamson is applying for amnesty for sending the letter bomb to First, who was the wife of the late Umkhonto We Sizwe commander (and later Housing Minister) Joe Slovo.

Bridget O'Laughlin, an academic who worked with First at the Eduardo Mundo university in Maputo at the time, told the committee she was present in the room when the bomb exploded.

"I heard what sounded like three blasts and my first thought was that I was going to die," she said in an emotive voice. She said she thought the office had come under fire from either outside of inside the building.

O'Laughlin, who was pregnant at the time, said she saw First lying straddled on the floor, face down and motionless.

"She was wearing her red blazer, white skirt and her favourite Italian shoes. She was not moving and lying totally still."

O'Laughlin said a fellow academic, Aquino Braganca, and South Africa's present Environmental Minister, Pallo Jordan, were also in the office and were stunned by the blast.

"I ran outside and shouted for an ambulance. It was a childish thing to do because I knew there were no ambulances in Maputo."

O'Laughlin now lives in The Hague in the Netherlands but was teaching African studies at he university in Maputo at the time.

She said she had known both First and Slovo and said they lived separate lives as far as their careers were concerned.

"Slovo was always conscious of his security and was aware that he was a possible target for South African forces, but Ruth lived a normal life. We went to the cinema and to the beach together."

O'Laughlin said she naively believed that South African security forces would make a distinction between the role played by Slovo and that of his wife.

She said she was not able to say with any certainty to whom the parcel that contained the bomb was addressed, but she believed it must have been addressed to First. She said she found it inconceivable that First would have opened a letter or parcel addressed to her husband. For security reasons Slovo never opened his own mail, she said.

During his testimony in support of his application for amnesty earlier this year, Williamson said he did not notice to whom the parcel containing the bomb was addressed. He claimed the bomb was inserted into a letter that had been intercepted. However he said he recalled seeing the name Slovo, but was not sure whether it was addressed to Slovo or to both Slovo and First.

Earlier in Monday's hearing, Deputy Finance Minister Gill Marcus testified about the bomb blast at the ANC's London headquarters in March 1982. Williamson is also applying for amnesty for his part in that blast that occurred at about 9am on a Sunday morning.

Marcus, who was the African National Congress' information officer in London at the time, described the destruction in her office after the blast. She said there was a crater about a metre wide where her desk had been. She said her metal desk was all twisted and a printing machine had been overturned.

"If I had been there at the time, there would have nothing much left of me to see," she said.

Marcus said she often worked on Sunday mornings but had not been there on the morning of he blast because she had gone to another meeting.

"I'm lucky to be here today and not in a grave in London."

Marcus told the committee that soon after the blast she received a postcard from Botswana which read: "So you're still around - Craig." She said she assumed it was from Williamson and was an attempt to intimidate her and the ANC.

The hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 23 1999 - SAPA

POLICEMEN GET AMNESTY FOR MURDER OF ECAPE ACTIVIST

Four former security branch policemen were on Tuesday granted amnesty for the abduction and murder of Eastern Cape activist Sizwe Kondile near Komatipoort in 1981.

Retired generals Nic van Rensburg and Gerrit Erasmus, Captain Hermanus du Plessis and Inspector Johannes Gottfried Raath applied for amnesty for Kondile's murder.

Their applications were opposed by members of the deceased's family on the grounds that they were not making full disclosure of the facts related to the killing.

Former Vlakplaas commander Dirk Coetzee and Ginotry Danster testified on behalf of the family.

Kondile was captured near Bloemfontein by the security branch, taken to the Eastern Cape and spirited away to Komatipoort where he was drugged and shot dead.

His body was later incinerated on a wood pyre and the remains thrown in a river.

Coetzee testified about Kondile's murder during the 1990 Harms commission of inquiry into hitsquad activities and during his own amnesty application to the TRC in 1996.

Coetzee claimed that Van Rensburg told him personally that Kondile had suffered severe brain damage while in security detention in police cells at Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, and that police had decided to kill him and dispose of his body to avoid another "Steve Biko affair".

In a statement on Tuesday, the committee said Kondile was clearly murdered for political reasons as he was a threat to the machinery of the security police, who by their own admission, sought to protect the National Party government.

The committee also ruled that Bantu Kondile, the son of Sizwe Kondile, be considered as the victim of gross human rights violation as provided by the law governing the operations of the TRC.

Meanwhile, the committee also granted amnesty to a member of the Inkatha Freedom Party in Katlehong on the East Rand, Jacob Simon Belle, who was serving an effective six years' imprisonment for illegal possession of an AK47 rifle and ammunition.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN Feb 24 - SAPA

SPECIAL DEBATE ON TRC REPORT ON THURSDAY

Parliament will hold a special debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on Thursday afternoon, and South Africans will be eager to hear what proposals government will place on the table towards consolidating reconciliation and nation-building.

The TRC completed its report in the second half of last year and commission chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu handed copies to President Nelson Mandela in October.

Mandela, his deputy Thabo Mbeki and Justice Minister Dullah Omar are expected to lead a strong African National Congress team in the debate.

The president is expected to give government's overview of the TRC process, while Mbeki will at first respond to the report as ANC leader, and later as president-designate.

ANC sources said party leaders would argue the need to re-examine whether the whole truth had been told, and if this was so, whether South Africans were ready to forgive and live and work side-by-side with the perpetrators of crimes against humanity in the interest of a better country.

Mbeki is expected to deal with the concept of a "just war", and to reject any equation of the struggle against apartheid with efforts to enforce apartheid.

The ANC is of the view that many people among the national minorities continue to harbour fears about their future in a democratic South Africa, stressing that this in itself negates the objective of national reconciliation.

The party will argue that this will have to be addressed as the country advances the cause of national reconciliation.

On reparations, the ANC is expected to argue that this cannot be seen as handouts, but a mechanism to help restore the dignity of the victims of human rights violations.

Speaking to Sapa on Wednesday, Omar warned South Africans not to loose sight of the important findings of the TRC process and concrentrate on little details which diverted the attention of parties and people from what the main issues were.

The real issues were that apartheid caused terrible damage to South Africans, that it caused terrible harm to countless people and families, and the trauma resulted in the dislocation of family life, much unhappiness and great injustice to thousands of victims throughout the country.

There was need to concentrate on what could be done to restore the dignity of the victims of the apartheid system and its resultant violence - emanating from the various acts of gross human rights violations.

"Its a matter for everybody. Parliament must look at it and it must initiate a debate in the country so that all role-players, especially all those who benefited under apartheid, can ask themselves what contribution can they make," he said.

Omar said reparations did not mean individual monetary grants, even though they were important. They should be balanced with other forms of reparations. "We did not just conduct the struggle for monetary reward... and those people who went into the battle... who sacrificed lives did not say to themselves 'I am doing this so that there can be some financial reward at some other time.'"

It was to liberate the nation, to build a new South Africa, and Omar said the best reward for people would be to take initiatives that would transform society, bringing justice to the nation and bringing change as well as achieving the objectives so many people died for.

He said at the same time, there were many ways in which this dignity could be restored, suggesting it could be through individual grants, community-based reparations and special pensions in areas like housing and symbolic reparations.

The other issue, which the minister said people were neglecting, was the secret killing and burial of thousands of apartheid opponents.

The secret graves were being discovered throughout the country, and this issue should be given high priority. Families should be consulted on whether these bodies should be exhumed and be reburied.

As there could no reburials every time, the question was what then could be done to assist the aggrieved families.

Asked whether there would be a special amnesty for KwaZulu-Natal, Omar said government was not tied to legal technicalities but was interested in ensuring that peace and stability prevailed in the violence-torn province.

"Our people are yearning for peace, they want to be able to live together as one community and we must make that possible."

Omar said the government had no solutions and no ready-made formulae, but stressing, however that the KwaZulu- Natal violence needed serious attention.

"It's a political question.... social question... and its a question of bringing peace to people. Its not just a legal technicality that we are looking at."

He later announced at a media briefing that a cabinet committee on the TRC would meet soon to discuss the debate and consider recommendations on the way foward.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

DON'T REDUCE APARTHEID VICTIMS TO BEGGARS: OMAR

While the government would do what it could to make reparation to the victims of apartheid, it had to be borne in mind that those who sought to overthrow the previous dispensation did not do so for monetary compensation, Justice Minister Dullah Omar said on Thursday.

"We must not reduce the victims of apartheid to beggars pleading for a hand-out of mercy, when indeed it is they who gave and sacrificed their all for the struggle," he said during a special debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report.

"Restoring dignity and a package of reparation measures must help to proclaim before history the nobility of the struggle for freedom, and that the privilege of participating in the struggle is its own reward."

Omar said the package which was needed should address the real plight of victims and their families and communities, restore their dignity, and ensure that their humanity was respected.

It should be recognised there were countless victims of apartheid who, through no fault of their own, were not identified as victims by the TRC, yet who had also made major sacrifices.

The process of reparation, the restoration of dignity, and healing the wounds of the past could not be left to government alone, Omar said.

"The nature and extent of reparation and its total package will depend not only on this historic debate, but also on the response of South Africa's people in the months and years ahead."

Omar said a new dispensation was needed for all the victims of violence, and to this end government would adopt a specific charter which would be on a par with the best in the world.

He lashed out at what he called opposition parties' lack of contrition for the wrongs they had perpetuated in the past.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

ABUSE OF POWER CENTRAL LESSON OF TRC REPORT: LEON

The fundamental lesson to emerge from the TRC's report of more than 3000 pages could be summed up in three words - abuse of power - Democratic Party leader Tony Leon said on Thursday.

South Africans should guard against such abuse and protect institutions which checked it, he said in a special debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report.

The TRC had received many critical comments throughout its hearings. The DP had sympathy with some of these, but not with the comment that the past should be forgotten.

"We must never forget the past. We must not forget one single horror that the TRC has exposed... every outrage must be recorded and committed forever to the memory of our nation."

Leon said three reasons why South Africans should never forget were that the truth should always be told; that to forget the outrages would be to forget the victims; and that the atrocities of the past were lessons and warnings for the future.

South Africans had to say "never again" to the pain, anguish and suffering of the past, and to a systematic assault on the fundamental rights, freedoms and human dignity of the people.

"But we must also say `never again' to the delusions spawned by a morality of power so characteristic of the apartheid regime.

"The same morality of power - spawned by a systematic abuse of power - seems to be creeping through the back door, on occasion, of our new political dispensation."

Leon said the morality of power of any political party should never again govern South Africans' lives or chart the destiny of their country.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

AFRIKANERS' PAST ROLE MISUNDERSTOOD: VILJOEN

The report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not convey the strategic context of the Afrikaner people's role in the conflict of the past, Freedom Front Leader Constand Viljoen said on Thursday.

Speaking during a special debate on the TRC report during a joint sitting of Parliament, he said this affected reconciliation.

Through the ages, Afrikaners had remained true to the simple idea of freedom from bondage, and to a system of cultural values constituting their collective self-understanding, which was the product of their traumatic history and love for South Africa.

Describing the Afrikaners' centuries-long history of fighting for freedom from oppression, Viljoen said he was not asking for sympathy or suggesting they had no liability for the past.

"We, all South Africans, must in honesty consider what went wrong, what was right, and how we can avoid a repetition of this trauma in future."

This was possible if the historical relevance of the Afrikaners' role in the conflict of the past was understood.

"Grave mistakes were made, such as ignoring the need for a more timely settlement with other people sharing the living space and economy with us.

"Maybe we have redirected our quarrel with the British to the other inhabitants of South Africa.

"We certainly have faulted in imposing self-determination on other people, using race as a criteria," Viljoen said.

During the next five years, reconciliation would demand a sense of urgency from all South Africans.

The process should be led by a management forum consisting of the leaders of political parties under the leadership of the deputy president, he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 25 February 1999 - SAPA

PAC AND FA CRITICISE MANDELA'S RECONCILIATION ADDRESS

The Pan Africanist Congress on Thursday criticised President Nelson Mandela and his deputy Thabo Mbeki for failing to mention the plight of freedom fighters still languishing in the country's jails.

The Federal Alliance also criticised Mandela for rejecting the notion of a general amnesty for perpetrators of gross human rights abuses.

PAC secretary-general Mike Muendane was reacting to Mandela and Mbeki's speeches during a special parliamentary debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report.

"As for Deputy President Mbeki, he mentions that there are unsung heroes and heroines of the struggle in the townships who the country has forgotten; he rightly calls this unacceptable.

"What about former MK (Umkhonto weSizwe) and Apla (Azanian People's Liberation Army) combatants who fought for the freedom that has made Mandela and Thabo President and Deputy President respectively?" he said.

Muendane also highlighted what he called the ANC's hypocrisy for sanctimoniously criticising members of the National Party for imprisoning freedom fighters during apartheid, while at the same time keeping freedom fighters in jail.

The old argument was that jailed Apla and MK members should apply for amnesty, but there were lengthy delays in appearing in front of the commission's amnesty committee.

Another disgrace was the case of the "Eikenhof Three", who were not responsible for the killings yet remained in prison in spite of the fact that an Apla commander had admitted responsibility for the incident, Muendane said.

"Although President Mandela pretends otherwise, he does have the powers to release all these freedom fighters, especially the Eikenhof Three."

Mandela could still repair the damage by releasing all political prisoners, Muendane said.

"If he does not, history will be too cruel to him."

FA spokesman Jan Bosman said South Africa needed reconciliation more than ever before.

"We have had examples of general amnesty in our history. It is time to bury the past and to continue on the way forward."

The FA wished to repeat its call for a general amnesty because the TRC, through its composition, was warped from the start.

A general amnesty was necessary because the skewed picture painted by the TRC was the biggest contributing factor to the ever-growing racial polarisation.

"South Africa now needs a process of healing and a general amnesty could be the start of this process," Bosman said. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

ERRORS BLOT TRC REPORT: MOKABA

The TRC's good work was "somewhat blotted" by significant errors such as the ahistorical assessment that falsely equated apartheid activities with liberation actions, Deputy Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Peter Mokaba (ANC) said on Thursday.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission thereby "wrongly criminalised legitimate defensive actions of our freedom struggle", he said during a special debate on the TRC report.

The ANC had fought a just war through just means, but accepted and acknowledged that in the cause of the struggle some mistakes had been committed.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

FF CALLS FOR SUMMIT ON RECONCILIATION

The advancement of reconciliation and nation building in South Africa depended largely on a common strategy agreed to by all political leaders, the Freedom Front said on Thursday.

Speaking in Parliament during a special debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report, FF MP Tienie Groenewald called on Deputy President Thabo Mbeki - who, he said, would have to carry forward the reconciliation process after the 1999 elections - to convene a meeting of all leaders so that they could strategise on the way forward.

"There can be no reconciliation if all the people of South Africa are not involved in the process as equals," the former South African Defence Force general said.

He said the FF could not accept the TRC's report because a large percentage of its findings were biased against those who opposed the liberation struggle.

The findings were also unacceptable because they humiliated former president PW Botha.

"They unjustly humiliated my leader (General Constand Viljoen), who played a vital role in the peaceful transition, they unjustly humiliated me and they humiliated my people," Groenewald said.

He said reconciliation could not be achieved by demonising one party while not demonising similar actions by the other party.

"I and my people will never accept such humiliation."

The TRC did very little in advancing reconciliation - the main reason for its establishment - and its report only created false perceptions, which increased hatred and confrontation.

"Even with its bias it could have had value if it created reconciliation... this was the vital element missing," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

HISTORY WILL JUDGE NNP LEADERS HARSHLY: VERWOERD

The New National Party missed a great opportunity on Thursday to unreservedly apologise for subjecting millions of South Africans to the indignity and humiliation of apartheid, and history would judge ts leadership harshly, African National Congress MP Melanie Verwoerd said on Thursday.

Speaking in Parliament during a special debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report, she said the NNP's failure to commit its leadership to working for reconciliation and nation building should also be rejected by the majority of Afrikaners.

Verwoerd said Afrikaners were already disillusioned by the NNP management style, and felt betrayed by those they stood by and supported during the many years of apartheid rule.

She stressed that young Afrikaners were prepared to forget about the past and work for a better future for all.

"As young Afrikaners we cannot change the past, but we can build the future," she said.

The young Afrikaner community was committed to creating a new country, "where all our children can play... laugh and love together. Where they will proudly proclaim: `We are African! Sonke singama Africa!'"

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

SPECIAL KZN AMNESTY DEAL SPELLS TROUBLE: CAMERER

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty process appeared to be heading for further trouble with suggestions of a special deal for KwaZulu-Natal, New National Party MP Sheila Camerer said on Thursday.

"Any such special deal for KwaZulu-Natal would completely contradict both the ethos and provisions of the TRC Act and undermine (its) purpose... which after all is the achievement of nation unity and reconciliation," Camerer said during a special parliamentary debate on the TRC's report.

She said it was worrying that president-in-waiting Thabo Mbeki could still face criminal charges and civil claims for deeds committed in the past because the commission had not yet dealt with his amnesty application.

"I am sure none of us would like to see our new president subject to a TRC public hearing.

"Clearly, the amnesty committee is unlikely to get to these hearings before he takes office," she said.

The position of the new head of the South African National Defence Force and Cabinet ministers was also unclear.

"All of which indicates that the (TRC's) mess must be cleared up as a matter of urgency," she said.

On a conciliatory note, she said there was a need for a bold initiative to complete the amnesty process, "so that we can concentrate on reparation, healing, building, reconciliation and national unity".

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

NO FULL DISCLOSURE BY ANC: SEREMANE

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had failed to extract a complete disclosure from the African National Congress, especially on the methods they used to "exterminate" their own, Democratic Party MP Joe Seremane said on Thursday.

Speaking during a special debate on the final report of the TRC, Seremane said it seemed the ANC had merely tried to use the commission to pull the wool over the eyes of justice-loving citizens.

The TRC report had left deep feelings of unfulfilment among many families about the remains of those murdered in ANC camps.

The wounds and grief of the relatives of those in "unkown graves" would never be healed easily.

Full and honest disclosure, access to trial or court martial records, and details of executions, would have helped a great deal towards forgiveness, reconciliation and peace, Seremane said.

"We certainly look to a time when all of us will learn from the mistakes of our unfortunate, painful past and the danger of the abuse of power.

"Never should we forget that justice is a double-edged sword, and most importantly, those who live by the sword invariably die by the sword."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

MUGABE JIBE DRAWS REBUKE

A New National Party MP who compared Deputy President Thabo Mbeki to Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was ordered to withdraw the remark in Parliament on Thursday.

NNP whip Jaco Maree said in the special debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report that Mbeki's speech had upset and shocked him, because it set black and white against each other.

"It gave me shivers down my spine," he said. "For a terrible moment I thought that I saw in this chamber the ghost of Mugabe."

Rising on a point of order, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said he found Maree's remark very offensive, and asked that he be ordered to withdraw it.

National Council of Provinces Chairman Patrick Lekota asked Maree to do so, and he obliged. Democratic Party chief whip Douglas Gibson asked whether the comparison was being ruled unparliamentary, but Lekota declined to give a reason.

"I am instructing Mr Maree to withdraw it, and he has taken the step to withdraw it."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

NDEBELE CALLS FOR KZN AMNESTY

African National Congress chairman in KwaZulu-Natal S'bu Ndebele on Thursday called for a special amnesty for those involved in political conflict in the province.

Speaking in the special parliamentary debate on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report, he said the cut-off date for crimes for which amnesty could be sought needed to be reconsidered for KwaZulu-Natal.

He was not asking for a general amnesty, he said.

ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party applicants should have to make full disclosure on who their commanders were, where weapons were stored, and the sources of the weapons.

"We want this to happen because we want the truth to come out," said Ndebele, who is also the province's transport MEC.

He said the task of bringing peace to KwaZulu-Natal rested primarily on the ANC and IFP.

The presidents of the ANC, Thabo Mbeki, and IFP, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, were leading a very difficult process to ensure there was reconciliation in the province, not only between black and white, but between black and black has well.

He said more than 50 percent of gross human rights violations had occurred in KwaZulu-Natal "but we have less than five percent of the truth".

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT 25 February 1999 - SAPA

YENGENI CRITICISES TRC

African National Congress Chief Whip Tony Yengeni on Thursday criticised the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for a lack of sensitivity when dealing with victims of apartheid.

Speaking during a special parliamentary debate on the TRC's report, Yengeni said that when policeman Jeffrey Benzien was granted amnesty for torturing him and other detainees, and for the killing of activist Ashley Kriel, the first he heard about it was when a reporter phoned him for comment.

"We did not learn of this from the TRC, we did not receive counselling. This is not the compassion that we expect."

Yengeni said it "pierced the hearts of victims" when they saw the perpetrators talk about their actions without a hint of remorse or apology.

"It comes as a shock when we see the (TRC) process ignoring the feelings of the victims and appearing to favour the perpetrators (and) treating the process in a legalistic rather than a humanitarian manner," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 26 1999 - SAPA

TRC REFUSES AMNESTY TO FORMER IFP SELF-DEFENCE UNIT MEMBER

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Friday refused amnesty to former Thokoza self- defence unit member Bheki Sunset Xaba for the murder of Monna Skonyana in 1993.

Xaba is serving seven years at Boksburg prison for shooting Skonyana during the funeral of the wife of former Inkatha Freedom Paty East Rand leader Bishop Mbhekiseni Khumalo.

The amnesty committee in a statement said Xaba was vague in his application and had lied in his first affidavit to the TRC. It claimed he lied in court during his trial, and that his testimony was "fraught with numerous inconsistencies and contradictions".

For an amnesty application to be successful, the law requires that an applicant show political motive and disclose all the facts relating to the offence.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA February 26 1999 - SAPA

WILLIAMSON COULD NOT HAVE FORESEEN KILLING CHILD, TRC TOLD

Former apartheid spy Craig Williamson could not have foreseen that a letter bomb he sent to Angola would kill an innocent child, his lawyer told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria on Friday.

Allan Levine was delivering his closing argument in support of Williamson's amnesty application. Williamson is applying for amnesty for his role in the letter bomb attacks on Ruth First in Mozambique in 1982 and Jeanette and Katryn Schoon in Angola in 1984, as well as the bombing of the London headquarters of the African National Congress in March 1982.

Levine argued that Williamson was justified in sending the letter bomb to Marius and Jeanette Schoon who he believed were furthering the ANC's struggle in Angola. He said Williamson was acting in terms of the government's policy of engaging in pre-emptive attacks in neighbouring countries.

However Levine said there was no way that Williamson could have foreseen the tragic killing of the Schoon's six-year- old daughter. He argued that Williamson would not have expected children to be in the town of Lubango in Angola which was a military base and was involved in a war.

Committee chairman Judge Andrew Wilson put it to Levine that Williamson knew the Schoons had children and could have established whether they were in Lubango by phoning the university in the town where they were teaching English.

Levine replied that Williamson had not even considered that the children would be present in town which was in the middle of a war zone.

He told the committee that Katryn's death was a "tragedy associated with war" and it had haunted Williamson every day for 15 years.

Levine said Williamson had suffered post-traumatic stress as a result of the death of Jeanette and Katryn Schoon.

The hearing continues on Monday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 26 1999 - SAPA

TRC REFUSE AMNESTY TO EIGHT MEMBERS OF AWB

Eight members of the Afrikanerweerstandsbeweging were on Friday denied amnesty for murdering four blacks and injuring six others at a bogus roadblock west of Johannesburg in December 1993.

The eight men told the Truth and Reconciliation's Amnesty Committee they were trying to scupper South Africa's first democratic elections.

Andre Franswa Visser, Deon Martin, Petrus Johannes Matthews, Philippus Cornelius Kloppers, Marthinus Lodewickus van der Schyff, Gerhardus Johannes Diedericks, Carel Hendrik Meiring, Marius Etienne Visser and Frederick Jacobus Badenhorst sprayed 10 black people with gunfire after stopping them on the Krugersdorp-Ventersdorp road using a blue traffic department light and clad in reflective jackets.

They later cut off the ear of one of their victims to show to their commander as a "trophy", they told the committee during their amnesty hearing last year.

The committee said Klopper testified at his criminal trial that the AWB members got drunk before setting up the road block, and the shooting was spontaneous.

Rejecting the applications, the Amnesty Committee said it accepted that setting up road blocks to obtain weapons was in line with general AWB policy.

However, the committee rejected evidence that the people injured and killed were legitimate targets who had admitted to being ANC members.

"It is highly improbable that they would have done so in the circumstances and there is evidence to the contrary from the victims as well as one of the applicants.

"Had the incident been properly planned, as alleged and had the applicants been as sober as they now want us to believe, it is improbable that the majority of the victims would have survived," the committee said.

Van der Schyff was pardoned for the murder, assault and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition because the committee said he made full disclosure of the facts relating to the incident.

The applicants are serving life sentences for the incident.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG February 28 1999 - SAPA-AP

AMNESTY PHASE ENDS, SA GEARS UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROSECUTIONS

Marking the start of a new phase in South Africa, a special team has been created to decide who should be put on trial for apartheid-era human rights abuses, officials said Sunday.

The team will decide on a case-by-case basis the fate of people, including former apartheid President P.W. Botha, who were either denied amnesty by the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission or who never sought amnesty, said Sipho Ngwema, a spokesman for the new unit.

The unit has been quietly operating since the beginning of 1999 under National Director of Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka, Ngwema told The Associated Press.

The unit has asked prosecutors from across the country and officials from the Truth Commission to turn over their files on human rights abuses committed during apartheid, including some of the most notorious cases such as the death of black consciousness leader Steve Biko, Ngwema said. Biko was beaten to death by police in 1977. Five police officers were recently denied amnesty in his death.

News of the unit's existence comes as President Nelson Mandela is ruling out a blanket amnesty and is pressing for speedy trials.

George Bizos, an attorney specializing in human rights cases and who represents the Biko family, applauded the creation of the unit, which doesn't have a name yet.

"It is to be welcomed," Bizos said in a telephone interview. "Bulelani Ngcuka has a unit of senior and highly trained investigative teams concentrating on these cases. It can more speedily decide what is to be done."

The creation of the unit - which was reported in The Sunday Independent, a Johannesburg paper - comes as the Truth Commission is winding down its work.

The commission, which can grant amnesty to those who fully confess to politically motivated abuses committed during apartheid, issued its final report last October. The deadline to apply for amnesty has expired, although the commission is still holding hearings on amnesty applications.

But many implicated in apartheid's crimes against humanity - including Botha, apartheid's last hard-line ruler - never sought amnesty as President Mandela had urged in order to heal wounds and move the country forward. Botha defied the commission, saying he had nothing to apologize for.

On Thursday, Mandela said there were no plans to extend a blanket amnesty to apartheid-era human rights abusers.

"Such an approach would go against the grain of the very process that we all agreed upon," Mandela told parliament.

Mandela said a time-frame should be set for prosecutions so South Africa is not saddled with a never-ending series of trials.

The new unit, which is based in the capital Pretoria, won't necessarily take a hard line. That may draw further attacks from critics who say the Truth Commission has been too soft on the leaders of apartheid who oppressed non-whites. In deciding whether to bring a person to trial, the prosecution unit will take into account his age and health and whether a trial would be "in the public interest," Ngwema said.

"If we're convinced there's a broader need for national reconciliation (in a particular case), we'll take that into account," Ngwema said. "We're not seeking revenge."

Botha, who directed a crackdown on opponents of white rule in which blacks were imprisoned, tortured and killed, is 82 and infirm. That throws into doubt whether he will ever be brought to trial.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 1 1999 - SAPA

HISTORY WILL PASS HARSH VERDICT ON TRC: PAC

History will pass a very harsh verdict on the authors of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on the ills of apartheid, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania Deputy President Motsoko Pheko said on Monday.

"The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania welcomes the African National Congress' belated view expressed by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki that the struggle for liberation in this country must not be criminalised," Pheko said in a statement.

He accused Mbeki of double standards saying the TRC was the ANC's brain child.

"Their somersault against it, is very unprincipled and meant to mislead the African people of this country, especially now that the elections are around the corner and many voters are reminding the ANC about its necklacing policy," he said.

"For five years now the PAC has objected to the parading of APLA (Azanian People's Liberation Army) and others alongside the perpetrators of apartheid," he said, repeating calls for the release of former freedom fighters from prison.

Introducing debate on the TRC report in parliament last week Mbeki welcomed the report but criticised it for containing "unfortunate and ungratuitous insults" to the armed struggle.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA March 1 1999 - SAPA

POLICEMEN BELIEVED THEY HAD CARTE BLANCHE TO KILL; TRC HEARS

The apartheid government's security forces were led to believe they had carte blanche to commit illegal acts including murder in order to prevent a revolution, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee heard in Pretoria on Monday.

The amnesty committee was hearing legal argument by Louis Visser SC on behalf of former police commissioner Johan Coetzee and former security policeman James Taylor. Both have applied for amnesty for their involvement in the bombing of the London headquarters of the African National Congress in 1982.

Coetzee and Taylor are among 12 policemen who planned and carried out the attack on the ANC headquarters in central London in March 1982. Among the policemen were former apartheid spy Craig Williamson and former Vlakplaas commander and convicted murderer, Eugene de Kock.

Visser said there were thousands of people who under the National Party government lived in real fear of a revolution inspired and supported by communist forces. He said there were many people both in the security forces and among the general populace who firmly believed that they were fighting to oppose the revolution, which among other things threatened religious freedom.

He said many young men went to neighbouring countries to fight to prevent the war encroaching the country's borders. He said that if the war had spread into the country, there could have been landmine attacks in places like Soweto.

Visser also submitted that security force officers, especially in the lower ranks, understood the utterances of politicians of the time to be encouraging the use of illegal methods to counter the revolution.

"Whether or not the politicians actually meant their speeches to be taken literally or not, is irrelevant. The issue is that many people thought that the words such as 'eliminate' and 'take out' meant to kill," Visser said.

"In other words they believed they had carte blanche to commit illegal acts," he said.

He argued that their acts seemed to have had the support of large sections of the community, including the voters who consistently voted for the National Party government in increasing numbers. In some of the operations they were given support by financial institutions who in the London bombing had arranged credit cards for the team of policemen who travelled to Europe to carry out the attack.

"There was no doubt that there was a political war taking place. And during that war, no mercy was asked or given. When things had to be done, decisions were taken, and not only be government forces, but by all parties taking part in the conflict," he said.

Visser continues his argument on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA March 2 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY JUDGE EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO MARIUS SCHOON'S SON

Amnesty committee judge Andrew Wilson on Tuesday extended his condolences to the son of former African National Congress activist Marius Schoon, who died earlier this year.

Herman Frederik (Fritz) Schoon, 17, was two years old when his mother Jeanette Schoon and his sister Katryn, 6, were killed by a letter bomb sent to their home in Angola in 1984.

Schoon attended Tuesday's Truth and Reconcilatioin Commission hearing in Pretoria, where former apartheid spy Craig Williamson is applying for amnesy for arranging the delivery of the bomb.

Judge Wilson, on noticing young Schoon at the hearing, said he wished on behalf of the committee to extend his condolences for the death of the boy's father. Marius Schoon died of lung cancer in January this year, shortly after testifying in Williamson's amnesty hearing.

Wilson paid tribute to Schoon for his bravery in testifying while suffering from his illness and added that the former activisit would "remain in our memory".

The judge also extended his condolences to Fritz for the death of his mother and sister.

"It must have been a heartbreaking experience for a two-year-old boy to have lived through after this. Your family will always remain part of the new history of this country," Wilson said.

Marius Schoon died without forgiving Williamson for the attack and spurned an offer by the former spy's lawyer to attempt a reconciliation between the two men. During his testimony Schoon said the only time he ever wished to see Williamson again was "across the sights of an AK47 rifle".

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 2 1999 - SAPA

TRC GIVES AMNESTY TO 21 ANC MEMBERS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Tuesday granted amnesty to 21 members of the African National Congress for offences ranging from public violence and arson to illegal possession of arms and ammunition.

TRC spokesman Vuyani Green in a statement said Tozamile Mtshixa, Thokozane Phakathi and Emmanuel Langa were granted amnesty for illegally possessing AK47 rifles and several rounds of ammunition in Orlando West, Wadeville and Kathlehong, Johannesburg respectively between 1992 and 1993.

Andile Sinefu and Delihlazo Mzimkhulu were granted amnesty for burning down a Ciskei Building Society building in Mdantsane near East London in August 1992.

Nikiwe Tella, Mxolisi Mali, Ayanda Bota, Lindikhaya Nkonye, Zola Peteni, Siphiwo Biyana and Zandisile Peteni were granted amnesty for burning down a school at Kei Road near King William's Town, Eastern Cape in August 1992.

David Shapo, Herry Mabunda, Seketla Lekalakala, Ntuweleni Khumalo, Philemon Matlou, Justice Sebaka, William Thole, Selina Makgoba and Elizabeth Maaka were given amnesty for public violence after they clashed with the police following a commemoration at Mookgophong township, Naboomspruit in April 1993.

Green said most of the applicants had not been sentenced pending the outcome of their amnesty applications.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA March 3 1999 - SAPA

DEATH OF KATRYN SCHOON "LEFT WILLIAMSON COLD", TRC TOLD

Veteran human rights lawyer George Bizos completed his argument opposing the granting of amnesty to former apartheid spy Craig Williamson by saying that the death of six-year-old Katryn Schoon had "left him (Williamson) cold".

Bizos told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee that Williamson should be refused amnesty for the killing of Katryn Schoon and her mother Jeanette by means of a letter bomb that was sent to their home in Angola in 1982. Katryn's father, African National Congress activist Marius Schoon, was not at home at the time and died of lung cancer in January this year.

Bizos said Williamson had shown a callousness and disregard for life that was abnormal and went beyond his official duties as a security policeman.

This was clear by Williamson's remark to explosives expert Jerry Raven after news of the successful detonation of the letter bomb and the death of Jeanette and Katryn Schoon.

Bizos said Williamson is alleged to have said to Raven that Katryn's death served the Schoons right for using their child as a bomb disposal unit. During his testimony Williamson said he could not remember making that remark but said it was possible that someone could have said something like that at the time.

Bizos said he regretted raising the matter but said it was an indication that Katryn Schoon's death had left Williamson cold. Bizos was making a reference to former Justice Minister Jimmy Kruger who made a similar remark when hearing about the death in detention of former black consciousness leader Steve Biko in September 1977.

Bizos rejected the claim by Williamson that the bomb had been sent in an effort to stop the spread of communism in Southern Africa. Williamson claimed in his testimony that he had received information that the Schoons were teaching English to Cuban soldiers who were manning the air defence systems in Angola.

Bizos said the death of Katryn and Jeanette Schoon had done nothing to assist the fight against communism or the ANC. In fact it had made the ANC even more determined to continue in its struggle, according to evidence by Transport Minister and a former ANC commander Mac Maharaj, Bizos added.

The closing arguments to the amnesty application brings to an end a long saga that dates back to the early 1970s when Williamson and the Schoons were at the Witwatersrand University. Williamson became involved in the "white left" student politics and was in 1980 exposed as a police agent. He had visited the Schoons at their home in Botswana where they lived up until shortly before his unmasking as a spy.

The Schoons' son Fritz who was two years old at the time of the blast and is now 17, has been attending the hearings.

Committee chairman Judge Andrew Wilson, on noticing Fritz at the hearing this week, extended his condolences for the death of the boy's father.

Wilson paid tribute to Schoon for his bravery in testifying while suffering from his illness and added that the former activist would "remain in our memory". The judge also extended his condolences to Fritz for the death of his mother and sister.

"It must have been a heartbreaking experience for a two-year-old boy to have live through after this. Your family will always remain part of the new history of this country," Wilson said.

Marius Schoon died without ever forgiving Williamson for the attack and spurned an offer by the former spy's lawyer to attempt a reconciliation between the two men. Schoon told the committee he felt embarrassed and insulted by the request and said the only time he ever wished to see Williamson again was "across the sights of an AK47 rifle".

Williamson's lawyer Allan Levine will reply to the closing arguments on Thursday when the committee will adjourn to come to a decision in the matter.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

ANC LEADERS REFUSED AMENSTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has rejected an amnesty bid by 27 senior African National Congress leaders, commission spokesman Mdu Lembede confirmed on Thursday.

He said the ANC's truth and reconciliation desk had already been notified of the decision, and that details - including the names - would be released at 11h30 on Thursday morning.

It is understood that the application was turned down on the grounds that their applications did not fall within the ambit of the TRC Act

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

ANC LEADERS REFUSED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has rejected an amnesty bid by 27 senior African National Congress leaders, commission spokesman Mdu Lembede confirmed on Thursday.

He said the ANC's truth and reconciliation desk had already been notified of the decision, and that details - including the names - would be released on Thursday.

However, a spokesman at ANC headquarters in Johannesburg told Sapa at midday on Thursday that the organisation had not yet been officially informed of the committee's decision.

It is understood that the application was turned down on the grounds that the applications did not fall within the ambit of the TRC Act.

A total of 37 ANC leaders applied for amnesty - 29 collectively and the rest individually.

Those whose applications have been denied include Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, Defence Minister Joe Modise, Justice Minister Dullah Omar, Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Nzo and Transport Minister Mac Maharaj.

Meanwhile, moves are said to be afoot to seek amendments to the current TRC Act in order to accomodate the ANC leaders, as well as former generals of the South African Defence Force and those involved in the conflict in KwaZulu- Natal.

"These amendments are aimed at giving impetus to the processes of peace, nation-building and reconciliation in our country," a source, who asked not to be named, told Sapa in Cape Town.

The reason for amendments to the current TRC Act being sought was that the act opens organisations, political parties and individuals to litigation should their applications be rejected.

The source said the amendments were intended to avoid a situation whereby the president-in-waiting, Mbeki, would be hauled before the courts after being sworn in as the country's leader because he was not indemnified for acts committed during the apartheid era.

"It will be embarassing for Mr Mbeki to be drawn into such a controversy. The intended amendments are, therefore, looking at avoiding plunging South Africa's Constitution into a crisis," Sapa was told.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

ANC LEADERS 'NEED NOT APPLY FOR AMNESTY'

Deputy President Thabo Mebki and 26 senior African National Congress leaders did not have to apply for amnesty, the TRC's amnesty committee said on Thursday.

Rejecting the leaders' applications, the committee said they had been based on the notion of collective responsibility, and on the leaders' own version they had not committed any offence in terms of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act .

"In so far as the applicants seek to apply for amnesty for acts committed by their members on the basis of collective political and moral responsibility, their applications fall outside the ambit of the... act and accordingly they do not require to apply for amensty," the TRC said in a statement.

Others in the group include Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo, former Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale, Transport Minister Mac Maharaj, Deputy Environemnt Misnister Peter Mokaba and government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe.

The amnesty panel that reviewed the applications was made up of judges Sellwyn Miller and Sisi Khampepe, advocate Jon Motata and Wynand Malan.

Mbeki and 26 other ANC members were part of the "ANC 37" who were orginally granted amnesty by the committee on November 28, 1997, following the in-camera hearings.

The committee's decision was subsequently overturned by the Cape High Court in May last year, following an application by the opposition New National Party.

The court then directed the amnesty committee to review the applications, including the issue of whether they complied with the relevant requirements of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act.

Following the court directive, an amnesty panel that had not been involved in the initial decision was tasked by the TRC to consider the applications again.

The ANC's TRC desk was asked to resubmit the original applications, detailing specific offences that the applicants were applying for.

In its reponse, the ANC insisted that none of the 29 members who had originally applied had been involved in any indivual action or actions for which they would require to apply for amnesty.

In a letter to the commission on November 9 last year, the party said the members would not be able to answer any questions which sought toestablish the specific acts for which they were applying as there were none.

In its findings, the amnesty panel said: "In so far as the applicants seek to apply for amnesty for acts committed by their members on the basis of collective political and moral responsibility, their applications fall outside the ambit of the... act and accordingly they do not require to apply for amensty."

CRAIG WILLIAMSON AMNESTY HEARING CLOSES

Former apartheid spy Craig Williamson's amnesty hearing ended in Pretoria on Thursday and he will now have to wait for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee to decide his fate.

Williamson has applied for amnesty for a series of bombings in the 1980's, including the attack on the African National Congress's London headquarters in 1982. He has also applied for amnesty for sending two letter bombs that killed Ruth First in Maputo in 1982 and Jeanette Schoon and her six-year-old daughter Katryn in Angola in 1984.

The hearing, which has taken several weeks, ended on Thursday with closing argument by Williamson's lawyer, Allan Levine, who submitted that his client had fulfilled the requirements for amnesty.

His application for amnesty for the Schoon and First murders has been opposed by George Bizos who is appearing for the families of the victims. Bizos on Wednesday said Williamson had not made a full disclosure about the incidents.

At the end of the hearing, committee chairman Judge Andrew Wilson said Williamson and the other policemen who had taken part in the bombings would be informed of the decision.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

ANC PUSHES FOR TRC ACT AMENDMENT

The ANC would push for the amendment of the Truth and Reconciliation Act, which currently left open the possibility of endless litigation against the new democratic government and organisations that were involved in the apartheid-era conflict, ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe said on Wednesday.

He was reacting to the TRC amnesty committee's decision that Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and 26 other senior ANC leaders could not apply for amnesty on the basis of collective responsibility for acts committed by the organisation during the liberation struggle.

The African National Congress agreed with the amnesty committee's view that the TRC Act did not give the right to liberation movements, political organisations, or the state, to apply for amnesty.

It therefore accepted and respected the finding of the amnesty committee in respect of its leaders' applications.

President Nelson Mandela had already pointed out in a special parliamentary debate that there appeared to be an omission in the TRC Act, Motlanthe said.

Mandela had said that while individuals were accommodated, the amnesty process left open the possibility of endless litigation against the new government, as well as liberation movement organisations.

"This matter will have to be put before the legislators to see if the lacuna in the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act cannot be filled," Motlanthe said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

REJECTION OF ANC AMNESTY HIGHLIGHTS FLAWS IN TRC LAW: FF

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's decision to reject the amnesty applications of 37 senior African National Congress leaders opened up the possibility that they could now be prosecuted for their actions, Freedom Front leader Constand Viljoen said on Thursday.

If this was the case, and prosecutions did flow from the TRC's report, everyone had to be treated equally before the law, he said in a statement.

The FF reitterated its standpoint that the existing TRC law had many flaws and was causing polarisation in South Africa, Viljoen said.

The party repeated its call for the courts to be given the right to grant amnesty once the TRC's amnesty committee has ceased to exist.

People would then have to plead for amnesty in the courts, rather than pleading guilty or not guilty to committing acts under apartheid, Viljoen said.

The ANC leaders' amnesty applications were rejected by the TRC's amnesty committee on the grounds that they had been based on the notion of collective responsibility, and on their statement that they had not committed any offence in terms of the TRC legislation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

TRC REJECTION OF ANC AMNESTY LEGALISTICALLY CORRECT: MEYER

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's decision to reject the amnesty applications of 37 senior African National Congress leaders was legalistically correct, United Democratic Movement deputy president Roelf Meyer said on Thursday.

There was no way the TRC Act could be interpreted to allow the granting of collective amnesty, he told Sapa.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has previously come out in favour of a general amnesty.

Meyer said any changes to legislation to accommodate new amnesty applications could not be made by the current Parliament, which is due to be dissolved by the end of the month, and would have to be considered after the June 2 elections.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

WE TOLD YOU SO, PAC TELLS ANC

The African National Congress should first learn to admit its mistakes and then take corrective measures to avoid the consequences of its own folly, Pan Africanist Congress secretary-general Ngila Muendane said on Thursday.

He was reacting to the amnesty committee's decision that 27 ANC leaders did not have to apply for amnesty, as their applications based on collective responsibility fell outside the ambit of the Truth and Reconciliation Act.

The committee found that the act did not not give liberation movements, political organisations or the state, the right to apply for amnesty.

This prompted the ANC on Thursday to call for the amendment of the Truth and Reconciliation Act's amnesty process.

The ANC said the act accommodated individuals, but left open the possibility of endless litigation against the democratic government as well as structures such as the liberation movements, which were involved in the apartheid conflict.

Muendane said the PAC had warned the ANC from the start that the TRC Act as it stood was unacceptable.

"The ANC wants the best of both worlds. They wanted to draft a TRC Act that describes the liberation movement on the same terms as the apartheid regime, and at the same time they expect that as the ANC, they must be treated differently.

"They must accept that the PAC was right. They must do the right thing and revise the act, and this time listen to us so that we, as the liberation movement, can correct it together," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

TRC PROCESS A `FARCE', SAYS IFP

The decision by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee to refuse amnesty to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and 36 other senior African National Congress leaders demonstrated the farce of the TRC process, the Inkatha Freedom Party said on Thursday.

"The legal challenge to the TRC concerning `ANC 37' has revealed a staggering example of confusion, incompetence or something even more sinister," IFP spokesman Philip Powell said in a statement.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

ANC NOW VULNERABLE TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION: NNP

The African National Congress was in big trouble as it was now vulnerable to criminal prosecution and civil claims, the New National Party said on Thursday.

It was reacting to the amnesty committee's decision to reject the applications of 27 ANC leaders, including Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, who applied for amnesty on the basis of collective responsibility.

"All this is of their own doing because the ANC leaders were less than truthful with South Africans and played games with the TRC when they lodged their amnesty applications," NNP spokesman Jacko Maree said in a statement.

Although they admitted that Umkhonto weSizwe and the self-defence units were at all times under their authority, the ANC leaders denied knowledge of any individual acts that were committed.

"This is sheer nonsense since it was the NEC itself that ordered that policemen and concillors should be murdered, and that collaborators should be necklaced," Maree said.

However, the NNP believed it was not in the interest of reconciliation that the ANC leadership should be prosecuted.

Nor was it advisable to prosecute members of the previous establishment, Maree said.

Indemnity must in future be granted by an administrative body similar to that under the 1992 Indemnity Act, Maree said.

"The New National Party therefore calls for suitable amendments to the present amnesty provisions in the TRC Act."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 4 March 1999 - SAPA

ANC APPLICATIONS DID NOT COMPLY WITH LAW: TRC

No matter how noble and commendable their reasons, the amnesty applications by 27 African National Congress leaders did not comply with the requirements of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act, the TRC's special amnesty panel said on Thursday.

"The applications do not relate to any specific act, omission or offence. On their own admission, none of the applicants have been involved in any act for which they would require to apply for amnesty," it said in a statement.

Rejecting the leaders' applications, the panel said these had been based on the notion of collective responsibility and on the claim that the leaders had not committed any offence in terms of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act.

The panel, comprising Judges Sellwyn Miller and Sisi Khampepe, and advocates Jon Motata and Wynand Malan, said the intention of the applicants to support the thousands of cadres did not warrant an application of this nature.

It would have been sufficient for the applicants to have supported their members' applications for amnesty, without themselves applying for it.

In its reaction to the panel's ruling, the ANC said it would push for the amendment of the TRC Act, which currently left open the possibility of endless litigation against the new democratic government and organisations that were involved in the apartheid-era conflict.

ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe said the party agreed with the committee's view that the TRC Act did not give the right to liberation movements, political organisations, or the state, to apply for amnesty.

It therefore accepted and respected the finding of the amnesty committee in respect of its leaders' applications.

Freedom Front leader Constand Viljoen said the committee's decision opened up the possibility that they could now be prosecuted for their actions.

If this was the case, and prosecutions did flow from the TRC's report, everyone had to be treated equally before the law, he said in a statement.

United Democratic Movement deputy president Roelf Meyer said the ruling was legalistically correct.

There was no way the TRC Act could be interpreted to allow the granting of collective amnesty, he told Sapa.

Pan Africanist Congress secretary-general Mike Muendane said the ANC should first learn to admit its mistakes and then take corrective measures to avoid the consequences of its own folly.

He said the PAC had warned the ANC from the start that the TRC Act as it stood was unacceptable. In its reaction, the Inkatha Freedom Party said the amnesty committee's decision demonstrated the farce of the TRC process.

"The legal challenge to the TRC concerning `ANC 37' has revealed a staggering example of confusion, incompetence or something even more sinister," IFP spokesman Philip Powell said in a statement.

The New National Party said the ANC was in big trouble as it was now vulnerable to criminal prosecution and civil claims.

Indemnity must in future be granted by an administrative body similar to that under the 1992 Indemnity Act, Maree said.

The Federal Alliance said the ANC's attempts to seek amendments to the current TRC laws for its own purposes showed a total disregard for the process of full disclosure that other amnesty a[pplicants had had to go through.

"To tamper with, and change the TRC Act to get amnesty for the ANC leaders will mean that these leaders, including Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, have something to hide which could embarass them and the ANC," party spokesman, Jan Bosman said.

DP spokeswoman Dene Smuts said many aspects of the truth remained unexpained or insufficiently explored.

The TRC had hinted in its report that the ANC was following rather than leading the internal revolt.

She questioned whether this is what the ANC leaders meant when they claimed in their applications to have no acts or ommission to apply for individually.

"Or are we to be left forever wondering whether South Africa's leaders caused or committed crimes in exile...?" Smuts asked.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN March 6 - SAPA

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH APPLAUDS DECISION TO DENY ANC LEADERS AMNESTY

Human Rights Watch has written to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki urging him to reconsider the African National Congress's rejection of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's findings that the ANC was responsible for human rights abuses during its struggle against apartheid.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the influential New York-based group supported the TRC's decision to deny amnesty to 27 senior ANC leaders, who they said should take individual responsibility for their role in human rights abuses committed during the liberation struggle.

"The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has made the right decision," said Peter Takirambudde, director of Human Rights Watch's Africa division.

"The ANC cannot put itself above the law and expect its members to get amnesty if they don't take individual responsibility for their actions."

In the strongly-worded letter to Mbeki, Takirambudde urged that the ANC president accept that members of his party had committed human rights abuses and that the justness of its cause was no justification for this.

"Only if the findings of the TRC are seen to be even-handed and only if the ANC acknowledges its responsibility for its own abuses, can those who supported the previous government be expected to accept the overall conclusion of the TRC - that the previous government was responsible for the vast majority of violations and that reparations are owed."

Human Rights Watch also voiced its strong objection to any plans to grant additional amnesties outside the ambit of the TRC.

Takirambudde said that anyone who wanted to apply for amnesty had had ample opportunity to do so.

"Granting repeated amnesties can lead to a culture of impunity, and that is exactly what South Africa needs to avoid," he said.

The group did however commend the ANC for its own internal investigation into human rights abuses.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 7 1999 - SAPA

TRC REFUSE AMNESTY TO HANI KILLERS: REPORT

Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus - convicted of killing ANC and SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani in 1993 - have been refused amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, The Sunday Independent reported.

The newspaper said it had learnt that the TRC's amnesty committee had rejected Derby-Lewis and Walus's argument that the killing had been politically motivated. The committee also found that the applicants had not made a full and truthful disclosure - both key elements for granting amnesty.

Derby-Lewis, a former Conservative Party MP, and Walus, a Polish immigrant, are both serving life sentences for the murder.

The paper reported that three of the four commissioners who heard the application have decided against granting amnesty.

The committee is awaiting the decision of the fourth.

Even if the fourth is in favour of amnesty, the decision will carry, the newspaper reported.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 7 1999 - SAPA-AP

AMNESTY BID FOR CHRIS HANI'S KILLERS STILL UNDECIDED, OFFICIAL SAYS

An amnesty committee is still considering the fate of the killers of Chris Hani, one of South Africa's most popular black leaders, an official said Sunday as he refuted a newspaper report.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission spokesman Mdu Lembede denied a story in The Sunday Independent that a majority of amnesty committee members have decided to deny amnesty to Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus, who are serving life prison sentences for Hani's 1993 killing.

"The story is totally unfounded," Lembede said. "Not a single member of the amnesty committee has made a finding."

Hani, who was gunned down outside his home, had headed the South African Communist Party and the African National Congress' military wing.

The Truth Commission's amnesty committee can grant amnesty to those who fully confess to politically motivated crimes committed during apartheid.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN March 8 1999 - SAPA-AFP

FREED SWISS JOURNALIST TELLS OF DETENTION

South African authorities freed a Swiss television journalist on Monday after documents relating to biochemical warfare they had claimed were secret turned out to be in the public domain.

State prosecutors decided not to press charges against Jean-Philippe Ceppi, who was arrested on Friday, after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission told Western Cape director of public prosecutions Frank Khan that the documents in question had been made available to journalists last year.

In a brief statement outside the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, a relieved-looking Ceppi, 35, said he had been the "victim of a terrible misunderstanding."

"I think a big mistake has been made by some authorities," he told reporters soon after prosecutor Renee Jackson announced that the state had decided not to press charges under the apartheid-era Protection of Information Act.

"It has allowed me to have a full weekend free of charge in South African jails," he added wryly. "It has been a shocking experience indeed."

Later, Ceppi lashed out at the state of the cells in the Sea Point police station, where he was initially detained before being moved on Sunday to another police station after protests by Swiss consul Roland Viotti.

"I shared a cell with street kids," Ceppi told a press conference. "There were rats, the cells were not cleaned, there were no lights. I have been shocked by the conditions under which this country is keeping prisoners. These are Third World country jails."

He said he had been in jail in the former Zaire for "two to three days" during the time of ex-president Mobutu Sese Seko.

"I received better treatment under Mobutu," he said. "At least there I was treated as a journalist and not as a prisoner.... I'm very sorry for the image it gives of South Africa."

Ceppi's lawyer, Richard Rosenthal, said he had told Khan that "the relevant documents were handed to Mr. Ceppi by officials of the TRC and that he came into possession of them in good faith."

Ceppi said he would discuss with his lawyers the possibility of suing police for wrongful arrest.

Swiss ambassador to South Africa Robert Mayor told AFP he was "very, very pleased" that the charges had not been laid against Ceppi. He said he did not think the incident would affect relations between South Africa and Switzerland.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

CAPE TOWN March 8 1999 - SAPA

CEPPI THREATENS LEGAL ACTION AS CHARGES ARE WITHDRAWN

Swiss television journalist Jean-Philippe Ceppi emerged shaken late on Monday from his weekend in custody and threatened a civil lawsuit for his alleged unlawful arrest.

He appeared to enjoy the limelight as reporters and photographers mobbed him outside the Cape Town Magistrate's court.

A charge against him of alleged possession of classified documents was withdrawn in the court late on Monday after all day discussions involving the Western Cape director of public prosecutions, Frank Kahn, senior public prosecutor Mark Wakefield and Ceppi's legal team - composed of advocate Anton Katz and instructing attorney Richard Rosenthal.

Ceppi, 37, appeared briefly before magistrate Lucas Scheepers, who declared the charge withdrawn at the request of prosecutor Rene Jackson.

Ceppi quipped outside the court that he had a "free weekend in a South African prison".

He said his ordeal had been "horrific, but a good story".

He denied violating any South African law and said he now hoped to be able to complete his assignment.

He would be taking legal advice about a possible civil action against those responsible for his arrest, he said.

Ceppi said he was an accredited journalist, legally in the country and investigating the Swiss-SA relationship during the apartheid era.

Documents in his possession had been declassified and had been freely available at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing last year into chemical and biological warfare.

As a bewildered Ceppi stepped out of the dock a free man, his attorney explained that the charge had been withdrawn because "there had been no basis to it".

He said Ceppi had come into possession of the documents in question in good faith.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Correspondants Association of Southern Africa on Monday said it welcomed Ceppi's release.

"However, we condemn in the strongest possible term his original arrest and jailing at the request for the alleged possession of confidential documents," association spokesman Alex Belida.

"We remain deeply concerned about the existence of laws in South Africa which permit the authorities to restrict the publication or broadcast of sensitive information as well as laws which can be used to compel journalists to reveal their sources."

These laws remain a threat to freedom of the press, Belida said. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 11 March 1999 - SAPA

TRC GIVES JOURNALIST TOP SECRET DOCUMENT BY MISTAKE: SOURCES

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission appears to have bungled by giving a Swiss journalist highly confidential documents on South Africa's apartheid-era biological warfare programme by mistake.

It is understood that the documents given to the journalist Jean-Philippe Ceppi by the TRC, were, in fact, top secret and not in the public domain as originally claimed by the commission.

Deputy President Thabo Mbeki's office has written to the TRC seeking clarity on the status of the docmuments, Mbeki's spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa confirmed on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 11 March 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO SDU MEMBER AND AWB BOMBER

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday granted amnesty to an East Rand self defence unit member and a Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging bomber.

Jeremia Mbongeni Mabuza, a member of an African National Congress-aligned SDU was granted amnesty for crimes committed before the 1994 general elections during the violence which engulfed the East Rand .

The offences included murder, an attack on Inkatha Freedom Party supporters in Mshayazafe hostel, Thokoza, and the illegal possession of a large quantity of weapons.

Mabuza was also part of a group of SDU members who set alight houses of suspected IFP supporters in Ngema section in Katlehong and derailed a train ferrying commuters from Germiston to Kwesine station.

Mabuza was never charged for the incidents.

"There was no personal malice or ill will in the actions that Mabuze took against the opponents of the Katlehong community nor did he gain personally from any of these actions," the committee said in delivering its judgment.

It added Mabuze disclosed all facts relating to the incidents and that these incidents were politically motivated.

Jacobus Frederick de Beer was granted amnesty for detonating a bomb in Boom Street, Klerksdorp, in 1994.

De Beer was not sentenced for the incident, pending the outcome of his amnesty application.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 11 March 1999 - SAPA-AFP

SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY PROBES ARREST OF SWISS JOURNALIST

The South African army said Thursday it had opened an investigation into the rrest of a Swiss journalist and into the status of a document found in his possession whose classification is in dispute.

The top-level probe will aim to find out how Jean-Philippe Ceppi, of Television Suisse Romande, came to obtain the document about sinister weapons research by South Africa's former apartheid government, which led to his being detained for three days last week.

Ceppi was released when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) told the court it had given Ceppi the document, which it said had been released to reporters last year and was therefore in the public domain.

But South African National Defence Force (SANDF) spokesman Colonel John Rolt told AFP on Thursday: "The document was top secret and it was not declassified."

Rolt said the inquiry will centre on the status of the document and how the TRC came to release it to the public.

The TRC gave the document, among others, to Ceppi to aid his investigation into the links between the Swiss and apartheid governments.

Ceppi's research focussed on the activities of Wouter Basson, head of the apartheid government's biochemical warfare research programme, which ended in the early 1990s.

Basson, who faces more than 50 charges, including drug trafficking, conspiracy to murder and fraud, will be tried in October, following a postponement reported in the press here Thursday.

Early this week, the TRC said that the document, apparently about Basson's Swiss contacts, was no longer secret and had been handed to journalists during a hearing into the research last year.

But on Thursday, TRC spokesman Mdu Lembede admitted there was "confusion" over the status of the document, and added that the TRC and military intelligence were trying to verify its status.

"Now there are discussions that the document might have been top secret and possibly shouldn't have been circulated," Lembede told AFP.

"I recall documents that were far more explosive than this which were circulated freely," he said.

Clarity over the status of the document has also been demanded by the legal section of Deputy President Thabo Mbeki's office, which oversaw the declassification of secret documents relating to the biochemical warfare programme and handed them to the TRC.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

PRETORIA March 12 1999 - SAPA-AFP

BASSON MILKED APARTHEID GOVERNMENT OF MILLIONS: PRESS

Wouter Basson, the mastermind behind apartheid South Africa's biochemical weapons programme, is to be charged with defrauding his military paymasters of millions of rands, the local press reported Friday.

Doctor Basson, who is likely to be charged at the end of October, will face 24 counts of fraud involving some 57 million rand (some 25 millions dollars at the time), The Star newspaper said.

The man whose sinister work as leader of the apartheid government's biochemical weapons research programme earned him the nickname "Dr Death", will be charged with a total of 50 crimes, including drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder, it said.

In the charge sheet, the state alleges that Basson enriched himself over five years by funnelling millions of rands into his own pocket under the pretence of buying materials and equipment from foreign countries for Project Coast, as the non- conventional warfare programme was code-named.

The money is alleged to have ended up in private bank accounts in Luzembourg, Switzerland, the United States and Great Britain.

The charge sheet, which was leaked to the press, said because of the need for secrecy in obtaining material from abroad, there was little financial control over Project Coast.

As a result the state relied to a great extent on Basson's integrity.

"The accused (Basson) was aware of this and used it as an opportunity to enrich himself," the charge sheet says.

Basson also benefitted considerably from the privatisation of front companies which had been established by the defence ministry for the purposes of Project Coast.

In the early 1990s, when it became evident that the end of apartheid was near, Basson was apprarently authorised by Defence Force Minister General Magnus Malan and Finance Minister Barend du Plessis to sell two chemical laboritories used for weapons research.

One of the factories was eventually bought by Malan's nephew.

Basson, 48, was finally arrested in February 1997 when he was caught allegedly trying to sell large quantities of Ecstacy.

Some of his activities were revealed last year when he testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) about the apartheid government's military secrets.

Many witnesses testified that, under state orders, they developed poisons and bacteria destined for use against anti- apartheid activists and even tried to develop a vaccine that would render black women infertile.

Basson himself told the TRC that he was responsible for starting the apartheid government's non-conventional weapons programme with the help of foreign countries, including the United States, in complete violation of the international sanctions that were in place at the time.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 13 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO FOUR

The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Friday granted amnesty to four people for incidents ranging from illegal infiltration of the country and illegal possession of AK47s to refusal to be trained by the Apartheid government's army, Network Radio News reported on Saturday.

Two Inkatha Freedom Party members, Obed Mbatha and John Mbatha, were granted amnesty for illegal possession of weapons including AK47 assault rifles.

The TRC's Vuyani Green said Naomi Xaba, a former Umkhonto we Sizwe operative, was granted amnesty for infiltrating the country from Swaziland and attempting to topple the Apartheid government between 1986 and 1987.

He said Tom Robbins, a former National Union of SA Students member refused to report for former SA Defence Force military training.

The four men's amnesty applications were processed in chambers as the offences didn't constitute gross human rights abuses as defined by the TRC Act.

Their names would be removed from criminal records, Green said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN March 13 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO APARTHEID-ERA CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR

The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Friday granted amnesty to a man who refused to comply with conscription laws and serve under the former Apartheid government's defence force.

The TRC's Vuyani Green told Sapa on Saturday Tom Robbins claimed in his amnesty application he had refused to train with the former SA Defence Force as it supported a government he thought was "morally repugnant".

Robbins, who at the time was fined R600 for committing the offence, was one of a number of white South African males to be granted amnesty for not conscripting to the SADF, Green said.

He said the offence did not constitute the gross abuse of human rights as defined by the TRC Act. The names of men granted amnesty would be removed from criminal records.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 15 1999 - SAPA

FOUR GRANTED AMNESTY FOR APARTHEID ERA INCIDENTS

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday granted amnesty to four people for incidents ranging from illegal infiltration into the country to the refusal to undergo military training in the apartheid era.

Two Inkatha Freedom Party members, Obed Mbatha and John Mbatha, were granted amnesty for the illegal possession in 1993 of weapons, including AK47 assault rifles, SABC radio news reported.

A former Umkhonto we Sizwe operative, Naomi Nonhlanhla Xaba, was granted amnesty for infiltrating the country from Swaziland between 1986 and 1987 with the aim of toppling the previous government.

A former member of the National Union of SA Students, Tom Robbins, was granted amnesty for refusing to report for military training in January 1993.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 16 March 1999 - SAPA

MK SOLDIER GIVEN AMNESTY

A South African National Defence Force soldier was granted amnesty on Tuesday for illegally possessing a machine gun and ammunition while a member of the ANC's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe.

TRC spokesman Vuyani Green said Dumisani Mzemezi was arrested in Duncan Village in East London in April 1994.

Musa Hadebe, a member of the Pan Africanist Congress, was granted amnesty for murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of a machine gun and ammunition.

He was serving a lengthy sentence for the offences which were committed in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal in February, 1994.

Johannes Hendrik Visser and David Hermanus Fourie, members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, were awarded amnesty for malicious damage to property.

"Visser was arrested after an explosion went off at a taxi rank in Delareyville in February 1994.

"Fourie was arrested following a explosion at a community centre in Cape Town in September 1988," Green said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG March 19 1999 - SAPA

TRC COUNTERS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MINYUKU

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Friday denied its chief executive officer and chief accountant, Dr Biki Minyuku, had tried to keep his position in the TRC in addition to taking up his appointment as the vice-chancellor of the University of the North.

"Minyuku has never attempted to retain his position as CEO/CAO simultaneously with his new position at the University of the North," the TRC said in a statement.

"Any suggestion that he might have done so to obtain some unwarranted financial benefit is scandalous and without any basis whatsoever."

Minyuku was CEO and chief accounting officer of the TRC, then continued in that position under the auspices of the amnesty committee which has been charged with the responsibility to also complete certain outstanding matters which previously fell under the TRC.

The statement said the amnesty committee was considering asking Minyuku is assist it when needed, but said he would not be paid for this.

The statement went on to deny that Minyuku had neglected his duties because of his involvement in a ministerial commission to transform defence intelligence.

"This participation was considered and approved by the TRC after being satisfied that this would not have a negative effect on his duties as CEO. This is an unpaid activity," the statement said.

"It is our view that the whole country owes Dr. Minyuku a debt of gratitude for his immense contribution towards the process of truth, national unity and reconciliation which is so vital for all our futures.

Minyuku's resignation comes into effect at the end of March.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association UMTATA March 21 1999 - SAPA

THOUSANDS GATHER IN THE RAIN TO REMEMBER TO APLA COMMANDER

Soaking rain did not deter about 2000 people who on Sunday gathered at the rural village of Baziya, 40km south-west of Umtata for the unveiling of a tombstone in memory of Sabelo Victor Gqwetha, the late commander of the Pan Africanist Congress' army wing, Azanian People's Liberation Army (Apla).

Gqwetha, better known as Sabelo Phama, died in a mysterious car crash enroute to Zimbabwe from Tanzania.

While waiting in rain for three and hours for the ceremony to begin, the enthusiastic crowd joined a handful Apla cadres in political song and dance.

"Izwe lethu!, I Afrika", and "Mayibuye, I Afrika!", were PAC slogans loudly shouted by party supporters.

Guests had to leave their transport about two kilometres away from Phama's home because of slippery roads.

Addressing the audience, PAC leader Stanley Mogoba said his party would not rest until the truth surrounding Phama's mysterious death had been revealed.

He told Phama's wife Dudu and two sons and his parents and other relatives that they had thought that by now the truth on the accident would have beem known. The Truth and Reconciliation also stepped in but no truth came out.

"We will not rest until we have revealed all truth. Justice must finally be seen to be done," said Mogoba.

Paying tribute to Phama, he described him as a great soldier, great father and husband, who left his humble home and country to go to an unknown coutry driven by a mission to conquer the terrible odds his people were living under.

"We have gathered to remember...to bring back to life our great hero ... our great soldier ... our great freedom fighter and our liberator. Although we unveil this stone here in Baziya, infact, the whole new South Africa is this tombstone," Mogoba told the audience packed in a tent erected in front of Phama's home.

Phama's biography printed in programmes distributed to those attending the unveiling ceremony showed that he rose from obscure ranks, underwent expert military training, and finally became the great general of Apla.

In concluding his remarks, Mogoba said: "We salute Sabelo for such was his life. May his tombstone stand forever as a tombstone of freedom in the new South Africa."

The PAC leadership acknowledged messages of support from President Nelson Mandela, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa and Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

Phama's former colleague Dan Mofokeng, better known as Romero Daniels - said democracy should not be misued or taken for granted because because people like the late Apla commander and other's blood should not be in vain.

"To me...It is really a sentimental...very emotional issue and painful issue that we lost an important and talented leader," Mofokeng, now a major general in the South African National Defence Force, said in a brief speech.

He reminded former members of the disbanded Apla to remain disciplined and loyal members of the PAC, urging those in employment to consider assisting the party financially.

After the speeches, the crowd then left on foot to the nearby cemetry where Phama's tombstone was unveiled.

Mofokeng was the last Apla commander to make a speech at a political gathering as currently serving members of SANDF are barred from such activities.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON March 23 1999 - SAPA

FARMER KILLED AS HE WAS OPPRESSOR: TRC HEARS

An Elliot, Eastern Cape farmer and his daughter were killed because they were "shareholders in oppressors' land", the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee heard in East London on Tuesday.

Mike Meyers and his 21-year-old daughter Donnie were selling milk on August 27, 1993, when two men appeared and opened fire on them.

Meyers was killed instantly while his daughter's body was later found dumped about 60km from Elliot.

Appearing for two of the applicants involved in the killing, Lungelo Mbandazayo told the committee that at the time of the killing the Pan Africanist Congress believed all white people were benefiting from the oppression of black people.

Mbandazayo said Luvuyo Kulman and Zama Thutha had disclosed fully to the committee and convinced it that the motive for the attack was political, as they were carrying out the instructions of the Azanian People's Liberation Army.

Apla was the armed wing of the PAC.

Asked if it was Apla's instruction to kill Donnie also, Mbandazayo said his clients were instructed to kidnap Donnie's father, whom they believed was a member of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, for interrogation.

He said they were also given orders to kill him if he resisted. He added that it was very unfortunate that Donnie was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He said both Thutha and Kulman had met all the commission's requirements and deserved to be granted amnesty.

Mbandazayo, however, conceded that their submissions were full of contradictions, but understood why they could not tell the committee exactly what happened on that day.

"All of us experience the same problem. It is human nature that people cannot tell it the way it happened exactly," Mbandazayo said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON March 23 1999 - SAPA

COMMITTEE URGED TO GRANT AMNESTY TO GOLF CLUB ATTACKERS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee was on Tuesday urged to grant amnesty to four men responsible for killing four people and injuring 17 others in the King William's Town Golf Club attack in November 1992.

Amnesty applicants Thobela Mlambisa, Thembelani Xundu, Malusi Morrison and Lungisa Ntintili lauched the attack during the club's Christmas party.

Their legal representative, Lungelo Mbandazayo, on Tuesday said the four had made full disclosure of the facts and had proved the attack was politically motivated, which meant they had met the commission's requirements for the granting of amnesty.

Mbandazayo said the matter was similar to the St James' Church attack in Cape Town. He said Mlambisa was in fact involved in the St James' attack and had been granted amnesty as it was proved the attackers were carrying out instructions of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress.

Mbandazayo said like in the St James' matter, the King William's Town Golf Club attackers reported directly to their superior Sipho Xuma, who was involved in most Apla operations.

Mbandazayo said Morrison told the truth when he told the committee that his only role in the attack was to supply weapons, which he ferried from the Transkei to Dimbaza and handed them to Xundu. Morrison received the weapons from Xuma.

According to Mbandazayo, Ntintili's only role was driving the attackers in his car.

Mbandazayo said the four had nothing to hide as they "believed that everything they did was to the benefit of the struggle they were waging".

The hearing continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN March 24 1999 - SAPA

COMMITTEE TO EVALUATE PROJECT COAST EVIDENCE

The National Assembly's public accounts committee is checking whether it was given misleading evidence during hearings it held on the former government's secret chemical weapons programme, Project Coast.

In a report adopted on Wednesday, the committee noted that evidence led before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the project appeared to contradict that given to it by former South African National Defence Force chief Georg Meiring and surgeon-general Neil Knobel.

The committee has tasked a member of Parliament's research unit to study transcripts of the TRC evidence and other available documents to try and ascertain whether the evidence it heard was misleading.

The TRC found that Project Coast - which involved the manufacture of cholera, botulism, and anthrax, as well as other chemical poisons and illegal drugs - had cost hundreds of millions of rand and that the former military command was grossly negligent in approving it.

The researcher will report back to the committee by May 31. However the incumbent committee held its last meeting on Wednesday prior to Parliament rising, and is unlikely to formally deliberate on the findings.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN March 24 1999 - SAPA

WINNIE EXPANDS ON FARM KILLING INFORMATION

Claims that farmers were killing each other to fan racism and destabilise the country had come from within the National Intelligence Agency, African National Congress MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said on Wednesday.

In a statement through her aide, Alan Reynolds, she said the information had been made available to her by an NIA agent in the presence of her legal advisers.

"She also wishes to note that the statement she made with regard to the killing of farmers was not a fabrication on her part; the information came from within the NIA, and was supplied to her in the presence of a legal team."

The NIA was not immediately available for comment.

Madikizela-Mandela also responded to Democratic Party leader Tony Leon's criticism of her in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Leon questioned why, when Deputy President Thabo Mbeki had promised to rid the ANC's electoral list of "crooks, embezzlers and other careerists", Madikizela-Mandela, a convicted kidnapper and Truth and Reconciliation Commission-named violator of human rights, was in the top 10 on the list.

"Ms Madikizela-Mandela wishes Mr Leon to note that her reconciliation with those elements who persecuted her under the apartheid regime will rise above the Tony Leons of this world," the statement said.

"No amount of distortion of facts which emerged from the TRC, or `findings' of an apartheid court, will divert her from her commitment to contribute with the ANC to the reconstruction of South Africa."

Madikizela-Mandela wished to point out to Leon that while the TRC grilled her about the death of Cicelo Dhlomo, it had in its possession the applications for amnesty made by his real killers, the statement said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON March 24 1999 - SAPA

APLA OPERATIVES INVOLVED IN ATTACK TO WAIT FOR BALLISTIC EVIDENCE

Four Azanian People's Liberation Army operatives involved in the Fort Beaufort Yellowwood Hotel attack in 1993 must wait for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee to scrutinise ballistic evidence before knowing their fate.

Evidence on how much damage was done to the bar and the number of bullet holes in the wall was given to the amnesty committee by Captain Jacobus Van der Merwe in East London on Wednesday.

In the attack, three gunmen stormed the bar and opened fire on patrons, killing 18-year-old Port Elizabeth Technikon student Johan Jerling, who was watching his friends play darts.

Representing the Apla amnesty applicants, Lungelo Mbandazayo said Nkopane Diahomonaeheng, Vuyisile Madasi, Diesel Siyoni and Lungisa Ntintili had met the requirements of the commission and should be granted amnesty.

He said they had told the truth, made full disclosure and proved beyond reasonable doubt the motive fro the attack was political.

He said his clients received instructions from the late Apla commander Sichumiso Nonxuba, who was involved in many Apla operations, including the Heidelberg tavern attack, Cape Town's St James Church attack and the King William's Town Golf Club attack of 1992.

This proved that the applicants were following Apla instructions, Mbandazayo said.

He claimed that this was not a racist attack but targeted members of the South African Defence Force known to frequent the bar.

TRC evidence leader Paddy Prior said he viewed the attack as a type of reprisal as black people were dying in the townships at that time.

For this reason Apla commanders felt that whites had to be killed.

Prior said he would be failing in his job if he did not mention that Jerling was never a member of SADF.

"Johan never received any military training and was well liked by both black and white in the community," he said, adding that the bar was not a military institution.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

CAPE TOWN March 25 1999 - SAPA

NNP CALLS FOR TRC AMNESTY EXTENSION

New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk on Thursday appealed to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki to reopen the debate around amnesty, and for the cut-off date to be extended to give those who failed to apply an opportunity to do so.

In a letter addressed to Mbeki, Van Schalkwyk said the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee should continue to function in its present form and the current tests and norms be retained.

However, the process had to be speeded up. Only in exceptional cases should oral evidence and cross examination be allowed.

The NNP was concerned that many South Africans who should have obtained amnesty had failed to do so, rendering the process inadequate and flawed, Van Schalkwyk said.

Many members of the former security forces who should have applied had not, although they were eager to do so.

They were advised by their legal representatives not to do so, as there was a danger that after having made full disclosure and receiving amnesty, they could nevertheless be extradited.

Likewise, many members of the liberation forces were not in a better situation as a result of their failure to apply for amnesty in time.

Some liberation force members had applied, but faiure to make a full disclosure had resulted in their applications being turned down, Van Schalkwyk said.

The failure to obtain amnesty, especially in respect of high-ranking African National Congress leaders, placed the amnesty process under tremendous strain.

If high-profile ANC leaders were to be charged and stood trial, it would lead to political instability, he said.

Applicants granted amnesty also had to be given the assurance that they would not be extradited, he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON March 25 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS HOW ECAPE BUSINESSMAN HIRED PROTECTION

An Eastern Cape businessman told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Thursday that he had to hire a security firm to protect white people after Azanian People's Liberation Army soldiers attacked civilians in Sterkspruit about six years ago.

Charles Mether was testifying at the amnesty hearing of former Apla operatives Phila Dolo, James Makoala and Luvuyo Kulman.

The trio are applying for amnesty for the murders of Shirley Brummer and Piet Schroeder, who died when their car came under fire, and James Tsemane, who tried to help them.

Mether dismissed a suggestion by the applicants' legal representative Lungelo Mbandazayo that the attack had a political motive, adding that it was rather business orientated.

"The fact that local businessman were the targets proves my point that it was not political but rather business inspired," said Mether.

Mether said the reason he hired the security firm was to send a strong warning to the attackers that white people were prepared to retaliate.

Judge Andrew Wilson referred the dependants of the victims to the reparations and rehabilitation committee.

The hearing continues on Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON March 26 1999 - SAPA

FORMER APLA COMMANDER DENIES ORDERING BAHA'I ATTACK

A former Azanian Liberation Army top commander in the Eastern Cape on Friday denied allegations that he had ordered the Baha'i Centre attack in Mdantsane in March 1994.

Xolile Ngxabani, alias Jimmy Jones, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee in East London on Friday that he did not sanction the Baha'i, Nahoon Dam, Da Gama bus and Highgate Hotel attacks, as they were unlawful according to Apla at the time. Apla was the armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress.

Ngxabani said the attacks came after Pan Africanist Congress president Clarence Makwethu's call that the armed struggle be suspended.

Ngxabani was testifying in the amnesty hearing of Dumisani Ncamazana and Zukile Mbambo, who are both serving 16 years each in prison.

In the Baha'i attack, three people were killed when five armed men stormed the church and opened fire on them. Houshmand Anvari, 43, Dr Shama Bakhshandegi, 29, Vincent and Rias Razavi 44, were killed, before the attackers fled in Razavi's car.

At the time of the attack, said Ngxabani, he was busy canvassing votes for the PAC in the Transkei. He said he told the regional commanders to suspend the armed struggle and Ncamazana was in the camp that day.

"I did not order the attacks. I could not have possibly ordered them when I was the one who communicated what the president said to the regional commanders," he said.

Ngxabani also denied any knowledge of Mbambo before the attacks. "I have never seen him before the attack. When Ncamazana and the others brought him to me and I asked them why did they recruit him as we were finished with armed struggle," he said.

Mbambo had earlier told this committee that he was recruited by Ngxabani in Mdantsane to join Apla in 1991.

Reports that Razavi's car was handed over to him after the attack by the applicants, were also false, said Ngxabani.

"I cannot even drive and I was not interested in that car," he added.

The applicants' legal representative, Sally Collett, pleaded with the committee to grant amnesty to the applicants. She said the committee could not rely on Ngxabani's evidence as it was in conflict with the applicant's testimony.

Collett said the attacks were in line with Apla policy and had a political motive. The applicants received an instruction and they carried it out. She added that they had told the truth and had made full disclosures.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

EAST LONDON April 1 1999 - SAPA

TRC TO HEAR APPLICATIONS ON EASTERN CAPE BANTUSTAN COUPS

The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will from Tuesday hear amnesty applications relating to various attempts by members of the former government's security forces to destabilise the Eastern Cape in the late 1980s, the TRC said on Thursday.

These include two applications from the perpetrators of failed coups in the former homelands of Transkei and Ciskei.

Christoffel Pierce ("Joffel") van der Westhuizen and Johannes Lodewikus Griebenouw are seeking amnesty for their role in a military operation dubbed "Katzen" aimed at amalgamating the two former homelands into a "Xhosaland" to counteract the activities of the liberation movements.

The operation culminated in the abduction of former Ciskei president Lennox Sebe's son, Kwane, from a hotel in King William's Town.

The committee will also hear an amnesty application relating to the abduction of a Transkei businessman, Vulindlela Mbotoli, following a failed attempt by Colonel Craig Duli to topple then Major-General Bantu Holomisa's government in the Transkei.

Mbotoli was captured in Johannesburg by the homeland's intelligence agents, drugged, bundled into a car and spirited away to Transkei to stand trial for his role in the abortive coup.

Duli and his bodyguard, Boetie Davies, were killed when troops loyal to Holomisa quashed the coup in the late 1980s.

An Austrian businessman, Rainer Maria Moringer, is applying for amnesty for his role in Mbotoli's abduction. His application will be heard from April 12 to 16.

Former Vlakplaas commander and convicted murderer Eugene de Kock, as well as Willem Nortje, Marthinus Ras, Daniel Snyman, Nicholas Vermeulen Jan Anton Nieuwoudt and Phumelele Gumengu will seek amnesty for their role in arming Duli in the aborted coup.

Their applications will be heard from April 19 to 23.

The hearings, scheduled to start at 9am every day, will take place at the Catholic Centre in Queen's Street, Cambridge, East London.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 2 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY COMMITTEE TO HEAR APPLICATIONS FROM 24 FORMER COPS

Twenty-four former security policemen have applied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty for crimes ranging from the mass murder of young activists to the assassination of a fellow policeman.

The commission's Amnesty Committee will hear the applications in Pretoria between April 6 and 30, TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said in a statement on Friday.

All the incidents that will come under scrutiny at the hearings took place in 1986 and 1987.

Policemen AJM Joubert, PJ Verster, C Naude, N Robey, JJH van Jaarsveld and C Vlietstra have applied for amnesty in connection with the murder of Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence in Mamelodi outside Pretoria in December 1986.

Former Vlakplaas commander Jan Cronje was granted amnesty in February for his role in planning the murders.

Joubert, Verster and Naude, as well as WJ Loots, DJ Vorster and PR Crause, have also applied for amnesty in connection with the June 1986 murder of 10 youths at Nietverdiend in the former Bophuthatswana.

Former askari Joe Mamasela has admitted leading the youths into a death trap by promising them they would be taken out of the country for training in the African National Congress' armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Mamasela has not applied for amnesty in connection with this incident, Sompetha said.

Mamasela was granted indemnity from prosecution in return for helping the Attorney-General track down the former security police involved in human rights abuses.

Van Jaarsveld, as well as D Gouws, AC Kendall and SA Oosthuizen, have applied for amnesty for the killing of nine ANC youths in Kwaggafontein in the former KwaNdebele in July 1986.

Verster, Joubert, Van Jaarsveld, Gouws, Kendall, Oosthuizen and TJ Floyd have applied for amnesty for the killing of Piet Ntuli, a former KwaNdebele government minister, in July 1986.

Jan Cronje, Willem Mentz, Paul van Vuuren, Roelof Venter and Jacques Hechter were also granted amnesty for Ntuli's killing in February.

The committee will also hear amnesty applications from J Hechter, P van Vuuren and D Crafford for two murders in Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal in 1987. Crafford has died since submitting his application.

The matter was heard in part last year, Sompetha said. Mamasela has also admitted his involvement in this incident but has not applied for amnesty.

PJC Loots and MB Ras have applied for amnesty in connection with the death of a Hammanskraal policeman, Richard Motasi, and his wife Irene on December 1, 1987. It is alleged that Motasi was an informer for Zimbabwean Security Police. The committee will also hear applications from Crause and WJ Loots, JA Steyn, CJ du Preez, CJDP Smith, WUCC Smit, GJ van Zyl, JJ Marais and DJ Nieuwenhuis in connection with the killing of a group of Umkhonto we Sizwe members.

The MK operatives, known as "Kruschev", "Karl Marx" and Andries Moatshe, were smuggling weapons into South Africa when they were shot dead at a roadblock in Silent Valley near Thabazimbi.

PJC Loots has also applied for amnesty for the attempted murder of Congress of South African Trade Unions official Jerry Thibedi in Soshanguve in 1986.

Thibedi was a high profile member of the union federation and he was involved in consumer boycotts.

The hearings will be held at the Idasa Centre on the corner of Prinsloo and Visagie streets in Pretoria. The hearings will be held on weekdays from 9am to 4pm.

Advocate Lynne Lockhart will lead evidence on behalf of the amnesty committee.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 6 1999 - SAPA

TRC REFUSES AMNESTY TO 79 ANC LEADERS, INCLUDING MINISTERS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced on Tuesday it had refused amnesty to 79 African National Congress members, including seven ministers and three deputy ministers in the current government.

The TRC's amnesty committee said the applicants did not qualify for amnesty because none of them had disclosed their individual involvement in human rights violations.

Instead, the committee said, the 79 had applied for amnesty on the basis that they were "collectively" responsible for policy decisions that led to human rights violations by ANC cadres.

"The committee found ... an act, omission or offence must be the subject matter of an application, and in this instance no such act, omission or offence had been disclosed.

"Having considered the ... applicants the committee find that the applications similarly do not comply with the requirement of the act and therefore fail," the committee said.

Among those refused amnesty were Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Pallo Jordan, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, Housing Minister Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, Justice Minister Dullah Omar, Minerals and Energy Minister Penuell Maduna, Public Service Minister Zola Skweyiya and Welfare and Population Development Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.

The deputy ministers refused amnesty were Joe Nhlanhla (Intelligence Service), Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (Justice) and Essop Pahad (Office of the Deputy President).

The applications were submitted to the TRC by the ANC's Truth and Reconciliation desk in May 1997.

This is the second group of senior ANC members to be refused amnesty recently.

Last month, the committee refused amnesty to 27 ANC members, including Cabinet Ministers Alfred Nzo and Mac Maharaj and ANC national chairman Jacob Zuma.

This first group had received amnesty from the committee in November 1997 but the decision was overturned by the Cape High Court in May 1998.

Reacting to the TRC's latest decision, ANC spokesman Thabo Masebe said the party accepted the ruling and said it was "not unexpected".

"After the TRC's decision (on the first 27 ANC members to apply for amnesty) last month, we knew they would make the same decision with this group of applicants," Masebe said.

"The TRC is simply saying it understands they were applying in terms of collective moral and political responsibility, but that the law does not make provision for granting amnesty to institutions and organisations."

The ANC had asked a total of 106 members to apply for amnesty for gross human rights violations sanctioned by the party but none of them were individually guilty of such acts. "When the ANC chose these people ... it had satisfied itself that none of them had committed any act of gross human rights violation," Masebe said.

In its reaction to the decision, the Democratic Party said the ANC should explain to the public why it had chosen a second group of its senior members to apply to the TRC when the first 27 had been refused amnesty.

"What does this new super category represent?" asked the DP's Dene Smuts.

"It is shocking that such a sizeable proportion of the cabinet tried to circumvent the law by surreptitiously seeking indemnification from prosecution without making disclosure."

She said the ANC had clearly been attempting to "duck liability for the actions of all its cadres in an uncontrolled struggle by trying for collective amnesty".

Federal Alliance spokesman Jan Bosman said the TRC's decision left the ANC in a "catch 22" position.

President Nelson Mandela had rejected the idea of a general amnesty and the 106 ANC members refused amnesty by the TRC could be liable for prosecution.

Bosman said the ANC should ensure that it did not have on their lists of election candidates people who were involved in gross human rights violations, just as they should ensure their candidates did not have criminal records.

New National Party spokesman Juli Kilian said it had "little sympathy" for the ANC and urged the party to ensure no persons who could be found guilty of gross human rights abuses were included on its election lists.

"They (the ANC) should therefore now reassess their lists to avoid serious embarrassment that would result if high profile ANC public office bearers are found guilty of serious crimes and human rights abuses," Kilian said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 6 1999 - SAPA

JOUBERT ADMITS TO AUTHORISING THE MURDER OF TEN ACTIVISTS

Former commander of SA National Defence Force's special forces unit Abraham Joubert on Tuesday admitted to having authorised the murder of 10 youth activists in 1986.

He told the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he agreed to the killing without having any details of the chosen victims.

"The Nietverdiend 10 were never identified at a formal meeting where I was present."

Joubert is seeking amnesty for his part in the murder of the 10 youths at Nietverdiend in the former Bophuthatswana while they were on their way to be trained as African National Congress liberation fighters in Botswana.

The Nietverdiend 10 were from Mamelodi outside Pretoria, and Joubert said their deaths helped to curtail terrorism.

Joubert said he gave Naude permission to get a substance to drug the youths, but he did not know what drug was used or where it was obtained from.

"It could have come from ...police laboratories. I was told that their drinks would be spiked."

Joubert said that he learnt about the youths being injected in newspapers.

Five other officers of the former security forces are also seeking amnesty for the deaths of the "Nietverdiend 10".

Joubert told the amnesty committee the killings were part of a bigger plan between the police and the special forces unit to eliminate people threatening state security.

He said police would identify the targets and once the victims were selected, the special forces unit helped to capture or to kill them.

Joubert said he was told about the plan to kill the activists by Charl Naude, at the time commander of the special forces unit in the Northern Province.

He said his information was limited to what Naude had told him.

"Commander Naude approached me and gave me a broad outline of the plan. It was never discussed in detail, but he said it was sorted out with police," Joubert said.

"After the operation was completed, Naude reported back to me that it was successful."

Joubert said he later learnt that former askari Joe Mamasela identified the soldiers.

Mamasela was granted indemnity from prosecution in return for helping the Attorney-General track down former security police members involved in human rights abuses.

He said he did not have any records about the operation because it was "too sensitive to put on paper". Joubert is also applying for amnesty for the 1986 murder of Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence in Mamelodi, and for that of former KwaNdebele cabinet member Piet Ntuli in the same year.

Twenty-four former security force members including Joubert have applied for amnesty for crimes ranging from the mass murder of young activists to the assassination of a fellow policeman.

The hearings continue on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON April 6 1999 - SAPA

INTELLIGENCE CHIEF SPEAKS OUT ON OPERATION KATZEN

Ex-defence force intelligence head Lieutenant-General Christoffel "Joffel" van der Westhuizen on Tuesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee he personally accepted "full responsibility for all acts carried out by those under my command in the execution of their duties".

Van der Westhuizen and former SA Police Colonel Jan Griebenauw are seeking amnesty for their roles in any criminal activities that arose from the 1986 military operation, codenamed "Katzen".

The operation, named after Van der Westhuizen and ex-SA Army chief General Kat Liebenberg, aimed to establish a surrogate party, the Xhosa Resistance Movement, to topple the Transkei and Ciskei homeland governments.

It was envisaged that the "resistance movement" would amalgamate the two homelands as "Xhosaland" while East London would remain a "free port".

Conceived in June 1986, the plan aimed to counteract their use as safe bases by the liberation movements and thus stabilise the Eastern Cape with a power bloc against the African National Congress and United Democratic Front.

Operation Katzen was terminated long before its scheduled completion date in December 1987.

The plan was exposed by ex-Transkei military ruler Bantu Holomisa at the TRC's Port Elizabeth hearings in May 1996.

Katzen's planners identified ex-Ciskei security chief Charles Sebe, then being held at Middledrift prison for a failed 1983 coup attempt, as a potential leader of the XRM. Sebe was sprung from Middledrift by SADF Special Forces on September 25 1986.

George and Kaizer Matanzima firmly backed the amalgamation idea.

Others who backed the plan were Chief Lent Maqoma, Namba Sebe who was prepared to lead the XRM, and Ben Nomoyi.

Then Transkei Defence Force Brigadier Bantu Holomisa was also considered as an alternative XRM leader.

The plan also included the removal of Ciskei's self-declared President-for-life Lennox Sebe, brother of Charles, who was described as "a thorn in the flesh" of the South African government and who was seen as a major stumbling block to the idea.

Lennox Sebe's son Kwane, head of the Ciskei's "elite unit", and his second-in-command "Bullet" Ngwanya were also abducted from the Amatola Hotel in King William's Town on September 24 to keep them out of the way.

In lengthy testimony in Afrikaans on Tuesday in a near empty Cambridge Catholic Centre, Van der Westhuizen told of the SADF's difficulty in combating the African National Congress and the United Democratic Front in the Eastern Cape.

Sketching the motivation for Operation Katzen, Van der Westhuizen said even though the SADF had to accept more responsibility in the 1980s for supporting the SAP in combating "terrorists", it always favoured a political solution to such a conflict. But in the Eastern Cape in the mid-1980s, "counter-revolutionary operations" such as cordons, roadblocks and searches, in conjunction with the State of Emergency regulations, were not sufficient to curb the activities of the liberation movement.

There was "great intimidation of the population, especially those who were not part or willing to be part (of the liberation struggle), terror attacks, a variety of revolutionary speeches, and "liberated zones" that on instructions of the ANC had to be made "ungovernable".

The bantustans, where the SADF was forbidden from operating, also harboured "terrorists".

The SADF, he said, carried out the policies of the government as the constitutionally empowered protector of the state.

"All professional defence forces serve the government of the day." Their activities included unconventional counter- revolutionary plans and strategies like Operation Katzen.

He said "stabilising" Transkei and Ciskei was in his "tactical interests" as they were in his Eastern Cape "area of influence".

Within the hall, it was like a "who's who" of the 1980s, with high-powered legal representatives for unseen but familiar men, implicated in various incidents testified to by Van der Westhuizen.

Supporting affidavits were submitted on behalf of Vlakplaas founder and security police C-section commander Brigadier Willem Schoon, former police commissioner General Johan Coetzee, SADF Colonel Alex van Rooyen and SAP Brigadier Sakkie van der Merwe.

Lawyers representing PW Botha and ex-Defence Minister Magnus Malan; ex-SADF chiefs Generals Jannie Geldenhuys and Liebenberg; Chief George Matanzima and Chief Maqoma and others were also present.

The hearing will continue on Wednesday with further testimony from Griebenauw.

The amnesty committee is scheduled to sit in East London for the next four weeks for a variety of Eastern Cape applications involving failed Ciskei and Transkei coups.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 7 1999 - SAPA

NATS CALL ON ANC TO REASSESS ELECTION LIST

The New National Party on Wednesday called on the African National Congress to reasses its election list and to appeal to the organisation's president, Thabo Mbeki, to reopen the amnesty debate.

The party was reacting to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's refusal of amnesty to a number of ANC members, including seven ministers and three deputy ministers this week.

Expressing "little sympathy" for the ANC, NNP spokeswoman Juli Killian said the ANC should heed NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk's advice that no people who could be found guilty of gross human rights abuses should be included in the ANC's election list.

"The NNP also believes that Mr Mbeki should react responsibly and accede to Mr van Schalkwyk's sensible proposals issued to him a day before before Parliament adjourned.

Killian said the ANC should have expected the outcome as the amnesty committee could not have decided in their favour, especially after the NNP's successful court application which overturned the amnesty granted to 37 ANC leaders.

"Many leading ANC politicians now find themselves in a serious dilemma, since they were led to believe that they could avoid the embarrassment of disclosing the details of deeds committed either on their own accord or on instructions by their political masters," she said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN April 7 1999 - SAPA

SACP WELCOMES HANI AMNESTY DECISION

The SA Communist Party welcomed the decision to refuse amnesty to Chris Hani's killers, SACP deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin said on Wednesday.

Hani was general secretary of the organisation when he was gunned down by Janusz Walus in the driveway of his home 1993.

Cronin said the SACP had from the beginning joined Hani's widow in opposing the amnesty applications of Walus and co-conspirator Clive Derby-Lewis, and as the hearings proceeded, had become more and more convinced it was right in taking this approach.

He said the two men had been sparing with the truth, evasive and often arrogant,and the party was convinced they had failed to meet any of the cirtieria for amnesty.

"Clearly this decision today is a vindication of that approach," he said.

The SACP had all along supported the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the concept of amnesty, and believed that Wednesday's decision lent legitimacy to the process.

Cronin said both men had been sentenced to death when they were convicted of Hani's murder. They could count themselves extremely lucky they were living under an African National Congress government which had abolished the death penalty and stood firmly by that decision.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 7 1999 - SAPA

BIZOS WELCOMES AMNESTY DECISION ON HANI KILLERS

Veteran human rights lawyer Advocate George Bizos on Wednesday welcomed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's decision to deny amnesty to Chris Hani's killers, saying there was ample evidence they had not fulfilled the conditions required for amnesty.

Bizos, who represented Hani's family at hearings in 1997 on the amnesty application by Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus, said he was not surprised by the TRC amnesty committee's ruling.

"They say they had a political motive but that was not enough," Bizos said. "There are half-a-dozen prerequisites and if you fall down on any of them, you don't get amnesty."

Bizos said the public often did not understand the stringent requirements for amnesty.

Derby-Lewis and Walus claimed they killed Hani because he was a political threat, but they failed to prove they were acting on behalf of the Conservative Party, of which they were both members.

"The committee, correctly in my view, found that Derby-Lewis was a highly placed person in the CP who could not have been confused about its policy and if he was, he only had to ask," Bizos said.

This was different, for instance, from the case of the black Cape Town youths who were given amnesty for the murder of white American exchange student Amy Biehl, because they believed it to be the policy of the Pan Africanist Congress.

"You can't compare youngsters on the street with someone in the leadership of the CP saying he misunderstood CP policy," Bizos said.

Bizos believed the amnesty committee had "done the best they could" with the facilities at their disposal.

"Most of the criticism (of the committee) is not well-founded. People criticise without knowing the facts or the provisions of the act," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON April 7 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICATION OF FORMER TOP EASTERN CAPE SECURITY POLICEMAN

It was vital for the then SA Defence Force's Operation Katzen to spring Charles Sebe from Middledrift Prison in 1986, a former Border security police chief told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in East London on Wednesday.

General Jan Griebenauw also told the TRC's amnesty committee the jailbreak involved the operation's most secret man - Civil Co-operation Bureau chief Joe Verster.

Griebenauw and ex-SADF Chief of Staff Intelligence, General Joffel van der Westhuizen, are seeking amnesty for crimes related to the failed Transkei-Ciskei amalgamation plan to form an anti-African National Congress power bloc in the Eastern Cape.

Griebenauw said Sebe was released in order to lead armed resistance movement Iliso Lomzi in an overthrow of his brother, Ciskei president Lennox Sebe.

He said he had been dead set against Operation Katzen from the start as it was "doomed to failure and I could not associate myself with the methods used".

He said police commissioner General Johann van der Merwe; security police chief General Johan Coetzee; and Brigadier Willem Schoon, head of the ANC-Pan Africanist Congress desk at security police headquarters in Pretoria, were kept fully informed about Operation Katzen from its inception in June 1986 until its scrapping six months later.

Griebenauw referred to Verster while explaining his personal role in both the springing of Sebe from Middledrift Prison and the abduction of Kwane Sebe from the Amatola Sun on September 24 and 25, 1986.

He said his regional security police command carried out the initial intelligence-gathering for both operations.

Griebenauw ordered Warrant Officers Hattingh and Fouche, who had since died, to photograph the prison and pinpoint and sketch Charles Sebe's cell. He then spoke to "Joe Verster of Special Forces".

In the mid-1980's Verster was the SADF's most secret man and one of South Africa's most powerful and decorated military leaders.

He was the founder commander of 5 Reconnaissance Regiment and managing director of the murderous CCB from 1985.

Griebenauw had been told on the telephone that Special Forces "would be the operator and that someone from Special Forces would contact me".

"He arrived later and introduced himself and I knew this was the right person. As I said, I had spoken to Joe Verster before."

Griebenauw said that "after the liberation (of Charles Sebe), Joe Verster told me telephonically that the operation had been successful." "Masked men" from Special Forces had also abducted Ciskei elite unit chief Kwane Sebe and his deputy Bullet Ngwanya, Griebenauw said.

He said his role had been to collect information on border posts and work out safe routes for the snatch team.

Security policemen took up positions on certain roads and "we used codes and flickering lights to safeguard the route to the border post and get the abducted people to safety".

Verster, who received a general's salary as CCB chief, authorised projects before submitting them for approval to the CCB co-ordinator and the chairman - who was also a member of the SADF general staff and head of Special Forces.

Griebenauw said Operation Katzen was never feasible because if Katzen's objective had been met, it would have increased conflict in the region and threatened "the co-operation between the security police and those in Ciskei and Transkei".

"It worried me and didn't sit right with me as a policeman trying to combat terror" that Katzen "was training certain terrorist organisations" like Iliso Lomzi over which there was "no proper control" and which had carried out "acts of terror", he said.

Griebenauw's co-applicant, Van der Westhuizen, testified early on Wednesday that he was unaware of the actual participants in the night raids.

He said SADF Special Forces, then under the command of General Joep Joubert, had carried out these "recommendations and not instructions" made by himself as part of Operation Katzen.

The amnesty hearing continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 7 1999 - SAPA

NAUDE TELLS TRC HE TAKES "FULL RESPONSIBILITY" FOR RIBEIRO DEATHS

The former commander of the SA Defence Force's Special Forces Unit, Charl Naude, on Wednesday said he would take full responsibility for the killing of Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence in 1986.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria he did not know who was responsible for ordering the Ribeiro couple's elimination, but said: "I will take full responsibility".

Judge Hassen Mall told Naude that it was "very noble" of him to take responsibility.

Naude is applying for amnesty for the role he played in the Ribeiro's death.

The couple was shot dead in Mamelodi, outside Pretoria, in December 1986.

Naude said the couple was killed because they transported activists to Swaziland for military training, allowed military training to take place in their house and gave financial assistance to activists in Mamelodi.

Naude's amnesty application continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 7 1999 - SAPA

HANI'S KILLERS FACE LIFE IMPRISONMENT AFTER AMNESTY DENIED

Almost six years to the day after Janusz Walus gunned down Chris Hani in the driveway of his Boksburg home, the world finally learnt that Walus and Clive Derby-Lewis will never be forgiven for their crime.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday rejected the pair's application for amnesty for the murder - the main finding that they had failed to prove the killing was politically motivated.

The TRC's amnesty committee also found that the men had failed to make a full disclosure, another prerequisite for amnesty.

Political parties on the right of the political spectrum slammed the ruling.

Polish immigrant Walus and former Conservative Party parliamentarian Derby-Lewis had tried to prove to the TRC's amnesty committee that they had taken their cue from the CP in killing the general secretary of the SA Communist Party.

But the committee said it was "common cause that the applicants were not acting on their express authority or orders from the Conservative Party which they purport to represent in assassinating Mr Hani".

Evidence by current CP leader Ferdi Hartzenberg that violence was not part of the CP's policy "negated any claim that the public utterances of the CP leadership constituted implied authority for the assassination".

The committee also rejected Walus' claim that he had acted on Derby-Lewis' orders.

"Walus was under no duress or coercion and executed the plan as he deemed fit," the committee said.

"He (Walus) had a clear understanding of the political situation and was active in rightwing politics. He participated fully in political discussions and hatching the plot to assassinate Mr Hani."

The committee picked on the apparent contradiction between Walus' and Derby-Lewis' testimony on the planning of the murder.

The committee also said the men had not fully disclosed information about the nature of the "hitlist" found in Walus' possession after the murder, and the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the murder weapon.

The only finding the committee made on the role of Derby-Lewis' wife Gaye in the murder, was that she had prepared the hit list.

The amnesty committee said that while there were "compelling arguments" in favour a wider argument to kill Hani, it could find no conclusive evidence to prove this.

Walus shot and killed Hani in the driveway of his home in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on April 10, 1993.

He and Derby-Lewis were subsequently convicted and sentenced to death. But their sentences were rendered invalid when capital punishment was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in 1995 and abolished. Their fate now lies with in the hands of the courts and the country's President. In terms of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997, they must return to the court where they were originally sentenced for a new sentence to be passed, according to chief state law adviser Enver Daniels.

The president must approve the new sentences.

The act specifies that life imprisonment should be imposed for certain serious crimes, including planned or premeditated murder. There is no option for appeal against such sentences.

Derby-Lewis' wife, Gaye, expressed shock at the committee's decision but said her husband's lawyers were examining the possibility of challenging the commission's ruling in court.

"We certainly are not going to take the decision lying down."

She said she visited her husband in the morning after he received the news on his amnesty application.

"He is bearing up very well, and nothing will get him down. He is a brave man."

Walus was divorced from his estranged wife Wanda last year and recently applied to marry Berril Roy, his girlfriend of three years, in prison. The Department of Correctional Services has since clamped down on prison marriages.

CP leader Hartzenberg said the timing of the announcement by the TRC was politically motivated because the ANC stood to benefit from the move.

The decision comes in the run-up to the June 2 election, and could be used as election propaganda by the ANC, which hoped to achieve a two-thirds majority, he said. It also coincided with the commemoration of Hani's death in three days' time.

The Freedom Front said it was "a shame" that Walus and Derby-Lewis were not granted amnesty because Hani had a high political profile and had been killed because of his political connections.

FF justice spokesman Rosier de Ville said that if amnesty was given to the Azanian People's Liberation Army operatives who killed innocent members of the congregation of St James church in Cape Town, who had no political connection, it should surely be given to Walusz and Derby-Lewis.

The New National Party said the TRC had been inconsistent in its amnesty decisions, possibly because of political pressure.

"The danger exists that the Amnesty Committee may be tempted to apply different norms and standards depending on who the applicants are and what the political pressures may be," NNP spokesman Jacko Maree said.

Maree, however, declined to say whether his party approved or disapproved of Wednesday's ruling.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said the men deserved to stay in jail for the rest of their lives because what the two men stood for had been "totally barbaric and immoral".

The SACP, which joined Hani's family in opposing amnesty for the men, said the two men had been sparing with the truth, evasive and often arrogant, and the party was convinced they had failed to meet any of the criteria for amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG April 8 1999 - SAPA

COSATU SAYS HANI'S KILLERS SHOWED NO REMORSE

The Congress of SA Trade Unions on Thursday welcomed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's refusal to grant amnesty to Janusz Walus and Clive Derby-Lewis, saying their lack of remorse over Chris Hani's assassination created the impression that they were proud of the murder.

Cosatu said in a statement that Walus and Derby-Lewis failed to make full disclosure before the TRC - a requirement for amnesty - leaving South Africa forever in the dark as to the truth behind Hani's assassination.

"The two henchmen were...arrogant and proud about the murder, leaving the public with the impression that killing is some kind of a skill which they would like to see developed in all our young men and women."

Walus shot and killed Hani in the driveway of his home in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on April 10, 1993.

Cosatu said the two men had squandered the opportunity to reconcile with the people of South Africa, and deserved to be jailed because they continued to live in the past.

The TRC on Wednesday rejected the pair's application for amnesty for the murder. Its main finding was that they had failed to prove the killing was politically motivated.

The committee also dismissed Walus' claim that he had acted on Derby-Lewis' orders, stating that he was active in rightwing politics and had a clear understanding of the political situation. He participated fully in political discussions and in hatching the plot to assassinate Hani, the TRC found.

Walus and Derby-Lewis were convicted and sentenced to death for Hani's murder, but their sentences were rendered invalid when capital punishment was declared unconstitutional and abolished by the Constitutional Court in 1995.

Their fate now lies with in the hands of the courts and the country's president.

Cosatu said it was appalled by the reaction of "right wing" political parties to the TRC's ruling.

"These parties of apartheid are the last to talk about even-handedness. They share the blame in Comrade Hani's murder."

National commemoration rallies and services are expected to be held for Hani this weekend.

Cosatu said the tribute to Hani would be all the more significant because justice had finally been done.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

CAPE TOWN April 8 1999 - SAPA

ANC UNCONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE PROSECUTIONS

The African National Congress was not concerned about prosecution of the party leaders who were refused amnesty this week, not because they were above the law, but because there was nothing to prosecute, Justice Minister Dullah Omar said on Thursday.

None of them had committed an act calling for prosecution, he said in a statement.

Comments by opposition parties on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's refusal this week to grant amnesty to 79 ANC figures, including seven Cabinet ministers, reflected a lack of understanding of the amnesty committee's decision, or a "deliberate attempt to distort", he said.

The reality was that the 79 had applied for amnesty not because they were personally involved in human rights violations, but because as part of the party's leadership they accepted moral and political responsibility for acts committed by its members or supporters, even though they were not aware of the violations.

The amnesty committee had said in its findings that the leaders did not need amnesty because they had not disclosed any act or ommission involving them individually or collectively in human rights violations, Omar said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 8 1999 - SAPA

MBEKI TO ATTEND HANI COMMEMORATION IN E-CAPE IN SATURDAY

Deputy President Thabo Mbeki will attend a rally in Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape on Saturday to commemorate the death on SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani.

Afterwards he will visit Hani's home village at Cofimvaba, Mbeki's office said in Pretoria on Thursday.

Mbeki will be accompanied by the Congress of SA Trade Unions president John Gomomo and SACP chairman Charles Nqakula.

Hani was shot dead in the driveway of his Boksburg home in April 1993.

His killers, former Conservative MP Clive Derby-Lewis and Polish immigrant Janusz Walus, were on Wednesday refused amnesty for the crime.

Commenting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's ruling, Mamoepa said: "Our office can only respect and abide by that decision, and continue to regret the death of Chris Hani."

The rally at Cofimvaba starts at 11am.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 8 1999 - SAPA

CROWD TRIED TO STOP RIBEIROS' KILLERS FROM FLEEING

The two people alleged to have killed Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence at their home in Mamelodi in 1986 were confronted by a group of people when they tried to flee, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Thursday.

"A lot of people surrounded them and they had to fire shots in the air so that they could get to the vehicle and escape," former SA Defence Force special units member Noel Robey said in Pretoria.

Robey is applying for amnesty for the part he played in the Ribeiros' deaths.

They were shot dead by two unknown special forces unit members from northern Namibia in December, 1986.

Robey told the commission he was instructed by the commander of the Northern Transvaal special forces unit, Charl Naude, to help the two soldiers familiarise themselves with the area where the Ribeiros' lived.

He said when the men arrived in Pretoria he picked them up at the special forces headquarters and they introduced themselves as John Pinta and Louis de Silver.

Robey said he assumed the men did not give their real names.

He dropped the men off at Pretoria Central train station, gave them R2000 and told them who their target would be.

Over the next few days Robey met the soldiers at the station and drove them around the Ribeiros' area. The men were then given a red Opel car and told to drive around to acquaint themselves with the area.

Once the soldiers were satisfied that they knew the location, Robey said he phoned Naude and told him that the soldiers were ready to kill the couple.

"Naude told me that we should wait until after 4pm because that is when the Ribeiros would return home." On the day of the murder, Robey picked up the murder weapons, two 45 colt pistols with silencers, and another member of the special forces unit, Coenraad Vlietsra.

"I phoned the men and told them to meet me at 3.30pm. I then went to the station where I parked my Land Rover and walked to the men and handed over the weapons."

It had been decided that Robey would meet Vlietsra in Schoeman Street in central Pretoria, where Robey would exchange his Land Rover for a Golf.

"Unfortunately the Golf didn't start and we had to go in my Land Rover to the rendezvous point where we would meet the men after the operation was completed."

Robey said the soldiers arrived at the meeting point between 6pm and 6.15pm. The men jumped into the Land Rover and Vlietsra into the red Opel. The two cars then drove off in different directions.

The two men were taken back to the station and told by Robey to pay their hotel bill. The next morning he picked the soldiers up at about 5am and dropped them off at the special forces headquarters. He said he never saw them again. Vlietsra, who had also applied for amnesty for the same incident, told the commission that when he drove from the rendezvous point he took the car to special forces headquarters.

He said the two weapons were on the passenger seat.

When Vlietsra arrived at the headquarters he gave the car keys to Naude. He said the murder of the Ribeiros was never discussed again.

Robey told the amnesty committee that he was arrested by Mamelodi police shortly after the killings. He said a judicial hearing was held where he was absolved of all liability and released.

Naude testified earlier in the day that the decision to murder the Ribeiros was made jointly by Brigadier Jack Cronje, Captain Jacques Hechter of the security police and himself.

The hearing continues on Thursday afternoon.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 8 1999 - SAPA

ANC MEMBERS SEEK AMNESTY FOR CONFLICT WITH IFP

Eleven African National Congress members who are seeking amnesty for their role in political conflict between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party in the 1980s, will testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission next week, the TRC said on Thursday.

The applicants were all involved in acts of arson, murder and attempted murder during fighting between the two parties on the East Rand and in the Vaal Triangle, the TRC's amnesty committee said in a statement.

The committee will consider their applications at a week-long hearing at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg from Monday.

Three Pan Africanist Congress members will appear at the same hearing to seek amnesty for crimes committed during fighting between the PAC-aligned Pan Africanist Students Organisation and the ANC-aligned Congress of SA Students in Gauteng in the 1980s.

Most of the PAC and ANC applicants are currently serving lengthy jail sentences, the committee said.

At a separate amnesty hearing from Monday at the JISS Centre in Johannesburg, the TRC is to consider an application by former security police Michael Bellingan who wants amnesty for killing his wife.

A third amnesty hearing would be held from May 3 to 21 at the Central Methodist Church, Johannesburg, where the committee hoped to hear evidence on three cases which it said had not been completely solved.

The committee said it wanted to identify a woman who was killed when South African security forces attacked an ANC safe house in Botswana on December 31, 1986.

ANC combatants Sadi Pule and Take Five were believed to be the original targets of the attack but they were not in the house at the time.

The committee also hoped to identify two ANC members who were shot dead by the police's security branch in Zeerust in 1972. The two men were lured to Zeerust by a third ANC member who was working secretly for the police.

The committee said it also wanted to find Herbert Mbali who was abducted from Lesotho in 1973 by the SA Police.

Mbali was later returned to Lesotho after the kingdom's government intervened, but he has since disappeared.

The TRC appealed to members of the public who had information about these cases to telephone Chandre Gould at the TRC in Cape Town on (021) 4245161.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

PRETORIA April 8 1999 - SAPA

JOUBERT THOUGHT COETZEE KNEW ABOUT RIBEIROS DEATH

Former commander of the SA Defence Force's special forces unit Abraham Joubert on Thursday said he thought former police commissioner Johan Coetzee knew about the killings of Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence in 1986.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria that Coetzee had asked him at a meeting why the couple was eliminated. Coetzee's lawyer, Louis Visser, told Joubert that the police commissioner had denied asking Joubert about the killings.

Joubert is seeking amnesty for his part in the murder of the Ribeiro couple who were shot dead by two unknown Portuguese-speaking special forces unit members from northern Namibia.

They shot the Ribeiros at their home in Mamelodi outside Pretoria in December 1986.

Joubert told the amnesty committee that he gave authorisation for the two soldiers to come to South Africa.

He said he could not remember whom he told to make the necessary arrangements. "I told somebody from Namibia to send them."

Joubert said he also told former Northern Transvaal special forces commander Charl Naude that the Ribeiros could be killed, as long as the security police knew about it.

Naude, who is also applying for amnesty for the same incident, told the committee that the decision to finally murder the couple was made by security police members Brigadier Jack Cronje and Captain Jacques Hechter, and himself.

Naude said the couple were targeted because they transported African National Congress activists to Swaziland for military training, allowed the training to happen in their home, and financed the activists.

He said he instructed special forces member Noel Robey to pick up the Namibian soldiers and help familiarise them with the area where the Ribeiros lived.

Robey said once the operatives knew the location, he phoned Naude and told him plans were in place to kill the couple.

Robey is also applying for amnesty for the deaths.

Robey arranged to meet the men at Pretoria's central railway station which was close to a hotel where they had been living.

He gave them the murder weapons, two 45 Colt pistols. After the soldiers killed the Ribeiros they met Robey at a predetermined place and he took them to the station.

He said when he picked up the operatives they told him they shot the couple in the chest area, and when they tried to flee a group of people confronted them outside the house.

"They had to fire shots in the air to escape." The next morning Robey picked them up at about 5am and dropped them off at the special forces' headquarters.

He told the committee that the soldiers called themselves John Pinta and Louis da Silva.

Robey said he never saw them again.

Naude told the amnesty committee that members from the special forces unit used false names for secrecy purposes.

He said that was also the reason why he never met the soldiers.

Jacob van Jaarsveld, a security police member who also applied for amnesty for the murder, told the committee that he was instructed by Hechter to act as a "sweeper" in the operation.

"My function was to ensure that evidence pointing to police and defence force involvement should be removed."

Van Jaarsveld said that after the Ribeiros were murdered, Hechter phoned him and told him to go to the scene.

"I entered the premises through the courtyard. There was a lot of 9mm bullet shells and pools of blood," he said.

Van Jaarsveld told the committee that he contacted the murder and robbery unit, who arrived shortly afterwards.

Judge Hassen Mall asked him if he removed any of the evidence. Van Jaarsveld replied: "I did not perform my duties as a sweeper."

On Friday, the amnesty committee will hear evidence on the killing of a former KwaNdebele government minister, Piet Ntuli, in July 1986.

Joubert, Van Jaarsveld, and five other former security force members are seeking amnesty for Ntuli's death.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 9 1999 - SAPA

RIGHTWINGER THREATENS TO RESUME TERROR ACTS

A rightwinger, who earlier this year received amnesty for 32 acts of terror, on Friday threatened to resume bombings in solidarity with Chris Hani's assassins who were denied amnesty earlier this week for the SA Communist Party leader's murder.

Dries Kriel, secretary-general of the Boereweerstandsbeweging, in a statement on Friday said he wanted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee to revoke the amnesty it granted him and to "keep me and my comrades in jail".

A TRC spokesman said it was not possible to revoke Kriel's amnesty in terms of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act.

Kriel told Sapa he would make arrangements with his attorney to take the matter up with the amnesty committee.

Kriel said he couldn't live with his conscience, enjoying life on the outside while his comrades languished in jail.

"There's no way I can stay on the outside, so I'll have to do something to go inside."

Although he was sick of bombing, the amnesty committee's decision left him with no choice, he said.

Asked whether he was threatening to resume acts of terror, he said: "It's not a threat, I have no other alternative."

Kriel also made an appeal to other rightwingers who were granted amnesty, to return to jail in protest against Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus' denial of amnesty.

On whether others had indicated that they were prepared to do so, Kriel said: "A couple of blokes who were involved with me, and who also received amnesty, will get together."

He said they were members of Afrikaner resistance movements that had a moratorium on acts of terror and violence.

They would also have to decide whether the moratorium should be lifted.

Kriel earlier this year claimed to have been South Africa's most prolific planter of bombs in the early '90s.

"No other activist from any side has been in more bomb explosions than I have been," he said then.

Last year Kriel, who is also the chairman of the Nylstroom based "League of Boer Prisoners of War", asked Queen Elizabeth II to apologise for atrocities committed during the Boer War of 1899 to 1902.

He was suspended from the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging in December 1997.

A spokesman for the crime prevention and response division of the police, Mohlabi Tlomatsana, said: "We take all threats seriously.

"Now that it is the election period we wouldn't like people to inflame others." © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 9 1999 - SAPA

FORMER PTA COP DETONATED BOMB THAT KILLED NTULI

A former Pretoria murder and robbery unit member, Stephanus Oostuizen, on Friday admitted to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee that he detonated the car bomb which killed former KwaNdebele interior minister Piet Ntuli in 1986.

Oostuizen, who is seeking amnesty for his part in Ntuli's death, told the TRC in Pretoria that he offered to detonate the car bomb.

Ntuli was killed outside the Siyabuswa police station in the former homeland when the bomb, which was placed under the car, exploded on July 29, 1986.

Oostuizen told the commission a former security police member, Captain Jacques Hechter, placed the bomb under the car.

Abraham Kandale, the former police security branch commander of Bronkhorstspruit, told the amnesty committee he drove Hechter to Ntuli's car.

He said he did not know that Hechter was going to plant the bomb, but said: "I suspected that Hechter was up to dirty tricks."

Kandale is also applying for amnesty for the same incident.

Kandale and Oostuizen told the committee the main reason why Ntuli was killed was because he led a vigilante group which was responsible for political unrest in the area.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN April 9 1999 - SAPA

ANC, AWB MEMBERS GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Friday granted amnesty to four African National Congress activists and a member of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbewiging for various gross human rights violation acts on Friday.

Commission spokesman Phila Ngqumba said the AWB's Johannes Christian Visser was pardoned for placing a bomb in a Krugersdorp building in 1993. He stated in his application that his actions were taken to stop black people from taking over the country and to protect what whites had.

ANC Self Defence Unit members Motumi Tsepe Edwin, Michael Bongani Xaba and Musa Buthelezi received amnesty for possessing AK 47 rifles, firearms and ammunition in 1991 in Soweto and Johannesburg.

The fourth amnesty recipient was former Congress of South African Students (Cosas) member Petrus Gcinumzi Malindi for a public violence offence he committed in Soweto in 1981.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 9 1999 - SAPA

JOUBERT AUTHORISES CAR BOMB THAT KILLED PIET NTULI

Former commander of the SA Defence Force's special forces unit Abraham "Joep" Joubert on Friday said he authorised a car bomb to be made that killed former KwaNdebele cabinet minister Piet Ntuli in 1986.

"I authorised the bomb because I knew Ntuli was a key figure in the African National Congress struggle," he told the Truth and

Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria.

Joubert said the bomb was requested by a member of the security police, but he could not remember who it was.

He is seeking amnesty for his part in the murder of Ntuli, who was KwaNdebele's interior minister at the time.

Ntuli was eliminated outside the Siyabuswa police station in the former homeland when the bomb, which was placed under the driver's seat, exploded on July 29, 1986.

The police station was close to the government offices. Former special forces member Trevor Floyd, who applied for amnesty for the same incident, said he decided on the type of bomb and where it should be planted.

He told the commission that Joubert instructed him to meet with security police members Brigadier Jack Cronje and Captain Jacques Hechter, so that they could inform him about the operation.

"They told me about Ntuli and his activities and I was under the impression that he was an ANC member responsible for terrorism."

Floyd said Hechter took him to the police station where he did a reconnaissance of the area.

He said he told Joubert what type of bomb had to be made and asked for two arming devices which would detonate the bomb.

Once the bomb was made, Joubert told Floyd to take it to Cronje and Hechter and show them how it worked.

"There was no further involvement from the special forces side."

Former murder and robbery unit members Stephanus Oosthuizen and Deon Gouws both accepted responsibility for detonating the car bomb.

Each of them was supplied with a device to set off the car bomb.

Oosthuizen and Gouws were situated in Siyabuswa at the time of the killing because they were investigating about 300 murders that had taken place in the area.

Both men told the amnesty committee that they became involved in the police operation after being approached by Hechter.

Oosthuizen and Gouws are also seeking amnesty for the killing. "I accepted that it was necessary (to kill Ntuli) because the police security branch would have done their homework and I knew what Ntuli was involved in," Oosthuizen said.

He said Ntuli was suspected of several murders and assault and was involved with stolen vehicles and firearms.

"We had witnesses against Ntuli, but they did not want to give evidence because they were intimidated."

Oosthuizen told the commission that Hechter planted the bomb. Abraham Kendall, the former security police commander of Bronkhorstspruit, said he drove Hechter to Ntuli's car.

He said he did not know that Hechter was going to plant the bomb, but said: "I suspected that Hechter was up to dirty tricks."

Kendall is also applying for amnesty for Ntuli's death.

"For 10 years I was suspected of killing Ntuli until the commission found out that other people were involved," he said. "I was affected to such an extent by the entire matter that I was discharged from the police force for medical reasons, had psychiatric treatment and had to undergo electro-shock therapy."

Kendall said that while he was driving to Bronkhorstspruit he was informed that the bomb had exploded.

He said he went back to the police station and identified Ntuli's body.

On Monday, the amnesty committee will hear more evidence on Ntuli's death. Former security police member Jaap van Jaarsveld still has to testify in his amnesty application for the killing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN April 10 1999 - SAPA

MORE THAN 1000 ATTEND HANI RALLY AT KHAYALITSHA

More than a thousand African National Congress supporters on Saturday attended a rally in Khayalitsha to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani.

Hani was gunned down in the driveway of his Boksburg home in April 1993.

Speakers included Congress of South African Trade Unions provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich and SACP central committee member Gwede Mantashe.

Ehrenreich said it was Hani's ideal to improve workers' lives.

"Hani always had the interests of the poor and working class at heart. That is why he chose to lead the Communist Party," Ehrenreich said.

"He was a true socialist."

Enrenreich urged Congress of South African Trade Unions members to vote for the ANC in the June 2 poll to ensure the protection of workers' rights.

Mantashe told the crowd that Hani had vowed to support the trade union movement.

"His fight against the exploitation of workers was always evident, that is why he chose to work for the SACP full-time," Mantashe said.

He said the tradition of a trade union movement to support the ANC in the coming elections should be continued.

Hani was never afraid to confront theorists, he said.

Also attending the rally were ANC MP John Gogotya as well as SACP stalwart Brian Bunting.

On Wednesday the Truth and Reconciliation Commission refused amnesty to Hani's killers, former Conservative Party Member of Parliament Clive Derby-Lewis and Polish immigrant Janusz Walus.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association COFIMVABA April 10 1999 - SAPA

THOUSANDS GATHER TO PAY TRIBUTE TO HANI

The African National Congress officially kicked off its election campaign in the Eastern Cape on sat with a rally to mark the 6th anniversary of the death of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani.

Several thousand people gathered on a field outside Cofimvaba in the former Transkei, near where Hani was born, to hear ANC president Thabo Mbeki and other political heavy weights urge them to cast their votes for the ruling party on June 2.

Mbeki pledged that after the election more would be done to improve roads, education and access to water in the area.

"We have to address the challenges of development in the Transkei knowing it is one of the most underdeveloped areas in the country," he said.

Mbeki paid tribute to Hani who he said had never fought for high office but only to liberate his people.

A light drizzle fell intermittently throughout the day, and that together with muddy roads in the area caused by recent heavy rains meant attendance at the rally was lower than organisers had hoped.

Former Pan Africanist Congress MP Malcolm Dyani also urged that people vote for the ANC, to which he recently defected.

Dyani accused the PAC of acting like the Democratic Party and said he no longer belonged in its ranks.

He claimed there were other PAC members who also wanted to defect but were afraid to do so.

Eastern cape premier Makhenkisi Stofile said the ANC would not apologise for wanting a two-thirds majority in the June poll, saying every party wanted to win 100 percent of a vote.

After the rally, Mbeki and his entourage travelled down muddy roads to Lower Sabalele where Hani was born in 1942.

Hani's frail 81-year-old mother Nomayisi still lives there and Mbeki visited her and her two sons, Christopher and Victor, before addressing a small meeting of local residents.

Chris Hani's real name was Martin Thembisile Hani, but he took the pseudonym Chris, after his brother Christopher, when he joined the armed struggle against white rule.

Hani was gunned down in the driveway of this Boksburg home in April 1993.

On Wednesday the Truth and Reconciliation Commission refused amnesty to Hani's killers - Conservative Party Member of Parliament Clive Derby-Lewis and Polish immigrant Janusz Walus.

Asked about reports that National Party cabinet minister Pik Botha had expressed interest in joining the ANC, Mbeki said the issue had not been discussed.

"He (Botha) has not made any approach to the ANC. I am sure he is not going to do that." The Eastern Cape is expected to be hotly contested in the June poll, and while ANC leaders dismiss support for former homeland military ruler Bantu Holomisa's United Democratic Movement as inconsequential, they are taking the campaign in the province very seriously.

"Holomisa, who was expelled from the ANC after accusing Public Enterprises Minister Stella Sigcau of taking a bribe, commands considerable support from thousands of people who served as civil servants under his regime in the former homeland.

Several other rallies to commemorate Hani's death were also staged around the country on Saturday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 10 1999 - SAPA

WINNIE WARNS RIGHTWINGERS

African National Congress Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on Saturday warned rightwingers not to embark on acts of terror, saying such action would be suicidal.

Speaking in Bloemfontein, she said rightwingers wanted to embark on violence to protest the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's refusal to grant amnesty to the assassins of SA Community Party leader Chris Hani, SABC television news reported.

"If they choose to be suicidal its their democratic right, but they must know to not try us further.

"Don't awaken the sleeping giants," Madikizela-Mandela warned.

She was speaking on the same day that the general staff of the rightwing Boere Weerstandsbeweging, met to decide whether to resume the armed struggle in protest against the TRC amnesty committee's decision earlier this week not to grant amnesty to Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus.

BWB leader Andrew Ford told Sapa on Saturday night that he would release a statement on Monday.

Ford, who had watched the television news bulletin, reacted angrily to Madikizela-Mandela's warning.

"I would like to tell her (that) she's never seen what the boers can do. We will take our country back. She can be bloody sure of that.

"We're not scared of those blacks."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association BRITS, North-West Province April 11 1999 - SAPA

SACP LEADER CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO HANI MURDER TO BE REOPENED

The SA Communist Party on Sunday called for the investigation into the murder of its former secretary-general, Chris Hani, in 1993 to be reopened.

Speaking at a rally in the North-West Province, SACP secretary-general Blade Nzimande said that National Director of Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka should reopen the probe.

"We are not asking for a reinvestigation because we are being vindictive, but only because we want the real truth to come out, as the only basis for taking our country forward," he said.

Nzimande's call was supported by Congress of SA Trade Unions president John Gomomo. The rally was attended by thousands of African National Congress, SACP and Cosatu tripartite alliance supporters.

Also present were Hani's widow Limpho, President Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graca.

Nzimande said the SACP was not asking for the investigation to be reopened in order to prolong the pain of the Hani family, but because "we want to ensure the whole truth must come out so that never again shall such acts take place in our country".

In a message to Hani's convicted assassins, Clive Derby-Lewis and Janus Walusz, Nzimande said: "We would like to say to them that we know that there was a wider conspiracy in the murder of Chris Hani."

It was clear that both men had now been dumped and were left to carry the burden of the conspiracy.

"We would also like to use this occasion to call upon all the Afrikaners in this country not to be misled once more by those who wanted to use the denial of amnesty to Derby-Lewis and Walusz for their own narrow ends to undermine our democracy."

Hani's murder and the denial of amnesty to his killers should be used by Afrikaners as an opportunity to seek to strengthen the countries non- racial and non-sexist democracy, Nzimande said.

He urged Afrikaner working people, in particular, to forge a common cause with their black working-class compatriots to ensure that the country would never again be characterised by racial division and hatred.

Nzimande also attacked political opportunism and careerism within the ANC, noting Hani had campaigned vigorously against this.

"This is a lesson we must learn even more today when there are temptations for some of our very own comrades to use their new-found positions to surround themselves with yes-men and women around them and to think through their stomachs."

In his address, Mandela again warned those seeking to promote violence that the government would leave no stone unturned to establish lasting peace and to deal ruthlessly with perpetrators. Violence of all kinds, include those on the mines and the taxi industry, was a threat to the achievement of a better society.

Referring to problems between workers and some farmers in the province, Mandela said it was regrettable that there were individual farmers who were still steeped in attitudes of the past and continued to treat their employees as possessions rather than human beings.

He was echoing the views of Molefe, who earlier publicly named individual farmers in the province as people who treated their workers worse than cats and dogs.

Mandela said such attitudes, which were expressed in ill-treatment or eviction of farm workers or in hindering registration for voting, undermined the building of a new nation.

These attitudes were also a setback for the commendable efforts of organised agriculture to take joint responsibility with government for advancing the rights of farmworkers.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN April 12 1999 - SAPA

HOLOMISA WANTS INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF TRANSKEI COUP

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa on Monday renewed his call for an independent and unbiased investigation into the 1990 abortive coup in the former Transkei, which he ruled at the time.

In a letter to police commissioner George Fivaz, asking for a personal meeting to discuss the issue, he said it was common knowledge that the then South African government and its security apparatus vehemently denied any involvement in the coup attempt.

However, according to Truth and Reconciliation Commission documents, a number of former South African Police and defence force personnel had lodged amnesty applications for their involvement in the coup.

Holomisa said that last year he had brought to the attention of the government the fact that there were "plans by the leaders of the ruling party" to induce the police unit investigating the matter "to trump up politically inspired charges against me".

For this reason, members of the former SAP and ANC armed wing Mkhonto weSizwe, now in the police service, did not have the moral authority to investigate the case.

The argument for the recusal of those security (force) members was now further reinforced by the amnesty applications, he said.

"In a nutshell, they cannot investigate themselves, hence my call once again for independent and unbiased investigations.

"Noting that the wishes of the ANC was to have me charged... for the abortive coup... it is important to note that no charges were preferred against me."

Holomisa said that according to his latest information, which he did not intend undermining or disregarding, "(the investigating unit) is seemingly under pressure".

"I am willing to discuss with you personally the serious allegations pertaining to the... investigative unit, including the modalities of establishing an independent investigative unit," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 12 1999 - SAPA

BWB WANTS TO SEE WINNIE PROSECUTED

The rightwing Boere Weerstandbeweging (BWB) will meet deputy attorney-general Paul Fick in Pretoria on Wednesday about the failure to prosecute African National Congress Women's League president Winnie Madikizela- Mandela and others accused of gross human rights violations.

The organisation said it had no alternative but to take action after the denial of amnesty to the assassins of SA Community Party leader Chris Hani.

BWB leader Andrew Ford said on Monday that a weekend meeting of the organisation's general staff had unanimously decided that the failure to release "boer prisoners of war", including Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus, was totally unacceptable.

The transition to democracy had resulted in an undertaking that political prisoners be freed and that the release would be handled by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

"It is very clear that the present amnesty committee is racist in its handling of boer prisoners of war and that their (the government's) promises were aimed at leading the boers up the garden path."

The government had to realise that its blatant lies and ruthless action had given the boer nation no choice but to take action, Ford said.

. "If they don't give us our Boer Republic and they don't free our prisoners, we have no option but to go to war," Ford said.

Ford also rejected Madikizela-Mandela's warning at the weekend that any campaign of terror by the rightwing would be suicidal.

The BWB believed that the Boer Republic belonged historically to the Boer and not to the Afrikaner, Xhosa and other nations.

"The boer nation will, as its ancestors did, cleanse the land of Xhosas and other foreign elements and will not rest until every nation in South Africa rules itself.

"Only then will true peace be possible," Ford said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 12 1999 - SAPA

BELLINGAN'S AMNESTY HEARING POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY

The amnesty hearing of former security policeman Michael Bellingan was on Monday postponed to Wednesday after his representative, Johan Hattingh, asked for more time to prepare and study the details of the application.

Bellingan is serving a 25-year jail term in Johannesburg's Diepkloof Prison for the murder of his wife Janine, whom he beat on the head with a wheel spanner and strangled with a hairdryer cord in 1991.

He is seeking amnesty on the grounds that the murder was politically motivated as he killed her in defence of secret security information for which she had threatened to expose him.

Hattingh requested the postponement on the grounds that he had been instructed at short notice following the withdrawal of Bellingan's original representative, Roelof du Plessis, last week.

Requesting that the hearings be resumed on Thursday, Hattingh told Judge Denzil Potgieter that he had received instructions to replace Du Plessis last Wednesday only, and said he could not guarantee that he would be ready to do so by Thursday.

His submission was unanimously opposed by representatives of other parties, including the victim's family.

Hattingh pointed out that Bellingan was keen to see the matter pursued, so much so that he was prepared to testify without any representation.

After lengthy deliberations, it was agreed to arrange for Du Plessis to travel from Pretoria - where he was said to be attending another hearing - and give reasons for his withdrawal.

On his arrival, Du Plessis said he had been instructed by his attorneys to withdraw for reasons that he could not divulge because of ethical considerations.

He said Bellingan was not involved in any way with "certain occurrences" that had led to his withdrawal. Bellingan had always insisted on the speedy pursuance of the matter.

Granting the postponement, Judge Porgieter said while it was in the interests of justice to ensure the matter did not proceed without proper representation for Bellingan, it was also in the interests of justice that the matter was not delayed unduly.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 13 1999 - SAPA

FORMER SPECIAL INVESTIGATING UNIT MEMBER ADMITS TO MURDERING ACTIVIST

Former police special investigating unit member Stephanus Oosthuizen on Tuesday admitted he was one of the men who shot dead nine Mamelodi activists in the former KwaNdebele in 1986.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria that he, Deon Gouws who was a former member of the same unit, and askari Joe Mamasela, shot the nine at a house in Vlaklaagte in June that year.

Oosthuizen and Gouws are applying for amnesty for their role in the killings of the "KwaNdebele 9".

Oosthuizen, a warrant officer at the time, said the men were brought to Vlaklaagte by Mamasela, who told them they were to receive a crash course in handling AK47 assault rifles.

On the day of the killing, Mamasela first entered a room where the activists were standing in a line waiting for their training. Gouws went in next, followed by Oosthuizen.

The men were gunned down with AK47's.

Oosthuizen said he, Gouws and Mamasela ran out of the room after the shooting.

Either Gouws or former security police Captain Jacques Hechter then poured petrol over the bodies and set them alight, Oosthuizen told the hearing.

Family members of the victims started crying at Oosthuizen's testimony that the victims' bodies were burnt.

Oosthuizen said the Mamelodi activists were targeted because they were planning to go abroad for military training.

Eric van der Berg, lawyer for the victims' families, told the hearing that one of the victims was not from Mamelodi, and had been visiting his grandparents in KwaNdebele for three days.

He said Mabuso Malabolo's grandmother was informed of his death a week later.

At the time of the shooting, Gouws and Oosthuizen were stationed in KwaNdebele to investigate about 300 politically motivated murders by former cadres.

The special investigating unit they worked for was tasked with investigating terrorism and political murders.

Former security policeman Jacob van Jaarsveld and former Bronkhorstspruit security branch commander Abraham Kendall are also applying for amnesty for their roles in the killing of the nine youths.

The hearing continues.

© South African Press Association, 1999 This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association STELLENBOSCH April 13 1999 - SAPA

LEON CHALLENGES WINNIE TO PUBLIC DEBATE

Democratic Party leader Tony Leon on Tuesday challenged African National Congress Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to a public debate on controversial issues surrounding her.

Addressing Stellenbosch University students, he said "the DP believes that the time has come for an open and frank discussion about Mrs Mandela".

She found herself on the wrong side of the law.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had found her and her football club guilty of gross violations of human rights.

Why had the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, not started legal proceedings against her? Leon asked.

This was a test case for the independence of Ngcuka's office.

Leon said he suspected Madikizela-Mandela, who was in the top 10 of the ANC's election candidates, was being shielded because of information she claimed to possess which could bring down the government.

"We in the DP have nothing to fear from Mrs Mandela. If the government will not call her to account, the opposition will," Leon said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 13 1999 - SAPA

FOUR ANC SELF DEFENCE UNIT MEMBERS GET AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced on Tuesday it had granted amnesty to four former ANC self- defence unit members for the illegal possession of arms and ammunition on the East Rand in the early 1990s.

Mahlomola Israel Mabote, Sidney Siphiwe Nemaorani, Kali Letsopa and Joseph "Parkson" Pako Gaelatse, were never prosecuted for possession of the arms in Thokoza township between 1990 and 1993.

The TRC's amnesty committee said in a statement the group met the requirements for amnesty because the men were taking part in a political struggle.

The offence, while a crime, was not considered a gross violation of human rights.

"We are satisfied that the applicants were members of the self-defence units (SDUs) and that the SDUs were established because of the political struggle between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party in the area at the time," the committee said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 13 1999 - SAPA

FORMER INVESTIGATING UNIT MEMBER ADMITS TO SETTING ACTIVISTS ALIGHT

A former police special investigating unit member, Deon Gouws, on Tuesday admitted that he set alight the bodies of nine activists after they were gunned down in 1986.

Gouws told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that he set the bodies alight after former security police Captain Jacques Hechter poured petrol over the bodies.

Hechter, who has already been granted amnesty for his part in the incident, testified during his amnesty application that he did not pour petrol over the bodies.

Gouws is seeking amnesty for his role in the killings of the "KwaNdebele Nine", who were shot dead at a house in Vlaklaagte in the former KwaNdebele in June 1986.

Gouws and another former member of the investigating unit, Stephanus Oosthuizen, told the commission that they and former askari Joe

Mamasela shot the activists.

Oosthuizen is also applying for amnesty for the killings.

Mamasela has not applied for amnesty for the incident. He was granted indemnity from prosecution in return for helping the Attorney-General track down former security police involved in human rights abuses.

Gouws and Oosthuizen said they became involved in the operation after Hechter contacted them.

Oosthuizen told the amnesty committee the men were bought to Vlaklaagte by Mamasela, who told them they would receive a crash course in handling AK47 assault rifles.

On the day of the killing, Mamasela first entered a room where the activists were standing in a line along the wall waiting for their training.

The men were shot dead with AK47s.

Gouws said some women and children were in another room and he heard them screaming and crying.

He said that after the cadres were gunned down, Hechter, who was waiting outside the house, went into the room and poured petrol over the bodies and he set them alight with a match.

Gouws's evidence was disputed because he said Hechter poured the petrol, but he said it was impossible for him to hold an AK47 and a can of petrol.

Former security police captain, Jacob van Jaarsveld, said Hechter told him the next day that he doused the bodies in petrol. Van Jaarsveld has also applied for amnesty for the incident.

He told the commission that Hechter asked himto take part, but when Hechter and Gouws went to pick him up on the night of the shooting, he did not go with them because his son was sick.

Former Bronkhorstspruit security branch commander, Abraham Kendall, withdrew his amnesty application for the killings later in the day after evidence heard revealed that he had applied for the wrong incident.

On Wednesday, the amnesty committee will hear evidence on ANC cadres that were shot dead at a road block in Silent Valley near Thabazimbi.

They were allegedly smuggling weapons into South Africa.

Eight former security officers will apply for amnesty for the shooting.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG, 14 April 1999 - SAPA

BELLINGAN SOBS AS HE RECOUNTS MURDER

Convicted murderer and former security policeman Michael Bellingan on Wednesday broke down and sobbed as he told an amnesty committee hearing in Johannesburg how he found his children asleep as he was about to kill his wife Janine in 1991.

Bellingan told committee chairman, judge Denzel Potgieter, that his two children, 10-month-old Steven and Kate, aged five years, were asleep when he checked on them.

Under cross examination by Jerome Chaskalson, leading evidence for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee, Bellingan on Wednesday said he had been unable to change his mind about murdering his wife as he had already decided to kill her.

Chaskalson told Bellingan he could have tried to ascertain whether his wife was going to expose him, and he could have attempted to make her change her mind if she did.

Bellingan is serving a 25-year-term in Johannesburg's Diepkloof Prison for the murder.

He beat his wife on the head with a wheelspanner and strangled her with a hairdryer cord.

He is seeking amnesty on the grounds that the murder was politically motivated as he killed her in defence of secret security information for which she had threatened to expose him.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association 14 April 1999 - SAPA

POLICE INFORMER SHOT DEAD BECAUSE "HE WOULD BE WORTHLESS"

Former commander of the western Transvaal, Johannes Steyn, told the amnesty committee he decided the MK members should be arrested.

He said that after the details of the roadblock were sorted out, he left the scene and drove closer to the border so that he could warn the police when the car was on its way.

He said he left former security member Wickus Loots in control of the arrests.

Steyn and Loots are both applying for amnesty for the incident.

Loots said that after the police members had practised how they would arrest the cadres, he decided they should instead be eliminated.

"If shooting should have broken out (between the cadres and the police) our members would have fired on one another."

The police would have been on both sides of road if an arrest had taken place. During the killing they were all one side.

He said there were no bushes where the police could conceal themselves.

Loots said he did not tell Steyn the police had decided to kill the men because they were communicating on a "general channel" of a police radio and secrecy could not be maintained.

He said Steyn contacted him and told him the bakkie was on its way to the roadblock.

Loots said the car stopped at the farm gate, and the police fired at it.

The shooting lasted less than one minute, and after the operation was completed he counted 84 shots on the outside of the car.

Loots told the commission he did not fire any shots.

After the shooting ended he went to the bakkie, he saw six handgrenades, and two pistols the cadres were armed with.

Moatshe was not armed, Loots said. "I probably would have come to the same conclusion that elimination was the only way out," Steyn said.

He said it would have been impossible for the police to have fired on the cadres, and not shoot Moatshe.

Former security police member Daniel Nieuwenhuis, told the amnesty committee that he objected to arresting the men because his "life would have been in danger".

He said if the men had been arrested his role would have been to smash the bakkie's right window and apprehend the men.

Another policeman would have been at the left window and one would have jumped on the back of the bakkie. "It would have been problematic because if I failed to smash the window in my first attempt I would not have seen them in the dark".

Nieuwenhuis is seeking amnesty for shooting the men.

Loots said that when he went back to the bakkie, he found an AK47 assault rifle in the car that had not previously been there.

He said he did not know who planted the rifle in the car.

Former police Colonel Roelf Venter, who has received amnesty for the incident, testified during his application that the plan had been to plant weapons in the car.

Loots said no plan had been made to place weapons in the bakkie.

The bodies were taken to a mortuary in Thabazimbi, and identified by fingerprints.

Applicants William Smith and Christoffel Smit testified that they also shot the men.

The amnesty hearing continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON, 14 April 1999 - SAPA

COUP TO OVERTHROW HOLOMISA UNDER TRC SPOTLIGHT

The abortive November 1990 Transkei coup, in which coup leader Craig Duli was killed under dubious circumstances, comes under the spotlight of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Thursday.

Former Austrian industrialist, turned Transkei police spy Rainer Moringer is seeking amnesty for his role in abducting Butterworth building tycoon Vulindlela Mbotoli, who was sentenced for his involvement in the 1990 coup attempt.

Moringer's hearing will take place in East London.

Mbotoli met Moringer when both were directors of an East London-based property company, later linked by the Harm's Commission to the South African Defence Force Military Intelligence.

Mbotoli was kidnapped at Moringer's Johannesburg home and rendered unconscious with chloroform.

He was then driven to Transkei by intelligence agents where he was tried for the coup attempt against the military government of General Bantu Holomisa. He was sentenced to 20 years before receiving a Presidential pardon in 1995.

In 1995 police confirmed that forensic tests showed the weapons used in the coup, in which 10 rebels died, had originated from the SADF.

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, his former deputy Willie Nortje and five other former Vlakplaas police death squad members appear before the amnesty committee next week to seek amnesty for supplying the weapons for the coup.

The TRC said it had notified Holomisa, now leader of the United Democratic Movement, that his name would be mentioned at Thursday's hearing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 15 1999 - SAPA

BELLINGAN ASKS FAMILY OF SLAIN WIFE FOR FORGIVENESS

The family of the slain wife of former "dirty tricks" security policeman Michael Bellingan on Thursday said they would never forgive him for her murder and would never understand the motives behind his deed.

This was after Bellingan had asked the family for forgiveness and for them to understand the situation he had been in at the time of the murder.

He told Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee chairman judge Denzel Potgieter that he knew the family would never forgive him.

Janine Bellingan's brother, Keith Potter, told Sapa Bellingan had committed the murder to promote his own political interests and was still protecting some people.

Potter refused to elaborate.

Bellingan earlier testified that his late wife used to work for the police as an informer.

He said he had information that she was going to leak sensitive details on the operations of the police.

Bellingan is applying for amnesty for the 1991 murder of his wife whom he hit on the head with a wheel spanner. He strangled her with a cord.

He is currently serving a 25 year jail sentence in Johannesburg's Diepkloof prison.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 15 1999 - SAPA

THIBEDI WILL NOT OPPOSE AMNESTY APPLICATION OF LOOTS

North West legislature speaker Jerry Thibedi on Thursday said he would not oppose an amnesty application of a former security policeman who ordered his elimination in 1987.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that the failed murder attempt was a "chapter in my life that I have closed".

Thibedi was referring to former colonel, Phillippus Loots, who is seeking amnesty for his role in the attempted murder.

A bomb was thrown through a window of Thibedi's house in Soshanguve outside Pretoria on October 22, 1987.

Thibedi was the northern Transvaal chairman of the Congress of SA Trade Unions at the time of the botched murder attempt.

Loots told the amnesty committee earlier in the day that Thibedi was targeted because he was a key player in the anti- apartheid struggle.

He said that on the night of the murder attempt security policemen Captain Hechter, Paul van Vuuren, a man nicknamed "Slang", and askari Joe Mamasela drove to Thibedi's house in a minibus.

Loots said he stayed in the minibus, while Hechter and Mamasela went to the house where Hechter threw the bomb through the window.

The next day Hechter told Loots that Thibedi had not been alone in the house, and that nobody had been injured.

Loots said Mamasela had informed Hechter that Thibedi's home was a safe house.

He said if he had known it was Thibedi's home he would not have allowed the bomb to be placed there because he would not have wanted to injure Thibedi's family.

Loots told Thibedi he was "extremely glad" his family was not hurt.

Hechter and Van Vuuren have received amnesty for the incident.

Mamasela has not applied for amnesty for the attempted murder. He was granted indemnity from prosecution in return for helping the Attorney-General track down former security police involved in human rights abuses.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 15 1999 - SAPA

NINE FORMER SECURITY POLICEMEN DENIED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Thursday announced it had denied amnesty to nine of 14 former security policemen who killed six MK cadres near Alldays in the North West province in the 1980s.

A police informer based in Botswana was driving the MK cadres, who had just come into the country, in a minibus when they were ambushed.

Amnesty was denied to Andries Erwee, Nicholas Coetzee, Jacobus van der Berg, Willem van Dyk, Johannes Strydom, Pieter Dreer, Willem van der Merwe, Josef Venter and Phillip Theunis Fourie.

The denial was in relation to their false affidavits about the murders of MK cadres Lenepa Moloi, Thlabane Mogashoa, Walter Alset and three other unknown cadres.

Amnesty was granted to the informer involved, Maropeng Sehlwana, for his role.

Committee members Judge Bernard Ngoepe, Sisi Khampepe and Chris De Jager presided over the hearing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 15 1999 - SAPA

ABDUCTION WAS LEGAL UNDER TRANSKEI LAW: HOLOMISA

The 1991 abduction of prominent Transkei politician Vulindela Mbotoli from his Johannesburg home was legal according to the homeland government's laws at the time, former military ruler General Bantu Holomisa said on Thursday.

He was reacting to testimony from Austrian citizen Rainer Moringer, at his Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing in East London.

Moringer is applying for amnesty for the kidnapping.

Moringer testified on Thursday that he had acted under the apparent instructions of Holomisa, after being recruited for the operation by former director of military intelligence, Colonel Washington Ndzwayiba.

Holomisa told Sapa his military council had issued a decree in reaction to the then South African government's destabilisation tactics.

"Many people who ran away from the Transkei were given refuge by Pretoria, and Pretoria used them to destabilise us.

"A decree was passed where we empowered our police to follow up perpetrators of political crimes and bring them back (to the Transkei) without South Africa's permission." This was necessary as the Pretoria regime was violating bilateral foreign relations with the Transkei, Holomisa said.

"Our security forces arrested Mbotoli, fully knowing it was legal."

Holomisa said he had only met Moringer six months after Mbotoli's arrest, although it was possible that the Austrian's handlers had given the impression that they were acting on his (Holomisa's) orders.

Holomisa said the South African government had protested about the decree at the time.

When Mbotoli was tried in the Transkei as a coup plotter, his defence team had also tried to challenge the legality of the decree.

"The Chief Justice dismissed it as he recognised the legality of the military government's decree," Holomisa said.

Mbotoli was sentenced to 20 years in prison for treason and murder, but was pardoned by President Nelson Mandela after serving five years.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON April 15 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS OF KIDNAPPING BY TRANSKEI AGENTS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee heard on Thursday how Transkei property tycoon Vulindlela Mbotoli was kidnapped in Johannesburg by Transkei military intelligence operatives and taken to the former homeland to face charges of plotting against the military government of General Bantu Holomisa.

Amnesty applicant Rainer Moringer, 57, an Austrian businessman who worked unofficially for Transkei military intelligence, told the East London hearing how he lured Mbotoli on the night of the abduction to a friend's home for a meeting where he said a Swiss banker would give Mbotoli information on rumoured Swiss bank accounts held by Holomisa, now leader of the United Democratic Movement.

Mbotoli, 59, was kidnapped on April 12, 1991, and then sentenced for 20 years for plotting Transkei's abortive November 1990 coup.

Mbotoli was rendered unconscious by chloroform and injected with a mystery drug for the 12-hour drive from Johannesburg to the Transkei special forces base near Port St Johns for interrogation.

He said his health had suffered and he had been in pain for a long time from the after effects of the unknown drug.

He was released from prison after receiving a presidential pardon in 1995.

Mbotoli said Moringer's betrayal was hard to bear.

"I knew Rainer. I have travelled with him beyond the borders of Transkei and elsewhere and I have introduced him to various leaders in our neighbouring black states as he is an able and capable businessman."

The Austrian, who has lived in South Africa for 30 years, testified earlier he had dissuaded Transkei military intelligence from killing Mbotoli and suggested abduction as the best course in finding out who else was involved in plotting coup attempts against Holomisa's government.

He said his motive for involvement in the abduction was to ensure no harm came to Mbotoli as well as ensuring the status quo in the Transkei was maintained to secure a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa.

Moringer said he did not know what drug had been used to sedate Mbotoli.

He admitted to requesting a knockout substance for the long drive "through hostile territory".

It came in ampule form and needed breaking before a syringe needle was inserted into it for extraction. He said he was merely told it would "do the job" and saw it for the first time on the night of the kidnapping.

The substance was flown to Johannesburg from Umtata via Transkei Airlines and delivered to the Transkei embassy in Pretoria.

The hearing, initially set down for two days, ended on Thursday. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 16 1999 - SAPA

BELLINGAN RAVES OVER "STOLEN" DOCUMENT, CAUSES DELAYS

Former "dirty tricks" security policeman Michael Bellingan, currently seeking amnesty for the 1991 murder of his wife, on Friday almost brought his TRC hearing in Johannesburg to a standstill when he vowed not to answer any questions until his cross-examiner revealed the source of a document which Bellingan claimed had been stolen from his personal files.

The drama began when Mrs Bellingan's family representative, Gys Rautenberg, proceeded to cross-examine Bellingan on the contents of the controversial document.

But Bellingan told the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that the document had been obtained through "malicious, devious means" and that he would not respond to any question until Rautenberg told the committee how it reached him.

"The document is the fiction of my mind and was part of my cover story and is, strangely, the only one that has not been returned to me," he charged.

By a "cover story", Bellingan was apparently referring to one of the two conflicting statements he had submitted as his amnesty application, which he has since requested the committee not to accept as part of his application.

His demand led to a stalemate with Rautenberg pointing out that he was not obliged to answer any questions from the applicant, leading to an unscheduled adjournment of the proceedings.

Since copies of the document had already been distributed to members of the media, Bellingan's representative, Johan Hattingh, successfully requested Judge Denzel Potgieter to order their repossession as it contained "privileged" information.

He argued that a copy of the document should have been handed to Bellingan before he was questioned on it.

Rautenberg earlier told the committee the document's contents "did not seem to be a communication between Bellingan and his legal team but with his father".

But the document's contents may not be published as Judge Potgieter swiftly ruled it remained the TRC's private information until a ruling had been made by the panel.

Next to take to the podium was Bellingan's former domestic employee, Eugenia Mangqawa, who testified that throughout the period of her employment between 1988 and 1990 the Bellingans used to fight frequently.

She said Mrs Bellingan had confided to her from the early days of her employment that she was not happy in her marriage. She was scared to file for a divorce as she feared her husband would murder her and said she had no confidence in the police.

Mangqawa said she once arrived at the home to find the chips she had prepared for her employers' supper scattered on the floor. Mrs Bellingan, bearing black marks on her neck and shoulders, told Mangqawa that her husband had come home drunk and had assaulted her, throwing the chips at her. One day Mrs Bellingan searched her husband's briefcase in his absence, and asked Mangqawa to watch out in case he returned home.

She took out two cheques from the briefcase, one for R49000 and made out to the workers' union, Numsa, while the other was for R4000 made out to Bellingan's sister, Judy White.

Bellingan once returned home with a tape recorder and hid it in the ceiling while his wife was away.

Hattingh stated that most of Mangqawa's testimony was gained from hearsay and her conversations with Mrs Bellingan.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON April 19 1999

DE KOCK TELLS TRC OF ABORTED TRANSKEI COUP LEADER'S TORTURE AND DEATH

Wounded coup leader Colonel Craig Duli, hours after the November 1990 Transkei coup attempt ended with his capture, was severely tortured and then shot dead, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday. In evidence to the TRC's amnesty committee, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock said Transkei Defence Force chief Brigadier TT Matanzima and General Bantu Holomisa's bodyguard had been present during Duli's execution "by one of the aforementioned persons".

De Kock said he had been informed of this two to three weeks after the abortive coup by then Commandant Jan Anton Nieuwoudt, a senior staff officer in the SADF's secret military intelligence directorate of covert collection which had a written operational cooperation agreement with the Vlakplaas police counter-insurgency unit and who had asked De Kock to provide the weapons for the coup.

De Kock told the committee he personally handed over weapons to Duli.

De Kock, who is serving a double life sentence for apartheid era atrocities, appeared amid tight security to apply for amnesty for his role in the coup attempt along with former Vlakplaas subordinates Willie Nortje, Marthinus Ras, Lionel Snyman and Snor Vermeulen.

De Kock linked Nieuwoudt, who has applied for amnesty relating to a poison killing in Mozambique that has surfaced in the Wouter "Doctor Death" Basson chemical and biological warfare case, to a number of criminal activities in his day long testimony that included fraud and three illegal weapons drops for coup attempts.

After the failed coup, De Kock said Nieuwoudt put in a false claim to Ciskei leader Oupa Gqozo and bought a Gonubie River house, fishing boat, Land Rover and gave R160,000 to De Kock with which he bought a house for one of his men.

In another disclosure, De Kock testified that he and Nieuwoudt had flown to Vienna to "recruit" a high ranking ANC member, believed by legal sources to be prominent in the government, but whose name he has not yet revealed.

De Kock also disclosed that Transkei coup plotter Vulindlela Mbotoli, who introduced Major Duli to him after Nieuwoudt reassured him from Ciskei that Duli was "on our side", was a security police informer.

De Kock was ordered to be his handler by General Krappies Engelbrecht and Mbotoli was provided with a false passport and several false ID books.

Explaining how he became involved in arming Duli's rebel force, De Kock explained that Vlakplaas, as testified by former police commissioner General Johann van der Merwe in an earlier TRC hearing, was the only "active" security police counter-insurgency unit and was equipped as such.

De Kock personally supervised the weapons handover to Duli.

Weapons were offloaded from two bakkies into a combi at East London's Grand Prix track after a final meeting at the Hotel Osner before being delivered to Duli, de Kock said.

The proceedings continue on Tuesday. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN April 19 1999

IFP DISPUTES REPORT THAT POWELL IS AMONG LEADERS TO BE ARRESTED

The Inkatha Freedom Party on Monday disputed a report that IFP senior member Philip Powell was among political leaders in the province who stood to be arrested by the Special Investigating Unit on charges ranging from illegal possession of arms to murder. A Durban weekend newspaper , the Sunday Tribune, on Sunday reported that Powell and African National Congress provincial deputy chairman Zweli Mkhize were among the leaders who would be charged.

"We regard it as outrageous that the state can blatantly seek to intimidate and besmirch the good name of Mr Powell with selective leaks to the media to the effect that he is to be arrested for crimes ostensibly committed in 1993," the IFP said in a statement.

It said neither National Director of Public Prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, nor provincial director of public prosecutions, Mokotedi Mpshe, had any knowledge of the imminent arrest of Powell.

The IFP said Powell, accompanied by his lawyer, met the provincial head of the special investigating unit, Chris MacAdam, on Monday morning. Ngcuka was telephoned but he had no knowledge of the warrant of arrest for Powell.

"What has been happening with regard to Mr Powell is a flagrant abuse of the tenets of natural justice, the right to a fair trial and Mr Powell's rights, guaranteed in the Constitution.

"It is an abuse of state power to achieve party-political objectives," the IFP said.

It further said if the government had evidence against Powell he should have been charged long time ago.

Powell had indicated to MacAdam that he would fully co-operate with any police investigation.

Meanwhile, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal called on Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi to ensure that the investigating unit was cleared of all possible third force infiltration.

The ANC was responding to the report that Mkhize was among the leaders to be arrested.

It said the party would accept and co-operate fully with any investigation that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of violence.

"The ANC believes that nobody is above the law. That is the reason why the ANC is on record requesting that a commission of inquiry be instituted to investigate all allegations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission," the ANC said in a statement.

The ANC would remain vigilant to ensure its leaders were not investigated, arrested and charged on trumped charges in an attempt to balance the investigation of well-known warlords in other political parties.

The New National Party strongly reacted to the issue and called on the police and justice system to act strongly and professionally on the matter.

"We can not allow allegations and counter allegations to be made in the media by political parties on matters of this nature. Any person implicated in fomenting violence in our province or responsible for lives been taken shall be dealt with immediately, as nobody is above the law," the NNP said.

Ngcuka's spokesman Sipho Ngwema told Sapa there were prominent political leaders who were being investigated in connection with cases ranging from gunrunning to murder.

He said no names had been given to the media and no warrants of arrest had been issued as the investigation was still continuing.

"I do not know who gave these names to the media. What I know is that arrests will be made soon," Ngwema said.

Sunday Tribune editor Peter Davis said it was the duty of newspapers to inform readers on matters that concerned them deeply, such as investigations on serious charges of prominent politicians in the province by the office of Director of Public Prosecutions.

He condemned the ANC for alleging that the report was made by two controversial journalists.

"If the ANC is implying that Sam Sole (political reporter) and I - the only "whites" who have anything to do with the article - are agents of "sinister apartheid security forces" then that is both untrue and defamatory and we reserve our position on this matter," Davis said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 19 1999

FORMER COMMISSIONER REJECTS BELLINGAN'S TESTIMONY

Former Witwatersrand police regional commissioner General Gerrit Erasmus on Monday rejected the testimony of convicted security policeman Michael Bellingan before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Bellingan said Erasmus had given him orders to intercept cheques bound for the National Union of Metalworkers of SA.

Bellingan is applying for amnesty for the 1991 murder of his wife Janine and the theft of thousands of rands of Numsa funds from overseas donors.

Bellingan alleged that some of the money was taken by Erasmus, but Erasmus denied this.

Erasmus testified that he did not remember giving any orders to anyone for the cheques to be intercepted.

He said he knew of a project called WH10 which allowed for the interception of mail from overseas for the purpose of the intelligence branch, but he was never involved in that branch himself and so it would be impossible for him to have given orders in that regard.

Bellingan is serving a 25-year jail term in Johannesburg's Diepkloof Prison.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON April 20 1999

EUGENE DE KOCK SAVED HOLOMISA'S LIFE

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, who violently opposed the Transkei military leader's harbouring of ANC and PAC guerrillas, saved General Bantu Holomisa's life with a single sentence. Vlakplaas operative and counter-terrorism expert Marthinus Ras told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Tuesday that

De Kock told him to call off a Vlakplaas initiated plan to ambush and assassinate Holomisa and spark an uprising that would topple the military government.

Ras said that after the failed November 1990 coup attempt, he had inspected covertly obtained airline passenger flight lists and discovered Holomisa would be on a Johannesburg-East London flight before driving to Umtata.

As Holomisa slowly crossed the South Africa-Transkei border control post, with bush on both sides of the road providing ample cover for an ambush by Vlakplaas operatives, he would be killed for having dared to allow freedom of movement in Transkei by ANC and PAC guerrillas.

But Ras said the plan was scrapped when De Kock told him to put the "elimination" of Holomisa on hold.

The hearings, in which De Kock, Ras and three other former Vlakplaas operatives are seeking amnesty for supplying the weapons for the 1990 coup, concludes with final submissions by attorneys today.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG April 20 1999

VLAKPLAAS AMNESTY APPLICANTS TELL OF FAILED 1990 TRANSKEI COUP

Former Vlakplaas operatives closed ranks behind their jailed commander Eugene de Kock in their Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty applications in East London on Tuesday, stating they had never been rewarded or compensated for supplying weapons in the failed 1990 Transkei coup. De Kock's former right hand man Willem Nortje also testified that captured coup leader Craig Duli was killed in the presence of the then Transkei military leader Bantu Holomisa.

Nortje, who joined the National Intelligence Agency after revealing his Vlakplaas activities to Judge Richard Goldstone, said that before the 1990 coup attempt, the Vlakplaas men had driven two police bakkies with the weapons on Duli's "shopping list" to East London.

There they were packed in black refuse bags and sealed with plastic and masking tape.

That afternoon they met Duli, Ciskei Intelligence men Jan Anton Nieuwoudt, Clive Brink and others at the Osner Hotel to arrange the handover of the weapons to Duli and his rebel force at Ugie or Indwe.

Nortje confirmed De Kock's evidence before the committee on Monday that Vlakplaas had been asked by the SADF's secret Directorate of Covert Collection (DCC) to supply the weapons for the coup attempt.

Nortje said that Nieuwoudt and van der Westhuizen of DCC were the main role players in the operation, and that they and De Kock had benefited greatly from it.

De Kock testified on Monday that R160,000 in cash pressed on him by Nieuwoudt after the operation was used to buy a plot as an engagement gift for Nortje and his fiancee.

The remainder went on a house given to another Vlakplaas confidant, Chappies Klopper.

Nortje said the weapons, which had had their serial numbers removed by the Vlakplaas operatives, comprised 40 AK-47 assault rifles, four RPG7 launchers and rockets, a few 60mm mortars, M26 hand grenades, one or two light machine guns, and a large quantity of ammunition.

Radios from the Police College were also supplied. At the Osner Hotel meeting, Duli also asked for 16 more AK-47s, apparently for a "surprise" team of rebels, that would be taken to Umtata by a different route.

Nortje said the next morning he and De Kock hired a combi at the East London Airport under a false name before meeting fellow amnesty applicants Marthinus Ras, Snor Vermeulen and Lionel Snyman, who had driven the bakkies carrying Duli's arsenal.

The weapons were loaded into the combi in the bush outside the Grand Prix Track to avoid undue public or police attention.

They then left for Maclear, meeting Duli in either Ugie or Indwe at 11pm that night, and handed the weapons over to the rebels on a gravel road about 20km from the Transkei border before returning to East London.

Nortje said they heard on the nes the next day that the coup had failed and that Duli was dead. "According to information we later received from a source, Duli was shot dead by one of Holomisa's bodygards in Holomisa's presence," Nortje said.

Ras, Snyman and Vermeulen, who also testified on Tuesday, denied that they had received any monetary reward from De Kock.

They said De Kock had only given them R200 to cover expenses in East London.

Snyman said that not carrying out orders in the security police could create the impression that a member's loyalties were suspect, making him "a security risk".

Vermeulen said anyone not carrying out orders would probably have been transferred, with diminished future prospects.

The former Vlakplaas operatives are seeking amnesty for possible criminal charges of conspiracy to murder under the Dangerous Weapons Act and conspiracy to commit public violence under the Public Violence Act.

Nieuwoudt's attorney told the committee on Monday that the ex-DCC man had withdrawn his applications for amnesty in the supply of arms for the coup and the later murders of Charles Sebe and Onward Guzana.

Brink on Tuesday withdrew his amnesty application in the murder case, which is scheduled to be heard by the committee in East London next week.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN April 20 1999

MKHIZE, POWELL UNDER INVESTIGATION: PROSECUTOR

Inkatha Freedom Party MPL Philip Powell and African National Congress health MEC Zweli Mkhize were under investigation for alleged gunrunning, KwaZulu-Natal director of public prosecutions Moketedi Mpshe said on Tuesday. Mpshe said Powell was being investigated on a charge relating to weapons he allegedly received from Vlakplaas security police base commander and convicted killer Eugene de Kok before the 1994 elections.

Powell allegedly obtained six truckloads of guns from De Kok. Four truckloads were collected on October 1, 1993 and two more on October 20.

Mkhize was being investigated on allegations of conspiring to kill IFP midlands leader David Ntombela and for alleged gunrunning in the province.

Earlier, KwaZulu-Natal premier Lionel Mtshali ordered a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations against Mkhize.

Mpshe said he believed there would be arrests after everything was finalised.

He said the investigations were not associated with weekend newspaper reports that Mkhize and Powell were among a number of the province's political leaders who would be arrested on charges ranging from illegal possession of arms to murder.

The reports were carried by the Durban based weekend newspaper Sunday Tribune, and Johannesburg newspaper Sunday World.

Powell said he had not received any reports from Mpshe's office about him being investigated. "I am not in a position to comment on what has not been mentioned to me," Powell said.

Mkhize was unavailable for comment on Tuesday, but ANC spokesman Dumisani Makhaye said the party was not against the investigation. "We do not have any problem with the investigation and if there is any evidence they have a right to investigate.

"We have been saying that the ANC is not above the law and we are all subject to investigation," he said.

Makhaye said the ANC had been calling for an independent judicial inquiry to investigate all allegations against people who were named by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and in some court cases.

He said there was a need for an inquiry which findings would lead to serious prosecution.

"We are also calling for special courts which will deal with political violence cases," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

ANC, IFP CONFLICT IN KZN SUBJECT OF AMNESTY HEARING

DURBAN April 21 1999 Sapa

More than a decade of conflict between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu- Natal will once again come under the spotlight during a week-long amnesty hearing starting in Durban on Monday. Four ANC members and two IFP members are applying for amnesty in connection with four incidents in the province from 1991.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in a statement on Wednesday said ANC supporters Jabulani Turene Ncokwane, Isaac Mhlekana Shange and Jabulani Doda Cele had applied for amnesty for the killing of six people at Illovo near Amanzimtoti on the south coast on April 27, 1992.

Six people died and eight were wounded when gunmen opened fire on a bus.

Prince Khoni Khwela of the ANC would apply for amnesty in connection with an attack on IFP residents of Empusheni in which seven people died and three were wounded.

Thulebona Mzobe of the IFP was applying for amnesty for the killing of two ANC members on April 24, 1993 at Bhobhoyi near Port Shepstone.

Dennis Felamandia Gumede, also of the IFP, was applying for amnesty for the murder of an ANC member during political violence in the Greytown area in the midlands in July 1991.

The amnesty hearing at the Durban Christian Centre is scheduled to last a week.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON April 21 1999

HOLOMISA REJECTS DE KOCK'S AMNESTY HEARING CLAIMS

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa says jailed "police death squad boss" Eugene de Kock is suffering from hallucinations after De Kock fingered him as an accessory in the execution of 1990 Transkei coup leader Craig Duli. Holomisa - the erstwhile Transkei homeland military ruler - on Wednesday night denied being present when the abortive coup leader was killed.

He said De Kock's claims during a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing here earlier this week were untrue and he questioned the Vlakplaas commander's state of mind and motivation for making the allegations.

Referring to De Kock's claims that he had saved his life by opposing a plan to execute him, Holomisa was adamant he won't be picking out any thank-you cards at his local stationer for the apartheid killer.

"When De Kock went to the TRC some time last year or in 1997 he said Holomisa and Chris Hani were present when Duli was killed; so this time he dropped the name of Chris Hani and he included the name of General (TT) Matanzima."

Holomisa said he had reacted to these earlier statements by De Kock at the time they were made, calling them "utter nonsense" and "rubbish."

He said he was puzzled to find the Vlakplaas commander had now changed his story for this week's amnesty committee hearing.

"I'm more curious as to why did De Kock change his original submission to the TRC in 1997 when he said Holomisa and Chris Hani were there because at that stage we just laughed at the whole thing and dismissed it publicly," he said.

Holomisa stressed that he had been at a 15000-strong rally at Independence Stadium at the time of Duli's death on November 22, 1990.

It was at the stadium that news had reached him of Duli's death.

A pack of journalists had accompanied him to the stadium from his Fort Gale home where he had been throughout the day - this meant that De Kock's testimony would have him in two places at the same time.

Moreover he claimed to have made several statements at the time of the coup calling for Duli to be captured alive so he could testify to the South African government's involvement in the staging of Transkei's November putsch.

"I don't have any response or respect for De Kock together with all those conspirators who are responsible for the killings of Transkei Defence Force members in 1990.

"De Kock is just an opportunist.

"I'm not grateful to him at all because if he was a man of conscience he should not have supplied weapons worth millions to the coup consipriators to come and kill innocent people.

"They should have directed their anger to Holomisa personally who was responsible for haroubing what they call terrorists." Meanwhile UDM spokesman Mabandla Gogo, said De Kock - who is presently serving a double life sentence for his apartheid-era atrocities - had deliberately implicated Holomisa in a desperate bid for amnesty.

Gogo suggested De Kock's recent revelations before the TRC amnesty committee formed part of the ANC government's attempts to discredit the UDM leader in the run-up to elections.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA April 21 1999

VAN DER MERWE APPROVED OPERATION TO KILL THREE MK'S IN BOTSWANA

Former police commissioner General Johan van der Merwe approved an operation to kill three Umkhonto we Sizwe members in a car bomb explosion in Botswana in 1987, former security police brigadier Wikus Loots said on Wednesday. He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria that Van der Merwe gave the go- ahead for police to proceed with the operation to kill the three African National Congress cadres.

Loots is seeking amnesty for his role in the killing of three innocent people, a woman and two children, who died when a special forces operative detonated the bomb in a residential area in Gaborone on April 9, 1987.

He said former security police brigadier Jack Cronje and himself organised the operation from the police side, and former SA Defence Force special forces unit commander of the northern Transvaal, Charl Naude, controlled the operation from the defence force side.

Loots said he received information about the cadres from former security police lieutenant Willem Momberg, who is also applying for amnesty for the incident.

Momberg told the amnesty commission police tapped the phone of a former police informer turned MK member, Keith McKenzie.

A conversation was overheard where the cadres told McKenzie to meet them in Gaborone.

He said McKenzie had previously gone to Botswana 23 times, and on seven of those occasions he had smuggled weapons into South Africa.

Momberg said police held a meeting. It was decided that a bomb, detonated by a special forces operative, would be planted in McKenzie's minibus to kill him and the three MK members.

Former security police members Captain Jacques Hechter and Sergeant Eric Goosen and Momberg walked out of the meeting because they did not want McKenzie to be killed.

Another meeting was held where it was decided that a bomb with a light sensitive switch would be made to explode as soon as the cadres opened a secret compartment in which the weapons were placed.

Momberg said he approved of this plan because when McKenzie went to Botswana on previous occasions the cadres used to take his minibus from him to load the weapons, therefore McKenzie would not have died when the bomb exploded.

McKenzie did not know the bomb was placed in his minibus.

When McKenzie left for Botswana, Goosen, Loots and former police security member Philip Crause followed him to the border.

Goosen and Crause are also seeking amnesty for the incident.

Goosen told the commission that he armed the light sensitive switch while McKenzie was handing in documents at the border post.

Loots and Crause said they made sure police would not search McKenzie's minibus at the border.

Momberg said McKenzie was kidnapped outside Gaborone by MK members who had found out about the operation and McKenzie and the minibus disappeared.

An operative found the minibus abandoned in a residential area in Gaborone and he detonated the bomb.

A woman and two children were killed. A man, woman and child were injured, and 14 houses were severely damaged.

Loots said Van der Merwe requested to see him about the incident because of the media sensation created by the deaths.

The Botswana government wrote a letter to South Africa blaming it for the bomb because the minibus had Pretoria licence plates.

He said he briefed Van der Merwe about the incident who then reported it to the government.

Advocate Lynne Lockhat, who leads evidence on behalf of the amnesty committee, said McKenzie had withdrawn his amnesty application for his part in the bombing.

McKenzie testifies in an affidavit for the incident that Goosen and Momberg had found out his links with the ANC and threatened that they would kill him and his family if he did not cooperate with police.

The affidavit says when McKenzie arrived in Gaborone and met one of the cadres they went to Francistown.

When they got to the town, they drove towards Zambia. McKenzie said he was arrested and assaulted by three men and taken to a jail in Lusaka. He was eventually taken to Uganda where he was held captive for about four years.

On Thursday, the commission will hear evidence from Van der Merwe, who is also seeking amnesty for the incident. He was the commanding officer of the security police at the time.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association GOVT NOT TOLD WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT DEATHS IN BOTSWANA

PRETORIA April 22 1999

Former police commissioner General Johan van der Merwe on Thursday conceded he did not give all the facts to the government about a car bomb which killed three people in Botswana in 1987. "I didn't give the full story. I couldn't let him (former Minister of Foreign Affairs Pik Botha) know that a police informer and the security branch were involved," he told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria.

Van der Merwe is seeking amnesty for his role in the deaths of three innocent people, a woman and two children, who died when a special forces operative detonated a car bomb in a residential area in Gaborone on April 9, 1987.

The bomb was suppose to kill three Umkhonto we Sizwe members targeted by security police because of their involvement in smuggling weapons and terrorists into South Africa.

Van der Merwe, who was the commander of the security police at the time, told the TRC's amnesty committee he authorised the operation to kill the African National Congress cadres.

"After I had all the information I gave permission... that the operation could continue with an understanding that the SA Defence Force would be involved in the operation in Botswana." He said former security police brigadier Wikus Loots, who furnished him with the details about the incident, told him the chance of innocent people being injured in the bomb explosion was very slim.

Loots has also applied for amnesty for the operation.

He told the commission he received information about the cadres from former security police lieutenant Willem Momberg.

Loots, Momberg, former security members Sergeant Eric Goosen and Philip Crause on Wednesday testified in their amnesty applications for their roles in the incident.

Momberg said police tapped the telephone of a former police informer turned MK member, Keith McKenzie. A conversation was overheard where the cadres told McKenzie to meet them in Gaborone.

He said McKenzie had previously gone to Botswana 23 times, and on seven of those occasions he had smuggled weapons into South Africa.

Police decided a bomb would be placed in a secret compartment in McKenzie's minibus where the MK members stored the smuggled weapons.

The bomb would be detonated by remote control or it would explode when the compartment was opened because it was made light sensitive, Momberg said.

McKenzie did not know about the bomb.

Goosen testified that he armed the bomb at the border, and Loots and Crause said they made sure that police did not search McKenzie's minibus. Momberg said McKenzie was kidnapped outside Gaborone by MK members who found out about the operation and McKenzie and the minibus disappeared.

A special forces operative found the minibus abandoned in a residential area in Gaborone and he detonated the bomb.

A woman and two children were killed. A man, woman and child were injured, and 14 houses were severely damaged.

McKenzie withdrew his amnesty application on Wednesday for his part in the bombing.

He testified in an affidavit that he was kidnapped and was eventually taken to Uganda where he was held captive for about four years.

Van der Merwe said on Thursday that Botha requested information about the operation because the Botswana government wrote a letter to South Africa blaming it for the bomb because the minibus had Pretoria licence plates.

He said he told the Department of Foreign Affairs that MK members had used the minibus, and the fate of McKenzie was not known.

"I told a half truth." Van der Merwe said he approved the operation because the "MK's had to be neutralised..., and life and property in the RSA had to be protected".

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association HOLOMISA DEMANDS R5 MILLION FROM TRC

PRETORIA April 22 1999

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa on Thursday demanded R5 million from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock fingered him as an accessory to the murder of Colonel Craig Duli. Duli was shot dead in mysterious circumstances after leading an abortive coup against Holomisa's military government in the Transkei in 1991.

In a letter addressed to the TRC amnesty committee and sent to the media, Holomisa said he suspected the hearings of the TRC's amnesty committee were state managed sensationalism designed to "besmirch" his good name.

Holomisa said contrary to the law governing the TRC, the Promotion of National Reconciliation and Unity Act, he did not receive prior warning of the testimonies of De Kock and Willie Nortje.

The two gave evidence earlier this week to support their amnesty applications for their role in arming Duli.

De Kock claimed Holomisa was present when Duli was shot.

"I received neither prior warning nor received any documentation despite the malicious and libellous statements that they levelled against me."

"The failure on your part to warn me and the timing of your hearings reminds me of Winnie (Madikizela) Mandela's appearance before the TRC at the time when she was campaigning for the deputy presidency position of the ANC. Who is in charge of the TRC?" Holomisa asked.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association TUTU REWARDED WITH GERMAN PRIZE

BERLIN April 25 1999

The South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate and chairman of his country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Desmond Tutu, was presented here Sunday with the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer prize which commemorates a German Protestant theologian murdered by the Nazis. At a ceremony at the French cathedral in Berlin, Tutu who used to be the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, thanked German churches for their support during the apartheid era.

"Our victory is also your victory," he said.

The prize worth 5,000 euros (5,040 dollars) was set up by the German publishing house Bertelsmann which will publish the German language version of the TRC's final report.

It honours the memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an anti-Nazi activist who was murdered in 1945 in Flossenburg concentration camp, at the age of 39.

The TRC was set up to establish the truth of atrocities committed under apartheid and effect reconciliation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association TRC REFUSES AMNESTY TO THREE IFP AND TWO ANC MEMBERS

JOHANNESBURG April 26 1999

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Monday refused amnesty to three Inkatha Freedom Party and two African National Congress members serving lengthy prison terms for incidents ranging from murder to robbery. Thulani Sigudu, Thulani Mvelase and Samson Manqele, all claiming to be IFP members, were refused amnesty for the murder of Sarojinee Govender at the Parktown North shopping centre in Johannesburg in December 1993, TRC spokesman Vuyani Green said in a statement.

Govender, from Woodstock in Cape Town, was shot dead as she was leaving a bank at the shopping centre. Her assailants escaped with an undisclosed sum of money.

The men, who are serving prison terms ranging from 25 to 30 years at Leeuwkop prison outside Johannesburg, told the amnesty committee in April this year the money was used to procure weapons for IFP members at Dube Hostel in Soweto.

Rejecting their applications, the committee said they were evasive and not prepared to admit that they wanted to kill Mrs Govender. Serious doubts were also raised as to whether the murder was politically motivated.

Also refused amnesty were two ANC members, Stephen Moeketsi Monyake and Gift Sekitla Mohase.

Monyake stabbed dead Tebo Molele of the "Three Million Gang" at Gelukwaarts in Kroonstad in the Free State in May 1992. The committee said it was not satisfied that the killing was associated with a political motive.

Mohase, who is serving 26 years' imprisonment, was refused amnesty for killing Esrom Hapane and injuring Casium David Gwele at Daveyton in December 1990.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association INSTANT AMNESTY FOR MK BOMBERS

EAST LONDON April 28 1999

Two former Umkhonto we Sizwe combatants were granted amnesty "on the spot" by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission here on Wednesday for the April 1986 bombing of the Wild Coast Sun casino at Mzamba in Transkei that left two dead and three injured. Former MK members Ian Ndibulele Ndzamela and Pumzile Mayaphi, who were convicted of murder and sabotage and sentenced to death a decade ago before being accorded political indemnity, were granted immediate amnesty for full disclosure and proven political motive with no personal gain.

TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said the "on the spot" decision by an amnesty committee chaired by Judge Denzil Potgieter was a first in the commission's three-year history.

The hearing also provided a rare insight into the issue of the the apartheid-era bombing campaigns.

Mayaphi, whose sworn affidavit was confirmed and corroborated in every detail by Ndzamela, said the bombing was "within the ambit of the political objectives of the African National Congress" and followed "a senseless massacre of our people by the SADF enemy forces" in Lesotho at the beginning of 1986.

Both men had undergone military training, especially tactics and handling of explosives, as well as political instruction in various African and East European countries.

Mayaphi said the order to bomb the casino and the two limpet mines used in the operation came from MK's late Eastern Pondoland regional commander Atwell Maqhekeza, codenamed China, a week before the attack.

On April 18, 1986, Mayaphi borrowed a car from a friend and, armed with pistols and the limpet mines, drove to Mzamba with Ndzamela and China.

China and Mayaphi remained in the car while Ndzamela entered the casino gambling area and placed one of the limpet mines under an outflow pipe in the men's toilets.

When Ndzamela returned, Mayaphi went to place another limpet mine on top of the first. Mayaphi said the time was 7pm, with the mines set to explode three hours later, as the men headed back to their hideout at Ngcingo.

The explosion, which rocked the Bizana district resort and seriously damaged the building, killed Bhekinkosi Ntakana and Thomas Hudson and severely injured the late Martha Boshoff, the late Thamsanqa Dlamini and Wieslaw Stefan Nowak.

In an emotional plea, Mayaphi said: "To the families of the deceased and to all those who might have been affected or inconvenienced in one way or other by our actions, we sincerely apologise and ask for forgiveness. We plead with them for their understanding."

Mayaphi and Ndzamela were charged and convicted in the Umtata Supreme Court of murder and sabotage and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to 18 years' imprisonment on appeal.

They were both released in the first general amnesty granted to political prisoners after the unbanning of the ANC by President FW de Klerk in February 1990. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association AFRIKANERS PLAN PROTEST AGAINST TRC'S DERBY-LEWIS DECISION PRETORIA April 29 1999

Four Afrikaner organisations on Thursday agreed to support an organised protest against the "unjust handling" they believed convicted murderers Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus had received from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The TRC's amnesty committee on April 7 rejected the pair's application for amnesty for the murder of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani in 1993 - the main finding that they had failed to prove the killing was politically motivated.

The amnesty committee also found that the men had failed to make a full disclosure, another prerequisite for amnesty.

In a statement on Thursday, Derby-Lewis' wife, Gayle, said the Conservative Party, the Freedom Front and the Afrikanereenheidsbeweging (Afrikaner Unity Movement) met her husband in the Pretoria maximum prison to discuss the protest.

The leader of the fourth organisation, the Herstigte Nasionale Party's Jaap Marais, met Derby-Lewis earlier and concurred with the other parties, she said.

"One of the proposals on the table is that an organisation be formed which will monitor the application of justice in South Africa, particularly with regard to those who have been accused by the TRC of committing gross human rights violations but have neither been charged nor have (they) applied for amnesty.

"Steps will be taken to bring these anomalies to the attention of South Africa and the world and, if need be, legal steps will be considered against the state if there are no prosecutions."

Mrs Derby-Lewis said the organisations had decided that priority would be given to the legal review of the Derby- Lewis/Walus amnesty decision.

She said as soon as the review was completed, the political parties would meet the TRC to ask for their support of the review, as the committee had done with the review application of the 37 African National Congress members whose amnesty applications had been refused.

Considering that the Derby-Lewis/Walus application took 23 days to complete, Wednesday's "on the spot" decision to grant amnesty to two African National Congress members for a bombing in April 1986 was evidence of the TRC's lack of consistency in handling amnesty seekers, claimed Mrs Derby-Lewis.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association ECAPE AMNESTY HEARINGS ADJOURNED AFTER POWER FAILS

EAST LONDON April 29 1999

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee hearings in East London were adjourned after a power failure in the city, SABC radio news reported on Thursday. Five men serving sentences ranging from 12 to 25 years' imprisonment for murder, assault and robbery were seeking amnesty for attacks on farmers in the Stutterheim area in 1989.

They told the committee the purpose of the attacks was to drive the farmers off their land and to acquire firearms.

The attacks at Stutterheim and Kei Road in the Eastern Cape left one person dead and five wounded.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association APLA MEMBERS APPLY FOR AMNESTY FOR "GREAT STORM" ATTACK

TZANEEN 30 April 1999

Three members of the Azanian People's Liberation Army have applied for amnesty for the attack on a farmer and his family in Tzaneen, Northern Province in 1993, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said on Friday. In their applications Brian Clifford Thobojne, Thomas Ngobeni and Donald Mukhawana said 1993 had been declared the year of the "Great Storm" by Apla and the Pan Africanist Congress.

Their main concern was white people, especially white farmers, who were regarded as definite targets.

They further alleged that their intention was to overthrow the government.

In 1993 orders were issued by the Apla command to the effect that all white farmers and government buildings should be attacked.

On March 27, 1993 the applicants' unit was instructed to attack a chicken farm owned by Johannes Swanepoel in Tzaneen. They fired several shots at the house, injuring Swanepoel and killing his wife.

The amnesty committee also received amnesty applications from five other Apla cadres.

Josef Nesanari, Gabriel Ramushwana, Phumula Manga, Ledwick Ramaligela and Carlson Netshivela will be seeking amnesty for the assault and torture of six victims in Venda and for defeating the ends of justice.

They were never prosecuted for the incidents.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA May 3 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS HOW POLICE INTERROGATED AND ASSAULTED GUARD IN 1987

Former security police lieutenant Willem Momberg on Monday admitted he helped to assault and interrogate an unknown security guard in 1987.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that the security guard was beaten in the face and on the chest because police had information that his brother was an Umhkonto we Sizwe (MK) member.

Momberg is seeking amnesty for his role in the kidnapping and assault of the security guard between July and December 1987.

Momberg and former security police sergeant Eric Goosen told the amnesty committee that they were approached by former Captain Jaap van Jaarsveld to help with the interrogation.

They said former police askari Joe Mamasela told Van Jaarsveld the security guard's brother was an MK member operating in South Africa.

Goosen is also applying for amnesty for the incident.

Momberg, Goosen, Mamasela, Van Jaarsveld and former security police captain Jacques Hechter drove in a minibus to the security guard who was working in central Pretoria. Mamasela got out the minibus and persuaded the guard to get into the vehicle.

Momberg said the police and guard drove to a township outside Warmbaths and Van Jaarsveld, Mamasela and himself beat the security guard.

He said the guard denied that his brother was a cadre and after about an hour of interrogation, Van Jaarsveld ordered Goosen and Momberg to kill the guard.

Momberg said he told van Jaarsveld that the guard should not be eliminated and asked to be left alone so that he could speak to the guard.

Momberg told the amnesty committee that after about 20 minutes he persuaded the guard to become a police informer.

The guard was then told be could leave and Momberg arranged to meet with him the next day in central Pretoria.

Momberg said the security guard did not show up the next day and he was never seen again.

Van Jaarsveld has not applied for amnesty for the incident because he said that he could not remember it.

Hechter and former security police member Brigadier Jack Cronje told the amnesty committee they could also not remember the kidnapping and assault.

"The post-traumatic stress has caused me not to remember many incidences," Hechter said. He said he accepted Goosen and Momberg's version of the operation.

Cronje said he accepted responsibility for the operation because if it had taken place he would have authorised it.

"I accept responsibility for what they did because they would have done it under my command," he said.

Hechter and Cronje are also seeking amnesty for the incident.

The hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 3 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY HEARING TOLD HOW THREE TEENAGERS KILLED IN KRUGERSDORP

Three teenagers were killed and another injured when security police lured them to an old pumphouse at an abandoned mine near Krugersdorp in 1982 and blew it up, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee hearing heard on Monday.

Former security policemen Brigadier Willem Schoon and Colonels Abraham Grobbelaar, Jan Coetzee and Christiaan Rorich appeared in connection with the incident involving the so-called "Cosas Four" on Monday.

Askari Ephraim Malapitsa, who was not present on Monday, is due to take the stand on Tuesday. An askari was an ANC cadre turned police informant.

The five have applied for amnesty for the murders of Bimbo Madikela, Ntshingo Matabane and Fanyana Nhlapo, and the attempted murder of Zandisile Musi, as well as damage to property on February 15, 1982.

Former Vlakplaas death-squad camp commander Coetzee (not Dirk Coetzee) told Judge Denzil Potgieter and advocates Leah Gcabashe and Chris de Jager at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg that Malapitsa turned himself in to the police after receiving military training in Eastern Europe.

He then came to Coetzee and told him he had met the younger brother of two other ANC cadres he went overseas with. He said the young Congress of SA Students (Cosas) member and his friends wanted weapons and training to kill a security policeman named Warrant Officer Mkosi and a council member.

He later said they had a sketch plan of houses they wanted to attack.

Coetzee said he decided it would be best to kill the activists instead of arresting them, to protect Mkosi and family members and to hide the fact that Malapitsa had turned and was now an askari.

"Askaris played a valuable role in identifying ANC cadres," Coetzee said.

He then went to Schoon for permission to kill the youths. Schoon agreed to the plan to protect Mkosi and Malapitsa, and to avoid anarchy and chaos.

Schoon in turn got permission from Brigadier Jan du Preez, who is apparently now too ill to appear at the hearings.

Grobbelaar, who attended the hearing in a wheelchair, said he went to the abandoned mine with Coetzee, Rorich and one of his own men, who had since died, so he could keep watch for any people walking by who could get hurt.

Rorich, who was a warrant officer and explosives expert serving in Ermelo at the time, said he placed a kilogramme of army explosives called PE4 in the pumphouse. His orders were to make the incident look as though the youths had blown themselves up.

Rorich said a minibus arrived in the dark and men got out and went into the old pumphouse, while the police hid in another building nearby. When Malapitsa made an excuse to the four activists and came out of the pumphouse, Rorich turned the detonator. Three of the teenagers were killed, but Musi, survived the explosion. He is due to give evidence at the amnesty hearing.

Commissioners and lawyers repeatedly asked the four former security policemen if they knew how old the teenagers were, if they knew for a fact they were terrorists and if they had thought of any alternative plans other than murder. They also asked if the main aim of the scheme was not rather to kill the youths than protect anybody.

The former policemen all said they did not know details about the youths and that their main aim had been to protect their own.

The youths had no training or weapons and went with Malapitsa to start their training and obtain pistols and grenades, the lawyers said.

Grobbelaar made a heartfelt apology to the relatives of the dead teenagers at the hearing.

Other security police seeking amnesty for abductions and murders, including the killing of civil rights lawyer Griffiths Mxenge and the kidnappings of Herbert Mboli and Joe Pillay, will appear before the amnesty committee over the next three weeks.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK May 3 1999 - SAPA

BUTHELEZI NAMED IN BOIPATONG MASSACRE

Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi expressed happiness about the 1992 Boipatong massacre in which 45 people were killed and 18 injured, an amnesty applicant alleged on Monday.

Andries Nosenga, 26, who claims to be an IFP member, maintained that Buthelezi told an IFP rally in Ulundi a while after the massacre that he was very happy about the attack on the Boipatong community by a group of KwaMadala hostel dwellers.

Nosenga is one of 16 IFP members applying to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for a pardon for his role in the massacre.

Currently serving time in prison for drive-by shootings in Evaton and Sebokeng, Nosenga is the only applicant to have implicated political parties and senior Vaal Triangle police in the attack.

He has maintained there was high authority from the IFP for the massacre and that the party approved of the bloody events that took place on the night of June 19, 1992.

But the IFP moved quickly on Monday to deny Nosenga's story and stressed his allegations were untested.

"We suspect that Nosenga has been planted by people hostile to the IFP," said Koos van der Merwe, IFP spokesman on legal matters.

"His allegations have been refuted by all the other applicants. I predict that during cross-examination, his credibility will be destroyed," Van der Merwe said.

The massacre has been cited as a prime cause of the breakdown in negotiations that, once resumed, led to South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.

At Monday's hearing, Nosenga said controversial IFP Gauteng leader Themba Khoza told the assassins that "the dogs of Boipatong should be killed".

Khoza also made plans to pick up weapons from Sergeant Pedro Peens of the former South African Police's murder and robbery unit, Nosenga claimed. The weapons were then stored in a ceiling at the hostel, he said.

"We attacked Boipatong because it was an order from the IFP leadership. We were told to destroy everything, women, children and any property that we came across."

Nosenga denied he had been exposed as an African National Congress spy at the time of the attack.

"If I was an ANC spy, I would have been killed at the hostel. They questioned me initially but started trusting me after I went back to kill my own people at the township," he said.

The TRC, in its October report to President Nelson Mandela, said the massacre was planned and executed by hostel dwellers in collusion with security forces. The hearing, which runs until May 21, continues on Tuesday when counsel for the IFP, police and the victims are expected to cross-examine Nosenga.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA May 4 1999 - SAPA

MK MEMBER WAS "THROTTLED UNTIL HE WENT LIMP"

An MK cadre was "throttled until he went limp" before his body was blown up with a landmine in 1986, former security police lieutenant Willem Momberg said on Tuesday.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 's amnesty committee in Pretoria that he assumed the Umkhonto we Sizwe member was dead when he detonated the landmine.

Momberg is seeking amnesty for his role in the death of the unknown operative who was killed in the Pienaars River area in the former Bophuthatswana between January and April 1986.

Momberg and former security police sergeant Eric Goosen said the cadre was beaten and throttled while being interrogated about information he had about MK safe houses in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria.

Goosen is also applying for amnesty for the incident.

Momberg told the amnesty committee that former security police captain Hendrik Prinsloo and himself had earlier in the day hit the cadre in the face and on the chest in Mamelodi after he refused to identify safe houses.

He said about eight security policemen, including himself, then drove the operative to the Pienaars River area in a minibus so that the man could be further interrogated.

Momberg and Goosen said Prinsloo assaulted the MK member again when the minibus was stopped.

"Prinsloo continued with the interrogation. He hit and pushed the man into the boot of the bus and throttled him," Momberg said.

He said nobody stopped Prinsloo from throttling the cadre, and it was never planned to kill him.

Goosen and Momberg said former security police Brigadier Jack Cronje ordered them to set up the landmine to blow up the operative so that "all identification could be destroyed".

Cronje has already received amnesty for the incident.

Goosen and Momberg picked up the cadre's body and placed his hands and head on the landmine. Momberg said he then detonated the mine.

Goosen and Momberg are among six security police members seeking amnesty for the killing. The hearings continue on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG May 4 1999 SAPA

BOIPATONG KILLER, NOSENGA, TOLD HE IS A "BLATANT LIAR"

The testimony of a 23-year-old man before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about the Boipatong massacre was on Tuesday disputed and he was called a "blatant liar".

Andries Nosenga, who was imprisoned for 16 years for his part in drive-by shootings in Evaton and Sebokeng in which several people were killed, gave evidence before the TRC's amnesty committee at Vanderbijlpark.

Nosenga is one of 16 IFP members applying to the TRC for a pardon for his role in the Boipatong massacre in June 1992.

He is the only applicant to have implicated political parties and senior Vaal Triangle police in the attack.

Advocate Kobus Lowies, appearing for the Inkatha Freedom Party, on Tuesday told Nosenga he was lying after he testified that gang leader Victor Kheswu was present during the attacks on taxi ranks and a bus in Sebokeng.

Lowies said the notorious gang leader had been in police custody at the time of the attacks.

"I put it to you that you're a blatant liar. Never before during the trials or hearings did you tell about the drive-by shootings in Sebokeng," Lowies told Nosenga.

Nosenga insisted he was telling the truth.

He also testified that police were not involved in the drive-by shootings "....but they were in many others in the area".

He was repeatedly questioned about the part several policemen had allegedly played. Lowies told the commission Nosenga had a tendency to falsely implicate people.

In an affidavit before the hearing, Nosenga stated he was part of a group from the KwaMadala hostel who went on the rampage in Boipatong.

He claimedan unidentified white man in a police Casspir picked them up. He also identified several other policemen and IFP members in the group.

He said he joined several other IFP members in Slovo Park. "I killed eight to nine people on that night and probably injured many more," Nosenga said in his affidavit.

On Monday Nosenga said controversial IFP Gauteng leader Themba Khoza told the assassins that "the dogs of Boipatong should be killed".

The hearing continues on Wednesday

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 4 1999 SAPA

COSAS MEMBERS WANTED TO KILL POLICEMAN, COMMISSION TOLD

Former Umkhonto we Sizwe operative and askari Tlhomedi Ephraim Mfalapitsa told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Tuesday that three Congress of SA Students members who died in a disused mine on the West Rand had planned to assassinate a policeman and a councillor.

Giving evidence in support of his amnesty application for the murder of Bingo Madikela, Ntshingo Matabane and Fanyana Nhlapho and the attempted murder of Zandisile Musi, Mfalapitsa said the four had to be eliminated because they wanted to eliminate a Warrant-Officer Nkosi and a Mr Matshidiso, a local councillor in Kagiso in the 1980s.

Mfalapitsa, who is now a pastor with the New Life Christian Church, told the committee's hearing at Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church that he was approached by Musi shortly after his return from exile, where he underwent military training with Musi's brother Mbulelo. The youth was not aware at the time that Mfalapitsa was no longer an Umkonto we Sizwe operative, but was working for the SA Police as an informer.

He had visited the Musi family, whom he knew very well.

"I told Musi that the ANC was establishing internal structures and it was therefore unwise for them to leave the country. I told him to convey the message to his friends and he later met me at the Industria Station on a Saturday to conclude the arrangements for the training. Musi was alone because I had told him that I did not trust anybody," he said.

On the next Monday, the four young activists met Mfalapitsa, who was accompanied by a man with a scarred face. They were driven to the mine shaft and Mfalapitsa led them inside.

"They showed me a sketch of the plan to kill Nkosi and Matshidiso. I was then convinced that they were serious about their intention. I told them to lock the door as I went outside to fetch material. Then there was a huge explosion. I was paid R1000 after the explosion, but I was not commended," Mfalapitsa said.

Musi, who survived the explosion, disputed Mfalapitsa's version on the sketch and the meeting that took place at the station. Recalling the tragic night, Musi told the committee that he was with Madikela when he met Mfalapitsa and he denied that they showed him the sketch on the night of the explosion.

"Mfalapitsa showed us how the handgrenade works and he hurriedly left, saying he was fetching more grenades from the combi. In the corner of the room, there was a box full of sand which looked suspicious. When I turned towards it, there was a big explosion. All I remember is seeing myself flying up and falling before crashing down. I saw the sky and then it was over," Musi said.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG May 5 1999 SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICANT 'WANTS TO PROTECT ANC'

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Vanderbijlpark has heard that amnesty applicant Andries Nosenga was encouraged by the African National Congress to apply for amnesty, SABC news reported on Wednesday.

Nosenga is applying for amnesty for the 1992 Boipatong massacre and a drive-by shooting.

Inkatha Freedom Party legal counsel Jacobus Lowies told the committee that Nosenga was protecting the ANC by not telling the truth.

During cross-examination, Lowies asked Nosenga why he was still an IFP member even though he claimed he was unhappy with its leadership.

In his application Nosenga claimed that Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre'blanche supplied food to the Kwamadala hostel after the Boipatong massacre.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 6 1999 Sapa

"PIET SKIET", TERRE'BLANCE TO APPEAR FOR AMNESTY APPLICATION

The amnesty hearing of Afrikanerweerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre'blanche and Johannes "Piet Skiet" Rudolph will take place in Klerksdorp on Monday, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced on Thursday.

They have applied for amnesty for acts of public violence committed in Ventersdorp in 1991, TRC spokeswoman Nosisi Tyantsi said in a statement.

In August 1991 AWB members caused havoc when they clashed with the police in an attempt to prevent the then State President FW de Klerk from giving a public address in the town.

Rudolph was arrested and this resulted in lights in the town being switched off. Terre'blanche and Rudolph were subsequently fined on public violence charges.

Terre'blanche was also seeking amnesty for two other incidents, the tarring and feathering of Professor Floors van Jaarsveld at the University of South Africa in Pretoria in the 1980s.

He was also charged for being in possession of illegal weapons and ammunition in Venterdorp in 1982.

Former Azanian People's Liberation Army member Nkululeko Dlova will also appear at the hearing. He has applied for amnesty for his involvement in a shootout with police between Lichtenburg and Rooigrond.

The hearing will take place at Rhema Educational Centre in Klerksdorp.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 7 1999 - SAPA

EX-POLICE OFFICER TELLS HOW GOVERNMENT OPPONENTS WERE KILLED

Former security police officer, Brigadier Willem Schoon, appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Friday, asking for forgiveness for his role in a number of gross human rights violations.

These include cross border raids, and the abductions and the murder of African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress operatives during the 1970s and 1980s.

Schoon is seeking amnesty for his role in the 1972 murder of two ANC "terrorists", the 1981 killing of two PAC cadres, the cross border abduction of exiled ANC activist Joe Pillay, and the murder of human rights lawyer Griffiths Mxenge.

While denying any direct involvement or ordering any of the offences, Schoon is asking to be pardoned for obstruction of justice by covering them up, as well as being an accessory and conspiring to commit unlawful acts.

He told Judge Denzel Potgieter at a Johannesburg hearing that the two ANC members, whose names were unknown to him, were shot at point blank range in Zeerust after they were captured on the Botswana border - following information extracted from ANC activist Alexander Moumbaris.

Moumbaris and his wife were earlier arrested on a farm near Zeerust.

Schoon said the killing of the two was ordered by the late General Piet Kruger, while Schoon was still a junior major with no authority.

"But as I was stationed at the security police headquarters in Pretoria, and constantly informed that the two would be killed, I am guilty of conspiracy in their killing," he said.

Schoon asked to be forgiven for being an accessory to Mxenge's murder as he had acted as a middle man, passing money from a Koevoet member, Brigadier Jan Du Preez, of the then South West Africa, to Vlakplaas Commander Dirk Coetzee. He did not know what was inside the envelope at the time.

Coetzee has since been pardoned for the murder after he claimed he was acting on Schoon's instructions.

The two PAC cadres, whose names Schoon said were also unknown to him, were arrested after entering the country from Botswana.

Although Schoon repeatedly suggested they be recruited as askaris (cadres who defected to work for the apartheid forces), Major General Hans Glay insisted they should be killed.

This was after the Police Minister at the time, Louis Le Grange, had already made it clear he was not in favour of the two standing trial.

Le Grange believed a public prosecution would bring a lot of publicity and eventual international donations to the PAC, which was lacking prominence at the time.

After ultimately agreeing to their killing on condition that they should first be persuaded to be askaris, Schoon was told about a month later that the men had been killed as they refused to join the police. Regarding the cross border raid of Swaziland and the eventual abduction of Pillay, Schoon blamed the act on Coetzee and askaris, saying they acted without authorisation.

Pillay was severely beaten and taken across the border to a military base near Pretoria.

His abduction had international diplomatic implications when the Swazi Government raised objections.

Pillay was handed back to Swaziland after diplomatic negotiations with General Johan Coetzee.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 9 1999 - SAPA

IFP AMNESTY APPLICANTS CHALLENGE FAIRNESS OF BOIPATONG HEARING

Lawyers for 14 Inkatha Freedom Party members appealing for amnesty for their role in the 1992 Boipatong massacre have accused the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of prejudging the applications and not giving the men a fair hearing.

Counsel last week submitted an application to the TRC's amnesty committee demanding it explain whether the findings on the massacre made by its parent body would affect the committee's amnesty decision.

In its final report, the TRC found that police colluded with hostel residents in planning and executing the attack on June 17, 1992, that left 45 people dead, and destroyed evidence of the killing.

The amnesty applicants, who were all IFP-aligned residents of the KwaMadala hostel adjacent to Boipatong at the time, have admitted taking part in the massacre but have flatly denied police or security force involvement.

The IFP members' legal team said in its submission that the amnesty applications of the 14 IFP men "have effectively been prejudged" and their right to a fair hearing had been undermined.

This was because their testimony contradicted the findings of the amnesty committee's parent body.

In effect, if the amnesty committee is guided by the earlier findings of the TRC, the amnesty applicants would be judged to be lying and not making "full disclosure" - a key criteria for amnesty.

The committee resumed its hearings on the Boipatong applications at the Iscor Recreational Club in Vanderbijlpark on Monday and is due to sit until May 21.

The lawyers asked the committee to issue a declaration explaining the "status and nature" of the TRC original findings and "the relevance of the findings to the (amnesty) applicants".

They have also challenged the credibility of the evidence of Andries Nosenga, a 15th amnesty applicant and the only one who confirms the participation of the police in the attack.

The lawyers want the committee to investigate whether Nosenga was coerced or influenced TRC staff members or other persons to apply falsely for amnesty in connection with the massacre.

They have subpoenaed journalist Rian Malan to testify on behalf of the 14 applicants, following an investigation by Malan into the TRC's findings on the Boipatong killings.

Following hearings by the TRC's human rights committee in 1996 on political violence in the Vaal Triangle, the TRC accepted claims that police ignored prior warnings that heavily armed KwaMadala residents were planning to attack Boipatong on June 17.

It also accepted earlier claims that police Casspirs had dropped the killers off into the township before that attack and that white men with blackened faces had helped in the killing.

Malan, however, has disputed much of the TRC's findings, saying that the commission failed to prove police involvement in the massacre.

The commission also ignored the fact that in the trial following the massacre and in probes by the Goldstone Commission and British detectives little evidence of police collusion was found.

The 14 IFP men applying for amnesty have insisted to the amnesty committee that KwaMadala residents were acting alone when they attacked Boipatong to avenge the harassment of hostel-dwellers by African National Congress supporters in Boipatong.

When Nosenga, who also claims to be an IFP member, submitted a statement to the committee in January, he reintroduced claims that police colluded with the killers and alleged the involvement of high-level IFP leaders.

In a story published in the SA Institute for Race Relations magazine "Frontiers of Freedom", Malan doubted the credibility of the evidence given by Nosenga who the TRC says submitted his application to it in August 1996.

Malan said he found that Nosenga was never an inmate of Leeuhof Prison, where Nosenga claims his affidavit on the Boipatong massacre was taken.

Nosenga had said the late Victor Kheswa, an IFP-aligned gang leader also known as the "Vaal Monster", had played a leading role in the Boipatong massacre. Malan found that Kheswa was in police custody on the night of the massacre.

The other amnesty applicants have also denied Kheswa's presence during the killings.

Nosenga also claimed the Boipatong massacre was masterminded by Sergeant Pedro Peens of the local SAP murder and robbery squad.

Malan, however, said it was unlikely the other KwaMadala residents applying for amnesty would lie to protect Peens who had raided the hostel on several occasions and hunted down KwaMadala residents suspected of involvement in other violence in the Vaal triangle before and after the 1992 Boipatong massacre.

Peens had denied involvement in the killings.

Nosenga, who claims to have killed "eight or nine" people at Boipatong, is also applying for amnesty for his involvement in two separate drive-by shootings in Sebokeng.

He has said he was an ANC member before defecting to the IFP and taking up residence at the KwaMadala hostel. He then gave himself up to police and confessed to murders not related to the Boipatong massacre.

The Boipatong massacre and police involvement in it, as claimed by witnesses at the time, is often blamed for causing the breakdown of multi-party negotiations in 1992.

Malan, however, claims that it has become clear subsequently that the ANC deliberately engineered a deadlock a month before the massacre and had embarked on a plan of "rolling mass action" to force its constitutional demands.

The popular campaign was not as successful as the ANC hoped, Malan says. The Boipatong massacre, however, prompted international outrage against then-President FW de Klerk who then agreed to "extraordinary concessions" to get the talks going again.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG May 9 1999 - SAPA-AFP

TERREBLANCHE TO APPLY FOR AMNESTY

AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche will on Monday appear before South Africa's truth commission to apply for amnesty for acts of political thuggery and possession of illegal weapons and ammunition, an official said.

Another rightwinger, Johannes "Piet Skiet" Rudolph, is applying for amnesty relating to similar offences, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) spokeswoman Nosisi Tyantsi said.

The hearing will take place in the mining town of Klerksdorp, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of Johannesburg.

Terre'Blanche, leader of the far-right Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement - AWB) has said he is applying for amnesty to "clear my name" and to establish "a clean record."

One incident involves the tarring and feathering of liberal Afrikaner academic Floors van Jaarsveld during a public meeting in 1979.

AWB members, angered by a speech he made, accosted Van Jaarsveld and poured buckets of tar and sacks of feathers over him in an action he later described as "white terrorism."

Terre'Blanche and Rudolph are also applying for amnesty for incidents linked to the so-called "battle of Ventersdorp" - the AWB's farming town stronghold near Klerksdorp - when former president Frederik de Klerk visited it in August 1991.

De Klerk - regarded as a traitor by the AWB for entering power-sharing negotiations with Nelson Mandela's formerly- banned African National Congress - ordered police to prevent AWB members entering the public meeting.

Armed with teargas and firearms, TerreBlanche and his supporters turned out the town's lights and attacked police. In the ensuing chaos, three people were killed and scores injured.

Terre'Blanche, Rudolph and 12 other AWB supporters were later fined for public violence relating to the incident.

The rightwing leader is facing a six-year jail term for severely assaulting a former black employee with an iron bar in 1995. He is currently out on bail awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

The TRC, which is probing human rights abuses during the apartheid era, is compelled to grant amnesty to perpetrators of crimes provided they make full disclosure and show a political motive.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VENTERSDORP May 10 1999 - SAPA

TERRE BLANCHE CALLS FOR DE KLERK TO ANSWER AT HIS AMNESTY HEARING

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre'Blanche on Monday called for former state president FW de Klerk to answer questions at a Truth and Reconciliation hearing in Klerksdorp, at which Terre'Blanche is seeking amnesty for the so-called Battle of Ventersdorp.

The battle followed a meeting in the town in August 1991, addressed by De Klerk. Originally scheduled to be a public meeting, it was later announced that it would be a private National Party meeting which only party supporters would be allowed to attend.

Terre'Blanche on Monday told the TRC he felt he had to be at the meeting to ask De Klerk some very important questions about a squatter invasion at Ventersdorp, and about negotiations then taking place between the NP government and black political leaders.

De Klerk had abused his powers by using the machinery of the state to defend himself at a private political meeting in Ventersdorp, Terre'Blanche said.

De Klerk had called in large contingents of defence force members and policemen to secure his own safety.

Terre'Blanche was later found guilty of public violence for his part in the battle.

But he told the committee it was unfair he should be branded a criminal when the violence had been instigated by De Klerk and his party.

"There is no evidence that the AWB wanted to break up the meeting. The AWB standpoint was that we had to speak there to ask the president certain questions and to stop him from getting a vote of support at the meeting."

We did not get that opportunity, he added.

"At a time of reconciliation I feel I should no longer be branded as a criminal just because I wanted to exercise my democratic rights as a member of the electorate to be at the meeting," he said.

Rather than instigating violence, he had actually tried to stop the battle, Terre'Blanche said. He had gone out into the middle of the street between two teargas bombs to pull an old man to safety behind a car and had called on the police to stop firing, he said.

Terre'Blanche did not have any legal representation at the hearing. He was aware he could get legal representation, but he wanted to speak for himself and save the state the expense of paying for his lawyer - "because my case is clean and I am honest in this matter".

Terre'Blanche is also applying for amnesty for the 1979 tarring and feathering of University of Pretoria academic Fleuris van Jaarsveld, and for a 1995 attack on a black man that left the victim brain damaged.

Terre'Blanche admitted he had given instructions to about 40 men to attack Van Jaarsveld at the University of South Africa, after Van Jaarsveld had delivered a paper calling for the abolition of the Day of the Covenant on December 16. He said Van Jaarsveld's speech was designed to pave the way for far-reaching changes to take place in South Africa.

The late professor's son told the TRC the family was not opposing the amnesty application but wished it to be known that the attack had a devastating effect on his father's life.

Certain Afrikaans book publishers would no longer publish his books and his popular school history textbooks were removed from the market. For more than 10 years he was ignored by the SABC, whereas he had previously participated regularly in radio programmes. His father had gone into isolation as invitations to act as guest speaker at various functions had dried up.

He was even interviewed by the security police about a course in the history of communism, showing that he was regarded as suspect by the former government, Van Jaarsveld said.

He suggested that Terre'Blanche's attack on his father was an attempt at publicity by the then new AWB movement and that Terre'Blanche's amnesty application was nothing more than an attempt to save his own skin after he received a six- year jail sentence for a violent attack on a black man.

"The pain which he has inflicted will stick to him as the tar stuck to Professor Van Jaarsveld. There is no place for Terre'Blanche in the new South Africa and the community must be protected from people such as him," Van Jaarsveld said.

Amnesty commission chairman Judge Selwyn Miller said he would rule on Tuesday on the application to have De Klerk called before the commission.

Also speaking about the Battle of Ventersdorp, former AWB secretary-general Piet Rudolph said De Klerk had deployed his forces in Ventersdorp in an unbridled manner with the intention of destroying the AWB.

It was the security forces that shot people in the streets and were guilty of gross abuses of human rights at Ventersdorp, and not the AWB, he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 10 1999 - SAPA

TRC REVISITS 1986 CROSS-BORDER RAID

Five former security police officers on Monday testified before a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee on their role in a 1986 cross-border raid into Botswana which left two people dead.

The applicants, Christoffel Smit, Frederik Crause, Warrant Officer Moses Modise, and Brigadiers Willem Schoon and Johan Loots, are seeking amnesty for various offences including murder and attempted murder.

They told the committee that the raid had been carried out in pursuit of two African National Congress "terrorists," Sadi Pule and Aaron Mkhwanazi, who was widely known as Take Five.

But the two had apparently decided not to stay over that night, resulting in the attackers killing innocent occupants of the house.

Taking the stand individually, the applicants testified that the decision to carry out the ambush followed information that the two would be staying over at the house that night.

According to the testimony, Pule and Mkhwanazi, who have since married, were high profile ANC activists whom police had been seeking for years, with just about every police station keeping copies of their photographs.

The house was known by police to be used by ANC members as a safe house.

The information had been brought by Modise earlier that day and a special meeting was held at the Zeerust police station where it was decided to conduct the raid within 12 hours.

An arrangement was made for Modise to accompany the now late Lieutenant Jan Wherman, Loots, Smit, Crause and "special forces" members so that he could point out the house.

The instructions were that Pule and Take Five be eliminated.

The applicants' legal representative Louis Visser unsuccessfully asked for Modise to be allowed to give his testimony in camera.

He said Modise, as a retired policeman living in a township, was concerned about his own and his family's safety and that his appearance in front of television cameras could increase any possible danger.

Modise testified that he was told by his personal informer that there were "freedom fighters" living at the house. He passed the information on to Wherman who arranged a meeting with other officers at Nietverdiend.

After crossing the border, Modise led the special force attackers to the house but he and Crause were told to stay about 30m away.

The attackers broke a window, threw in a hand-grenade and fired several shots.

On their return, one of them told Crause that he shot a man and a woman who were sleeping on a bed. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK May 10 1999 - SAPA

LAWYERS FOR BOIPATONG 14 ASK TRC TO PROBE AMNESTY APPLICATION

Lawyers for the 14 Inkatha Freedom Party amnesty applicants jailed for their role in the 1992 Boipatong massacre have asked the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate how a 15th man came to apply for amnesty.

The request to probe Andries Nosenga, who asked the African National Congress to assist him in his amnesty application, will be launched on Tuesday at the Iscor Recreation Club in Vanderbijlpark where the hearings are being conducted.

Nosenga told the committee he contacted the ANC after the Inkatha Freedom Party, of which he claims to be a member, failed to assist him.

Nosenga, 23, ended six days of cross-examination on Monday during which IFP legal counsel sought to discredit him as a liar and an ANC spy planted to weaken the amnesty applications of the other 14 jailed for the 1992 massacre in which 48 people died.

Lawyers for the 14 want the committee to probe whether his documents are forged or not, and to establish whether they were filed timeously.

They also want an investigation into whether Nosenga had been encouraged or coerced to submit his application, or whether any staff member of the TRC had been involved to help him lodge an application for amnesty "in an unlawful manner."

The 14 contend that Nosenga came to live in KwaMadala hostel from where the attack was launched on Boipatong township, after the massacre. They therefore argue that he had not taken part in the killings.

Meanwhile, in reply to a question on Monday, Nosenga told the amnesty committee that the IFP leadership had forgotten about him in jail, and because he knew that his version of events would be different from the others, he had contacted the ANC.

"Even now they (IFP) have not come to visit me," he told the committee.

Nosenga said the IFP leadership had distanced itself from the killings and this had forced him to seek amnesty for the Boipatong incident for which he had not been arrested.

He was jailed for 16 years in connection with drive-by shootings in Sebokeng and Evaton.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association KLERKSDORP May 11 1999 - SAPA

TERREBLANCHE AMNESTY APPLICATION TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leaders Eugene Terre'Blanche and Piet Rudolph will know by next week the results of their amnesty applications to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, commission chairman Judge Selwyn Miller said on Tuesday.

Terre'Blanche and Rudolph are applying for amnesty for their role in the so-called Battle of Ventersdorp in August 1991, when AWB supporters and other right-wingers clashed with police and defence force members. Three AWB supporters and one passer-by died in the clashes.

Terre'Blanche is also seeking amnesty for the 1979 tarring and feathering of University of Pretoria historian Professor Fleurs van Jaarsveld, and for possession of a cache of arms and ammunition at his Ventersdorp farm in 1983.

Their amnesty applications ended unexpectedly early on Tuesday after only two days of evidence. Originally the hearing was set down to last all week.

Judge Miller on Tuesday rejected an application by the two men for former State President FW de Klerk to be subpoenaed to give evidence at the hearing.

Terre'Blanche and Rudolph have accused De Klerk of instigating the violence at Ventersdorp and of abusing his position by using the security forces to protect him at what was to be a private political meeting for National Party supporters only.

The judge found that the two men would not be prejudiced if De Klerk was not called to give evidence. The purpose of the hearing was not to determine who was responsible for the violence, the judge said.

It was merely to determine whether Terre'Blanche and Rudolph had been acting in pursuit of a political objective at Ventersdorp and if they had made a full disclosure of their involvement in the events that day.

Under cross-examination, Rudolph admitted on Tuesday that some AWB supporters seeking entrance to the De Klerk meeting had been armed with tear gas and with canisters of Doom insect repellent.

This had saved the lives of the AWB supporters present, he said. The demonstrators had fired their tear gas at the police after the police had fired theirs at the demonstrators, creating a lot of confusion and preventing police sharp-shooters located on top of a high building from shooting and killing the demonstrators, he said.

He speculated that some of those with tear gas could have been police agents who had infiltrated the AWB ranks, because there had been no discussions among AWB leaders about bringing tear gas and Doom to the meeting.

"I would never have approved the use of Doom because I do not think that De Klerk i an insect to be sprayed with Doom," he said.

Rudolph also rejected claims that the AWB supporters had been instructed to bring blankets and overcoats so they could scale barbed wire barricades, and that they were carrying plaster of paris arm protectors to prevent them from being bitten by police dogs. There had been a man trying to sell plaster of paris arm protectors to the demonstrators, but he had been arrested by the police, Rudolph said.

Rudolph also denied that Terre'Blanche had been responsible for a power black-out in Ventersdorp that night, even though Terre'Blanche had been arrested near a power substation shortly after the power went out.

Terre'Blanche had gone to the sub-station to find out why the town had been plunged into darkness, Rudolph said.

The black-out had probably been caused by a mini-bus taxi crashing into an electrical box after a group of funeral mourners on their way to the former Transkei became frightened when they saw all the white people in Ventersdorp that night, Rudolph said.

"I hope that this is a problem that we won't have in South Africa any more, that whites are afraid of blacks and that blacks are afraid of whites," Rudolph said.

The two-day hearing attracted widespread media interest, but only a few members of the public attended. The three or four AWB supporters present were hugely outnumbered by a large contingent of police officers on duty to protect the proceedings.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VANDERBIJLPARK May 11 1999 - SAPA

BOIPATONG LAWYERS OUT TO PROVE POLICE INVOLVEMENT

Lawyers for the victims of the 1992 Boipatong massacre on Tuesday began calling residents of the Vaal Triangle township to testify before the TRC in a bid to prove police involvement in the killings.

The lawyers have brought in the witnesses to refute claims by 14 Inkatha Freedom Party members that they acted alone in launching the attack from the KwaMadala hostel adjacent to the township.

The IFP men are seeking amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for their role in the massacre which left 45 people dead.

A 15th IFP member, Andries Nosenga, is the only amnesty applicant to allege that senior members of the party and security forces helped plan and execute the attack.

The victims' lawyers have a drwn up a list of 24 witnesses for the TRC amnesty committee's hearing in Vanderbijlpark but it is unlikely all of them will testify before the hearing ends on May 21.

On Tuesday, Wilson Baloyi, who still lives in Bafokeng Street in Boipatong, told the committee he saw police vehicles escorting armed hostel dwellers through the township shortly before the attack began on June 17, 1992.

Baloyi said the attack began around 10.20pm. He was watching television when he saw a police vehicle pass his house followed several minutes later by a group of armed men.

Some of the attackers forced their way into his house and stole his television set, while one man attacked him with a panga.

After the men had left, Baloyi said, he climbed onto the roof of his garage from where he could see a police vehicle escorting the attackers from the township.

During the attack, he said, he heard a white man shouting, "Maak gou" (hurry up) to the hostel dwellers.

He also recognised one of the hostel leaders among the group of armed men outside his house.

Baloyi, 79, told the committee a local priest had warned Boipatong residents earlier of an impending attack.

He said his fears were confirmed when police entered the township in the afternoon and began removing barricades which the "comrades" had set up to prevent vehicles entering the township.

"I realised the police were going to attack when the tractors came to fill up the trenches... the closing up of the trenches and the removing of the barricades was unusual," he said.

Pressed by lawyers for the 14 IFP men, he could not explain why he thought the police action was necessarily linked to an immanent attack.

He said, however, the police were deeply mistrusted in Boipatong and were suspected of collaborating with the IFP. As the day and the cross-examination wore on, lawyers for the 14 IFP men tried to pick holes in Baloyi's testimony and pointed to contradictions between his evidence, statements he had made in an affidavit shortly after the massacre and testimony his wife had given in court.

IFP lawyer Rean Strydom challenged Baloyi on minutiae of his evidence such as how he knew the attackers wearing balaclavas were "white men", whether he could tell the difference between models of police armoured vehicles and how much he could see through the lace curtains of his lounge window.

Quizzed by Strydom on discrepancies between his testimony to the committee and his statement to police in 1992, Baloyi said: "The police questioned me on many issues so it is possible they might not have written down everything I told them."

On Wednesday, the IFP men's lawyers will ask the committee to explain whether the findings on the massacre made by its parent body would affect the committee's amnesty decision.

The lawyers are concerned that their clients will not get amnesty if their testimony contradicts last year's findings by the TRC that police colluded with hostel residents in the massacre.

In application to the amnesty committee, the legal team argues that the 14 IFP men "have effectively been prejudged" and their right to a fair hearing had been undermined.

They have also challenged the credibility of Nosenga's evidence and want the committee to investigate whether Nosenga was coerced or influenced TRC staff members or other persons to apply falsely for amnesty in connection with the massacre.

The amnesty committee's hearing is, effectively, the fifth time the events at Boipatong have come under official scrutiny.

An initial inquiry by British detectives was followed by a lengthy probe by Judge Richard Goldstone before a trial in Delmas which lasted more than a year.

The TRC's human rights violation commission held its hearings on the Boipatong killings in 1996, culminating in its final report last year.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 13 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS AMNESTY APPLICATIONS FOR KZN VIOLENCE

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hear amnesty bids next week from African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party members involved in the bloody KwaZulu-Natal conflict.

ANC member Bongani Gilbert Ngobese, whose application was partly heard last year, is seeking a pardon for the killing of 12 members of the Khuzwayo and Xulu families near the Mahlabathini district in January 1990, TRC spokesman Nosisi Tyantsi said.

The families were attacked while mourning the deaths of two sons killed a few days prior to the family murders.

Ngobese, currently serving a life sentence for the killings, is also seeking amnesty for destroying the property of Dingiswayo Xulu in a fire.

The Mahlabathini area, near Ulundi in northern KwaZulu-Natal, was recently included among areas in the province deemed volatile in the run-up to elections on June 2.

Tyantsi said IFP member Dennis Felamandla Gumede will appear before the amnesty committee at the same hearing for the murder of ANC supporter Bhekumuzi Zondi on 18 July 1991 in the Greytown area.

Gumede, jailed at Waterval prison for his role in the killing, and other IFP members apparently attacked Zondi and opened fire. Gumede claims that during this period there was political unrest in Greytown.

A third applicant, Bongani Cyril Thusi, will appear before the committee in connection with the murders of about 17 ANC followers in the flashpoint townships of Magoda and Ndaleni in Richmond in 1991.

Thusi is also seeking amnesty for the murder of Petrus Zulu in Ulundi in 1991. He claims to have killed Zulu because he was an ANC sympathiser.

The hearing will be held at the Marian Centre in Pietermaritzburg on May 20 and 21.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 21 1999 - SAPA

TRC MAY HAVE BODIES IN RUSTENBURG EXHUMED

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will consider having about three unknown bodies in Rustenburg exhumed in its search of missing former African National Congress cadre Nokuthula Simelane.

TRC amnesty committee chairman Judge Denzel Potgieter said this on Friday in response to a request by the Simelane family's legal representative, Eric van der Berg, on the last day of hearings into Simelane's disappearance.

Simelane, a former University of Swaziland student, has been missing since she was abducted from Johannesburg's Carlton Centre by South African security police while she was in the country on Umkhonto we Sizwe activities in September 1983.

Four retired police officers and two former police spies are seeking amnesty for Simelane's abduction and torture, with the officers claiming she may have been killed by her MK comrades after she returned to Swaziland as a turned agent.

This is disputed by retired Sergeant Nimrod Veyi who participated in the torture. A late police spy, Peter Lengene, also disputed this in earlier testimony.

They both claimed that Simelane had been murdered and buried secretly in Rustenburg about a month after her arrest.

Van der Berg told the commission that TRC investigator Fanie Molapo was informed by Lengene that Simelane's grave was among unmarked graves in Rustenburg.

Van der Berg said the attorney general's office had agreed to conduct DNA tests on any female corpses that may be found in those graves.

The TRC last year discovered 15 male bodies in mass graves at Rustenburg.

Meanwhile, Veyi on Friday broke down and sobbed as he asked Simelane's family to forgive him for his role in her torture, adding that he participated because of circumstances at the time.

This caused Simelane's mother Anestinah and three aunts to cry, which necessitated a short adjournment. One of the aunts was Ivy Molokoane, whose MK cadre son Barney died in a shoot-out with security police in 1986.

Simelane is believed to have been recruited by Barney Molokoane to serve as an MK courier of arms and literature between South Africa and Swaziland.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG May 21 1999 - SAPA

RIBEIRO'S KILLERS GRANTED AMNESTY

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Friday granted amnesty to 13 former security force members who murdered Mamelodi doctor Fabian Ribeiro, his wife Florence and former KwaNdebele cabinet minister Piet Ntuli in 1986.

Jacob Hendrik van Jaarsveld, General Abraham Joubert, Colonel Charl Naude, Noel Robey , Coenraad Vlietstra, Deon Gouws, Stephanus Oosthuizen, Brigadier Wikus Loots, Colonel Philip Crause, Trevor Floyd, Civil Co-operation Bureau chief Pieter Verster, Major Diederick Vorster and Abraham Kendall all got amnesty for the murders.

The Ribeiros were gunned down at their home in Mamelodi, Pretoria and Ntuli died after an explosive was planted under the seat of his car in Siyabuswa in the former homeland.

Joubert, Naude, Loots, Crause, Verster and Vorster were also been granted amnesty for their role in the murder of ten African National Congress activists - who were enroute to Botswana for military training in June 1986.

The youths, Abraham Mokolane, Samuel Masilela, Sepo Sibanyoni, Jeremia Mfundi, Thomas Phiri, Jeremia Mkabula, Morris Nkabinde, Matthew Kekutle, Stephen Makenna and Elliot Sasage were first injected with a drug which rendered them unconscious and then doused with petrol before they were set alight in a minibus in which they were travelling .

The youths were allegedly lured by former Vlakplaas operative Joe Mamasela, who pretended he was a member of the ANC's armed wing.

The amnesty committee said it was satisfied that the offences were committed with a political objective and that the applicants had made full disclosure of the relevant facts as required by the TRC Act.

The names of the victims' next-of-kin have been referred to the TRC's reparations and rehabilitation committee to be considered as victims of gross human rights violation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 22 1999 - SAPA

MBEKI WANTS CHANGES TO TRC RULES ON AMNESTY

Deputy president Thabo Mbeki has asked for a review of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission legislation to allow people to be granted amnesty without having to apply as individuals, as is presently required, the Sunday Times reported.

Soldiers of the old SADF, those involved in violence in KwaZulu-Natal and members of political parties should qualify for such amnesty, Mbeki said in an interview with the Sunday newspaper.

He said that although the deadline for amnesty applications had passed, he had asked justice minister Dullah Omar to look into allowing "organisations and bodies" to be granted amnesty in cases where no perpetrators had come forward to seek indemnity.

Smuts Ngonyama, Mbeki's ANC communications chief, said a group of former SADF generals had told Mbeki that they would "come clean" and hand over the full details of all abuses sanctioned by the military, but only if they were assured they would qualify for amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 24 1999 - SAPA

ANC MAN APPEARS BEFORE TRC FOR MURDER OF POLICEMAN

African National Congress member Justice Bekebeke would appear before the Amnesty committee in Bloemfontein in the Free State on Monday for his role in the killing of policeman Lucas Sethwala in 1985, SABC radio news reported.

Sethwala was killed after allegedly shooting at a group of a toyi-toying residents in Upington, in the Northern Cape, during the height of political repression.

The Amnesty committee will also hear testimony from three alleged Pan Africanist Congress members for their role in a cash-in-transit heists.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN May 24 1999 - SAPA-AFP

DE KLERK'S CASE AGAINST TRUTH COMMISSION TO GET BRIEF COURT AIRING

Last apartheid president F.W. De Klerk's challenge to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will get a brief airing in the Cape High Court on Tuesday, his lawyer said.

De Klerk will not have to appear and the matter will immediately be postponed to a date still to be agreed upon, lawyer Callie Albertyn said Monday.

The former president took legal action to block the TRC from implicating him in state-sponsored terrorism in its report on apartheid-era human rights abuses which it handed to President Nelson Mandela in October.

TRC chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu said at the time the commission's lawyers would mount a vigorous defence in court of why De Klerk should be named in a complete version of the report due later this year.

Press reports have said the TRC report would finger De Klerk as "an accessory after the fact" to the 1980s bombings of the offices of two anti-apartheid organisations.

South Africa's last white president has denied any involvement in assassinations, torture and other abuses committed by the previous government's security forces and has not applied to the TRC for amnesty for any apartheid-era crimes.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA May 24 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTS COMMITTED BY HIS UNIT

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock on Monday accepted full responsibility for human rights violations commited without his knowledge by members of his unit.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria the aim of the unit had been to curb terrorism. It also covered up illegal acts by other security police units to maintain secrecy.

De Kock, who is serving a 260-year prison term for human rights violations, is seeking amnesty for over 100 incidents of torture, murder and fraud.

His amnesty hearings are expected to last several months.

The TRC's amnesty committee will for the first two days hear general background about Vlakplaas operations and its members.

De Kock's first amnesty application relates to five incidents during his reign as Vlakplaas commander since June 1985.

De Kock told the amnesty committee that if he had not been transferred to Vlakplaas, he would have requested to go there.

He said he had been committed to fighting liberation fighters and supported the former National Party's objective of curbing "terrorism".

De Kock said he had also been a strong supporter of the Inkatha Freedom Party because it was anti-African National Congress.

He said he was a card-carrying member of the IFP and provided them with weapons and ammunition to fight the ANC.

"I didn't have a problem with the IFP because they weren't communists."

De Kock, who became the fifth commander of Vlakplaas in June 1983, told the TRC that the unit housed former cadres turned police informers.

He said the askaris aided the security police in identifying liberation fighters, assisting in their arrests and testifying against them in court.

De Kock said the housing of the informers was a cover for the true operations of Vlakplaas, which was to curb terrorism and where necessary kill liberation fighters.

He gave examples of handgrenades that were altered so that they blew up in cadres' hands, and exploding Parker pens.

"Vlakplaas had a dedicated security police that would act illegally if necessary."

De Kock said Vlakplaas also covered up illegal operations of other police units to maintain secrecy. He briefly described the incidents that he is seeking amnesty for, saying that he received police medals for excellent service.

"I was one of the most highly decorated policemen in the force."

He said his superiors expected him to use his own initiative when carrying out operations, and there was hardly ever a complaint about the decisions he made.

De Kock said when the liberation groups were unbanned in 1990, he requested that Vlakplaas end its operations, but this was turned down.

He said that after the liberation groups were unbanned, informers working for him continued identifying cadres that were not granted indemnity.

De Kock said he had mixed feelings about the unbanning because he thought it would not bring about peace in the country.

He said he was not sure that South Africans would ever be able to reconcile.

"We wasted the most precious gift which is life. I would like to tell those families that I am very sorry about it."

Earlier in the day he accepted full responsibility for his involvement in human rights violations.

They include the April 1990 attack on the house of the Chand family, which was accused of assisting former liberation fighters.

Other incidents include the murder of Vlakplaas askari Brian Ngqulunga in Bophuthatswana in July 1990, and the killing of African National Congress members Keith Mcfadden and Zwelakhe Nyanda during a cross-border raid into Swaziland.

On Wednesday the amnesty committee will hear more general information on the operations at Vlakplaas.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA May 25 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK'S TRIAL IS AN ANC ELECTION PLOY: IFP

The Inkatha Freedom Party on Tuesday accused former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock's amnesty hearing of being an election ploy by the African National Congress.

"The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is part of the ANC and it is not objective. De Kock's amnesty trials were planned a few days before the elections to put doubt in the minds of the electorate about the IFP," party chief whip and lawyer Koos van der Merwe said.

He told the TRC in Pretoria that he objected to information by De Kock that he supplied weapons to the IFP in the early 1990s.

Van der Merwe said the IFP as a party had never been involved with arms dealings with De Kock.

Commenting on an arms cache found in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this month after it was pointed out by IFP MPL Philip Powell, he said Powell had acted in his own capacity when he was supplied with arms.

Van der Merwe said the weapons were used for self-defence.

"At that time everybody was preparing for a war," he told reporters during a tea break.

De Kock, who is seeking amnesty for over 100 incidents of torture, murder and fraud, told the TRC's amnesty committee on Monday that he supplied the IFP with arms and ammunition.

He said he had done this because he supported the IFP because they were not communists and did not like the ANC.

De Kock also admitted to being an IFP card-carrying member.

On Tuesday, De Kock said he was initially a supporter of the National Party, but became a member of the IFP after the NP disband liberation fighters in 1990.

Van der Merwe asked De Kock if he knew that IFP leader Mongosuthu Buthelezi supported a policy of non-violence.

De Kock replied that he knew this, adding that he had never heard Buthelezi say that he wanted to attack somebody.

Van der Merwe told reporters the TRC had not notified the IFP that it would be incriminated in De Kock's hearings.

He said he read about the alleged IFP involvement in newspapers earlier in the day.

De Kock, who is serving a 260-year prison term for murder and other crimes, told the amnesty committee he had been involved in operations where more than 40 people were killed to curb terrorism.

"It is not easy in prison for me, especially in my circumstances."

He said since being in prison he "realised the loneliness that ANC and PAC (Pan Africanist Congress) members must have felt" while imprisoned during apartheid. De Kock said he no longer considered the liberation fighters of the past to be his enemy.

"They fought for what they wanted and they won."

On Wednesday, De Kock will apply for amnesty for the killing of four unknown arms smugglers on April 21, 1991, at Komatipoort.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN May 25 1999 - SAPA

IFP SAYS NO RECORD OF DE KOCK'S MEMBERSHIP

The Inkatha Freedom Party on Tuesday said it had no record of Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock being a member, contrary to what he told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria on Monday.

De Kock told the TRC he was a card-carrying member of the IFP and supplied it with weapons to fight the African National Congress.

De Kock has applied for amnesty for more than 100 incidents of torture, murder and fraud.

In a statement, IFP spokesman Musa Zondi said: "The IFP has no record or knowledge of this alleged membership."

He said during the struggle for liberation and the strife between the IFP and the ANC, IFP symbols were used on occasion to discredit the IFP.

"T-shirts and membership cards were left brazenly as incriminating so-called evidence. From what we now know, it is entirely possible that De Kock had access to party membership cards."

According to a computer check there was no indication that De Kock had ever been a member of the IFP, Zondi said.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said it was shocked to learn that De Kock had been a member of the IFP. A statement said: "This admission by De Kock puts into question the bona fide of the IFP as an authentic political party.

"It gives further credence to the view that the IFP was so undermined and finally converted to becoming one of the most successful projects of the apartheid security forces."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN May 25 1999 - SAPA

DE KLERK/TRC COURT BATTLE POSTPONED

The court battle between former State President FW de Klerk and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was on Tuesday postponed to a date to be decided by both parties.

De Klerk took legal action to block the TRC from implicating him in state-sponsored terrorism in its final report on apartheid-era human rights abuses.

Both parties appeared in chambers before Judge JI Immelman in the Cape High Court on Tuesday. As there were still outstanding matters, the case was postponed.

No date had been set for a new hearing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA May 27 1999 - SAPA

SMUGGLERS' KILLING BY MERCENARIES COVERED UP, TRC TOLD

A police operation in which four arms smugglers were shot dead in 1991 was covered up because they were shot by Angolan and Namibian mercenaries, former Vlakplaas lieutenant Johann Tait said on Thursday.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee in Pretoria the operation was covered up because if the rest of the world found out former members of the police special unit Koevoet were involved in the operation it would have been an embarrassment to the government.

Tait is seeking amnesty for his role in the killing of four unknown gun smugglers at Komatipoort on 21 April 1991.

The men were shot by two ex-Koevoet members who had arranged to buy weapons from them so that they could be arrested.

Tait said the ex-Koevoet members shot the smugglers because their lives were in danger.

He said the ex-Koevoet members went to a police base in the area where Tait was stationed and told security police there had been a shooting.

It was then decided police task force members should replace the ex-Koevoet members to make it seem that police had shot the smugglers.

"Ex-Koevoet members' involvement in operations had to be kept as secret as possible," Tait told the amnesty committee.

"If it was found out that the SA police used mercenaries we would have been in big trouble."

He said ex-Koevoet members were used in operations at Komatipoort because they were fluent in Portuguese and were able to communicate with gun smugglers from Mozambique.

On Monday, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock and six other security policemen will apply for amnesty for the killing of the Chand family in 1990.

The family was eliminated in an attack for allegedly assisting liberation fighters to leave and enter the country.

The victims were a father, mother, three children and a security guard.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN May 28 1999 - SAPA

SENTENCE IMPOSED ON PW BOTHA SHOCKINGLY INAPPROPRIATE

The sentence imposed on former state president PW Botha for defying a notification to testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission -R10,000 or 12 months, plus a further 12 months conditionally suspended for five years - was "shockingly inappropriate".

This was contended in the Cape High Court on Friday by Botha's senior counsel Lapa Laubscher in Botha's appeal against both conviction and sentence.

Laubscher cited a similar case in which a person was sentenced to R50 or one month imprisonment for refusing to take the oath or answer questions before a different commission.

Laubscher said the R50 sentence amounted to 8,3 percent of the maximum sentence for the offence, while Botha's sentence amounted to 50 percent of the maximum sentence.

Laubscher contended that Botha's sentence was shockingly inappropriate, considering his age and the fact that he was a first offender.

The appeal in the Cape High Court is before a full bench comprising judges Selwyn Selikowitz and John Foxcroft.

Laubscher told the court the appeal grounds were purely technical and involved five issues:

- Whether a ruling by the regional court (in George) was correct, namely that Botha's technical defence to the charge - that the TRC notification was invalid - should have been raised with the TRC itself, or challenged in the high court, before Botha chose to ignore it;

- Whether the TRC had acted beyond its powers in issuing the notice;

- Whether the notification had been properly authorised by the TRC;

- Whether the TRC had still been properly constituted at the time the notification was issued; and

- Whether the hearing at which Botha was to have testified was in fact properly constituted.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 28 1999 - SAPA

GONIWE MURDER HEARING MAY BE REOPENED: TRC

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee will consider reopening hearings into the murder of United Democratic Front activist Matthew Goniwe after new evidence came to light, the committee's executive secretary Martin Coetzee said on Friday.

This comes after George Bizos, SC, acting for the families of the Cradock Four victims, forwarded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission a copy of minutes of a 1984 State Security Council meeting in which reference was made to Goniwe, Coetzee said.

According to a Mail & Guardian report on Friday, the minutes quoted former apartheid minister Barend du Plessis suggesting that certain "agitator" ex-teachers be "removed".

Du Plessis, now a strategy consultant to the business community, told Sapa Friday that he "never meant or even remotely suggested that a person may have been killed".

"Even if I did (use the Afrikaans word 'verwyder' or removed), the simple fact is ... that taking Mr Goniwe from a school in Cradock to a school elsewhere certainly would not have been welcomed by him.

"In other words, if a person doesn't do something voluntarily, you 'verwyder' him," Du Plessis said, insisting he wanted to redeploy Goniwe, a teacher, due to the political climate in Cradock.

Coetzee said Bizos had asked that the amnesty hearings be reopened after sending a copy of the minutes to the TRC last Thursday. The amnesty committee would consider the request, Coetzee said.

The committee, led by Judge Ronnie Pillay, has not yet made a decision whether to grant amnesty to six security policemen who claim responsibility for the murders.

General Nico van Rensburg, Major Herman du Plessis, Captain Izak van Zyl, Lieutenant Eric Taylor, Sergeant Gerhardus Lotz and Colonel Harold Snyman claim they do not know who issued the orders to kill.

Bizos is opposing their amnesty plea on grounds they have failed to disclose the full truth behind the assassinations.

Coetzee said: "In terms of the (Promotion of National Reconciliation and Unity) Act, the committee can ... reopen the hearing if it has not yet come to a decision on granting amnesty."

Goniwe, Sparrow Mkhonto, Fort Calata and Sicelo Mhlauli were stabbed, mutilated and burnt to death near Cradock in June 1985, 15 months after the State Security Council meeting took place.

Meanwhile, Du Plessis said he remembered the security council meeting at which he, in his capacity as education minister, discussed Goniwe "but I can't recollect how I worded" statements.

He said he had in the past been confronted with "documentation that has been tampered with" but stopped short of alleging the minutes in the TRC's hands were fraudulent.

"I would like to see this, to have it authenticated. I'll have to talk to government. Maybe (former state president) FW de Klerk has records," he said.

He said that after the decision was taken to redeploy Goniwe, it became clear it would be better to reappoint him back to a Cradock school.

After du Plessis became finance minister, his successors in the education ministry had "actively pursued Mr Goniwe's return to Cradock. They considered appointing him as headmaser of one of the Cradock schools.

"However, they met with strong resistance from security quarters. While still exerting themselves to this end, Mr Goniwe was killed," Du Plessis said.

"The simple and obvious fact is that my role in the appointment of Mr Goniwe to another school early in 1984 had nothing whatsoever to do with his killing more than a year later, particularly in view of my successors' efforts to reappoint him to a school back in Cradock."

Du Plessis said he was discussing his options with legal advisors due to "possible defamatory implications" of the newspaper article.

Bizos could not be reached for comment.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG May 28 1999 - SAPA

MBEKI DID NOT SUGGEST CHANGE TO AMNESTY LAW

Deputy President Thabo Mbeki on Friday denied reports that he intended to review amnesty legislation.

Reacting to recent press reports in this regard, Mbeki said he never suggested this.

It was reported that Mbeki over the weekend askeg of this sort," a statement froliament during the Truth and Reciliation Commission debate on February 25 that the "idea of general amnesty should never be entertained".

In his speech, Mbeki also said South Africans should, however, not allow themselves to be drawn into a situation of conflict as a result of the political crimes of the past.

"The Office of the Deputy President wishes to point out that the sentiments expressed in his February 25 speech remains the position adopted and forms the basis of the referral of all the issues... to the Justice Ministry to look into," Mbeki's office said.

The issues sent to the justice department pertain to the special problem of KwaZulu-Natal, the problem of former security force members who did not apply for amnesty because the leaders of the former government failed to accept political responsibility and amnesty on an equal basis for political organisations engaged in the struggle.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association SOMERSET EAST 30 May 1999 - SAPA

NORMAN NGCIPE'S REMAINS REBURIED AT SOMERSET EAST

The remains of Dr Norman Ngcipe, who was killed during the South African Defence Force raids in Lesotho's capital Maseru in 1982, were reburied at Somerset East on Saturday.

Ngcipe's remains were exhumed in Maseru on Thursday.

His cousin and family spokesman, Mandilakhe Dilima, said Ngcipe's body was brought home as part of a tradition "for the healing process".

About 2000 people including African National Congress officials and medical colleagues attended the reburial. Among those who attended were health director Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, ANC deputy secretary-general Tenji Mtintso, Member of Parliament Buyelwa Sonjica, Western Cape MPL Sicelo Gqobhani, Truth and Reconciliation Commission spokesman Phila Ngqumba, and a number of Eastern Cape government officials.

Lesotho's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thabo Thabane, dismissed the myth that the exhumation would bring bad luck to the Lesotho people.

He said if families wanted the remains of their family members, they were welcome to get them.

Ngcipe's mother, Tembisa Ngcipe, 60, said that now her son had been reburied, her dream had been fulfilled.

She said the family suspected Ngcipe had been shot at close range and appealed to the TRC to investigate the Maseru massacre and bring those responsible for the killings forward.

TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said a number of people implicated in the raid were seeking amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 31 May 1999 - SAPA-AP

ARGUMENT ENDS IN P.W. BOTHA APPEAL AGAINST SAFRICAN TRUTH PANEL

Lawyers closed their arguments on Monday in an appeal launched by P.W. Botha, white-run South Africa's last hardline president, who wants to overturn a conviction for snubbing a panel probing apartheid atrocities.

Botha was found guilty last year of ignoring a summons to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission wanted to quiz him on his role as head of the shadowy State Security Council, which its says sanctioned the killing of anti-aparthied activists.

Defense lawyer Lappe Laubscher called Botha's fine of 10,000 rand (dlrs 1,577) and a one-year suspended jail sentence "shockingly inappropriate" and asked for Botha to be found innocent.

Botha's defense is based on technical arguments that Laubscher says render the legal summons invalid and improperly issued.

State prosecutor Bruce Morrison said the subpoena had been drawn up correctly, but that, even if it was found to be faulty, the court was morally bound to uphold the conviction.

It would be unjust, Morrison said, if Botha "should escape justice in this matter."

Morrison called for both the conviction and sentence to be upheld. "The defense is devoid of principle and persuasion," he said.

However, Judge Selwyn Selikowitz, who questioned Morrison throughout his testimony, said the court would deal with the issue on purely legal grounds.

"This appeal is not about whether Mr. Botha should morally have come or not to the (Truth Commission) meeting. This appeal is about legal technicalities," he said.

If Botha's appeal is upheld, the ruling could damage race relations in a country where many blacks still see the courts as dominated by whites. The magistrate who originally found Botha guilty was black, while both judges on the appeal panel are white.

Ruling with an iron fist until 1989, Botha was ousted after 11 years in power after an internal party struggle when he suffered a stroke and was replaced by the more liberal F.W. de Klerk.

Botha has accused the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, of carrying out a witch hunt against Afrikaners, the white descendants of Dutch, French and German settlers who dominated apartheid governments.

In its final report the Truth Commission found Botha guilty of gross violations of human rights, but was also strongly critical of the violent actions of the black liberation movements.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 31 May 1999 - SAPA-AFP

COURT RESERVES JUDGEMENT IN BOTHA APPEAL

A South African court on Monday reserved judgement in the appeal of former apartheid state president P.W. Botha against a conviction of contempt for refusing to testify before the truth commission.

Judge Selwyn Selikowitz is expect to deliver judgement within a week, officials said. The state has the right to appeal should Botha win the case.

The Cape High Court heard final arguments Monday in Botha's appeal against a sentence imposed by a lower court last August of a 10,000 rand (1,600 dollar) fine or 12 months in jail, with another 12 months suspended.

Botha had flatly refused to cooperate with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) probing apartheid-era human rights abuses.

Botha, 82, has not appeared in court for any part of his appeal, which began last week.

On Monday, Botha's counsel argued that the TRC had failed to follow the proper procedures when calling on Botha to testify.

Advocate Lapa Laubscher said the subpoena the body issued to Botha on December 4, 1997, to appear before it two weeks later was invalid.

Secondly, Laubscher argued, the four-member group delegated to interview the former president did not constitute a quorum or a valid sub-committee of the TRC's human rights violations committee.

"If anybody is to blame for the dilemma the commission found itself in, it is the commission. They showed a total disregard for the provisions of their own empowering act."

State prosecutor Bruce Morrison asked the court not to merely implement the letter of the law, but to see that justice is done.

Botha's "stubborn" refusal to cooperate with the TRC "stultified the body's attempts to achieve reconciliation" in South Africa through its investigation of past atrocities, he said.

The TRC wanted Botha, who was president until 1989, to explain his role in the State Security Council, a panel of security chiefs who allegedly condoned the killing of political opponents and ordered cross-border raids on liberation activists.

Like all senior politicians of the former National Party, which enforced apartheid and ruled until 1994, Botha claimed to have known nothing about these events, and blamed "uncontrollable" elements of the security forces.

In its final report the TRC said Botha should be held accountable for gross human rights violations that occurred during his 11-year rule, including the killing of political opponents.

© South African Press Association, 1999 This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 31 May 1999 - SAPA

UMKHONTO WE SIZWE MEMBERS GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Monday granted amnesty to two former members of the African National Congress' armed wing, UmKhonto we Sizwe, for bombing the Koeberg power station in Cape Town on or about December 18, 1982.

Rodney Lawrence Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson were attached to MK's special operations unit when they were ordered to damage the power station.

The applicants disclosed that four limpet mines were used in the blast, which was part part of the overall strategy of attacking the apartheid government and its installations.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 31 May 1999 - SAPA

VAN RENSBURG ORDERED CHAND FAMILY DEATH: DE KOCK

Former security police general Nick van Rensburg ordered the killing of a family in 1990 that assisted Pan Africanist Congress members to infiltrate South Africa, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock said on Monday.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that when Van Rensburg gave him the orders to eliminate the Chand family former police general Krappies Engelbrecht was present.

Van Rensburg and Engelbrecht, who were both brigadiers at the time of the incident, have not applied for amnesty.

De Kock is seeking amnesty for his involvement in the killing of the Chand family, who were eliminated at their house in Botswana in April 1990.

A man, his wife, their three sons and a house guard were shot dead by former security police.

De Kock led the operation and was assisted by about eight other police members.

He told the TRC's amnesty committee that when he and the former police members got to the house, which was close to the South African border, they were confronted by the house guard, who spoke in a language they did not understand.

De Kock said he shot the guard about three times in the head with a Scorpion pistol armed with a silencer.

He said he then stepped backwards and fell down, injuring a knee so that he was unable to continue with the operation.

De Kock said two security policemen assisted him to get away from the house while the others continued with the killings.

He said the police group went to Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to make it seem that that they had been involved in an operation in the Natal midlands.

De Kock said he found out in newspapers the following day that three children aged between 10 and 12 had been shot dead.

He told the amnesty committee that it had not been Vlakplaas policy to shoot children, and said if he had known there were children in the house he would have made different plans to kill the man and woman.

De Kock said he heard about 10 days ago that the Chand children had in fact been aged between 19 and 26.

"I was haunted (by the killing of the children) until about 10 days ago."

He said he informed Van Rensburg about the incident a few days after the incident.

He told the TRC that he accepted full responsibility for the shooting, but would not accept responsibility for Van Rensburg and Engelbrecht's involvement.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 2 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY GRANTED TO FORMER SDU MEMBERS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Thursday granted amnesty to five former self defence unit members and an African National Congress member for political crimes committed during the apartheid era.

Amnesty was refused to three ANC members who were involved in the conflict between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party in Tembisa, Tsakane and the Mandela informal settlement.

The committee on Thursday announced that amnesty was granted to self defence unit member Zakhele Jan Simelane, who was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for robbery in 1991.

Simelane and others stole a car and then robbed a Volkskas Bank. They were arrested when the car broke down.

The committee found that Simelane had committed the crimes with a political objective and made full disclosure.

Self defence unit members Bafo Gift Ngqunge, Mtheltheleli Crosby Kolela and Mabitana Mani, all from King William's Town, were also granted amnesty.

They applied for amnesty on charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms, explosives and ammunition.

The weapons were stolen from former Ciskei Defence Force members.

The committee also granted amnesty to self defence unit member Mxolisi Duma for the attempted murder of members of the South African Police and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition in 1990.

African National Congress member Mzolisi Mhlakaza was granted amnesty in respect of murder, assault and malicious damage to property.

Amnesty was refused to ANC members Mazwi Mkukwana, Themba Nhlapo and Milton Bkeki Mhlongo.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 7 1999 - SAPA

ASKARI CLAIMED HE WAS ABDUCTED BY WINNIE MANDELA SOCCER CLUB

Askari Johannes Mabothe claimed before his murder in 1989 that he was abducted by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's former soccer club and used as a sex slave, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock said on Monday.

Appearing before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria, De Kock admitted that he shot dead Mabothe, a former Vlakplaas askari who had allegedly also been working for the Mandela United Soccer Club,

De Kock said he decided that Mabothe should be killed after the Soweto security police branch told him that Mabothe was involved in police killings.

Mabothe disappeared from Vlakplaas and was later detained by Soweto security policemen.

He was interrogated by De Kock and the Soweto security police branch about his alleged involvement in African National Congress "terrorist" activities.

Mabothe told De Kock he had been abucted by Madikizela-Mandela's soccer club and used as a sex slave.

He was later informed that Mabothe and Madikizela-Mandela had been involved in a relationship, De Kock said.

De Kock is seeking amnesty for Mabothe's murder on October 5, 1989 at Penge Mine near Burgersfort in Mpumalanga.

TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha told reporters at the hearing Madikizela-Mandela had been informed that she would be mentioned in De Kock's amnesty application

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 7 1999 - SAPA

HANI ORDERED ASSASSINATION, TRC TOLD

Slain SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani was one of the commanders who gave instructions to eliminate Thomas Joshua Mangane, Mpumalanga sports MEC Fish Mahlalela told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee on Monday.

Testifying before the committee at the Telkom Club near Pretoria, Mahlalela said Mangane was eliminated because he was collaborating with the apartheid security forces. The order to kill him came from MK commanders including Hani, he told the committee.

"It became clear to me in particular that Mangane was part of the police network of informers. Mangane helped the security police in their attempt to destroy the Umkhonto weSizwe cadres as he had knowledge of MK operations due to his involvement in underground operations," Mahlalela said.

Mangane was gunned down on the evening of January 10, 1990, when he opened the door to his Mbuzini home near Swaziland. Mahlalela said he went to Mangane's home about 10pm, armed with a Makharov pistol. He knocked on his door.

"When he responded I pretended to be his brother Themba and I fired several shots when he opened the door." Mahlalela was arrested shortly after the incident and during the trial he applied for indemnity which he was granted.

Challenged by TRC evidence leader, Lulama Mtanga, to substantiate his claim that Mangane was an informer, a visibly upset Mahlalela said he personally saw Mangane in Swaziland spying on cadres.

Mahlalela's lawyer, Brian Koopedi, said his client should be granted amnesty because the attack was politically motivated.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 7 1999 - SAPA

TWO MORE CONVICTED FOR 1993 KATLEHONG MASSACRE

Two former Self Defence Unit member, accused of murdering nine residents of Katlehong on the East Rand six years ago, were convicted in the Johannesburg High Court on Monday.

Their conviction brings to three the number of men found guilty of the murders in Katlehong's Moleleki section in December 1993, when East Rand factions aligned to the African National Congress accused each other of fomenting lawlessness in the community.

The violent fallout culminated in what became known as the Katlehong massacre, which claimed the lives of 11 people.

Siviwe Ngama and Michael Armoed were on Monday each found guilty of kidnapping members of the ANC Youth League and taking them to shacks on the outskirts of the township, before killing them at dawn on December 7, 1993.

They were also found guilty of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. They were carrying AK-47 rifles when they forced the youths from their homes.

They were acquitted on two further murder charges, and related kidnapping and illegal guns and ammunition charges.

Justice P Boruchowitz rejected their version that they were performing citizen's arrests because the youths had killed another SDU member.

The judge said if they had intended to see justice done they would have handed the suspects over to the police.

Judge Boruchowitz also rejected Armoed's version that he had been framed.

The accused men were part of a group of 13 whose amnesty applications in relation to the murders were turned down by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1997.

One of the group, Thabiso Ntoma, was last week acquitted of all charges because of insufficient evidence.

Michael Nceba Sonti became the first member of the unit to be convicted for nine of the murders.

Three others, Petros Mthembu, Michael Langa and Oscar Motlokwa, face judgment on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 8 1999 - SAPA

ASKARI MAY NOT HAVE BEEN KILLED: DE KOCK

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock on Tuesday said he would not have killed askari Johannes Mabotha if he had known Mabotha was to have testified against Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in a possible high treason case.

"I would have found it suitable if she was criminally charged. I would not have killed Mabotha," De Kock told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria.

He said it would have been to the advantage of the former National Party government if Madikizela-Mandela had been found guilty of high treason.

De Kock is seeking amnesty for shooting dead Mabotha at Penge Mine near Burgersfort in Mpumalanga in 1989.

He told the committee earlier that he shot Mabotha twice in the heart, after which the body was blown up by about 24kg of explosives.

Former Soweto security police Colonel Jan Potgieter said in his affidavit he had asked De Kock to keep Mabotha safe at Vlakplaas so that he could testify against Madikizela-Mandela.

De Kock denied this, saying Potgieter had asked him to "make a plan" with Mabotha, who was alleged to have been involved in police killings.

Potgieter was at the time investigating charges of high treason against Madikizela-Mandela. The case never went to court due to a lack of evidence.

Potgieter is not applying for amnesty, but was implicated by De Kock.

Former Vlakplaas member Dawid Brits admitted that he detonated the explosives.

He told the amnesty committee that after De Kock shot Mabotha in a mine quarry, he removed Mabotha's clothes and placed the explosives between Mabotha's legs.

Former security police warrant officer, Nicholaas Vermeulen, said he assisted Brits to set up the explosives and remove Mabotha's clothes.

He said Mabotha's clothes were removed because the clothes would not have been destroyed in the explosion.

Vermeulen and Brits are applying for amnesty for the incident.

Brits said he inspected the quarry after the explosion and found no trace of Mabotha's body.

Mabotha's clothes were burnt.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG 9 June 1999 - SAPA

MAN TELLS TRC HE STAGED ATTACK TO AVENGE GRANDMOTHER'S DEATH

Mshalaza Mzelemu on Wednesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission he staged an attack on a KwaZulu- Natal homestead in 1992 because two brothers from the family had murdered his grandmother.

Mzelemu was testifying before the amnesty committee at the Marion Centre in Pietermaritzburg for his role in an attack at the Sikubi homestead in Izingolweni in which two women were killed.

He said he wanted to kill Do and Khombi Sikubi because he had heard that they were among African National Congress members who had attacked his uncle's homestead in the area.

They murdered his grandmother during the attack, Mzelemu said.

He claimed they burned down his home on December 31 in 1991.

Mzelemu and his accomplices, Gejamaphoyinti Mbulu and Ntshebe Shange, attacked the Sikubi homestead after a discussion with an Inkatha Freedom Party leader in the area, Sipho Ngcobo.

On arrival at the Sikubi homestead, the three attackers stumbled upon a young family member.

Mzelemu said they grabbed the boy and demanded that he show them where the two brothers were.

While Mzelemu was ransacking a house, he said he heard gunshots in kitchen of the homestead.

He found Thembekile and Landiwe Ncama had been shot dead by Mbulu and Shange.

"I asked my friends as to why they shot these females and their reply was that the two Sikubi brothers were doing the same to our IFP members. They were shooting our parents also.

"They also reminded me about what happened to my grandmother," Mzelemu said.

Mzelemu was arrested in 1995 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 9 June 1999 - SAPA

MK MAN USED AK47 TO KILL HOMELAND POLITICIAN: TRC

A former member of the ANC's military wing, Umkhonto weSizwe, on Wednesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he used a machine gun to shoot dead prominent KaNgwane homeland politician, David Lukhele.

Neo Potsane, now a member of the National Intelligence Agency, was testifying before the TRC in Pretoria.

Potsane and three other former MK members, Frans Ting-Ting Masango, Joseph Makhura and Jabu Masina are seeking amnesty for Lukhele's murder and a bomb blast in 1986 at a bus stop in Silverton, east of Pretoria. Seventeen people were injured in the blast.

TRC spokesman Vuyani Green said the TRC heard that the four were members of MK's "elimination unit", set up to assassinate people the African National Congress considered to be "collaborators" - including homeland leaders and members of the apartheid government's security forces.

Potsane told the hearing that former KaNgwane homeland leader Enoz Mabuza was regarded as an ANC sympathiser, though other homeland leaders were regarded as illegitimate.

Lukhele, then opposition leader in KaNgwane, and Busisiwe Dludlu were gunned down at Lukhele's home in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, on June 6, 1986. Lukhele's wife, Elizabeth, was wounded.

The TRC heard Lukhele fell out with the ANC in exile after he had written and distributed a document calling for the incorporation of KaNgwane into Swaziland.

"Mr Lukhele was targeted by our unit and killed by me only after the specific authorisation of the ANC was sought to eliminate him," he said.

After the authorisation by the ANC he was deployed to reconnoitre Lukhele's movements. After ascertaining Lukhele would be at home on June 6, 1986, Potsane and Masina left for his home.

Potsane testified: "We left the vehicle we were travelling in a few paces away from his home and walked into the yard armed with an AK47 with two magazines, while Masina stood guard outside.

"I knocked at the front door, someone opened the door and I burst inside with my AK47 already drawn. I fired at least 31 rounds at Lukhele who fell on the floor. While lying dead on the floor, I continued pumping his body with more than 31 rounds of ammunition.

"His wife was also hit in the leg as she was crawling towards the door, apparently attempting to escape."

Potsane said he was shocked when he read newspaper reports later that another woman who was also at the house, Dludlu, was killed in the shooting. He expressed regret at the murder of Dludlu and the injury of Lukhele's wife, saying they were not intended to be targets in the attack.

Danny Berger, for the applicants, said the fact that the four were prepared to face death sentences during their trial testified to their commitment to the "just cause" they were fighting for. He appealed to the committee to grant them amnesty, arguing that their actions fell within the ambit of the TRC amnesty provision.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 9 June 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS HOW SECURITY POLICEMAN WAS SHOT

The Truth Commission's amnesty committee on Wednesday heard how a security policeman was shot and killed by a group of men after an attempt to ambush a bakery delivery vehicle was thwarted in Soweto in 1993.

Marvin Maesela and Eric Nathaniel Tekane, currently serving life sentences at the Prerotia prison, are applying for amnesty for the incidents.

According to TRC spokesman Vuyani Green, Constable Samuel Sathekge was shot near his home in Rockville in Soweto on February 5, 1993.

Green said a group of five men armed with AK47 rifles and axes fired shots at the vehicle in an attempt to ambush it, but a security guard nearby thwarted the ambush when he returned fire.

The attackers fled the scene.

Green said minutes later the attackers approached Sathekge and fired on his vehicle. The policeman died later in hospital. An attempt to disarm him of his service pistol was thwarted by police who arrived on the scene later, added Green.

Maesela and Tekane claimed they were members of the underground structures of Umkhonto weSizwe, the African National Congress' military wing, at the time of the incidents. They said they had intended to give the weapon to the members of the ANC's aligned-self defence units in the strife-torn townships on the East Rand.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 10 June 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY COMMITTEE TO DECIDE ON REOPENING GONIWE CASE

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee is expected to make a decision soon on whether or not it will reopen the amnesty application hearing by security policemen who killed Matthew Goniwe and three other Eastern Cape activists in 1985.

George Bizos SC, who appeared for the families of the four former United Democratic Front activists, applied to the Amnesty Committee to reopen the case.

That followed new information which has emerged and which shows that the former State Security Council knew of plans to "eliminate" Goniwe.

According to the SSC minutes which were obtained by the media, former president FW de Klerk and high-ranking National Party cabinet ministers were present when the matter was discussed.

According to the minutes, former Finance Minister Barend du Plessis actually requested that Goniwe, who was a headmaster at the Cradock School at the time, be eliminated.

Although high-ranking policemen have stated before the Amnesty Committee that they had no doubt that the word eliminate meant to kill, De Klerk and Du Plessis have since said they meant the word to convey that Goniwe be redeployed in another area.

TRC spokesman Phila Nqgumba said on Thursday that the committee was still considering the request for a reopening and would make its decision known in the near future.

Seven policemen, including former Eastern Cape security police general Nic van Rensburg, have applied for amnesty for the murder of Goniwe, Sparrow Mkonto, Fort Calata and Sicelo Mhlauli outside Port Elizabeth in June 1984.

The policemen, who for years had denied any involvement in the murders, finally admitted last year that they had killed the activists and tried to make it appear as though it had been an attack by vigilantes.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 10 June 1999 - SAPA

POTGIETER SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY BEFORE TRC

A former security police colonel, Jan Potgieter, was on Thursday subpoenaed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to testify in the killing of askari Johannes Mabotha in 1989.

TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said in Pretoria that Potgieter, who has not applied for amnesty for the incident, was subpoenaed because there was a missing link in the amnesty trial.

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, who is seeking amnesty for killing Mabotha, told the TRC this week Potgieter had asked him "to make a plan" with Mabotha so that he could no longer be involved in alleged police killings.

Potgieter, a former member of the Soweto security branch, said in an affidavit he asked De Kock to keep Mabotha safe at Vlakplaas so that he could testify against Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in a possible treason trial.

Potgieter was at the time investigating allegations of high treason against Madikizela-Mandela.

He handed Mabotha to former Vlakplaas members on October 5, 1989. Later that day, De Kock shot Mabotha twice in the heart at Penge Mine near Burgersfort in Mpumalanga.

The body was blown up with about 25kg of explosives.

De Kock testified that he would not have killed Mabotha if he had known he would have bnst Madikizela-Mandela.

Potgieter was been subpoenaed to testify about his knowledge on the arrest, detention, interrogation, release and murder of Mabotha, the TRC said.

He would testify before the TRC's amnesty committee in Pretoria on June 21.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 14 1999 - SAPA

AWB LEADER GRANTED AMNESTY FOR VENTERSDORP

Afrikaner-Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre'Blanche and one of his generals, Piet (Skiet) Rudolph, were granted amnesty for their part in the siege of Ventersdorp in which three people died, a spokesman for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee confirmed on Monday.

Beeld reported that Terre'Blance was also granted amnesty for two other incidents he had applied for. The tar-and- feather of late Professor Floors van Jaarsveld in 1979 and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition in 1982.

Terre'Blanche welcomed the decision saying he never doubted that amnesty would be granted to him.

He appeared before the TRC without any legal representation to plead his case.

The decision could influence Terre'Blance's appeal against a case in which he was found guilty of attempted murder and assault. He was currently out on R20,000 bail pending the appeal.

The judgment resulted from an assault on a farm worker. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON June 14 1999 - SAPA

CISKEI COPS WANT AMNESTY FOR TAKING OFFICERS HOSTAGE

Former Ciskei police members who took 50 of their senior officers hostage at the Ciskei Police College in March 1994 on Monday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee they wanted former military dictator Oupa Gqozo removed.

The members are seeking amnesty as they are trying to clear their criminal records on mutiny charges.

Inspector Kwanele Mfene, one of the 17 applicants, said he played a leading role in influencing other police officers to take action against Gqozo, who "was resisting the prevailing change in South Africa".

The 1992 Bisho massacre, in which 27 people were killed, led to the police revolt against Gqozo.

During cross examination by the victims' lawyers, Lindile Nompozolo and Sally Collett, Mfene denied he and his colleagues threatened their seniors with guns and used abusive language.

He said the revolt was intended to guarantee free and fair elections in the former homeland, which now falls under the Eastern Cape.

The 17 police officers were later each found guilty on 50 counts of kidnapping and mutiny in contravention of the Police Act of 1983. They were sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years on condition they would not during the period of suspension be convicted of mutiny.

The hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 14 1999 - SAPA

MK CADRE SOLD OUT BROTHER: NYANDA

South African National Defence Force commander, General Siphiwe Nyanda, on Monday said he believed his late brother, a former Umkhonto we Sizwe member, was sold out by a fellow MK cadre known as "Fear".

"Fear" allegedly committed suicide while being interrogated by ANC members in Lusaka.

Nyanda told reporters during a break in Truth and Reconciliation Commission proceedings that there had always been a possibility that his brother would be killed.

"My brother was a freedom fighter... and he expected as we all did that something like this could happen," he said.

Earlier in the day, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock admitted to shooting Zwelakhi Nyanda dead in Swaziland.

Nyanda was shot dead because he was allegedly responsible for human rights violations.

De Kock, who is seeking amnesty for his role in Nyanda's death, said he shot Nyanda in the back several times while Nyanda was running away.

Gen Nyanda said his mother, Betsy, and his two nieces would decide if they wanted to oppose amnesty.

He said his family would forgive the seven policeman seeking amnesty for the incident if they made a full disclosure.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 15 1999 - SAPA

CARETAKER OF VLAKPLAAS WANTS TO TURN IT INTO A MUSEUM

The current caretaker of former special police base Vlakplaas on Tuesday said he planned to buy the farm and convert it into a museum.

Caretaker Louis Smit told reporters at the farm he hoped former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock would be freed and would visit the planned museum.

De Kock, who was giving Truth and Reconciliation Commission members a guided tour of Vlakplaas, said he had "quite a lot of mixed feelings" about being back on the farm - which he last visited in 1995.

De Kock commanded Vlakplaas, about 20km west of Pretoria, from June 1985 for about eight years.

On Tuesday he showed amnesty committee members, reporters and lawyers for other amnesty applicants where weapons had been stored and where security police and askaris slept and ate, as well as the location of firing ranges, recreational facilities and gymnasiums.

Many buildings on the 99ha farm, where a host of human rights abuses were plotted in the apartheid years, have since fallen into disrepair.

Smit, who lives on the farm with his wife and two children, said he was not aware of Vlakplaas' history when he became the caretaker about three years ago.

"In the beginning, I felt a darkness about the place."

Smit said he had found some spent cartridges and five graves on a nearby hilltop, adding that some of his relatives were scared to sleep over.

He told reporters he felt sympathy for De Kock. "As a Christian, I love him."

Vlakplaas, which became a special police base in 1979, is still owned by the state, Smit said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 15 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO FIVE, REFUSES TWO

The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday refused amnesty to two applicants, including that of a former policeman, because it found that their actions had not been politically motivated.

Amnesty was however granted to five more applicants.

Prince Bhekisisa Shangase was refused amnesty for his role in the robbery and murder of Victor Zungu at Esikhawini in KwaZulu-Natal in 1993.

Shangase, who is currently serving a long prison term for his involvement in the attack, was a policeman at the time of the incident.

He told the committee that he was an Inkatha Freedom Party member. There was no evidence that Zungu had been a member of any political organisation.

Dennis Gumede was refused amnesty for two murders and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The committee found there was no evidence that either Shangase or Gumede's actions had been politically motivated and that their applications therefore did not meet the requirements of the Act.

Amnesty was granted to Cyril Bongani Thusi, a Caprivi trainee and IFP member, for killing 17 African National Congress supporters in Richmond on June 21, 1991.

Thusi was also involved in the attack on Prince Petrus Zulu in Ulundi in 1994.

Amnesty was granted to Prince Khoni Khwela in respect of six murders and three attempted murders committed near Mpusheni Reserve in August 1992.

He is currently serving a 17-year sentence for the offences.

Rainer Maria Moringer was given amnesty for kidnapping Transkei businessman Vulindlela Mbotoli in April 1991.

David Solomon Simelane and Ephraim Shingane Mnisi, both of Johannesburg, were granted amnesty for their involvement in the killing of Fikipos Matlheri Selepe, a member of the police's security branch, in Mamelodi, Pretoria, in November 1983.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN June 17 1999 - SAPA

ANC MEMBERS' AMNESTY APPLICATIONS TO BE HEARD ON MONDAY

The amnesty applications of two African National Congress members for killing three Inkatha Freedom Party supporters and attempting to murder two other people in Durban in 1991, will be heard on Monday.

Themba Mshini Ngcobo and Phazamani Joe Mcishane claimed they killed IFP supporters because police helped them to attack ANC members in Malukazi, south of Durban, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in a statement on Thursday.

The TRC's amnesty committee will also hear the application of another ANC member, Mlungisi Khumalo, for killing IFP supporter Bhekabantu Cele at Nkalu in Izingolweni in southern KwaZulu-Natal.

Khumalo was convicted for murder, attempted murder and escaping from prison and is currently serving a long sentence at the Westville prison in Durban.

The fourth applicant to appear next week is Humprey Phakade Magwaza who wants amnesty for killing Mphikwana Khanyile and Bongani Mkhize on April 1, 1993.

The hearing will be held at the Durban Christian Centre.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 17 1999 - SAPA

CALL FOR AMNESTY FOR BOER PRISONERS

The League of Boer Prisoners of War on Thursday demanded a general amnesty for all political prisoners - or the appearance of 37 African National Congress members, including President Thabo Mbeki, before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The group's spokesperson, Ann Philips, said in a statement the 37 ANC members should stand before the commission and "let the world see that they are not the lily-white heroes they would like to portray".

Philips said the political prisoners of the Boer nation, following discussions with senior prosecuting staff, undertook to cooperate with investigators "to bring true culprits to justice".

She said many of the prisoners' statements showed that they had been under the misapprehension that they were fighting to keep their country from communist domination.

"It should be made plain that the genuine sentiments of all our prisoners is for their Boer nation to be free and under the control of their own elected representatives in their own independent territory, and not subjected to this present alien regime," she said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA June 17 1999 - SAPA

GRANT DE KOCK AMNESTY, TRC TOLD

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock should be granted amnesty for killing Umkhonto we Sizwe cadre Zwelakhe Nyanda because he had made a full disclosure about the incident, De Kock's legal representative Flip Hattingh said on Thursday.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria during his closing argument that De Kock had complied with the requirements of the TRC Act. De Kock had been acting out an order and the killing had been politically motivated.

The amnesty committee has since Monday been hearing evidence from De Kock and five other former security policemen on their involvement in the killing of Nyanda and Keith McFadden, an African National Congress supporter.

McFadden and Nyanda were shot dead at a house in Swaziland in November 1983.

Nyanda was the brother of SA National Defence Force chief General Siphiwe Nyanda.

The amnesty applicants told the TRC that Nyanda and McFadden were targeted because they headed the liberation struggle in Natal and were involved in human rights violations.

The other applicants are James van Zweel, Willem Schoon, Chris Rorich, Paul van Dyk and Frederik Pienaar.

Their lawyers said in closing argument that they should be granted amnesty because they had also complied with the requirements of the TRC Act.

Nyanda's family is not opposing amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 18 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY DENIED POLICEMEN INVOLVED IN KILLING OF PEBCO THREE

Four security policemen involved in the 1985 abduction and killing of three leaders of the Blacks Civics Organisation in Port Elizabeth (Pebco) were refused amnesty, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said on Friday.

The amnesty applications of security force commanding officer Herman Barend du Plessis, Johannes Martin van Zyl, Gideon Niewoudt and Gerhardus Johannes Lotz were heard in Port Elizabeth in November 1997.

The four were attached to the Port Elizabeth security branch at the time of the murder.

The widows of the victims opposed the amnesty applications, saying there had not been full disclosure.

The Pebco Three - Sipho Hashe, Qaqawuli Godolozi and Champion Galela -were abducted at the Port Elizabeth airport on May 8, 1985 and subsequently murdered near Cradock on a farm known as Post Chalmers.

Their bodies were then burnt and thrown into the Fish River.

The TRC said in a statement that it had refused amnesty to Van Zyl, Niewoudt and Lotz for the abduction and murder of the Pebco Three because they had failed to make full disclosure on the assaults.

Du Plessis was refused amnesty for ordering the abduction and murder of the three deceased and for conspiring to murder them.

Another security policeman, Gerhardus Cornelius Beeslaar, was refused amnesty for the abduction and assault of Hashe.

The TRC said Beeslaar's actions could not be considered to be politically motivated.

He was also found to be a poor witness, whose evidence "displayed a selective memory of events".

Amnesty was also refused to Johannes Koole for the abduction of the Pebco Three and the assault on Hashe and Godolozi.

The only senior security force officer to be granted amnesty in respect of conspiring and ordering the abduction and murder of the Pebco Three was former Port Elizabeth security force head Harold Snyman.

Snyman has since died.

Askari Kimani Peter Mogoai was granted amnesty with regards to the abduction of the three leaders and the assault on Hashe and Godolozi.

The applicants claimed that the three leaders had to be killed because they posed a danger to the state because they were involved in the underground operation of the African National Congress in Port Elizabeth.

The TRC's amnesty committee found the widows of the three leaders qualified as victims for purposes of Rehabilitation and Reparation. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON June 18 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS 17 FORMER CISKEI POLICEMEN MUST BE GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee should grant amnesty to 17 former Ciskei policemen who held their seniors hostage at the Ciskei Police College in Bisho in March 1994, it was recommended on Friday.

Committee evidence leader Zuko Mapoma said the police officers had been honest in giving evidence about what happened on that day.

At the conclusion of the hearing on Friday, Mapoma urged the committee to look at the history of the former homeland as there was no political activity at the time.

He recommended that the victims of the hostage drama be referred to the TRC's rehabilitation and reparations committee.

Kholo Obose, a lawyer representing the applicants, argued that Ciskei's former military dictator Oupa Gqozo had ignored the police and communities were also against the police.

"So the police found themselves in a no win situation."

The police officers perceived the senior officers as being "close to Gqozo and the March 22 meeting was an opportunity for them to present their case".

Obese argued that the policemen's actions were politically motivated.

For the victims, Lindile Nompozolo argued that the police officers who claimed they wanted Gqozo removed, in fact wanted the officer's pensions and promotions.

"Therefore, their actions were not politically motivated and it is clear that the victims' rights were violated on that day," Nompozolo said.

He added that the victims were held against their will.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 24 1999 - SAPA

BANK MADE ITSELF LEGITIMATE APLA TARGET - TRC TOLD

By officially financing the apartheid government's security police operations, Nedbank placed itself squarely in the firing line as a legitimate target of the Azanian People's Liberation Army forces, the Truth Commission heard on Thursday.

Former general secretary of the Media Workers Association of South Africa, Sithembele Khala, made this submission to the TRC's amnesty committee. He has applied for amnesty for the armed robbery of a Nedbank branch in Johannesburg 1990. He was sentenced to an effective 14 years' imprisonment for the crime.

Khala is a former Pan Africanist Congress exile who served 10 years in prison on Robben Island. (Apla was the armed wing of the PAC.)

He told the amnesty committee that the PAC was involved in a "socialist democratic revolution" and at war with the banks as "captains" of big business.

"We were determined to crush big business which was part of national exploitation, and this made banks legitimate targets just like police and soldiers," he said.

When he and other former political prisoners tried to open accounts with Nedbank shortly after their release in 1987, the bank turned them down on the grounds of their political status.

"As if that was not enough, the same bank publicly financed the security police, working with the likes of Eugene de Kock.

"This was a clear political statement and the targeting of the Nedbank was by choice."

Examined by his legal representative, Lungelo Mbandazayo, Khala said he had never belonged to Apla's "repossession unit" but to its logistics unit.

When Mwasa national organiser Vincent Mama asked him to participate as a driver in the operation, Khala was reluctant, thinking of his public image and position, but finally agreed to be "loaned" after Mama convinced him that it was important for "fund raising".

On the morning of March 28, 1990, Khala and Mama drove from the Johannesburg Sun Hotel to Lecton House where they picked up some cadres in a minibus.

They then drove to the bank in Simmonds Street. The cadres entered the bank and returned with a bag of money later.

"As we were driving down Marshall Street, we were confronted by police who were already firing shots and, as I was blocked by traffic at robots, I could not drive on and we tried to flee on foot."

A shot hit him and, as he fell, he was shot several times. He eventually spent more than six months in hospital.

Questioned by commission chairman Judge Denzil Potgieter, Khala said the investigating police told him they knew in advance about the robbery and that it was an Apla operation. They repeated this when opposing his bail application during the trial, but Khala denied any Apla link since the organisation was banned at the time.

Asking to be granted amnesty, Mbandazayo submitted that Apla was a known political organisation, the operation was not for personal gain but was politically motivated, and that Khala had made a full disclosure.

Khala is out on bail pending the outcome of his amnesty application.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 24 1999 - SAPA

FORMER CCB AGENTS FILE INTERDICT TO BAN BOOK

Two former Civil Co-operation Bureau agents, Abraham "Slang" van Zyl and Leon "Chappie" Maree, are seeking an urgent court interdict to ban a book in which it is alleged they were behind plans to kidnap and kill Tollgate ex-chairman Julian Askin.

The application was brought before Mr Justice Mohamed Nafsa in the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday, and sought to prevent the book - "Dangerous Deceits - Julian Askin and the Tollgate Saga" from being distributed further to book stores and from being sold to the public.

According to papers before court, the two men were interdicting the publishers, CNA stores and Exclusive Books from "disseminating, distributing, selling or displaying, or offering for sale the book".

The applicants also asked for an order that the respondents pay their legal costs.

The book was written by Frank Welsh and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers, and allegedly contained defamatory remarks and statements, which the complainants argued had violated their dignity.

Nafsa heard that 4371 copies of the book had already been distributed to some 136 book outlets countrywide, following its release four weeks ago both in the country and abroad.

Although damage had already been done, an interdict was warranted to remove all the remaining copies from book shelves which had not yet been sold.

Ball is contesting the action, but CNA is not. It is not yet clear what route Exclusive Books will take.

According to reports, Maree was named by South Africa and Namibia last year as one of several CCB operatives against whom prima facie evidence existed of complicity in apartheid crimes in Namibia, including the murder of activist Anton Lubowski.

At the same time, Van Zyl has apparently admitted he was involved in the attempted murders of Transport Minister Dullah Omar and journalist Gavin Evans.

Defending his right to publish the truth in the public's interest, Ball said he was concerned that books about South Africa's history, which would inevitably portray people as accomplices of apartheid, would provoke further attempts at censorship.

The former CCB agents were apparently employed by Absa some time ago.

The hearing continues on Friday.

Meanwhile, Absa on Thursday strongly denied having instructed anyone to kidnap and kill Askin. It said in a statement that Askin lodged legal proceedings against the bank in England, but the English Court found that his case should be heard in South Africa.

"In attempting to justify his appeal against this decision, Askin introduced the allegation that his life would be in serious danger at Absa's and Van Zyl's hands if he returned to South Africa," said the Absa.

"During these proceedings, Absa lodged sworn affidavits, denying any such connection with Van Zyl or any such intention."

The UK Court of Appeal found on January 29 that it did "not think for the reasons (he) attempted to give that there is cogent evidence which objectively shows that Askin would be in danger of assassination or suffering serious harm at the behest of Absa if he returned to South Africa".

Askin's appeal was accordingly rejected by the UK Court of Appeal.

Absa added that a Johannesburg daily newspaper on Thursday had queried the bank's reasons for not reacting to the book's publishing.

Absa cited the following:

"The many allegations the book contained had been addressed by various courts, including the British, Italian and South African, and none of these about improper involvement by Absa with Tollgate or with Askin in person had been found to have any substance in any court or in the Tollgate Section 417 enquiry/

"The book is full of obvious inaccuracies and clear bias which undermined its overall credibility and cast serious doubts over the intention of the protagonist and the thoroughness of the writer.

"Finally Absa is committed to the truth that Askin should return to South Africa so that his case can be fully investigated and judged in a South African court of law."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 24 1999 - SAPA

JAILED CADRE GETS AMNESTY FOR APLA "REPOSSESSION" ATTACK

A former Azanian People's Liberation Army cadre was on Thursday granted amnesty for an attack in 1993 on a Johannesburg frozen food company which he claimed was robbed as part of Apla's "repossession" operations to raise funds for the organisation.

Themba Sishange was serving a 15-year jail term for attempted robbery, attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition following a failed robbery at I&J Frozen Products in Jeppestown in March 1993.

Judge Denzil Potgieter, assisted by Advocate Leah Gcabashe and Doctor W Tsotsi, granted the amnesty shortly after Sishange appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Johannesburg.

Sishange testified that he was the commander of the group of five armed men who attacked the company. Also part of the group was Wandisile Genu, a security guard at the company whose idea it was to launch the attack.

Since the Pan Africanist Congress (of which Apla was the armed wing) had no money, the operation was aimed at raising funds. It had been approved by David Dube (currently a member of the National Intelligence Agency) whom they only knew as "Sgubu".

They cut through the fence around the company's premises to gain entry. Sishange threatened a security guard who was with Genu, with an AK47 rifle. One of Sishange's accomplices wore Genu's uniform.

They ordered the guard to open the computerised gate.

One of the managerial staff members noticed that something was wrong. He approached them and was overpowered after a struggle.

Other staff members ran in different directions while the attackers fired shots. Nobody was hit. The group decided to abandon the attack. They ran away and hid the rifle.

Sishange was arrested the following day after h went to fetch the rifle.

His legal representative, Lungelo Mbandazayo, told the amnesty committee that the operation was not intended for Sishange or the group's personal gain. They were acting on behalf of a known political organisation.

Mbandazayo said that after Sishange's arrest the PAC secured his release on bail and paid for his legal representation.

In a statement announcing the granting of amnesty, the committee said it would make the reason for its decision known later.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 25 1999 - SAPA

NEDBANK SLATES TRC TESTIMONY CLAIM

Nedbank on Friday challenged an amnesty applicant's testimony to the Truth and Reconcilation Commission that it financed the security police during the apartheid era.

Sithembele Khala, former Azanian People's Liberation Army cadre and general secretary of the Media Workers Assocation was applying for amnesty for the armed robbery of a Nedbank branch in 1990 for which he was sentenced to an effective 14 years.

He told the commission the bank refused to open accounts for them because of their political status after they were released from Robben Island.

"As if that was not enough, the same bank publicly financed the security police, working with the likes of Eugene de Kock. This was a clear political statement and the targeting of the Nedbank was by choice," he said.

In a statement Mike Leeming, Nedbank chief operating officer said: "We dismiss as ludicrous any allegations against Nedbank made by amnesty applicant (Khala) in his submission to the TRC.

"We are extremely concerned that a convicted criminal should be given a platform to make public allegations against Nedbank that have neither been tested nor verified, especially since we were not given the opportunity to oppose the amnesty hearing," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN June 28 1999 - SAPA

NO GENERAL AMNESTY, MADUNA SAYS

Those who failed to apply for amnesty when they had the chance only had themselves to blame, new Justice Minister Penuell Maduna said on Monday.

Speaking at a special ministerial briefing for journalists in Cape Town, he said the biggest challenge facing the office of the National Director of Public Prosecution lay in the identification, investigation and possible prosecution of perpetrators of gross human rights violations emanating from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process.

Maduna categorically rejected any change of a general amnesty.

"There will be no general amnesty," he told reporters

Maduna said he was merely repeating what former President Nelson Mandela had already said.

"It is not our attention to grant amnesty to those who ought to apply. They only have themselves to blame."

However, he acknowledged that there would be certain aspects of the law that required attention.

Speaking in a debate on the truth commission's report in February this year, Mandela raised the possibility of punitive damages being sought from the State.

He said then it was an omission on the part of the country's lawmakers that while individuals were accommodated, the process left open the possibility of endless litigation against the new democratic government, as well as structures that were involved in the conflict.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG June 29 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO MICHAEL PHAMA

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday granted amnesty to Michael Phama, who was convicted of 21 murders and 16 attempted murders, the TRC said in a statement.

Phama was sentenced to life imprisonment and was also sentenced to 10 years for the illegal possession of arms and ammunition.

Phama was a member of the African National Congress and self-defence unit at Phola Park at the time of the incidents.

The committee heard that he and his companions opened fire on a group of Inkatha Freedom Party supporters who were on their way to a party rally at the Thokoza stadium on September 8, 1991. Sixteen people were killed and many were wounded.

The committee found that Phama's evidence was neither contradicted nor rebutted by evidence tendered by victims.

Phama was also involved in a taxi shooting in Thokoza on February 26, 1992 that left five people dead and several injured and the shooting of two traffic officers in Alberton on March 27, 1992. Both officers were wounded.

He was also granted amnesty for both incidents.

The committee found that Phama made a full disclosure of all relevant facts and that all the incidents constituted acts associated with a political objective, the statement said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 3 1999 - SAPA

LUBOWSKI COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY MISTAKE

Swapo activist Anton Lubowski could have been a spy for the apartheid-era Military Intelligence who was allegedly mistakenly killed by the rival Civil Co-operation Bureau, the Rapport newspaper claimed on Sunday.

The newspaper said in a front page article it "has it on good authority" that Lubowski was killed because of internal competition between South African intelligence agencies and because "the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing".

Lubowski was shot dead at close range with an AK47 rifle outside his Luxury Hill home on the night of September 12 1989.

The paper claimed Lubowski was recruited by MI because he had access to sensitive information about Swapo and that he was paid R100,000 in three instalments.

The paper said it discovered that MI approached Lubowski, who was experiencing financial difficulties, through an intermediary.

Former Defence Minister, General Magnus Malan, told Rapport in an interview he was convinced the Truth and Reconciliation Commission believed his evidence that Lubowski was a MI spy as they made no mention of the Lubowski incident in their final report.

Malan had claimed in parliament in February 1990 that Lubowski had been a spy.

This information is believed to have been the same as that served before the Harms commission in 1990.

Malan's testimony to the TRC was heard behind closed doors at the request of the Lubowski family.

The family withdrew from the TRC's activities after their legal team had seen these exhibits.

Rapport said it had spoken to a number of top ranking generals of the former defence force about the murder of the Windhoek advocate.

One of the generals, all of whom asked to remain anonymous, said the South African authorities were poised to arrest the CCB suspects in South Africa and to try them on charges of conspiracy to murder Lubowski.

This was also reported in an article by The Star on Friday.

The Star said arrests involving at least five former state operatives, some of them very senior in the security forces, are believed to be imminent.

The Star said a team of top investigators - headed by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in Pretoria, Dr Torie Pretorius, who was instrumental in sending police assassin Eugene de Kock to jail for life - and Superintendent Neels de Lange, one of the most experienced murder and robbery detectives in the country - had worked long hours since it took on the probe in November last year. Rapport claims that there was a strong competition between the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the MI in Namibia.

The NIS is said to have discovered MI bugging devices in the Swapo headquarters, which they intended bugging. According to the Rapport information the NIS rendered the MI bugs useless.

The general said that in the meantime the CCB had instituted its own plan to "eliminate" Lubowski.

Rapport said it was not certain whether or not the NIS fed certain suitable information to the CCB to cause an embarrassment for the MI.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 5 1999 - SAPA

FORMER IFP MEMBER ADMITS TO 1993 KILLING OF ANC OFFICIAL

A former Inkatha Freedom Party member on Monday admitted to killing African National Congress official Mike Mcetshwa in KwaZulu-Natal in 1993.

Mkosinathi Mavuso told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that he gunned down Mcetshwa because he was "a problem for the IFP ... and the perfect target".

Mavuso is seeking amnesty for the killing in Pongola in 1993. Mcetshwa was Pongola ANC chairman at the time.

Mavuso said he shot Mcetshwa about four times with a 9mm pistol at a taxi rank outside a shop. He then ran to a nearby bush where he dumped his jacket, balaclava and the pistol.

Mavuso testified that he was arrested shortly after the shooting.

He is serving a 25-year sentence for the killing.

"I am very sad ... and feel remorse," he told the amnesty committee.

The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN July 6 1999 - SAPA

THREE ANC MEMBERS GET AMNESTY

Pumlani Kubukeni, a former bodyguard of slain African National Congress leader Chris Hani, was on Monday granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission along with two other men for a 1992 robbery.

Kubukeni, Temba Mnguni, and Mtutuzeli Ngozwana applied to the amnesty committee for amnesty in respect of a robbery at Engcobo Weirs cash and carry in August 1992, the TRC said in a statement.

Kubukeni also received amnesty for the unlawful possession of an AK47 rifle and a handgranade.

The committee found that the three complied with the requirements in that the offences were committed for political reasons and that they had made full disclosure.

The robbery had been commited to raise funds for training Umkhonto weSizwe members and was carried out without causing injury or damage.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 6 1999 - SAPA

WINNIE MANDELA FOOTBALL CLUB MEMBER TO APPEAR BEFORE TRC

A member of the Winnie Mandela Football Club, convicted for a string of murders in the late 1980s, is to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Johannesburg from July 12.

Charles "Bobo" Zwane was convicted for the murder of a 13-year-old when he attacked the Orlando West home of United Democratic Front and Federation of Transvaal Women activist Dudu Chili in February 1989.

Gunmen attacked Chili's home with AK47 rifle fire and petrol bombs. Her 13-year-old niece, Finkie Msomi, was killed and her cousin Barbara Chili was injured.

This attack followed the murder of a member of the Football Club who it was alleged was killed by youths close to Chili.

Chili is now an employee of the TRC.

Zwane was convicted for the attack on Chili's home, and on 11 other charges of murder, 22 of attempted murder and one of arson.

Zwane was implicated in attacks on several shebeens. The TRC was unable locate relatives of the victims of these attacks.

Five people were killed and six injured when a shebeen at house number 1674 in Orlando East was attacked twice in one day in 1989.

In another attack, 13 people were injured in an attack on house number 8139.

The TRC appealed to anyone whose relatives might have been killed in these attacks or anyone who might have information on the attacks to contact Eddie Caluza at the TRC's Johannesburg office at 15 Carlton Centre or telephone Caluza on 082 451 0998.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association BISHO July 7 1999 - SAPA

CISKEI POLICE RECEIVE AMNESTY FOR MUTINY AND KIDNAPPING

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee has granted amnesty to 17 former Ciskei police officers for kidnapping and mutiny offences in Bisho in March 1994, the TRC announced on Wednesday.

The applicants, all members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, were Ntsikelelo Nkwenkwe, Phumelele Loni, Lumko Kamana, Kwanele Mfene, Luyanda Moleshe, Khayalethu Potwana, Vuayani Sibuqashe, Ndumiso Tot, Mtongi Nqinana, Xolile Tyali, Mvuyisi Yoyo, Zwelakhe Kolele, Sibongile Ndyoko, Dazidele Simanga, Ntozakhe Nduku, Makhaya Peteni and Sithile Gola.

The incident occurred when junior officers usurped a meeting of all Ciskei police above the rank of warrant officers at the Bisho Police College hall. The meeting was held to discuss the role of the police in South Africa's first democratic election on April 27,1994.

The junior officers kidnapped senior police officers and forced them to attend the meeting.

The mutineers wanted Ciskei ruler Brigadier Oupa Gqozo to resign and the area to be reincorporated into South Africa.

Victims of the kidnapping opposed the application.

"It has not been contended that the objective of overthrowing the government of Brig Gqozo is not political," the amnesty committee found.

"Such a contention would be unfounded since that objective is clearly political," it was found.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 8 1999 - SAPA

MANDELA FOOTBALL CLUB MEMBER TO APPEAR BEFORE TRC

A member of the Mandela Football Club, convicted for a string of murders in the late 1980s, is to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Johannesburg on Monday.

Charles 'Bobo' Zwane was convicted for murdering a 13-year-old child during an attack on the Soweto home of United Democratic Front activist Dudu Chili in February 1989.

Appearing with Zwane in the same hearing will be Mlungiseleli Ndamane, a member of the African National Congress self defence unit, who is seeking amnesty for two armed robberies and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

The robberies took place on December 23, 1991 in Nigel and February 10, 1992 in Heidelberg.

At separate hearings in Mayfair, Johannesburg, African National Congress cadres Aggie Shoke, Harold Matshididi, Lester Dumakude and John Dube will be appearing for the bombing of Ellispark stadium.

Their applications were heard briefly earlier and postponed.

Also applying for amnesty will be Washing Senti Thange, an ANC Youth League member who is serving a 15-year- imprisonment for the murder of Pan Africanist Congress member Aninaar Mongwala.

Thange, together with others, stabbed Mongwala with knives and a garden fork at Munsieville near Krugersdorp on November 15, 1991.

The incident occurred at the height of political tensions between the ANC and PAC in the area.

The applicant claimed he killed Mongwala to avenge the killing of ANC member Joseph Kule.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 12 1999 - SAPA

SECURITY COP ACCEPTS BLAME FOR MURDER OF GUARD

Former apartheid security police general, Johan Le Roux, on Monday accepted responsibility for the 1985 killing of Krugersdorp security guard Japie Maponya.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria he did not order Maponya's death, but had been aware of plans to kill him.

Le Roux is seeking amnesty for his involvement in Maponya's death at the former security police base, Vlakplaas, in May 1985.

He said Maponya was shot dead to protect the identities of Vlakplaas members and to maintain the secrecy of the unit.

Maponya was abducted by security police and taken to Vlakplaas where he was interrogated on the whereabouts of his brother, Oderlie, who was allegedly responsible for several bombings in the Pretoria and Vaal Triangle areas.

Oderlie Maponya was a former commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress. He died in September 1985 at the Sterland complex in Pretoria when a bomb detonated in his hands.

Le Roux said he learnt that Maponya would be killed when security police captain Petrus Kleynhans told him that Maponya was not co-operating with interrogators and had to be "taken out".

He said he told Kleynhans either: "It is not my problem", or "It is not a problem."

Le Roux told the amnesty committee that Maponya had "signed his death warrant in an ironic sort of way", because he refused to tell Vlakplaas members where his brother lived.

He said he had felt deep remorse and guilt ever since the murder was committed.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 12 1999 - SAPA

ELLIS BOMBERS NOT INSTRUCTED BY ANC -LUYT

The African National Congress could not have instructed the 1988 bombing of the Ellis Park Stadium as the organisation had repeatedly denied knowledge of issuing any such instructions, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday.

Testifying before the TRC's amnesty committee, former South African Rugby Football Union chief Louis Luyt said that soon after the incident he confronted the ANC leadership, including its then foreign affairs chairman Thabo Mbeki. Luyt said the ANC would not accept responsibility for the bombing.

Four former ANC cadres, Aggie Shoke, Harold Matshididi, Lester Dumakude and John Dube, are applying for amnesty for the bombing in which a number of fans were killed and others injured shortly after a rugby tournament.

The applicants claim the attack was politically motivated and was carried out on instructions from the ANC leadership.

Luyt told Judge Andrew Wilson of the TRC that at the time of the bombing he and Mbeki were discussing ways to get the National Party apartheid government to unban the ANC and release Nelson Mandela from prison.

Luyt had also visited the ANC in Harare, Zimbabwe, to attempt to find solutions to the South African crisis.

Because of mutual trust between himself and Mbeki, Luyt was certain the ANC leadership were truthful in their denials.

"I am certain the ANC would not torpedo our discussions by deliberately giving orders to bomb a stadium," he said, adding he did not believe Mbeki would have "short-changed" him.

Interviewed later, Luyt said he felt "uncomfortable" that some of the applicants were currently employed as civil servants and that he would find it difficult to forgive them.

Although no damage was done to the stadium, the fact that innocent people were killed would make the granting of amnesty to the applicants unfair.

He likened it to rightwingers planting bombs at the FNB Stadium during a soccer match, and killing or maiming innocent fans.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 13 1999 - SAPA

FORMER MK COMMANDER TELLS TRC HE ORDER ELLIS PARK BOMBING

A former Umkhonto weSizwe commander Lester Dumakude on Tuesday told the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he had given the orders for the bombing of Ellis Park stadium in 1988, SABC radio news reported.

Two people were killed and 35 injured when a bomb exploded outside the stadium as people were filing out shortly after a rugby match.

Testifying before the committee in Johannesburg where he is applying for amnesty for the bombing, Dumakude said the stadium was a legitimate target because many whites attended rugby matches.

Dumakude, who was commander of special operations at the time, said it was not the MK operative's intention to kill civilians.

A unit consisting of three MK cadres carried out the attack. They are now applying for amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 13 1999 - SAPA

TRC TURNS DOWN ZWANE APPLICATION

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday turned down a further application for amnesty by a former member of the Mandela Football Club, SABC radio news reported.

Charles Zwane, who is serving nine life sentences at the Leeukop Prison, is applying for amnesty for, among others, the killing of three police officers and a passer-by in Meadowlands, Soweto, in 1986.

At the hearing in Johannesburg on Tuesday, his lawyer put an application for the inclusion of a petrol bombing of a shebeen and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The committee turned down the application on the grounds that the prescribed period for application had expired.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 13 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK HIT VICTIM WITH SPADE TO ENSURE DEATH

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock on Tuesday said he hit Krugersdorp security guard Japie Maponya twice over the head with a spade to make sure he was dead when apartheid police executed Maponya in 1985.

"It was standard practice to make sure people were dead after they had been shot," De Kock told a hearing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria.

De Kock is seeking amnesty for the abduction, torture and killing of Maponya in September 1985.

Maponya was abducted in Krugersdorp and taken to Vlakplaas where he was interrogated on the whereabouts of his brother, Oderile, who was responsible for bombings in the Pretoria and Vaal Triangle areas.

Oderile Maponya was an Umkhonto we Sizwe commander.

De Kock said Maponya was tortured and interrogated for about 45 minutes about his brother.

He told the amnesty committee that he admired Maponya because he was loyal to his brother and refused to give police any information about him.

The day after the interrogation, De Kock took Maponya to Swaziland to be killed.

He was accompanied by Vlakplaas members David van der Walt, Willie Nortjé and Eugene Fourie.

De Kock said that before they drove to the Swaziland border, they went to security police Warrant-Officer Freek Pienaar's house in Piet Retief.

He got a spade and garden fork from Pienaar's house and they proceeded to the border.

De Kock said they climbed over a border fence with Maponya and walked to a tree plantation.

While he was walking to the trees De Kock heard a noise which sounded like a gun shot. He turned around and saw that Nortjé had hit Maponya over the head with an Uzi machine gun.

Nortjé then tried to shoot Maponya but the gun jammed, De Kock said.

While Nortjé tried to fix the weapon, Maponya ran and De Kock chased him for about 10 metres.

He said he hit Maponya on the back with the spade. "He fell down hard because he was handcuffed".

Nortjé then shot Maponya through the head with a 9mm pistol.

De Kock told the TRC he stood between Maponya's legs and although he could see the man was dead, he hit him over the head with the spade.

He said the original plan had been to bury Maponya but this could not be done because the ground was too hard. Maponya's clothes and handcuffs were removed evidence, and his body was buried under debris.

De Kock and Nortjé drove back to Piet Retief to return Pienaar's garden equipment. He said he asked Pienaar for eight beers and they drove back to Vlakplaas.

De Kock said he accepted responsibility for his unit's involvement in the killing.

Nine other security members are seeking amnesty for their involvement in the incident.

De Kock told the amnesty committee Maponya was killed because he concluded from remarks from a superior that the man must be done away with.

(Lieutenant General Johan) le Roux told me that he doesn't want to see this man (Maponya) in Krugersdorp again," he said.

De Kock said he understood this to mean that Maponya must be killed.

Le Roux was the head of the West Rand security police and his unit was investigating Oderile Maponya's "terrorist" activities.

He asked De Kock to abduct and interrogate Maponya.

Le Roux denied that he had ordered De Kock to eliminate Maponya.

During cross-examination Le Roux's legal representative, Louis Visser, put it to De Kock that he (De Kock) had ordered Maponya's death.

He said De Kock had done this to protect the identities of Vlakplaas members and askaris, and maintain the secrecy of the unit. De Kock denied this, saying the decision had already been made by Le Roux in Krugersdorp.

Visser also said that Le Roux would not have ordered Maponya to be killed because the man was not a threat to South Africa's security and would not have gained anything from it.

Maponya's family is opposing amnesty.

De Kock's cross-examination in the matter continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 13 1999 - SAPA

ANC STANDS BY CADRES, DISMISSES LUYT'S VIEWS ON ELLIS PARK BOMB

The African National Congress on Tuesday dismissed Louis Luyt's claims that the party did not order the 1988 bombing of the Ellis Park stadium as the "irrelevant" personal view of the former rugby kingpin.

In its struggle against apartheid, the ANC made allowance for operations where "cadres might have used their own initiative", according to a party statement responding to Luyt's testimony on Monday before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee.

Luyt told the committee he confronted President Thabo Mbeki, formerly ANC foreign affairs chairman, shortly after the blast during talks on the unbanning of the ANC.

The Federal Alliance leader was adamant that the ANC had not accepted responsibility for the bombing of the Johannesburg stadium.

However, amnesty applicants Aggie Shoke, Harold Matshididi, Lester Dumakude and John Dube claimed the attack was politically motivated and was carried out on instructions from the ANC leadership.

The blast claimed two lives and left several spectators of a rugby match wounded.

ANC communications head Smuts Ngonyama said at issue during the amnesty proceedings was whether the bombing had been politically motivated.

The ANC had acknowledged in an earlier submission to the TRC that "a number of attacks on civilian targets with no connection to the state occurred".

In some instances, Ngonyama added, Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres were responsible for such attacks, despite breaching ANC policy not to use methods that would kill civilians.

"These cadres involved in this operation were part of a unit, with their own command structure," he said.

"Their commander could have made a decision to choose a target based on the various prevailing circumstances and conditions at that particular point in time."

The party would stand by "all its cadres" who fought to topple apartheid, but expressed regret at loss of life that occurred.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG 14 July 1999 - SAPA

IFP MARCHES AGAINST PHAMA'S AMNESTY

Some 200 Inkatha Freedom Party youth brigade members marched on Wednesday afternoon to the Thokoza police station to present a memorandum to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Penuell Maduna, police said.

Thabani Dhlamini of the youth brigade said the memorandum was to protest the granting of amnesty on June 29 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Amnesty Committee to Michael Phama, who was convicted of murdering 21 IFP members in Thokoza in 1983.

Inspector Joep Joubert said the march took place peacefully and Captain BG Makhaya received the memorandum on behalf of the minister.

Dhlamini said the main complaint was that his organisation believed the amnesty was granted in a biased way because amnesty had not been granted to Nicholas Chamane and others of the IFP.

TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said amnesty was based on a number of criteria which included full disclosure and proof of a political motive.

Ngqumba said he could not say why Chamane and the others had not been granted amnesty, but denied that the TRC was biased towards granting amnesty to ANC cadres, as claimed by Dhlamini.

Phama was sentenced to life imprisonment and was also sentenced to 10 years for the illegal possession of arms and ammunition.

Phama was a member of the African National Congress and self-defence unit at Phola Park at the time of the incidents.

He and his companions opened fire on a group of IFP supporters who were on their way to a party rally at the Thokoza stadium on September 8, 1991. Sixteen people were killed and many were wounded.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 14 1999 - SAPA

MAN KILLED FOR GOING HOME WITHOUT PERMISSION, TRC TOLD

A former African National Congress Youth League member on Wednesday said he stabbed a man with a garden fork several times and set his body alight because the man failed to return to his home town after being "banned" in 1991.

Washington Thage, 28, of Munsieville Location near Krugersdorp told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Johannesburg on Wednesday that he murdered former Pan Africanist Congress member Abinaar Mongwalwa because he did not adhere to "the proper conditions".

Thage is currently serving a 15-year-imprisonment for murdering Mongwalwa in November 1991.

Thage told Committee chairman Judge Andrew Wilson that, following a murder of Youth League member Joseph Kole by some PAC supporters at the height of a political conflict, a decision was taken by Munsieville residents to ban the perpetrators, including Mongwalwa.

But when Mongwalwa and his other expelled colleagues were seen in the township about ten months later, Thage and his comrades regarded that as a defiance of the residents' order, and cornered Mongwalwa outside a house.

When one of Thage's accomplices tried to stone Mongwalwa, the latter drew a firearm. Thage responded by stabbing Mongwalwa in the chest and the head with the garden fork. The victim's dead body was later burnt inside a petrol- soaked tyre, necklace-style.

The victim's family representative Moses Mavundla said Kole's killing was not connected to any political conflict as he was murdered during a fight with a PAC member over a girl at a party.

He further stated that Mongwalwa's murder occurred two days after an agreement had been reached between the ANC and PAC to allow for the return of the expelled.

Thage testified that the allowance had conditions, including that each returnee should be accompanied by a parent to the local leaders and report their presence.

"We killed him because he failed to follow this condition, and it was clear that they did so to prove a point" said Thage.

He added that the victim would have been attacked anyway as the agreement for their return had been between the ANC and PAC leaderships, not the Munsieville community.

Although the ANC leaders were against the continued fighting, we as members of the community were against the return of the expelled people."

Thage conceded that no instruction had been given to kill the banned people and that by attacking Mongwalwa, they did so against the wishes of their political leaders. The hearing continues.

DE KOCK DENIES KILLING MAPONYA WITH A SPADE

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock on Wednesday denied that he killed Krugersdorp security guard Japie Maponya with a spade in 1985.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that he hit Maponya twice over the head with a spade only after former security police warrant officer Willie Nortje had shot him dead.

De Kock is seeking amnesty for the abduction, torture and killing of Maponya in Swaziland in September 1985.

Maponya was abducted from Krugersdorp and taken to Vlakplaas where he was interrogated and assaulted on the whereabouts of his brother, Oderile, who was responsible for bombings in the Pretoria and Vaal Triangle areas.

Nortje's legal representative Albert Lamey told the TRC's amnesty committee on Wednesday Nortje would testify that he only shot Maponya after De Kock had slammed Maponya's head with the spade, causing his head to split open.

He said Nortje forced Maponya to kneel down before attempting to shoot him, but the gun jammed. Nortje hit Maponya over the head with the gun.

Lamey said De Kock then hit Maponya over the head with the spade because killing him with a gun would have made too much noise and attract unwanted attention.

De Kock denied this, and said: "No... that is as false as a R7 note."

Lamey said, during De Kock's cross-examination, that Nortje would also say he shot Maponya afterwards because there were still "signs of life in Maponya".

De Kock denied this.

Nortje has applied for amnesty for his involvement in Maponya's death.

On Tuesday, De Kock told the TRC that he hit Maponya twice over the head after he had been "fatally" shot to make sure the man was dead.

"It was standard practice to make sure people were dead," he said.

Nine other security members are seeking amnesty for the incident.

De Kock told the amnesty committee that he would be willing to take them to the area in Swaziland where Maponya was killed.

"I ought to be able to find the place," he said.

GENERAL COULD HAVE FORESEEN MAPONYA'S DEATH

Former security policeman Willie Nortje on Thursday conceded that former security police general, Johan le Roux, could have foreseen that Krugersdorp security guard Japie Maponya would be killed by apartheid police.

"He (Le Roux) was a big man and a general in the security branch. He must have foreseen what could happen," Nortje told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria.

Nortje is seeking amnesty for the abduction, torture and murder of Maponya in Swaziland in September 1985.

Maponya was abducted in Krugersdorp and taken to Vlakplaas where he was interrogated and assaulted on the whereabouts of his brother, Oderile, an Umkhonto we Sizwe commander who was responsible for bombings in the Pretoria and Vaal Triangle areas.

Nortje said he told Le Roux during a meeting in Krugersdorp that Maponya might die because of his assault during interrogation.

He said Le Roux was also aware that it would be very difficult to set Maponya free after he had been tortured.

Earlier this week, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock told the amnesty committee that Le Roux ordered Maponya's death.

"He (Le Roux) told me he never wants to see this man (Maponya) in Krugersdorp again," De Kock said while testifying in his amnesty application.

He said he understood this to mean that Maponya must be eliminated.

Nortje said on Thursday he did not hear Le Roux telling De Kock that he never wanted to see Maponya again, but conceded later in the day that he could not remember exactly what was said when Le Roux and De Kock met at Krugersdorp.

He said that although Le Roux could have foreseen that Maponya would be the murdered, it was De Kock who ordered the murder after Maponya was interrogated to protect the identities of Vlakplaas members he had seen.

The day after Maponya was beaten up, De Kock phoned former Piet Retief security police commander, Freek Pienaar. It was decided that Pienaar would show De Kock where Maponya could be killed in Swaziland.

Nortje said he, De Kock, and security policemen Eugene Fourie and David van der Walt, took Maponya to Swaziland.

Before they drove to the Swaziland, they picked up Pienaar at Piet Retief.

De Kock denied that Pienaar went to the border with them, and said they only went to his house to get a garden fork and spade to dig a grave for Maponya.

Nortje said that when they got to the border the plan had been that he would shoot Maponya. He said he ordered Maponya to get on his knees and then hit him over the head with an Uzi machine gun.

Nortje told the amnesty committee he tried to shoot Maponya, but the gun jammed.

"De Kock took a spade and hit him over the head two or three times," he said.

Nortje shot Maponya through the head with a 9mm pistol because, he said, Maponya was still showing signs of life.

De Kock denied this during his amnesty testimony. He told the TRC that he hit Maponya twice over the head only after Nortje had shot him dead.

"It was standard practice to make sure a person was dead after they were killed," he said.

"De Kock's version is not correct," Nortje said on Thursday.

He said De Kock ordered him and Fourie to remove Maponya's clothes, cover his body with leaves and branches, and make sure that he was dead.

Nortje said that while he was waiting for Maponya to die, he felt a large cut on Maponya's head due to De Kock hitting him over the head with a spade.

"The slash was so big that I could fit my middle finger in it. His brains were coming out," he said.

Nortje said that once the murder was completed they went back to Piet Retief to drop Pienaar off and then returned to Pretoria.

Nortje received immunity from prosecution in terms of section 204 of the Criminal Procedures Act when he testified in De Kock's criminal trial a few years ago.

Nortje now works for the National Intelligence Agency.

Ten people have applied for amnesty for the incident. Nortje's cross-examination continues on Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG July 15 1999 - SAPA

PW 'IMPLICATED' IN KILLINGS: TRC

Former State President P W Botha has been named by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as one of those "implicated" in the murder of East Rand activists during the apartheid era.

According to a statement from the TRC on Thursday, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene De Kock and eleven other apartheid security policemen will appear before an amnesty committee next Monday for their role in the murder of eight United Democratic Front youth activists on the East Rand in 1985.

In what was dubbed the Zero-Zero Hour incident, the activists were killed when Joe Mamasela and another Vlakplaas Askari, Daniel Nkala, supplied the activists with "zero-timed" grenades and limpet mines to blow themselves up, the TRC said.

Seven other activists were seriously injured as a result of the blasts.

According to some of the applicants, Operation Zero-Zero Hour was approved by cabinet ministers, including former State President P W Botha.

TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompeta said the TRC would convey its findings to South Africa's prosecuting authorities, which would decide whether to investigate the findings further and prosecute anyone.

"Implicated persons" were normally notified of their status by the TRC, Sompeta said, and it was up to them whether they wanted to attend a hearing or send a lawyer on their behalf.

Botha's previous encounter with the TRC ended with him winning his Cape High Court appeal last month against a conviction for defying a subpoena to testify before the TRC.

The notification to Botha to testify before the commission was technically invalid, the court said.

The intention of Operation Zero-Zero Hour, the TRC said on Thursday, was to stem the tide of revolt and increasing politicisation of East Rand townships residents, especially of Thokoza, Katlehong, Duduza, Daveyton, Kwathema and Vosloorus.

Amnesty applicants for the Zero-Zero Hour operation include former police commissioner General Johan van der Merwe, Brigadier Willem Schoon, Eugene De Kock, Daniel Nkala, Captain Roelf Venter, Marthinus Delpoort, Francois Steenkamp, Kobus Kok, Japie Kok, LCM Prince, Andre Roos and Wal Du Toit.

Implicated persons in the Zero-Zero incidents were named as Sergeant Gert Kruger, General Joep Joubert, late cabinet minister and Speaker Louis Le Grange, General Johan Coetzee, a General Schutte, Brian Ngqulunga (deceased), Moses Nzimande (deceased), Eric Maluleka, P W Botha, Cornelius Beeslaar and Tebogo Michael Mathikinca.

The hearing will be held at the Idasa Centre, on the corner of Prinsloo and Visagie Streets, Pretoria.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN July 16 1999 - SAPA

TRC LEFT US WITH UNFINISHED BUSINESS: PITYANA

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had left South African citizens with unfinished business and it was now the task for everyone to become involved in the construction of a new South Africa, chairman of the South African Human Rights Commission, Barney Pityana, said on Friday.

Addressing the 29th Provincial Synod of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa in Durban, Pityana said the involvement of all South Africans in the reconstruction of the country would ensure that the tragedies of the past did not happen again.

He said the TRC left no legacy of reconciliation or unity.

The mandate of the TRC was to establish a complete as possible picture of the causes, nature and extent of gross violations of human rights during the apartheid years, and to make recommendations for the creation of institutions conducive to a stable and fair society.

Pityana said it would not have been wrong for the commission to recommend the establishment of a centre of reconciliation which would provide reconciliation by creating space for talks among South Africans.

The TRC report itself could have been made simpler and cheaper for public distribution.

Pityana called on President Thabo Mbeki to call a summit on reconciliation.

"Unity and reconciliation must be the causes we continually espouse, a creed that informs national projects.

"South Africa's civil society must engage government and politicians about this solemn obligation for the good of us all and for the sake of future generations," Pityana said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 20 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK'S LAWYER WAS REASON WHY HE WAS IMPRISONED: ASKARI

Former police askrari Chris Mosiane on Tuesday accused former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock's advocate Flip Hattingh of being the reason why De Kock was sentenced to more than 200 years' inprisonment.

"You are principally the reason why De Kock got life sentences because you are representing yourself," Mosiane told Hattingh at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria. "You made a very big scoop out of the trial and are a dishonest man." Mosiane launched the verbal attack on Hattingh while being cross-examined on his involvement in the abduction and torture of former Krugersdorp security gaurd Japie Maponya.

Maponya was killed by former security police in Swaziland in September 1985. He was abducted in Krugersdorp and taken to Vlakplaas where he was interrogated and assaulted in an attempt to get him to reveal the whereabouts of his brother, Oderile, who was responsible for bombings in the Pretoria and Vaal Triangle areas. Mosiane is seeking amnesty for his role in the matter.

He told the amnesty committee he was instructed to meet Maponya at the United Bank and pose as an Umkhonto we Sizwe member so that Maponya would trust him to give him information on Oderile. Mosiane said Maponya divulged no information. Maponya was then abducted and taken to Vlakplaas where he was interrogated and tortured. Former Vlakplaas sergeant Johannes Mbelo, a policeman involved in the abduction, said Maponya was made to lie down in a car and was covered with a blanket so that he could not see how to get to Vlakplaas. He said several security policemen questioned Maponya at Vlakplaas about his brother. Mbelo said he slapped Maponya on the back while interrogating him. The interrogation lasted for about 45 minutes.

Mbelo is also seeking amnesty for the incident. Mosiane said that when he got to Vlakplaas the questioning and assault had already started. He said Maponya was shoved into a minibus and sprayed with teargas. Mosiane said he did not take part in the torture. He told the TRC that before he became an askari he was Oderile's MK instructor and had given him military training. He said he knew Oderile was involved in the anti-apartheid struggle. Maponya was killed in Swaziland the day after he was tortured.

Last week, De Kock told the TRC during his amnesty testimony that former security police warrant officer Willie Nortje shot Maponya dead. He said he then hit Maponya twice over the head with a spade to make sure he was dead. Ten people are seeking amnesty for their involvement in the matter.

Mosiane's cross-examination continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 21 1999 - SAPA

ASKARI ASKS TRC TO GIVE MAPONYA'S CHILDREN REPARATIONS

Former police askrari Chris Mosiane on Wednesday asked the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to give reparations to the children of Krugersdorp security guard Japie Maponya, who was killed in 1985.

"It is my plea that his children be given a decent reparation so that they can get a decent education," he told the TRC in Pretoria. Maponya was killed by former security police in Swaziland in 1985. He was abducted in Krugersdorp on the West Rand and taken to Vlakplaas near Pretoria, where he was interrogated and assaulted in an attempt to to get him to reveal the whereabouts of his brother, Oderile, who was responsible for bombings in the Pretoria and Vaal Triangle areas.

Mosiane, who is seeking amnesty for his involvement in Maponya's kidnapping, told the amnesty committee he was one of the few people who knew how Maponya felt when he was abducted and facing death. Mosiane, a former Umkhonto we Sizwe member, was abducted by security police in Swaziland in 1984 and then became an askari.

Ten people have applied for amnesty for their involvement in Maponya's abduction, torture and murder, including convicted killer and former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 22 1999 - SAPA

MAPONYA FAMILY WILL NOT FORGIVE FORMER POLICEMEN

The family of Krugersdorp security guard Japie Maponya, who was killed by former security police in 1985, on Thursday told the policemen they could not forgive them.

Maponya's brother, Andries, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria the family was opposing the amnesty applications by the policemen because they could not say where Maponya's bones were so that he could be buried properly.

Ten people are seeking amnesty for their involvement in the abduction, torture and murder of Maponya in Swaziland in 1985. He was abducted in Krugersdorp and taken to Vlakplaas security police base where he was interrogated on the whereabouts of his brother, Oderile, who was responsible for bombings in the Vaal Triangle and Pretoria areas.

Maponya divulged no information about his brother. The next day former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock and three former security police members, Eugene Fourie, Willie Nortje and David van der Walt, took him to Swaziland where he was shot dead. Andries told the TRC's amnesty committee that Maponya was the most apolitical person he had ever known. He said if Maponya had known where Oderile was, he would have given the information to the police. Andries said it was too late for the amnesty applicants to be forgiven because they should have asked for forgiveness from Maponya's parents while they were still alive.

Amnesty committee chairman Judge Selwyn Miller expressed the committee's sympathy to the family.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN July 26 1999 - SAPA

NEW BOOK SAYS TRC FAILED TO TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's impartiality and its methods in attempting to lay bare the truth about apartheid atrocities has been questioned in a new study published by the South African Institute of Race Relations. A book entitled "The Truth About the Truth Commission", written by special research consultant to the institute Dr Anthea Jeffery, was released this week and will be formally launched at a funay.

In the book, Jeffery concluded the TRC's approach had been to tell only half the story, and in a selective and distorted way. She said the TRC rightly castigated the former government for the employed, but failed to describe the revolution against which these methods were invoked. Jeffery points to a pattern that emerged in the way the TRC investigated incidents.

She referred to five particular incidents in which she claimed the TRC was inclined to "heap the blame for violence" on the former police, the former army, and in some cases the Inkatha Freedom Party. "At the same time, any possible culpability of the ANC is downplayed or ignored," she claimed.

The five incidents she referred to were the Sebokeng shootings in March 1990, the SA Defence Force shootings in Sebohs in Thokoza in September 1991, the Boipatong massacre in June 1992 and the Shell House shootings in March 1994. Jeffery was also critical of the TRC's report because she claimed it did not uphold judicial findings previously made in the five incidents she cited. However, she said there were other incidents where the TRC departed from the findings by commissions or courts and claimed this was done in a manner likely to "exacerbate the culpability of the IFP or the security forces".

In conclusion, Jeffery said the TRC's report was filled with deep flaws and inaccuracies. "Far from being strong on truth, as the commission has claimed, it has produced a report which distorts as much as discloses the truth. The full story about gross human rights violations in South Africa, and the violence that intensified as political and constitutional reform gathered momentum, has yet to be written," according to Jeffery.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN July 26 1999 - SAPA

POLICE INFORMER NOW WORKS FOR GOVERNMENT: DE KOCK

A police informer who gave information to former security police which lead to the death of eight cadres in 1988, is a woman who now has a responsible position in the government, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock said on Monday.

De Kock told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Durban that African National Congress members captured the woman and detained her in a prison outside Lusaka. She was later released. De Kock was not asked who the woman was.

He is seeking amnesty for his role in the death of eight Umkhonto we Sizwe members close to the Swaziland border in June 1988. On June 8, security policemen shot dead three women and a man, and on June 12, they gunned down four cadres. De Kock told the amnesty committee that former Piet Retief commander Freek Pienaar asked him to assist in eliminating the trained MK members who were armed and wanted to enter South Africa illegally from Swaziland.

On the first occasion it was decided, together with the police source, that a security member, Silulame Mose, would pick up the cadres at the Swaziland border and drive them to an ambush where they would be shot dead. De Kock said he and about four other security policemen waited along the road. When the car stopped, Mose flickered the car's lights, got out and ran in the front of the car, indicating that the MK members were armed. De Kock and other security policemen opened fire on the car, instantly killing two of the women and a man. Another woman fell out of the car. She was still breathing.

He then ordered security policeman Marthinus Ras to shoot her dead, which he did. The victims and the car were searched for ammunition but none was found. A gun and hand grenades were planted in the car to avoid "embarrassment to the government and police" because the cadres were killed although they were not armed, De Kock said. Pienaar agreed. He said that was why he placed the hand grenades into two of the women's bags. He said that a few days later the informer told him about 36 MK members wanted to infiltrate South Africa from Swaziland in separate groups.

Pienaar, who is also seeking amnesty for the killings, said he contacted De Kock and a second ambush was planned with the same modus operandi as the first. De Kock said security policeman Frans Manzini drove the four cadres to the same place where the previous killings took place. Manzini stopped the car about 18 metres from the ambush site. As he (De Kock) ran to the car, one of the MK members, armed with an AK47 assault rifle, got out of the vehicle.

"He was about 2 metres away from me and I started firing with an Uzi (machine gun), shooting him about four times before he fell." Pienaar said the cadre fired a shot before De Kock started shooting at him. An AK47 bullet was found on the scene later. De Kock, Pienaar and about nine other policemen fired at the car, killing four men. Four AK47s were found in the car, he said.

On the same day, De Kock arranged that four security police members travel to Swaziland and kill the people who dropped the cadres off at the border before they left with Manzini. He said one person was killed and another escaped. De Kock later heard that the man who escaped was MK commander Charles Ndaba, whom he described as being a "very capable man in operations". De Kock admitted to lying in the enquiry into the deaths of the first four people, because he did not say that the cadres were not armed. He said he did not make any statements about the second incident. De Kock said his commander, Brigadier Willem Schoon, knew about the operations and approved them. Schoon has not applied for amnesty for the murders. De Kock told the amnesty committee he accepted full responsibility for the incidents. Thirteen other security police members are seeking amnesty for the killings.

Pienaar will continue to testify on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association VAAL TRIANGLE July 27 1999 - SAPA

BOIPATONG VICTIMS' LAWYER OPPOSES AMNESTY FOR 15 IFP MEN

The lawyer for the victims of the 1992 Boipatong massacre on Tuesday opposed the granting of amnesty to 15 Inkatha Freedom Party members, SABC radio news reported.

Danny Burger told the amnesty committee in Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal Triangle the applicants had failed to disclose the truth. Their failure to disclose the involvement of the police in the killings disqualified them from amnesty, he claimed, adding there was no political motive for the killing of 45 residents of Boipatong.

The amnesty applicants are serving prison sentences of between 10 and 18 years.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN July 28 1999 - SAPA

POLICE INFORMANT PAID R10000: AMNESTY HEARING TOLD

A female police informant was paid R10,000 after she gave information to former security policemen which led to the death of four African National Congress cadres in 1988, former security policeman Flip Theron said on Wednesday.

He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Durban the woman was also paid between R50,000 and R60,000 after ANC members released her from a prison outside Lusaka. On Monday, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock told the amnesty committee the informant was a woman with a responsible position in the government.

Theron, who was the woman's handler, said she voluntarily gave information to him about Umkhonto we Sizwe members wanting to infiltrate South Africa from Swaziland. In June 1988, the source's information led to nine cadres being killed close to the Swaziland border. Theron, De Kock and 13 other former security policemen are seeking amnesty for their involvement in the deaths.

On June 8, security policeman shot dead three women and a man and on June 12 five more men were gunned down in separate incidents - four of them close to Piet Retief and one in Swaziland. All the incidents were planned ambushes, and two of them were headed by De Kock. He said the former commander of the Piet Retief security branch, Freek Pienaar, asked him to assist in the eliminations. The cadres were killed because they were trained MK members who were armed and wanted to infiltrate South Africa from Swaziland.

On Wednesday, former security policemen Johann Tait, Paul van Dyk and Cornelius Botha admitted to killing the cadre in Swaziland. He was eliminated at his car after he took four MK members to a pick-up point at the border. The car was then set alight. The man's body, which was lying close to the vehicle, also caught fire.

TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha told reporters the commission had notified the informant that she was implicated in the matter.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA July 29 1999 - SAPA

ANOTHER DE KOCK AMNESTY HEARING TO START IN PTA ON MONDAY

Yet another amnesty hearing involving former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, and in which former State President PW Botha is also implicated, will start in Pretoria on Monday.

De Kock and 11 other former policemen have applied for amnesty for the killing of eight East Rand United Democratic Front activists in 1985, Truth and Reconciliation Commission spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said in a statement on Thursday. The victims were killed by zero-timed grenades and doctored limpet mines supplied to them by former policemen Joe Mamasela and Daniel Nkala together with their seniors. Seven other youths were also seriously injured.

Botha and the late former Minister of Law and Order, Louis le Grange, had been implicated in one of the incidents, in Duduza, which led to the necklacing of Maki Skhosana. The hearing had to be postponed twice in the past few weeks due to a demanding amnesty hearing schedule, Sompetha said.

The hearings will be held at the Idasa Centre in Pretoria.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN July 29 1999 - SAPA

FORMER POLICEMEN ADMIT TO KILLING MK MEMBERS

Former security policeman Jury Hayes, Leon Flores, Nicholas Vermeulen and Willie Nortje on Thursday admitted to having been involved in two police operations during which eight African National Congress cadres were killed in 1988.

They told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Durban they took part in the killings to protect the government from the liberation struggle. Nortje, Hayes, Vermeulen and Flores are seeking amnesty for their involvement in the elimination of eight Umkontho we Sizwe members trying to infiltrate South Africa from Swaziland. The cadres were gunned down in ambushes orchestrated by former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock close to the Swaziland border in June 1988.

On June 8, three women and a man were shot dead and on June 12, the police gunned down four men. The MK members were lured into the ambushes by former security policemen who picked them up at the border. They were killed because they were trained MK members who were armed and wanted to infiltrate South Africa. During the shooting on June 12, shots were fired at the minibus transporting the cadres. The men were killed instantly.

Flores told the amnesty committee that he did not fire any shots during the first murders. He said De Kock instructed him to drive up the road to locate the vehicle the cadres were travelling in. Flores said the car passed him, and when he drove back to the ambush site, he saw security police members shooting at the MK members' car. Hayes said that during the first incident he had to turn on a light after the shooting started. The amnesty applicants said they realised their actions were illegal but the conventional police methods required to control crime were not successful.

Another 11 security members have applied for amnesty for the killings.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG August 2, 1999 - SAPA

GANGBOSS KILLED BY ANC MEMBERS - TRC

Alleged criminal gang leader Nkinsela Khanyile was killed because he deterred the African National Congress from operating freely in Dambuza, KwaZulu-Natal, the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday. Sakhumuzi Ndaba and Tobias Mbanjwa, members of the Safety and Security VIP Protection Unit, said this during their testimony before the committee at the Marian Centre in Pietermaritzburg. "This gang did not only confine its criminal activities to ANC members but its operations extended to the entire community. It knew that the ANC was against criminal activities and as a result they targeted members and supporters of the organisation for harassment," said Ndaba. The amnesty applicants said they shot and killed Khanyile in 1993 after receiving reports about his criminal activities in the community. These included robbing people at gunpoint, intimidating people from attending ANC meetings and political activities. Following their military training in Zimbabwe in 1989 and a course in VIP protection in the former Transkei homeland, the two men became members of the ANC security unit - allegedly reporting to the late SA National Defence Force major, Ntela Skhosana. Between 1992 and 1993 reports of many attacks on ANC members by the criminal gang were received by the ANC security unit. "During this period there was direct confrontation between the ANC and the criminal gangs in the Pietermaritzburg area," Ndaba said. The applicants said complaints emanating from Dambuza prompted Skhosana to task them with investigating criminal activities. They were chosen because they lived in the area. The self-confessed killers, who were not arrested, tried or convicted for the murder, said at the height of political violence in the area the police were known to side with anyone against the ANC. As a result, the criminals were not reported to the police force. They said that after conveying reports to Skhosana, he told them that they needed to act but did not specify in what manner. The men decided that to stop the gang activities they would kill gang leader Khanyile. "I shot him with a 9mm Makarov pistol, firing about three rounds and Mbanjwa also fired a number of rounds to finish him off. We then left the scene," Ndaba said. The hearing was adjourned to Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 2 1999 - SAPA

ANC MEN GET AMNESTY FOR IFP KILLINGS

Three members of the African National Congress were on Monday granted amnesty for killing two Inkatha Freedom Party members and attempting to murder others in Ezingolweni, KwaZulu-Natal in 1991 and 1993. Tembani Ngcobo, Phazamani Ncishane and Mlungisi Kumalo told a TRC amnesty committee hearing at the Durban Christian Centre that the area was engulfed by political violence between the ANC and the IFP in the early 1990s. The amnesty committee found that the men had made a full disclosure and that their actions had been politically motivated. The committee referred the relatives of the victims - Amos Cele, Samson Mavundla and Mhekabantu Cele - to the Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee. The panel also granted amnesty to former Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) member, Peter Maluleka, for planting an explosive that caused damage to the Van Asweger's store and other buildings in the vicinity. In his application, Maluleka said he was carrying out an order by his MK commander and that the explosion was intended to make a political statement of the ANC's presence in the country. The committee found that Maluleka had made a full disclosure and was able to show a political motive. And at a TRC hearing in Tzaneen, five former Venda homeland security policemen were granted amnesty for perjury and defeating the ends of justice. Takalani Nesamari, Gabriel Ramushwana, Phumula Managa, Ledwich Ramligela and Carlson Netshivale, all from Venda, made amnesty applications for their part in the assault and torture of the now Northern Province MEC of transport, Tshenuwani Simon Farisani, and several other detainees. They also applied for amnesty for defeating the ends of justice. The committee found that the applicants had made full disclosures. However, it refused amnesty to Nesamari, Managa and Ramligela for assaulting and torturing Farisani, Mbulaneni Phosiwa and Jon Ravele. Ramushwana and Netshivale were granted amnesty for these assaults and for their participation in the torture of Tshifniwa Tshikororo and Petrus Phaswana. The assaults on detainees took place in Venda in 1982. The application relates to incidents involving the torture of several people in Venda, following an attack on the Sibasa Police Station in 1981 in which two policemen were killed.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA August 2, 1999 - SAPA

ACTIVISTS KILLED TO PROTECT BLACK POLICEMEN

Former police commissioner Johannes van der Merwe on Monday said he had hand grenades booby-trapped in 1985 which killed eight anti-apartheid activists. It was done to protect the lives of black police members. "Steps had to be taken to protect the black members who were at that stage completely demoralised," he told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria. Van der Merwe, who was the deputy security police chief at the time, is seeking amnesty for deaths of eight Congress of SA Students members on the East Rand in June 1985. They were killed by hand grenades of which the time delay mechanisms had been altered so that the grenades could explode almost immediately after the pin was removed. Seven Cosas activists were also injured by the booby-trapped grenades. Van der Merwe said he had received information that the Cosas members wanted to attack the homes of black policemen in East Rand townships. The activists were waiting for weapons from the African National Congress. Van der Merwe said he then gave a plan to stop the Cosas members to the police commissioner at that time, General Johann Coetzee, who issued the plan to then (now deceased) Law and Order Minister Louis le Grange. Coetzee told Van Der Merwe a few days later that Le Grange approved the plan. Coetzee has not applied for amnesty for the incident. Van der Merwe told the amnesty committee that after he had received the approval he went to Springs where he briefed former Vlakplaas commander Jack Cronje about the operation. Cronje, who carried out the operation, has already received amnesty for his involvement. Van der Merwe said former police askari Joe Mamasela told the activists he had hand grenades they could use. The grenades were then handed over to the activists. Seven of the Cosas members were killed while trying to attack the houses of black policemen, and another was killed while placing a limpet mine at an electrical sub-station. Van der Merwe said he told Coetzee what had happened, and Coetzee informed Le Grange about the operation. He said he could not remember if former state president PW Botha knew about the killings. Cronje said during his amnesty hearing that Van der Merwe had told him Botha knew about the operation. "I cannot remember saying this. It happened a very long time ago," Van der Merwe said. However, he said he could not dispute what Cronje testified. Eleven other former security police members are seeking amnesty for the matter. Botha denied having any knowledge of the incident, his lawyer, Ernest Penzhorn, told the committee.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA August 3 1999 - SAPA

SCHOON ARRANGED FOR GRENADES TO BE BOOBY-TRAPPED, TRC HEARS

Former security policeman Willem Schoon on Tuesday said former deputy security police chief Johannes van der Merwe ordered him to get hand grenades booby-trapped which killed eight people in 1985. He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria that the SA Defence Force's special forces unit adjusted the detonators of the hand grenades because the police's demolition unit was unable to do it. Schoon is seeking amnesty for the deaths of eight members of the Congress of SA Students on the East Rand in June 1985. They were killed by hand grenades which had their detonators modified so that when they threw them the grenades exploded in their hands. Seven Cosas activists were also injured by the grenades. Security police had received information that the Cosas members wanted to attack black policemen and wanted weapons for that purpose. Former police askari Joe Mamasela gave the modified hand grenades to the activists. Schoon said he supplied the special forces unit with 24 detonators. Once they were booby-trapped he instructed the demolition unit to pick them up. He said he believed the State Security Council had approved of the operation because it was the first of its kind and needed higher approval. Schoon said Van der Merwe had told him that the deceased Police Minister Louis le Grange had approved the operation. Le Grange was a member of the State Security Council. Former East Rand security police commander Jacobus Delport told the amnesty committee he supported the hand grenade plans because black policemen living in East Rand townships were demoralised due to attacks on their houses by anti-apartheid activists. He said the homes of 90 percent of black policemen living in Duduza close to Nigel had been burnt down in a few weeks in 1985. Delport said Van der Merwe met him and former Vlakplaas commander Jack Cronje at Springs, where Cronje was instructed to head the operation. He said that shortly after the killings had taken place, Le Grange congratulated him on the success of the operation. Delport said the operation helped to decrease political violence on the East Rand and the lives of policemen were protected because activists were deterred from launching attacks. He has also applied for amnesty for his involvement in the incident. Delport sent out demolition experts on the night of the deaths to investigate the explosions. Twelve people are seeking amnesty for the matter.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 4 August 1999 - SAPA

POLICE ASKARI DID NOT KNOW GRENADES WERE BOOBY-TRAPPED

Former police askari Daniel Nkala, who was responsible for supplying booby-trapped hand grenades and a l on Wednesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria he had not known the grenades were tampered with. He said he only became suspicious of the explosive devices when former Vlakplaas askari Joe Mamasela drove away from him and an activist, who wanted to use the limpet mine to blow up an electrical sub-station. He is seeking amnesty for the deaths of eight members of the Conled on the East Rand in June 1985. Seven of them were killed by hand grenades which had their deators modified so that when they were thrown the grenades exploded in their hands. The leader of the activists, known as Congress, was killed by the limpet mine which was also modified in this manner. Seven Cosas activists were also injured by the grenades. Nkala said that when Mamasela drove away, he told Congress to plant the limpet mine by himself because he wanted to keep watch for police. He said Congress went round a corner and he heard an explosion. "If I had not taken cover I would have been killed," Nkala said. "I would be dead now and be with my grandparents." The activists were targeted after security police received information from a source that they wanted to attack the homes of black policemen and were waiting for weapons for that purpose. Mamaselad Nkala posed as Umkhonto weSizwe members and trained the activists on how to use hand grenades. Ne killings, him and Mamasela gave the booby-trapped explosives to the activists. Mamasela and Nkala gave Congress the limpet mine and drove him to the sub-station. Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock told the TRC during his amnesty testimony on the incident it was his suggestion to have the limpet modified because Congress would have recognised Mamasela. He said on Wednesday during cross-examination on the incident, he "did not like Mamasela". "He usually followed his own head and wasn't a team worker," De Kock said. "At times he was mean especially to the askaris. We didn't see eye to eye." Askaris were activists or guerillas who defected to the apartheid police and worked against their former comrades. De Kock said that after he became the commander of Vlakplaas in July 1985, Mamasela shot dead an eight-year-old girl in Vereeniging "apparently in self defence". He said he told Mamasela that he should either start co-operating with the members of the Vlakplaas unit or leave. Mamasela then left the unit and went to work at the security police head office in Pretoria. He has not applied for amnesty for the incident. He was granted indemnity from prosecution in return for helping the Attorney-General track down former security police involved in human rights abuses. Twelve former security police and askaris are seeking amnesty for the matter. Nkala's cross-examination continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 5 August 1999 - SAPA

GUNN NOT SURPRISED BY AMNESTY DECISION

Shirley Gunn, the former Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) member framed by apartheid police for the 1988 Khotso House bombing, said on Thursday she was not surprised by the decision to grant amnesty to the real perpetrators - the police themselves. However it was a "bitter pill to swallow", she said. Former police commissioner General Johann van der Merwe, Law and Order minister Adriaan Vlok, and fifteen security policemen including the notorious Eugene de Kock, were granted amnesty on Thursday for the incident, as well as for defeating the ends of justice by spreading misinformation that Gunn was implicated in it. Gunn, speaking from her Cape Town home, said she accepted the truth and reconciliation process, and was not surprised by the judgment. It was difficult to know to what extent the men were still concealing the truth, and she could not say whether there had been full disclosure. "We didn't do it," she said. "They did it. They know the truth." However the important issue was that South Africans needed to move forward, because they had a nation to build. "That's what's foremost on my mind and the mind of the majority of people." Gunn said that while the 17 men had applied for amnesty, there were other "big fish" who did not, electing not to honour the course that the nation had adopted in the spirit of reconciliation. The law should now take its full course with them. She said that although she felt angry that at the end of the day the 17 should walk off "scot free", she had seen them at the amnesty hearing as "completely diminished individuals". "They did not have a single person by their side," she said. "I don't think their lives will ever be the same." Asked for her verdict on the TRC process, she said it had been good to be one of those who testified before it, even though it had been very traumatic. "It took away the isolation, the loneliness I experienced at times and connected me to... we became connected instead of having to choke on our own," she said. Gunn was arrested and detained by the security police some time after the Khotso House bombing, and about two years ago accepted an out-of-court settlement from the safety and security ministry. She claimed damages in connection with the police claims of her involvement and her detention. In his evidence to the amnesty committee, Vlok apologised to Gunn for falsely implicating her in the bombing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG 5 August 1999 - SAPA

IFP DISTANCES ITSELF FROM MEMBER AT TRC

The Inkatha Freedom Party on Thursday distanced itself from the activities of one of its members who appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission seeking amnesty for the murder of an African National Congress member. The applicant, Sibusiso Eric Ngcobo, failed to prove that the murder of the ANC member was politically motivated when he appeared before the TRC's amnesty committee at the Marian Centre in the Pietermaritzburg on Thursday. Ngcobo is seeking amnesty for the murder of Bongani Wellington Majozi in Slangspruit in 1991, which he claimed was in revenge for the murder of his three brothers by ANC members. Three other people were injured during the attack. Ngcobo, serving 12 years for the murder, told the amnesty committee that he and his friends, including Themba Dladla and Linda Mkhize, planned to attack an ANC stronghold in the area after he was told that his three brothers were killed by ANC members and police. "The decision to attack the ANC people was taken at a local shebeen where we were drinking. Only myself and Themba carried out the attack after turning the others back when we realised that they were too drunk. I was wearing a police tracksuit to conceal identity so the targets could not see us too early," said Ngcobo. When they reached a shop where there were many people, he fired 16 times as people ran for cover. Themba did not have a gun, he told the hearing. He told the committee he wanted revenge but agreed that his party was not going to benefit from his actions. He said that although local IFP leader Shayabantu Zuma knew of their attack, he did not instruct them to carry it out. IFP papers before the committee distanced the party from the activities and said the applicant and his accomplice were not active members of the party. However, Ngcobo said his actions were triggered by the murder of his brothers by ANC supporters and that his brothers were IFP members. In another matter, imprisoned former Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) member Vusumuzi Rodney Ngcobo, of Bester near KwaMashu, Durban, told the committee how he and his accomplices murdered businessman Bongani Eric Kunene who was branded as a police informer in 1993. "In October 1993 I was approached by Mbongiseni Ngcobo, Nduna and Gimba to accompany them to L section and assassinate Kunene who was implicated in the assassination of Mliko (a KwaMashu military training commander)," he said. He said Kunene was gunned down by Ngcobo at the door to his home. "As Kunene came out of the door he was shot at by the people who were in front of me and when he passed where I was hiding, I also fired two bullets at him and we took his gun," said Ngcobo. However, Kunene's wife Busisiwe Ester disputed Ngcobo's version and said her husband was shot while he was seated in his car outside their home. Ngcobo is serving 20 years for the murder.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 5 August 1999 - SAPA

CHIKANE ACCEPTS KHOTSO JUDGEMENT

Former South African Council of Churches president, Frank Chikane on Thursday said he respected the decision by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to grant amnesty to Eugene de Kock and Adriaan Vlok for the 1988 bombing of the council's headquarters. Chikane said in a statement he could never condone the bombing of Khotso House but was willing to accept the TRC's judgment in the interest of reconciliation. "The bombing of Khotso House, was an abominable action in defence of a crime against humanity, and a heresy. "The act of the bombing, like the system of apartheid itself, cannot be justified and will always be repugnant." Chikane said he had been part of the efforts to set up the TRC to bring about peace and reconciliation in South Africa. "In this context, I respect and abide by the decision of the TRC amnesty committee... in the hope that such a deed will never again be committed." Former Vlakplaas police commander De Kock, former Law and Order minister Vlok, former police chief Johann van der Merwe and 14 other policemen were on Thursday pardoned by the TRC's amnesty committee for their role in the bombing of Khotso House. Chikane said several discussions were held with the National Party government after the bombing, and the NP had always denied the involvement of state security forces. "Yet there was never any doubt as to who the perpetrators of the dastardly deed were," Chikane said. He added that the bombing, instead of breaking the spirit of the church, generated new determination and resolve to continue the work of the church. A spokesman for the South African Council of Churches, Eddie Makue, said they were satisfied there had been full disclosure by the amnesty applicants. The SACC was informed of the decision on Thursday morning by its attorney, who in turn was told by the TRC. "We hold to our original statement that should amnesty applicants tell the truth, we would have no opposition to them being given amnesty. "As far as we are concerned (in this case) the truth has been told." He said, however, the truth had not emerged spontaneously, but through the "excellent" cross-examination by the SACC's advocate at the amnesty hearing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 5 August 1999 - SAPA

DEPT DELAYS RELEASE OF PRISONERS: PAC

The Pan Africanist Congress on Thursday accused the Department of Correctional Services of dragging its feet when ordered to release PAC prisoners granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Three members of the PAC's now defunct armed wing, Apla, were released from Leeuwkop Prison on Thursday, more than 24 hours after they were granted amnesty for their role in a 1991 cash heist. Truth Commission spokesman Phila Nqgumba said the TRC faxed documents, announcing the amnesty decision and ordering the immediate release of the three men, to the head office of the Department of Correctional Services in Pretoria on Wednesday afternoon. Themba Ngubeni, Trevor Masilo and Edwin Simelane were, however, only released on Thursday afternoon, according to Gauteng correctional services spokesman Rudi Potgieter. PAC executive council member Jabulane (SUBS: CORRECT) Khumalo claimed the department was "reluctant" to release its members who were granted amnesty and accused officials of having "a negative attitude". In May, he said, the PAC had to ask Correctional Services Minister Ben Skosana to intervene in the release of another Apla prisoner, Themba Sishange. "We would like to warn the Correctional Services authorities that it is illegal to keep any person in prison after he or she has been granted amnesty," Khumalo said. National prison services director Erens Kriek confirmed the department's head office received the documents from the TRC on Wednesday but said the process of verifying the amnesty decision and tracing the men in the prison system had delayed their release. "All we received were the names," Kriek said. "We didn't even have prison numbers so we didn't know where they were being held. We are busy upgrading our computer system and the network was also down at the time." The department sent a fax to Leeuwkop Prison at 9am on Thursday authorising the release of the three men. Before they could be released, all prisoners had to undergo a medical examination and complete other officials procedures, he said. Kriek flatly denied the department had deliberately delayed the release of the PAC men and said it was department policy to expedite the release of prisoners. "It shouldn't have been like that (in the case of the PAC prisoners). We try to have them out the same day," he said. "I know of the earlier case (in May) and we have gone out of our way to help them." Ngubeni, Masilo and Simelane were convicted on charges of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery in 1993 and sentenced to jail terms ranging from 15 to 28 years. Two security guards died in the heist in Cleveland south of Johannesburg.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 5 August 1999 - SAPA

KILLER OF THREE AWB MEN IN BOP GETS AMNESTY

The killer of three Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging members during a 1994 rightwing invasion into the former homeland of Bophuthatswana was granted amnesty on Thursday. Former Bophuthatswana policeman, Ontlametse Bernstein Menyatsoe, did not shoot the victims out of malice or for personal gain, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in a statement released in Johannesburg. The TRC said: "The amnesty committee found that the events which led to the general chaos and violence which reigned in Mafikeng that day were clearly politically driven." The three AWB men were shot dead on March 11, 1994, at close range in full view of television cameras as they lay wounded alongside their car in Mmabatho. Fanie Uys, Alwyn Wolfaardt and Nicolaas Fourie were part of an AWB force that entered the former homeland to support former Bophutatswana president Lucas Mangope against a popular uprising. Mangope was toppled later that month for resisting the re-incorporation of his homeland into South Africa on the eve of the country first democratic election in April 1994. Menyatsoe confessed to the killing of the three men after another constable, Philemon Nare, was wrongly accused of the murders. The TRC on Thursday said Menyatsoe was distressed by the rightwing invasion. On March 10 he received a report that the AWB had taken over the military base at Mmabatho, adjacent to Mafikeng. When he went to work the next day, the situation was volatile as an AWB convoy of vehicles drove through the streets of Makifeng. AWB members were shooting at people alongside the road, and soldiers and police returned fire. The TRC said it accepted Menyatsoe's evidence that he was angered by the presence of the AWB, which he believed was supporting Mangope's stance against re-incorporation. "The panel was satisfied that the crimes committed by the applicant were acts associated with a political objective, and that he made full disclosure of all the relevant facts." The wives, children and parents of the three AWB men were referred to the reparation and rehabilitation committee for consideration, the TRC said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 5 August 1999 - SAPA-AFP

APARTHEID ASSASSIN DE KOCK PARDONED FOR BOMBING

Apartheid assassin Eugene de Kock was Thursday amnestied by the country's truth commission for bombing a church body's headquarters in 1988 - the first time the former policeman has been pardoned for any of his crimes. Former apartheid law and order minister Adriaan Vlok, former police chief Johan van der Merwe and 14 other policemen were also pardoned by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for their role in the bombing. Van der Merwe had told the TRC that the order to bomb Khotso House, the former headquarters of the anti-apartheid South African Council of Churches in Johannesburg, had come from former hardline apartheid president P.W. Botha. Botha has denied the claim. De Kock, nicknamed "Prime Evil" for his proficiency at killing, is asking the TRC for pardon for more than 100 incidents of murder, torture and fraud in bid to be freed from jail. The former commander of a secret police unit that used murder and torture to maintain white minority rule is currently serving a sentence of 212 years for apartheid-era crimes. The TRC, which is probing human rights atrocities committed on all sides during the apartheid years, is compelled to grant amnesty to perpetrators who make a full confession and prove a political motive for their actions.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 5 August 1999 - SAPA

ACTIVISTS NEVER WANTED TO KILL POLICE: TRC TOLD

Anti-apartheid activists killed with booby-trapped handgrenades in 1985 because they wanted to target black policemen never intended to do so, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Thursday. Johannes Mazibuko, whose fingers were blown off when he threw one of the grenades, said in Pretoria the activists wanted to use the grenades to defend themselves if they were ever attacked. He said the security police had a hitlist containing the names of activists which they wanted to eliminate. Mazibuko was testifying before the TRC's amnesty committee where 12 former security policemen and askaris (African National Congress cadres turned police informants) are seeking amnesty for the deaths of eight members of the Congress of SA Students who were killed on the East Rand on June 25, 1985. The eight were killed by handgrenades with modified detonators which caused the devices to explode in the users' hands when they were thrown. The leader of the activists, known as Congress, was killed by a limpet mine modified in the same manner. Seven Cosas activists, including Mazibuko, were injured by the booby-trapped grenades. The modified grenades and limpet mine were given to the Cosas members by former Vlakplaas askaris Joe Mamasela and Daniel Nkala, who posed as Umkontho we Sizwe members. Amnesty applicants told the TRC this week they targeted the activists because a police source had told them the activists wanted to attack the homes of black policemen and were waiting for weapons to do so. Mazibuko on Thursday said it would have been difficult to attack the homes of black policemen because most of them had been driven away because their houses were burnt down and families assaulted. He said the activists had not been waiting for weapons to attack black policemen. Mazibuko said Mamasela and Nkala offered the grenades to the activists and they never requested the explosive devices. Security police involved in the killings told the amnesty committee Mamasela and Nkala were instructed only to hand over the grenades once the activists requested them. Mazibuko said the day after Mamasela and Nkala trained the Cosas activists on how to use the grenades, they were given the explosive devices and told to attack their targets at midnight. He said the activists split up into groups of five and went to targets they had chosen. Mazibuko's group chose a burnt down house because he said they considered the attacks to be a warning to police that they "would be ready for them". He said that at midnight he counted down for his group to throw the grenades. "When I counted three everybody was suppose to throw (the grenades), but I saw myself flying in the air," Mazibuko said. He said that after he hit the ground he got up and went to find help. "Along the way I became weak. The blood was oozing out of my ribs in full force ... and I found that my fingers were missing." Mazibuko said at that stage he thought he had made a mistake when handling the grenade. He said when he arrived at hospital, he saw another two of his colleagues also severely injured. "I realised then that something was wrong." Mazibuko was arrested that night and taken to Benoni police station. He was eventually sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment. On Friday, the amnesty committee will hear closing arguments on the matter.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 10 1999 - SAPA

VICTIMS TO OPPOSE AMNESTY APPLICATIONS OF SECURITY POLICEMEN

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing in Durban came to a halt on Tuesday when the families of slain African National Congress activists requested time to appoint a lawyer to oppose amnesty for the killings.

Former members of the Durban security branch, including the late Colonel Andy Taylor, are applying for amnesty for the torture and murders of Umkhonto we Sizwe activists Mbuso Shabalala, Charles Ndaba, Bheka Mkhwanazi, Blessing Ninela, Dion Cele, Mbova Mzimela and Ntombikayise Kubekha between 1986 and 1990.

They also cited the torture of Pravin Gordhan and Raymond Lalla, who were both involved in MK's "Operation Vula".

Gordhan is now the deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank.

TRC spokeswoman Nosisi Tyantsi said it appeared the families did not understand that the evidence leader could also represent them.

Judge Hassan Mall, chairman of the amnesty committee, agreed to the request.

Tyantsi said Thabile Thabethe, the evidence leader, was still in consultation with the families late on Tuesday afternoon, and would possibly represent them on Wednesday.

When proceedings resume, the amnesty committee will investigate the July 1988 murder of Cele, who was kidnapped in Manzini, Swaziland and brought to South Africa to be turned into an informant.

Cele refused and was killed at a safe house near Pietermarizburg on Taylor's orders.

Taylor died last year of cancer.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA August 11 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK AMNESTY HEARING TO RESUME IN PRETORIA ON MONDAY

The third round of amnesty hearings involving former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock and 16 other former security policemen resumes in Pretoria on Monday.

De Kock and the other former security policemen are applying for amnesty in connection with the murder of seven men implicated in two robberies in Hammanskraal and Nelspruit in 1992.

The first application pertains to Dilon Moses Mayisa, Sibusiso Mbatha and Mazumka Moyo who were killed when they allegedly tried to rob the Carousel casino in February 1992. The deceased were all from Alexandra township.

Former policemen Johannes Swart, Ben Burger van Zyl and Johannes Hanekom are applying for amnesty for the murders. De Kock was also implicated in the killings.

The second application involves the killing of suspected robbers Khona Gabela, Lawrence Nyarenda, Glenyk Masilo Mama and Oscar Mxolisi Ntshwatha who were murdered in Nelspruit in March 1992.

De Kock, Swart, Hanekom, Burger van Zyl and former policemen Rolf Dieter Gevers, Willem Nortje, Deon Gouws and Kobus Klopper are applying for amnesty in connection with the killings.

African National Congress Women's League President Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's personal bodyguard Tisetso Leballo was part of the Nelspruit four who was murdered.

Seven former policemen, including de Kock, are seeking amnesty for Leballo's murder.

The amnesty hearing will move to the Durban Christian Centre on August 30 where the applications of Nortje, Isak Bosch and Nicholas Vermeulen would be heard in connection with the murders of United Democratic Front activists in Chesterville outside Durban in 1986.

The three policemen and a group of askaris - ANC cadres who turned against the organisation to assist the security police - allegedly tried to infiltrate the UDF when they became involved in a shootout in which about four people were killed.

The askaris are Aubrey Mngadi, Jeff Bosigo,

Samuel Magage, Virginia Shosa, Eric Sefadi, Simon Radebe and a person known only as Koole.

De Kock has applied for amnesty in connection with these murders too. A posthumous application for policeman Andy Taylor will also be heard in connection with this incident.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

DURBAN August 12 1999 - SAPA

SISTER OF MK OPERATIVE FORGIVES KILLER AT TRC HEARINGS

The sister of an MK operative who was executed 11 years ago, forgave her brother's killer at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearing in Durban on Thursday.

Jabu Mkhwanazi told Colonel Lawrence Wasserman, who shot her brother Bheka Mkhwanazi (alias MK Tekere) in July 1988, that she was moved by what he had told her in a private meeting.

He apparently said he was sad and sought reconciliation.

"I know you are the one who's suffering now, the dead are at peace. I forgive you Wasserman, you showed remorse," she said.

"I'm also glad you pointed out my brother's grave, otherwise we wouldn't have known what really happened to him."

Mkhwanazi commended Wasserman for admitting to killing her brother when it would had been easy to blame the late Colonel Andrew Taylor.

Two of the other applicants, Salmon du Preez and Jacobus Vorster, blamed Taylor for the killing.

The applicants told the hearing that Taylor had called them to an Elandskop farm, where they had murdered Mbova Mzimela about month before.

Taylor apparently showed them Mkhwanazi and informed them he was a "trained terrorist" attached to the MK operation.

Du Preez said: "I guess I had a false confidence in Taylor when he told us he had arrested Tekere while on the way to place bombs in the Durban area."

They apparently interrogated him and tried to turn him into an informer.

"When Tekere refused Taylor gave the signal to eliminate him. He was blindfolded and his hands tied behind his back. We led him to a grave which Vorster and I had dug earlier," Wasserman said.

He said he then hit Tekere on the head with a police baton.

"He fell unconscious and I then shot him twice in the head and chest. The second shot was make certain he was dead," Wasserman said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN August 12 1999 - SAPA

CONFERENCE WANTS ACTION ON TRC RECOMMENDATIONS

A conference on the future of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday demanded to know why the government had not carried out the Commission's recommendations yet.

The three-day conference held at the University of Cape Town's humanities department was attended by TRC deputy chairman Alex Boraine, former commissioner Mary Burton, Judge Willem Heath of the Heath investigating unit, Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs and Judge Richard Goldstone, recently appointed to investigate atrocities in Kosovo.

During the conference it emerged that the government had not responded to the 40 pages of recommendations made in the TRC report even though it was completed almost a year ago.

Deputy chairman Alex Boraine said there had been a "deafening silence" from the government on the recommendations.

Delegates passed a resolution saying: "The government is urged to give urgent attention to the recommendations contained in volume five of the report and to make public its response. In particular it should make decisions with regard to reparations and the form they should take."

The call for action followed a resolution expressing concern over certain issues, including a perception that emphasis had shifted from the plight of victims who suffered human rights abuses to those who had carried them out, and a breakdown in reparations to victims.

Burton said the situation made her feel "bitterly angry and ashamed" that people who came forward to give their accounts to the TRC had not even received a letter of acknowledgment.

She said she was aware of the tremendous backlogs in processing the applications for reparations but believed the least that could be done was to inform the people concerned of the delays and the reasons.

"There seems to be an imbalance between the way in which victims are treated and applicants for amnesty for whom allowances are made," Burton said.

She warned that failure to affect the reparations process would not only result in a breakdown of the reconciliation process but could even result in a national disaster.

It was also important to finalise what should happen to the documentation, she said.

"We do not want them to be sent to an archive where they are kept with a 50-year embargo. They should rather be placed in a building where they are available to people who are interested or for research."

The TRC itself was urged to complete the amnesty process with the "greatest speed and diligence" and to notify those who had appeared before it about any findings that had been made.

The conference covered many aspects of the reconciliation process in South Africa with subjects ranging from corruption to how to build a moral culture and how to protect the nation's assets.

Heath told the conference that if corruption was not kept in check it would lead to a breakdown in public morality and eventually the entire legal system.

He said South Africans should cooperate with the institutions that sought to counter corruption and should not fight them by using technicalities.

He said the question of "technical innocence" whereby people were found not guilty because of legal technicalities should be addressed by lawmakers in an effort to close loopholes in legislation.

Constitutional Court judge Richard Goldstone said the Constitution had received widespread praise but this did not automatically guarantee a perfect society.

"We may have a wonderful constitution but that does not mean we also have a wonderfully democratic society," he said.

He added that it would take time to bring about a democratic culture because this was a new concept for the country.

Even the Constitutional Court judges were having to learn about the process of constitutional adjudication, because it had no precedence here, he said.

Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs said he was in favour of establishing a fund for the victims of apartheid to which he said he would like to contribute.

"I am not in favour of a sin tax or a sorry tax but a human tax to support a fund for victims.

"I have a beautiful job and I want to give towards it. Its a way of feeling close and warm towards people who have suffered," Sachs said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN August 13 1999 - SAPA

TRC PARDONS CADRE FOR MURDERS OF THREE SOWETO POLICEMEN

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Friday granted amnesty to former Umkhonto weSizwe cadre Bongani Charles Zwane for the 1988 murders of three policemen in Soweto and the wounding of another. The attacks took place in Meadowlands, Soweto on January 20, 1988. TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said the committee found that when Zwane participated in the killings of Masango Tshabalala, Nimrod Nkumanda and Jabulane Mngoma and attempted to murder Mbulelo Kapu, he was carrying out his commander's orders. It found that Zwane believed the killings of the policemen would further the political struggle which was waged by the African National Congress against the regime. Umkhonto weSizwe was the ANC's armed wing. The amnesty panel stated that the applicant had met the Act's requirements of full disclosure and proof of a political motive. In his application, Zwane testified that it was the policy of the ANC during that time to target policemen in general for elimination. When he was ordered to identify a place where the targets could be found, he said he knew that the objective was to eliminate them. He was also granted amnesty for illegal possession of a firearm, ammunition and explosives. The committee referred the victims' relatives to the reparation and rehabilitation committee for consideration. Also granted amnesty was Mcedisi Oats Jodwana of Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape for the murder of Collen Vaaltyn and six attempted murders. Jodwana attacked Vaaltyn and the other six victims as he accused them of being police informers. The committee found that Jodwana had a bona fide belief that his victims were police informers. The panel concluded that Jodwana had complied with the amnesty requirements. Vaaltyn's mother, Nozibele Patosi, and the six victims were also referred to the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 15 1999 - SAPA

SINCERITY AND TRUTHFULNESS OF AMNESTY APPLICANTS QUESTIONED

The families and colleagues of MK members and anti-apartheid activists killed by former Durban security force members have challenged the testimony given by the policemen to the TRC's amnesty committee. The testimony by six policemen, Lt Colonel Hendrick Botha, and colonel's Laurence Wasserman, Jeremias Brooks, Jacubus Vorster, Salmon Du Preez, and Anton Verwey, was heard last week in the murder of Bheka Mkwanazi and Mbova Mzimela at the Durban Christian Centre in Durban. The men testified that their victims - Operation Vula operatives - were hit over the head with a baton while blindfolded and then shot in the head. "They were never tortured," said Wasserman, adding that the men were "just slapped around". The testimony of the security force members has been questioned by ex-MK members and the families of the two men who found it remarkable that the men died "so peacefully" and in an unconscious state in much the same manner. This week, five policemen would be testifying before the before the amnesty committee for killing, Charles Ndaba and Mbuso Shabalala in July 1990. The policemen are Lieutenant Colonel Botha and colonels Wasserman, Du Preez, JA Steyn and CA van der Westhuizen will appear before the amnesty committee. The former policemen will argue that Ndaba and Shabalala, Operation Vula operatives, were never tortured, but shot in the head while they lay on the ground. "They make it appear as if it was done with caring and as humanely as possible, whereas their victims must have gone through hell before they were killed," said one of the policemen's alleged former torture victims, who is yet to be heard by the amnesty committee. "The meticulous nature of the killings is just too much of a coincidence," said the man. In March 1997, when the men made their hurried applications, Shabalala's brother, Vuso, rejected the policemen's version as sketchy and deliberately superficial. "A novelist could have done better. Everything is just too convenient, acceptable enough so that they be granted amnesty," said Shabalala at the time. Later in the week, the committee will hear how in June 1990 four Durban security branch policemen commanded by Botha, abducted Pravin Gordan and Rayman Lalla into Bethlehem, in the Free State, for a torture session that was to last almost six months. The applicants, K Durr, F S Bothma, M Greyling and Botha are seeking pardon for the crimes. Gordan and Lalla were released from captivity in December that year, and then played a big role in Codesa as part of the ANC's negotiating team. Gordan is now a director with the SA Revenue Service, while Lalla is a director with the SA Police Service crime intelligence unit. Former MK members have always doubted the policemen's version that Ndaba was an askari, and might have led the police to Gordan and Lalla. "This is their last chance to produc tangible proof that Charles was an informer, otherwise their applications should be thrown out for being misleading and untruthful," said a former MK member, now a defence force brigadier. The amnesty committee has also decided to hear testimony about the blowing up of Blessing Ninela this week. The committee will not sit next week, in order to prepare for the next batch of cases to be heard up until early next month.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG August 16 1999 - SAPA

SIXTY SDU MEMBERS GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Monday granted amnesty to 60 members of the self defence unit in Thokoza and Katlehong on the East Rand. The applicants were granted amnesty for their involvement in political conflict between members of the African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party, the commission said in a statement. All the applicants were pardoned for having collected money for the purchasing of firearms and ammunition, and supplying them to members of the SDU. They were also granted amnesty for killing and attempting to kill IFP members and police during clashes. The panel further granted amnesty to the applicants for unlawful possession of AK47 and R4 rifles and other arms and ammunition. The applicants were granted amnesty for conducting unlawful patrols and barricading streets, and inciting Phola Park squatter camp residents to attack IFP members. The committee found that their acts were associated with a political objective and that they had made full disclosure of all the relevant facts in the circumstances leading to the conflict. Evidence was led before the committee that between 1990 and 1994 most of the SDU members who applied for amnesty participated in patrols and barricades. An integral part of the activities was to search residents and confiscate any illegal firearms. The objective of this, the SDU members explained, was to control the influx of firearms and other dangerous weapons into the community. The turning point was the attack on an IFP march during September 1991, which shattered the relative peace prevailing at the time. The attack was launched by Phola Park SDU members during a march by the Thokoza IFP branch to Thokoza Stadium. About 22 people were killed and 23 injured in the attack. It subsequently transpired at the Goldstone Commission Of Inquiry hearing that a police agent gave an order for the attack. The attack led to retaliatory attacks and general violence, and it is estimated that between 2000 to 3000 people lost their lives.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 18 1999 - SAPA

SECURITY FORCES EXECUTE FOUR, THEN LIE AT INQUEST, TRC TOLD

Former Durban security force officers executed four MK operatives three years ago and then lied at the inquest to cover their tracks, the former head of the unit told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing in Durban on Wednesday. Johannes Steyn described how he had led a team of policemen, including top senior members Lawrence Wasserman and Cornelius Botha, into KwaMashu to arrest four MK members. He said the men had allegedly attacked and killed an IFP councillor's wife, known as Mrs Sabelo, in her Umlazi home in September 1986. Steyn also implicated a head of the SA reaction unit, Major Breytenbach, in joining the fray with his unit. Breytenbach has not applied for amnesty. Steyn said the four men - Thabani Memela, Blessing Mabaso, Mbongeni Zondi and Luvuyo Mgobhozi - were placed under surveillance for several days in their KwaMashu hideout. "On the night of September 7 1986, we intercepted them near the N2 Quarry Road as they were planning an attack on an IFP councillor. Two police vehicles, driven by Wasserman and Botha, boxed in the men's vehicle as Breytenbach's unit covered them from behind. "We then went on a shooting spree, pumping at least 50 bullets into the unarmed men. We also planted two AK-47 rifles and two grenades on them." He said an inquest into the men's death found that the policemen were justified in killing them. The policemen said the men had fired first and did not heed Botha's calls to stop. Steyn also admitted he lied under oath at the inquest to cover their tracks. The victims' families rejected the policemen's application arguing that "full disclosure was not made". "Launching a murderous attack on unarmed people who did not retaliate was indicative of the non- existent intention to arrest them," said John Webster, a representative for the families. "We beg the commission not to grant amnesty to these applicants," he said. The hearing continues on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 19 1999 - SAPA

MAN KILLED FOR EXPOSING SECURITY BRANCH

Former MK and Vula operative Charles Ndaba sealed his fate when he threatened to tell the African National Congress about his comrade's abduction and his own status as an apartheid informer. This was told to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in Durban on Thursday by a former head of Port Natal's security branch intelligence unit. Hendrik Botha, who has applied for amnesty for the abduction, detention and murder of Ndaba and Vula combat department head Mbuso Shabalala, told the committee that Ndaba had chosen to stay with the ANC instead of becoming an informer for the apartheid police. Johannes Steyn, Salmon du Preez, Lawrence Wasserman and Casper van der Westhuizen have applied for amnesty for their involvement in the murders. Ndaba, who was personally chosen by MK commander Siphiwe Nyanda - now commander of South Africa's armed forces - to become part of the Vula operation structure, was executed along with Shabalala in July 1990. The applicants disposed of the men's bodies by weighing them down and dumping them in the Tugela River. A witch-hunt conducted by the ANC in the 1980s to purge itself of moles planted or recruited by the security branch made the security branch's efforts to recruit ANC informers easier, Botha said. Botha said that successes by the Port Natal security branch in intercepting MK members entering the country had prompted the witch-hunt. "There was a fear psychosis among ANC members and as a result of that, when I approached Ndaba he had two choices: firstly to go and tell of my approach and run the risk of being suspected of being an informer or secondly to keep quiet and play along." Botha told the committee that Ndaba had chosen to keep quiet. Ndaba then led the security branch to Shabalala and gave addresses of the Vula operation's safe houses in Durban, compromising the entire operation, Botha added. Several days after Shabalala's capture in July 1990, a number of prominent Operation Vula operatives, including Nyanda, were arrested. In his evidence-in-chief, Botha said Ndaba had become "uncertain of his future" and it was recommended that he underwent plastic surgery as his informer status had been compromised. But, the committee was told, Ndaba rejected the suggestion and opted to return to the ANC. "That's when I decide he should be eliminated along with Shabalala who could be released or charged lawfully anyway," Botha said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN August 19 1999 - SAPA

KILLERS OF WEAKLY BROTHERS GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday granted amnesty to four African National Congress members for killing Grahamstown lawyer Alistair Weakly and his brother, Glen, in the Transkei area in 1993. The TRC's amnesty committee granted amnesty to Pumelele Hermanus, Mlulami Maxhayi, Lungile Mazwi and Fundisile Guleni for the murder of the brothers on the grounds that the applicants had a political motnted amnesty for the attempted murders of Keith and Brett Rumble and Thomas O'Keefe, who were travelling with the Weakly brothers at the time of the attack. The party were returning from a fishing trip at Port St Johns when they were ambushed by the four ANC members. The Weakly brothers were kithree escaped. The applicants testified they had acted in retaliation for the assassination of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani on April 10, 1993. The panel concluded that the actions of the applicants were associated with a political ojective, and that all the relevant facts were disclosed. "There was no evidence that they acted for personal gain or out of malice," the committee said. The dependents of the deceased and those injured in the attack were declared victims by the committee and referred to the Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee for consideration. The TRC has also granted amnesty to three members of the Azanian Peoples Liberation Army (APLA) from Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape, in connection with an attack on the home of Giovanni Francescatto on September 6, 1992. Francescatto was shot and killed during then attack. The three APLA members who carried out the attack are Sipho Mabhuti Kiko, Winile Veveza and Mzwamadoda Yengeni.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 23 1999 - SAPA

MAHARAJ OPPOSES AMNESTY APPLICATIONS OF SECURITY POLICEMEN

Former transport minister Mac Maharaj on Monday dismissed the amnesty applications of five former security branch policemen as "concocted" stories and opposed them on the basis of his own insider knowledge. Speaking at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearings in Durban on Monday, he questioned the circumstances surrounding the abduction, detention and secret murder of two Operation Vula operatives 11 years ago. The amnesty committee heard that Charles Ndaba and Mbuso Shabalala were "arrested" in Durban on July 7, 1990, shot dead a week later and their bodies thrown in the Thukela River. Five former Port Natal security branch policemen - Major Hendrik Botha, Major Salmon du Preez, Colonel Laurence Wasserman, Lieutenant Casper van der Westhuyzen and their commander General Johannes Steyn - are seeking amnesty for their involvement in the crimes. Botha last week told the committee he recruited Ndaba as an informer in the late 1980s. At the time Ndaba was a highly-regarded Umkhonto we-Sizwe (African National Congress armed wing) commander in Swaziland in charge of military activities in Natal. On Monday, presenting evidence on behalf of the Ndaba and Shabalala families, Maharaj punched holes in Botha and Steyn's evidence by presenting three sets of damning articles compiled over a couple of months in 1988 by Wasserman and Botha. In the articles, which were circulated to more than 14 security branch groups around the country, Ndaba was listed as one of the most wanted men and his name was not accompanied by a "PN" reference number used to identify police informers. As former internal commander of Operation Vula, Maharaj disputed evidence that Ndaba had told policemen about the presence in the country of Operation Vula's top command. "Even some of the most senior members of the ANC did not know of our whereabouts," said Maharaj. "How then would Charles Ndaba have known?" Maharaj opposed the applications on the basis that the policemen had made false disclosures. He said Operation Vula was going on inside the country for two years before its "accidental discovery" in 1990. In 1990 the intelligence forces "concocted" a story which suggested that they knew all along about the operation through their "informant" Ndaba, Maharaj said. It was also suggested that Ndaba and Shabalala might have cracked under torture after askaris (liberation movement activists "turned" by the police into government agents) stumbled upon Ndaba in Durban. Most of the operation's leaders were rounded up soon after the two men disappeared. The applicants will on Tuesday attempt to rebut the evidence that they collaborated and concocted a false story and that they smeared Ndaba's name before killing him.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 24 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICANTS FAIL TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST MAHARAJ

The families and comrades of two slain Umkhonto weSizwe commanders gave former transport minister Mac Maharaj a standing ovation at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Durban on Tuesday, apparently for clearing one of the men's names, Members of the audience at the amnesty application of five former security policemen rose and applauded Maharaj when his cross-examination at the TRC hearing was complete. Maharaj refuted the contention that Charles Ndaba was a registered police informer: one of the central pillars of the applicants' explanation for abducting, detaining and murdering Ndaba and Mbuso Shabalala in 1990. The applicants - General Johannes Steyn, Major Hendrik Botha, Major Salmon du Preez, Colonel Laurence Wasserman and Lieutenant Casper van der Westhuizen - say proof that Ndaba was recruited as an informer has been destroyed. But Maharaj produced documents compiled by Wasserman and Botha in 1988 which contradict the security policemen's contention and list Ndaba as one of the apartheid state's most wanted men. Ndaba was commander of MK (the African National Congress" armed wing) in Swaziland at the time and both victims were involved in Operation Vula, a clandestine plot conceived four years earlier to implement structures for a popular uprising or "people's war". The operation also had plans in case negotiations between the Nationalist Party government and the African National Congress failn's commander. Advocate Louis Visser, the lawyer representing the applicants, engaged in an intense three-hour scrutiny of the "Maharaj documents", but the evidence held sway as their authenticity was shown to be beyond doubt. Wasserman and Botha could not refute the evidence in the documents and appeared dumbstruck as to their "untimely emergence". The application continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN August 26 1999 - SAPA

NGCUKA HAS DOUBTS ABOUT TRC CASES

National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka on Thursday said he was wondering whether he was justified in using state resources to chase down apartheid-era human rights abusers. He told a media briefing in Cape Town that he disagreed with Human Rights Commission chairman Barney Pityana that all prosecutions should be dropped for the sake of reconciliation. He was obliged by law to prosecute, and would do so where there was enough evidence. But even though part of him wanted to "go for them", another part asked whether these men, some of whom were "broken" or about to die, were really a threat to society. He wanted South Africans to tell him whether he should use the resources of the state to do this, rather than dealing with other crime. "That's the matter that keeps me awake at night," he said. He said the human rights investigative unit in his office headed by Vincent Saldanha had studied the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report and identified the cases it should pursue. It was trying to collect evidence, but it was too early to say who would be prosecuted and who not. This would depend on what investigators found. "We don't know if we'll get this evidence," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG August 26 1999 - SAPA

ANC MEN SEEK AMNESTY FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER

Three members of the African National Congress will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Tuesday in connection with the attempted murder of a policeman and a robbery in Northern Province on January 4, 1980. The committee said on Thursday that Naphtal Manana, Sipho Magane and Petros Mashigo were members of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto weSizwe, when they fired shots and bombed the Soekmekaar police station. The applicants claim they committed the offences to encourage local residents to resist apartheid forced removals. Also applying for amnesty in the same hearing is ANC Youth League member Isaac Ntoka, and Self Defence Unit member Percy Mdluli-Mhlongo. Ntoka is applying seeking amnesty for killing an unidentified Inkatha Freedom Party supporter in Ratanda, Heidelberg, on August 25, 1992. Ntoka said there had been fighting between the ANC and IFP camps in the area. Mdluli-Mhlongo is applying for amnesty for murdering Job Mokgothi who was a policeman at the Protea Police Station, and for killing Jeremiah Mkwanazi, after accusing him of being a "jackroller". The committee will also hear applications from two members of the Pan Africanist Congress military wing, the Azanian People's Liberation Army. Nqaba Xulu, an Apla section commander, and Thomas Ramaila are applying for amnesty for murder, attempted murder, housebreaking and illegal possession of a firearm. Xulu shot and killed a policeman, Daniel Khoza, while Ramaila shot dead a farmer, Neville Rudman, after breaking into his house in Pulfontein. According to the TRC, Ramaila said that by killing Rudman he was implementing what the commission described as the PAC's slogan "Kill the boer, Kill the farmer." The slogan is more readily associated with ANC firebrand Peter Mokaba, now a sitting Member of Parliament. The hearing will be held at the JISS Centre, Mayfair, in Johannesburg from August 31 to September 3.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN August 30 1999 - SAPA

COPS DISAGREE ON TORTURE TOOLS AT TRC

Tools used in the torture of Pravin Gordhan and Rayman Lalla nine years ago were at the centre of a heated dispute at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearings in Durban on Monday. The two African National Congress heavyweights recounted to the amnesty committee how Durban security branch policemen "smuggled" them to the Free State town of Bethlehem for a torture session to reveal identities of ANC moles within the apartheid security establishment. The policemen who are seeking amnesty for the human rights abuses are Hendrik Botha, Marius Greyling, Karl Durr and Frans Bothma, who is now a superintendent in the SA Police Service. A fifth man, known as Warrant Officer Boshoff, who participated in the torture, has since died. Gordhan and Lalla, now directors attached to the SA Revenue Service and SA Police Service respectively, were picked up on July 12, 1990, a week after the security branch stumbled on the ANC's clandestine Vula operation. The committee was told that when the two men refused to co-operate they were suffocated for about 20 to 30 minutes to forcefully extract information. The applicants said they "got nothing" out of the two, who were then detained in solitary confinement for about two weeks. The committee heard that Lalla's session ended when he suffered an asthma attack. The applicants told the committee that the torture was brief and not a "savage assault". Contradictory versions in the amnesty applications appeared when the policemen could not agree on which type of equipment was used on their victims. Bothma told the committee that a rubber-like piece of plastic was pulled over the heads of the two. Botha, however, said they were suffocated using a piece of cloth. The two men, who agreed with Bothma's recollections regarding the type of torture equipment, were later granted temporary indemnity by the apartheid government and participated in the Codesa negotiations to bring about a peaceful transition to democracy. Despite calling them "less than frank" in their answers, Gordhan and Lalla did not oppose the applicants, but instead singled out Botha for harsh criticism. "Throughout all this Major Botha has not shown serious remorse," said Gordhan, "and his approach to reconciliation is still wanting."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 31 August 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICANTS LIE: AMBASSADOR

Former security branch policemen - seeking amnesty following the death of his sister - were fabricating their evidence, South Africa's ambassador to Denmark, Themba Kubheka, said on Tuesday. "We will use their conflicting statements to nail them," said Kubheka. Kubheka also disputed the policemen's version that his sister, Ntombi Kubhekawas, dumped in the "vicinity of her home" in Inanda. The committee will be told that Kubheka's body was exhumed in an unmarked grave in Groutville, and that she had been shot once in the head. Maj Hendrik Botha told the amnesty committee at the Durban Christian Centre on Tuesday that sometime between late April and early May in 1987, Kubheka, whom they suspected of being a keeper of MK safehouses in the country, was whipped several times with a sjambok in an attempt to extract the addresses of the houses. Also Seeking amnesty for the gross violation of Kubheka's human rights are Major Salmon du Preez, Lieut Casper van der Westhuizen, Col Laurence Wasserman, Lieut-Col Adrian Baker, Simon Radebe, Roelof Visagie, as well as former askari Xola Mbane. Maj Botha commanded the entire "operation", while the late Col Andrew Taylor and W/O Bossie Basson also participated in the crimes. The 41-year-old mother of two from Kwa-Mashu, north of Durban, was overpowered and seized near Battery Beach. Maj Botha told the committee that Mbane had picked Kubheka up and driven her to the pre-arranged rendezvous, after duping her into believing that he was a returned MK member. Mbane would testify that he was instructed to go and fetch Kubheka under some "false pretence". Evidence before the committee suggested that Kubheka was taken to the security branch's operational base in Winkelspruit. "She was made to sit on the floor and while still blindfolded, Col Taylor asked the questions which were interspersed with whippings with a sjambok," said Maj Botha. After the torture had gone on for "about 20 minutes", according to Maj Botha, Kubheka gasped for air, grabbed her chest, fell over and died. "I assumed it was a heart attack because she was physically a big woman and, in my opinion, overweight," said Maj Botha.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 31 August 1999 - SAPA

PITYANA TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights and reconciliation would be some of the topics that SA Human Rights Commission chairman Barney Pityana would deal with while visiting Argentina and Uruguay this week, his office said on Tuesday. In a statement released in Johannesburg, the office said he would pay a courtesy call on Argentina President Carlos Menen and Interior Minister Carlos Corach on Wednesday, to discuss human rights in South Africa and the work of the SAHRC. On Thursday, Pityana would meet with the Foreign Service Institute of Argentine and others to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Pityana arrived in Argentina on Monday and would return to South Africa on Saturday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 31 August 1999 - SAPA

TRC TAKES KILLER TO TASK ON POLITICAL LINKS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday took a convicted murderer to task over his claim that he had killed a white East Rand farmer in 1991 on the orders of the Apla, the armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress. The TRC's amnesty committee, at a hearing at the JISS Centre in Mayfair, Johannesburg, grilled Thomas Ramaila over glaring inconsistencies and shortcomport his application for amnesty for the slaying. The committee also found Ramaila had never been a member of the PAC or the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army. The committee's evidence leader, Lulama Mnthanga, suggested to Ramaila that he was "just a criminal who is taking the community for a ride". Mnthanga submitted that the 30 year-old former taxi driver had killed Putfontein farmer Neville Rudman "purely for personal gain". Ramaila, who is serving a 39-year prison term for the killing, claimed the slogan "Kill the farmer, kill the boer" had driven him to murder. He told the committee it was a PAC slogan. Ramaila told the committee he had always had an interest in the PAC and he was recruited into the organisation in 1991 by a Patrick Mohale, who Ramaila said was a senior member of Apla. Mohale, who rented a room from Ramaila's uncle in Hammanskraal north of Pretoria, educated Ramaila about the PAC's policies and encouraged him to work for its armed wing. Some time earlier, Ramaila said, he met two Mozambican farmworkers. They told him how an East Rand farmer had abused them and eventually fired them. When Ramaila told Mohale the story, Mohale suggested he attack the farm to prove his loyalty to the PAC. Ramaila said Mohale told him he should also steal the farmer's weapons and any other goods which could be sold, to fund the PAC and to feed the poor. Mohale gave him a 7.65mm pistol to carry out the attack, he said. Ramaila said he took a taxi to Putfontein on August 7 and walked to Rudman's plot. He shot the farmer and then ransacked the house, taking guns, two suitcases full of clothes, a typewriter and a television set. He loaded the goods into Rudman's car and drove to Pietersburg where he had arranged to meet Mohale. Before Ramaila could rendezvous with Mohale, however, he was arrested by police and the stolen goods were seized. Ramaila said he later learnt that Mohale had hung himself in the Odi Prison north of Pretoria within a year of Rudman's murder. Amnesty committee member Wynand Malan challenged Ramaila's claim that the attack was an official Apla operation, saying it was not the organisation's style to send one person on a raid. "They never used to send one person. They always sent a unit and it follows that you were not part of an operation," Malan said. Committee chairman Ronnie Pillay, meanwhile, poured scorn on Ramaila's claim that he had been ordered to kill Rudman as a test of his loyalty to Apla and to ascertain whether he was a police spy. "They wouldn't have sent someone who could have been an impimpi (informer) on such a mission," Pillay said. Pillay found it strange that Apla ordered Ramaila to attack the farm but gave him no military training. The committee also found it unlikely that an Apla operative would use a taxi to get to a farm he had been ordered to attack, and then steal a car at the spur of the moment to make a quick getaway. Ramaila claimed he had met Mohale "about three months" before the murder "on February 29 1991". Malan pointed out that February 29 did not exist as 1991 had not been a leap year. Pillay said he did not understand why Ramaila had never joined the PAC and had attended only one branch meeting of the organisation despite claiming to have supported its ideals for almost 10 years. "You were never a member of the PAC, yet you come to testify that a commander of Apla sent someone who was not even a member of the PAC on a mission and told him all the secrets of the PAC," Pillay said. Ramaila, however, stuck to his story, insisting he had been operating with the full sanction of the PAC. Asked why he had applied for amnesty, Ramaila said he had "discovered that the TRC is about truth and forgiveness". Pressed, he admitted he was "looking forward to getting out of jail". Pillay put it to him that he was "using the PAC to get out of his pathetic situation". At the same hearing, Apla section commander Nqaba Daniel Xulu, told how a policeman was killed when his unit sprung a fellow PAC member from a Brakpan hospital in 1993. Xulu is seeking amnesty for his part in the murder of Constable Daniel Khoza, who was guarding PAC member Makhosini Nkosi at the Pholosong hospital in Brakpan on January 11,1993. Xulu said his unit had not meant to kill Khoza when they raided the hospital. The policeman was shot dead when he surprised the PAC men in the ward while they were trying to free Nkosi. Khoza's family has opposed Xulu's amnesty application. The amnesty committee will sit at the JISS Centre until Friday. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 31 August 1999 - SAPA

PAC MAN TESTIFIES BEFORE THE TRC'S AMNESTY COMMITTEE

A section commander of the Pan Africanist Congress armed wing on Tuesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee how a policeman was killed when his unit sprung a fellow PAC member from a Brakpan hospital in 1993. Nqaba Daniel Xulu is seeking amnesty from the TRC for his part in the murder of Constable Daniel Khoza at the Pholosong hospital in Brakpan on January 11,1993. Khoza was guarding the PAC member. Xulu said his unit had not meant to kill Khoza when they raided the hospital. The policeman was shot dead when he surprised the PAC men in the ward while they were trying to free Xulu. Xulu said he and two other PAC members had entered the hospital through a back door in order to evade the policeman at the front entrance. Xulu's colleagues were dressed in police uniforms and were pretending to escort Xulu out of the hospital as a prisoner. He said when they arrived in the ward where Makhosini Nkosi was being held, they took one of the policemen guarding him hostage. Xulu said while he was cutting Nkosi free from the chain that bound him to the bed, Khoza entered the ward and the policeman was killed in the shoot-out that followed. Xulu said he did not know which of his colleagues killed the policeman. The TRC amnesty committee put it to Xulu that in the trial following the incident, the judge found that Khoza had been shot at while he was sitting on a bench outside the ward. Xulu insisted that Khoza was shot when he surprised the unit. He suggested the bullet found in the bench had been fired after Khoza was killed as the men made their escape. Xulu admitted to the amnesty committee that his unit had planned missions to attack and kill policemen as part of the PAC's armed struggle, but said this was not the aim of the raid on the hospital. Xulu said he believed Khoza's murder was "justified". He said he felt remorse over the incident and was prepared to meet Khoza's family and apologise. The amnesty committee suggested to Xulu that he was applying for amnesty in connection with the incident only so that he could be released from prison. Xulu is currently serving a 10-year-sentence in Leeukop Prison for his role in the attack. He also applied for amnesty in connection with a robbery. This was done on a separate application form. The amnesty committee said it had no record of this application. The other two members of Xulu's unit Marcus Molapo and Patrick Ngwenya have both since died as has Peter Mphahlele, a PAC sympathiser in the then SA Police who acquired the police uniforms for the unit. Xulu's area commander Jabu Radebe (alias Joe Nkosi) was present at the hearing at the Jiss Centre in Mayfair and he was prepared to give evidence to back Xulu's claim that the unit was carrying out PAC orders. Radebe however was not asked to testify. Khoza's family has opposed Xulu's amnesty application. Another PAC member, Thomas Ramaila, is seeking amnesty for killing and robbing a white farmer in Putfontein on the East Rand in August 1991. Ramaila claimed in testimony to the amnesty committee on Tuesday that he was recruited into the organisation by a Patrick Mohale, who told him to attack the Putfontein farm as a test of his loyalty to the PAC as well as to steal goods which could be sold and used to fund the PAC and buy food for the poor. Ramaila said he was motivated to kill farmer Neville Rudman by the slogan "kill the farmer, kill the boer", which he said was a PAC term. Ramaila was arrested shortly after the murder and Rudman's car, four firearms, a television set and two suitcases full of clothes were seized by the police. Ramaila said he had subsequently learnt that Mohale had hung himself in a police cell within a year of Rudman's murder.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

BLOEMFONTEIN 31 August 1999 - SAPA

EIKENHOF THREE'S CASE MAY BE REOPENED: APPEAL COURT

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Tuesday granted an application by the so-called Eikenhof Three to have their trial re-opened. The three African National Congress members brought their appeal on the basis that witnesses apparently identified Azanian People's Liberation Army members after the shooting at Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg. Siphiwe James Bholo, Sipho Samuel Gavin and Boy Titi Ndweni were convicted by Judge DJ Curlewis in the Heidelberg circuit court in 1994 and received death sentences for the murders of Zandra Mitchley, her son Shaun Nel, 14, and Clare Silberbauer, 13, on March 19, 1993. They were also convicted on two counts of kidnapping, four attempted murders and charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. On those counts Bholo was effectively jailed for 24 years, Gavin for 30 years and Ndweni for 17 years. In an amnesty application before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1997, Phila Dholo - who claimed to have been an Apla commander - said he committed the murder. The ANC then called for the convicted men to be released or retried. In December 1998 they were refused bail pending the outcome of their appeals. On Tuesday, Appeal Judge Smalberger, with the concurrence of Appeal Judge FH Grosskopf and Acting Appeal Judge Mpati, set aside the convictions and sentences of all three applicants on all counts. The court ordered that the matter be remitted to the trial court to allow the men to call or recall some or all of the listed witnesses for examination or further cross-examination, and to hear evidence. The witnesses are Dholo, Professor Tom Lodge, Letlapa Happy Mphahlele, Sipho Polite Xuma, Captain TJ Brits, Bennie Schoonwyk, Yvonne Msimango, Regina Bonose, Joseph Nkosi, Nelson Mzwamadoda Mpunge, Abel Korope, Captain WM Botha, Inspector SJ Grundling, Piti Mthembu and Colonel WC Landman. The referral was also to allow the trial court, the three men or the State to call any further witnesses whose evidence was relevant to a just determination of the issues between the applicants and the State. In its order, the Appeal court expressed the hope that the further proceedings would commence as a matter of urgency and be disposed of as expeditiously as possible. The judgment emphasised that success in the application did not guarantee the men's acquittal in due course. The final outcome of the trial would ultimately depend on the trial court's impression of the witnesses who testified and its overall assessment of the relevant facts and probabilities. The evidence sought to be led may not, in the end, prevail against other, more accpetable or persuasive evidence.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG September 1 1999 - SAPA

SELF-PROCLAIMED SDU MEMBER LABELLED FEARED GANGSTER AT TRC

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday heard a convicted double murderer applying for amnesty was himself a gangster who terrorised his community. The submission was made by Lulama Mthanga for the families opposing Percy Mhlongo's application for amnesty for the 1991 murders of a policeman and a man he claimed was a gangster. Mhlongo, 26, of Diepkloof in Soweto, is serving a 20-year jail term for the murder of Constable Job Mokgathi, whose service pistol he tried to steal, and Jeremiah Mkhwanazi, whom he alleged was a member of the notorious Jackrollers gang. Mhlongo told Judge Ronnie Pillay in Johannesburg that as a member of the African National Congress' self defence unit, he was entrusted with the duty of fending off attacks by hostel inmates and gangsters used by the police against the community. Mhlongo, who admitted he was convicted of housebreaking and theft while he was an SDU member, testified that he concealed any political motivation for his acts during both murder trials because he feared getting a death sentence. On the evening of Mokgathi's murder, he and two colleagues set out to disarm police frequenting a drinking spot at the Diepkloof Hotel. The plan was to waylay and attack policemen coming out of the hotel and then take their guns. As Mokgathi and a colleague were on their way to the bus terminus, Mhlongo appeared from the front, pointed a firearm at them and ordered them to raise their hands. According to Mhlongo, one of the intended victims ran away while Mokgathi reached for his pistol, causing Mhlongo to shoot him three times. Questioned by commissioner Wynand Malan, Mhlongo conceded that by shooting Mokgathi he had acted against instructions. On Mkhwanazi's murder, he claimed the SDU received a tip-off that "the feared" Mkhwanazi was at a party at a Diepkloof house. He and his colleagues set out to eliminate him. As they reached the house, Mhlongo was instructed to check if Mkhwanazi was there and report back to his commander. "On finding Mkhwanazi in the house, I was suddenly full of hate and instead of returning to my colleagues, I shot and killed him as we would have done so anyway," he said. Mhlongo's brother, Phillip, denied that his brother was ever a gang member, adding that Mhlongo was instead a known gang member who terrorised the area. Pillay said Mhlongo's decision to kill his victims against his commander's orders contradicted his claims that he was a foot soldier carrying out instructions. The committee's decision on whether Mhlongo qualifies for amnesty will be announced at a later stage.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 2 September 1999 - SAPA

IFP "KILLER BISHOP" AND GANG TO APPEAR BEFORE TRC

Four Inkatha Freedom Party members who were part of Thokoza's notorious "Khumalo Gang" will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee in Palm Ridge on the East Rand on Monday. Gang leader and erstwhile Archbishop of the Church of Light of Zion, Mbhekiseni Khumalo, Mpikeleli Khumalo, Mzwakhe Khumalo and Zwile Chamane are seeking amnesty for murder, conspiracy to assassinate, extortion, arson, theft, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and defeating the ends of justice. They are among others seeking amnesty for the 1991 assassination of prominent SA National Civic Organisation leader Sam Ntuli, who was gunned down in front of his Thokoza home. Khumalo, a prominent IFP member, earned himself the title of "Killer Bishop" from the residents of Thokoza and nearby Katlehong because of the reign of terror with which his gang ruled the townships between 1991 and 1993. He was allegedly also a hitman and a police informer who surrounded himself with a group of youths under the guise of cleansing the community of gangsterism. The hearing is expected to continue until Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 2 September 1999 - SAPA

APLA COMMANDER MIGHT NOT TESTIFY IN EIKENHOF RE-TRIAL

Former Azanian People's Liberation Army commander Phila Dolo will not testify in the re-opened trial of the Eikenhof Three should the court case precede his amnesty hearing, the Pan Africanist Congress said on Thursday. "It is not proper or fair for anybody to expect him to give evidence in court lest his case is weakened by an unpredictable outcome of the envisaged renewed trial," PAC secretary-general Mike Muendane said in Pretoria. "We do not have complete confidence in the present system of justice yet. As long as there is a predominance of apartheid type judges, no black person is safe in it." Muendane told reporters the PAC would continue urging the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to bring forward Dolo's hearing, "because on that condition hangs the freedom of the Eikenhof Three". The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Tuesday granted an application by the three men, Siphiwe James Bholo, Sipho Samuel Gavin and Boy Titi Ndweni, to have their trial re-opened. The three African National Congress members brought their appeal on the basis that witnesses apparently identified Apla members after the 1993 shooting at Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg. They were convicted by Judge DJ Curlewis in the Heidelberg Circuit Court in 1994 and received death sentences for the murders of Zandra Mitchley, her son Shaun Nel, 14, and Clare Silberbauer, 13. Their sentences were commuted to life after 1994. In an amnesty application before the TRC in 1997, Dolo - who claimed to have been an Apla commander - accepted responsibility for the murders. Muendane said the names of the actual perpetrators, of which one has since died, were known to Dolo. They were in South Africa. Asked why they had not come forward to claim responsibility for the murders, he said: "Everything is done through a process. That is why we are saying, let the amnesty application come and then these people will do exactly what you are saying they must do. In reply to a question whether they had applied for amnesty, he said: "Call our bluff. Institute the amnesty hearing tomorrow, and then all these questions will be satisfied". The Apla members could eventually stand trial on the charges of which the Eikenhof Three were convicted. "There could be a trial if amnesty is refused," Muendane said. He described the Appeal Court ruling as a travesty of justice, saying there was no reason for the three men to still be behind bars. "The court knew that the police were aware a considerable number of days before the arrests that it was not these three prisoners that were responsible for the Eikenhof offensive. "If the Appeal Court insists in spite of clear evidence that the three should nevertheless stand trial, it should at least have allowed them bail." Muendane said the PAC would launch a campaign to have all apartheid-era criminal cases involving former liberation fighters reviewed. The Eikenhof "debacle", he said, has raised awareness about the need for such a review. The Eikenhof Three were in December last year refused bail pending the outcome of their appeals. On Tuesday, the Appeal Court set aside the convictions and sentences of the three men on all counts and referred the matter to the trial court for new evidence.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association BISHO 2 September 1999 - SAPA

FORMER CISKEI SOLDIERS SEEKING AMNESTY FOR MASSACRE GO MISSING

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday was searching for two former Ciskei Defence Force soldiers seeking amnesty for the so-called Bisho Massacre. The two, Archibald Vakele Mkosana and Miselo Gonya, are supposed to appear before the TRC in King William's Town next week. Thirty people were shot dead and many others maimed when CDF soldiers opened fire on African National Congress marchers demanding the resignation of the homeland's military ruler, Brigadier Oupa Gqozo. TRC spokeswoman Nosisi Tyantsi said the two were reported to have absconded from the SA National Defence Force, where they were serving as soldiers. She called on anyone with information to contact their nearest TRC office.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 3 September 1999 - SAPA

FORMER MK MEMBER GRANTED AMNESTY FOR KILLING SUSPECTED INFORMER

Amos Fish Mahlasela, an African National Congress member and former Umkhonto We Sizwe operative who admitted to killing a suspected police informer in 1990, was on Thursday granted amnesty. Mahlasela had complied with amnesty requirements by making full disclosure and by supplying a political motive for his crime, the amnesty committee of the !Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in Cape Town on Friday. The applicant said he shot dead Thomas Mangane, who was thought to be passing on information about MK to the police, at the man's home in Mbuzi in January 1990. Mahlasela was also granted amnesty for being found in possession of two handgrenades, two detonators and one Marakov pistol with ammunition. Albert Mangane, the son of the deceased, was officially declared a victim and was referred by the committee to the reparations and rehabilitation committee of the TRC. Another ANC member, Lawrence Maplanga, was on Thursday granted amnesty for having been found in possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition and magazines.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 3 September 1999 - SAPA

TREE PLANTED TO HONOUR AMY BIEHL

A tree was planted on Friday in honour of slain American exchange student Amy Biehl at the spot where she was killed in Guguletu in 1993, SABC news reported. Two of her young murderers, Ntobeko Peni and Easy Nofemela, planted the tree at an Arbor Week ceremony convened by environmental groups and the Intshinga Primary School in the township. Peni and Nofemela, who received amnesty for the killing from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said the tree should be seen as a symbol of reconciliation between black and white.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 4 September 1999 - SAPA

IFP SUPPORTERS PROTEST AGAINST "TRC BIAS"

Several hundred Inkatha Freedom Party supporters on Saturday marched on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's offices in Johannesburg to demand amnesty for the party's political prisoners. Gauteng IFP youth brigade chairman Mzobanzi Ntuli said protesters handed in a memorandum of demands to a TRC representative, who promised to pass it on to the TRC head office in Cape Town. Mzobanzi said the TRC was biased against the IFP "because it refused to release IFP political prisoners who applied for amnesty". He said there were more than 300 IFP political prisoners incarcerated in Gauteng alone. Mzobanzi called on the TRC to grant these prisoners amnesty. Political prisoners from other political parties were being granted amnesty. Mzobanzi said the continued incarceration of IFP political prisoners were making reconciliation with other political parties difficult. The IFP supporters, brandishing traditional weapons, gathered at the Jeppe railway station at about 11.30am to prepare for the protest. Led by several provincial leaders, including deputy chairman Humphrey Ndlovu, the colourful procession wound its way down Commissioner Street to the TRC offices at the Carlton Centre. The crowd was closely watched by scores of armed policemen. After they handed in the memorandum to the TRC representative, the protesters marched back to the Jeppe railway station, where they dispersed. Mzobanzi added the march was peaceful. Johannesburg police spokesman Superintendent Chris Wilken said no incidents were reported.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 6 September 1999 - SAPA

SANCO LEADER MURDERED FOR ORGANISING STRIKES

Prominent Inkatha Freedom Party leaders owning taxis ordered the 1991 assassination of former SA National Civic Organisation leader Sam Ntuli, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday. Stephen Themba Zimu of Thokoza on the East Rand told the TRC's amnesty committee that Ntuli was killed because his murderers felt he was disrupting their business by constantly organising strikes and stay-away campaigns in the township. Ntuli was gunned down in front of his Thokoza home. Zimu, Themba Mlaba and Zwile Chamane are seeking amnesty for several incidents including a spate of murders - those of Ntuli, Sanco leader Vusi Shabalala and five Katlehong residents between 1991 and 1993. According to Zimu, the conspiracy against Ntuli started when IFP leaders Bishop Mbhekiseni Khumalo and his brother Mphikeleli - both successful taxi operators - called for a plan to be made about Ntuli. Khumalo and his son Mziwakhe withdrew their amnesty applications at the last moment in a letter to the committee just before the hearings resumed. At a series of secret meetings held at either Khumalo's or Abraham Mzizi's homes, Zimu - employed as Khumalo's taxi driver - was tasked with keeping Ntuli's movements under surveillance, as well as organising the theft of two vehicles to be used in the assassination. Both getaway vehicles were stolen from the Pick 'n Pay and Checkers parking lots in Alberton. The attack did not materialise on the day for which it had originally been scheduled because the hitmen could not find Ntuli at the place Zimu had pointed out. Zimu was arrested in connection with a separate incident soon afterwards but the murder was carried out in his absence. Zimu said Shabalala was killed for succeeding Ntuli. A fellow employee at the Thokoza town council, Obed Rhadebe, betrayed him. Zimu said the murder took place soon after his (Zimu's) release from prison. Soon after Shabalala succeeded Ntuli, Zimu was ordered to park his taxi near the council offices on the planned day and ensure that Shabalala did not board any other taxi other than his. This was made easy by Rhadebe who signalled to Zimu that Shabalala was about to go home. As the taxi was moving, a convoy of three vehicles followed them until Shabalala got off at his street home where he was attacked. Under cross-examination, Zimu said that like all the Phenduka section residents, he had been forced to join the IFP as only the organisation's members were allowed to stay in its stronghold. Interviewed later, Mzizi rejected Zimu's claims, saying he did not even know the applicants. He complained that the TRC never followed the procedure of notifying him and his wife that they would be implicated, adding they were prepared to clear their names. Mzizi said Khumalo's withdrawal of his application was an individual decision and had nothing to do with the IFP. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA September 7 1999 - SAPA

ASKARI KILLED FOR GOING AWOL, SAYS DE KOCK

An askari who went absent without leave from the former security police base Vlakplaas was killed when he failed to give reasons for his disappearance, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday. Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock told the commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria that Phemelo Nthelang died at Vlakplaas in 1989 while being interrogated about his disappearance from the farm. De Kock told the committee that Nthelang failed to report for duty at Vlakplaas for about a month. When he was found he would not tell his seniors where he had been. He had also lost his service pistol. De Kock said apartheid security police suspected that he had defected back to the African National Congress. De Kock and his team had just returned from an operation in the former Eastern Transvaal on the day of Nthelang's death. "I can still remember that we had a lot to drink," he said. "Upon our arrival at the farm we proceeded to the canteen and had more drinks. While we were busy playing snooker, two members of the unit approached me and said Mr Nthelang had been found by other askaris (ANC members who defected to the apartheid police) at a shebeen," De Kock testified. "They brought him to the canteen where I questioned him about his whereabouts." When Nthelang failed to answer his questions and said that he had lost his service pistol at the shebeen, "I hit him three times with a snooker cue," De Kock said. "I left the canteen to calm down. It was clear that we had a latent defection on our hands." He said other security police members descended upon Nthelang when he left the canteen. De Kock was called in later and saw Nthelang's body. He ordered that it be wrapped in a blanket and loaded in the boot of a vehicle. The body was taken to a farm in Zeerust where it was buried in an enlarged warthog hole. Other former Vlakplaas operatives - Douw Willemse, Piet Snyders, Leon Flores and Andries "Brood" van Heerden - also testified about their roles in the killing. Van Heerden said Nthelang was nonchalant and had an "I don't care" attitude. He said that after De Kock left the canteen, Nthelang was assaulted and "tubed" (a tube placed over a person's head to suffocate him). Snyders denied taking part in the "tubing".

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG September 7 1999 - SAPA

WRONG BODIES EXHUMED: TRC INVESTIGATION

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission internal investigation has confirmed that the bodies of anti-apartheid activists which were exhumed and returned to their families for reburial were in several cases the wrong remains, The Star newspaper reported on Tuesday. The TRC's reparations committee was seeking a meeting with Justice Minister Penuell Maduna to inform him that many of the 50 bodies exhumed during the commission's investigations may have been wrongly identified. Suspicions are being raised that a former senior investigator with the commission failed to corroborate evidence from the amnesty committee which led to the many exhumations, the Johannesburg newspaper said. Former TRC commissioner Dumisa Ntsebeza said on Monday that "discrepancies" had been discovered in documentation the commission used to locate and exhume the bodies. "There have been flaws and there is a possibility, even a probability that some of the bodies that were exhumed could be cases of mistaken identity," Ntsebeza said. Some of the bodies were exhumed from prison cemeteries but many were exhumed following evidence given by former security policemen before the amnesty committee. But it is now believed the investigator in charge of exhumation made little effort to check the evidence and to obtain positive identification. This first came to light last year when 12 bodies were found buried at the farm Boshoek in Mpumalanga when investigators had only expected to find three. This prompted a reinvestigation of other cases in which bodies had been exhumed, Ntsebeza, who headed the TRC's investigative unit, said. The commission's fears were confirmed by a group of Argentinian-based experts who had examined the progress made by the TRC. "The Argentinians made it clear to our people that 90 percent of the work should be done before digging," another TRC official, who wished to be unnamed, said. Only 10 of the 50 bodies that have been exhumed could be positively identified, The Star said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association ABUJA September 7 1999 - SAPA-AFP

NIGERIA'S RIGHTS PANEL WANTS STATUS OF S. AFRICAN TRUTH PROBE

A Nigerian panel formed in June to probe rights violations under non-democratic rule should be given the status of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the panel's chairman said Tuesday. "There are many parallels and similarities between the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and the Human Rights Violation Investigation Panel of Nigeria," Chukwudifu Oputa told journalists after a meeting with top government officials. "Both aim at knowing the truth of what really happened under each country's draconian legislation and under a non-democratic governance... We in Nigeria can learn a lot from how and why the South African Truth Commission turned out to be such a huge success", he added. The panel, which was set up by Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo after the transition back to civilian rule, is investigating allegations of human rights violations under the military regime, which lasted for more than 15 years. Oputa said that it was in the spirit of this explanation that his panel has "undertaken to make representations and requests made in the interim report" which it submitted to government recently. The panel received about 1,500 complaints of human rights violation before the expiration, middle of last month, of the deadline for the submission of these complaints, he said. The panel would commence public hearings in some designated locations in the country, including Lagos and Abuja, after those accused of human rights violations have filed their defence before it, Oputa said. "We will send the statement of accusation to those who are accused in the interest of a fair hearing. They will react before we start public sittings," he said. Oputa, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, said that Obasanjo has promised to assist the panel to achieve its objectives.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 8 September 1999 - SAPA

MLABA AMNESTY APPLICATION POSTPONED

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty hearing into the assassination of former SA National Civic Organisation leader Sam Ntuli was postponed indefinitely on Thursday because of the illness of an applicant. Amnesty committee chairman, Judge Selwyn Miller, was compelled to pronounce the decision after Thulani Terrence Mlaba's health deteriorated since the hearings resumed on Monday. Mlaba, 27, of Katlehong on the East Rand, is one of three Inkatha Freedom Party members seeking amnesty for the spate of murders, including that of Ntuli, and the 1993 massacre of residents in Katlehong's Ngema Section. Mlaba is currently serving a life sentence plus 64 years for his role in the killings. Judge Miller said that as it was unclear what Mlaba was suffering from, the committee had decided to send him for diagnosis.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 8 September 1999 - SAPA

ASKARIS BODIES BURIED ON ZEERUST FARM WITHOUT OWNER'S KNOWLEDGE

Former security policemen buried the bodies of murdered askaris on a farm in the former Western Transvaal without the permission or knowledge of the owner, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Tuesday. Former Vlakplaas member David Ras testified that the body of askari Phemelo Nthelang was buried in a shallow grave on a farm in Zeerust on the instruction of former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock. Ras told the commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria that Nthelang's body was not the first to be disposed of on this farm. "A few months earlier I had shot and buried another person there." Asked if the farm owner knew about the practice, Ras said: "He was not aware". "I grew up in that vicinity and I knew the area well. I knew that we could bury people there without the owner's knowledge." Ras was testifying about his involvement in the assault and killing of Nthelang at Vlakplaas in 1989. Nthelang, who was an askari at Vlakplaas, was killed during interrogation after he failed to report for duty at the farm for more than a month. Ras said that when he returned to the burial site with representatives from the Attorney-General's office in 1996, Nthelang's body was no longer there. Other amnesty applicants in the matter, Daniel Bosch, John Tait, Riaan "Balletjies" Bellinghan and David Baker, testified on Tuesday that they were not present when Nthelang was assaulted. The men said they could not put a stop to the assaults at Vlakplaas because it was impossible to speak out about what was happening there, even if it was illegal.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 8 September 1999 - SAPA

TRC APOLOGISES FOR MISIDENTIFYING BODIES

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday apologised profusely for misidentifying a number of bodies which were exhumed during the course of its investigations. In a statement from Atlanta in the US, TRC chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu said the commission was devastated by the mistake. "My heart goes out especially to the families of those whose bodies were exhumed, to whom we apologise unreservedly." He said the commission would strive to contact as many of the affected families as soon as possible and ensure that finality was reached as quickly as possible over how many and which bodies had been misidentified. "I know that my colleagues in the commission are almost all of them conscientious and hard-working people of integrity who are as deeply distressed about the situation as anyone." There were weaknesses even in the best teams, he said. "As a chairperson of the commission, I must take the responsibility of this distressing state of affairs," Tutu said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 12 September 1999 Sapa-AFP

BIKO'S FAMILY VOWS TO BRING POLICE KILLERS TO JUSTICE

Twenty-two years after Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko died after being brutally beaten by apartheid police, his family have vowed to bring those responsible for the killing to justice. Biko's son Nkosinathi acknowledged, however, it will be difficult to bring a criminal prosecution. "It is not an easy case," he told public SABC television Sunday, the anniversary of his father's death. "It is a 22-year-old case, it is a case that involves finding certain documentation that has gone missing and collating evidence, finding witnesses. It is a long, drawn out process, but we will deal with this systematically as we have in the past 22 years." Five ex-policemen were earlier this year refused amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) for their role in the death in detention of the 32-year-old activist on September 12, 1977. The ex-policemen, one of whom has since died, claimed Biko had accidently bumped his head during a scuffle with police while he was being interrogated in a room at security police headquarters in the south coast city of Port Elizabeth. The TRC, which spent 30 months probing human rights abuses committed during the apartheid era, rejected the policemen's version of events and denied them amnesty. An inquest in 1978 found that Biko had suffered a massive blow to the head which caused him to lapse into a coma. Frothing at the mouth, he was then thrown naked and shackled into the back of a police Land Rover and transferred to a prison hospital in Pretoria, some 1,100 kilometres (690 miles away) on September 11, 1977. He died the next day on the floor of a prison cell, without regaining consciousness. The inquest found no one could be held responsible for Biko's death. One of the former policemen who admitted interrogating Biko, but who denied beating him, Gideon Nieuwoudt, is serving a life term for his role in the murders of other anti-apartheid activists and is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. But legal experts have said it will be difficult for the state to prosecute the remaining three as Biko's death occurred outside the 20-year statute of limitations. Nkosinathi Biko, however, said Sunday he and his family were determined to bring prosecutions against the men who killed his father and finally expose the truth of what really took place in the interrogation room. "In the case of Steve Biko, we are no further than we were at the end of 1978 at the end of the inquest," he said. A fiery orator, Biko was particularly targetted by security police because of the leading role he played in founding the Black Consciousness movement, which militantly opposed the apartheid regime on grounds that it created unfair racial divisions to perpetuate economic inequality. He modelled his philosophy on contemporary American theorists of Black Power and an existentialist school of French-speaking African writers. Biko's death became a rallying-point for the anti-apartheid movement and spurred tens of thousands of young blacks into political activism. It also inspired British rock singer Peter Gabriel to pen the song "Biko" and British film director Richard Attenborough to make the movie "Cry Freedom," covering aspects of the Black Consciousness leader's life.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG September 14 1999 - SAPA

SHILOWA VISITS EIKENHOF THREE IN PRISON TO SHOW ANC SUPPORT

Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa visited the Eikenhof Three in Johannesburg prison on Tuesday to show the African National Congress' support for the convicts, all members of the organisation. "We are slowly moving to a situation where their innocence will be proven and hopefully they will be cleared," Shilowa said, posing for the cameras with the three men outside the entrance to the Medium C section of the prison after holding talks with them inside for half an hour. "We have come here to pay a visit to our comrades... to continue to show our solidarity as a movement with them. "We came here to get a sense of what issues they would like us to take into account," he said. Shilowa said he had told Siphiwe James Bholo, Sipho Samuel Gavin and Boy Titi Ndweni that their lawyers had applied for bail so that they could return home and prepare for their retrial. Their lawyers had discussed the request for bail with the Judge President and were hoping a date for a hearing would be set soon. The men, who as prisoners are forbidden from speaking to the press, stood in silence next to the premier while he addressed journalists. Last month, the Supreme Court of Appeals in Bloemfontein set aside their convictions and sentences for the murders of Zandra Mitchley, her son Shaun Nel, 14, and Claire Silberbauer, 13 at Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, in March 1993. The court referred the case back to the trial court to hear more evidence. The three men received death sentences which were later commuted to life after capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional in 1995. The men brought an application before the appeal court after a commander of the Pan Africanist Congress' armed wing, Apla, accepted responsibility for the killings and said the three ANC men were innocent. They alleged in their application that, during their trial, the State withheld evidence that the perpetrators had been identified as members of the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army. Apla commander Phila Dolo revealed his role in the killings in his 1997 bid for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Shilowa refused to say whether the ANC would pay the men's bail or their legal costs, saying this was "a minor issue". "The real issue is not the costs but that they should get their day in court." In any event, he said, the Legal Aid Board was obliged to provide counsel for the three. The prospect of receiving bail and getting a fresh hearing had "given them reason for hope", Shilowa said. He denied suggestions the ANC had dragged its feet in coming to the aid of the two men, saying the organisation had called for their release soon after Dolo's confession. "We always said... they should be allowed to be free but the courts function in a particular matter and we accept that decision (that the case should be retried)." The ANC was confident the men would receive a fair trial and it hoped the new investigating officer would take into account all the new evidence. The court would have to deal fairly with the Eikenhof Three as well as satisfy the families of those killed. "The families of the victims will want to see justice done but that doesn't have to be done with someone who is innocent."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA September 14 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK WANTS AMNESTY FOR ASKARI'S DEATH

A Vlakplaas operative was killed after he had become emotionally unstable and collaborated with the African National Congress, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee in Pretoria heard on Tuesday. This came out during the amnesty hearings into the killing of an askari, Brian Ngqulunga, in Brits in 1990. Three former Vlakplaas operatives Eugene de Kock, Riaan Bellingan and Dave Baker, who are applying for amnesty in connection with the incident, gave evidence before the committee on Tuesday. In his testimony De Kock told the committee that he received orders for the murder of Ngqulunga from his senior Nick van Rensburg. According to De Kock, Van Rensburg had told him that Ngqulunga had already put out feelers to the ANC. "He said Mr Ngqulunga had made contact with the opposition (ANC) and that his conduct posed a serious threat to the security police. "Van Rensburg told me that his (Ngqulunga) elimination was necessary to protect the security police," recalled De Kock. He added that at that stage when his elimination was being discussed, Mr Ngqulunga was very emotionally unstable. De Kock said according to the information they had, there existed a possibility that he could reveal information pertaining to the activities of C10 unit at Vlakplaas. Ngqulunga had already testified before the Harmse Commission regarding the activities of Vlakplaas. De Kock instructed Baker to put together a team of operatives to carry out the execution of Ngqulunga. Thereafter Baker arranged with another askari Simon Radebe to bring Mr Ngqulunga to the team on the night of the operation. "I arranged with Simon (Radebe) to inform the deceased that they were going to visit some women near Vlakplaas. The plan was that he would then hand over the deceased to the operational team," said Baker. He said that when Radebe's vehicle approached, he had proceeded to the driver's side while Bellingan, Wouter Mentz and Piet Botha went on the other side and dragged Ngqulunga out of the vehicle. Bellingan told the committee that after they had loaded him into their vehicle, an altercation ensued and force had to be applied to silence Ngqulunga. He also said when they reached the place where he had to be killed, "I emptied a full magazine of an AK47 on him". Asked why the deceased had to be shot so many times, Bellingan said they wanted to create an impression that he was killed by the ANC. He said firing a person with more than thirty rounds of ammunition was the modus operandi used by the ANC in killing their opponents. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 15 September 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO FIVE MK MEMBERS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday granted amnesty to five members of the African National Congress' former armed wing, Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK), for acts including murder and the planting and detonation of anti-tank landmines, the TRC said in a statement. TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said Obed Masina, Frans Ting-Ting Masango, Noe Griffiths Potsane, Joseph Makhura and David Solomon Simelane received amnesty for three killings and the detonation of a limpet mine at a whites-only bus stop on July 4, 1986. The offences were committed in Soweto, and Silverton and Mamelodi in Pretoria. Ngqumba said the amnesty committee found that their acts were politically motivated and that the applicants disclosed all relevant facts. The TRC this week also granted amnesty to six ANC members, four of them MK members, on charges including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and unlawful possession of weapons. The applicants were Amos Fish Mahlalela, Gilbert Myulaudzi, Morris Ndlovu, Lazarous Chikane, Michael Seloane and Mantshane Mapheto. Two Inkatha Freedom Party members, Xolani Mnguni and Velaphi Makhanye, were granted amnesty for a murder in November 1991. The amnesty committee refused amnesty to ANC member Washington Thange for killing Pan Africanist Congress member Abinaar Mongwalwa at Munsenville in Krugersdorp in 1991. Two IFP members, Anilraj Singh and Praveen Ramds, did not receive amnesty for murder and attempted murder in an attack on the inhabitants of Jesmondene community outside Pietermaritzburg. The committee found there was no political motive behind the attack.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 15 September 1999 - SAPA

VLAKPLAAS OPERATIVE TOLD TO LEAVE HOSPITAL FOR COLLEAGUE

A former Vlakplaas operative on Wednesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria that he was instructed to discharge himself from hospital in order to assist with the elimination of a colleague. Simon Radebe, an ex- security policeman, was giving evidence in support of amnesty applications regarding the 1990 abduction and killing of Brian Ngqulunga. He told the committee that when Ngqulunga's killing was being planned by other Vlakplaas operatives, he was being treated in hospital for diabetes and high blood pressure. He indicated that a day before Ngqulunga's murder, Willie Nortje and Douw Willemse had visited him in hospital and said he would have to discharge himself. Radebe had previously been instructed to befriend Ngqulunga so that he would be in a position to lure him. Once out of the hospital Radebe was ordered to take Ngqulunga to a dirt road 10km outside Vlakplaas where other operatives would wait for them. Vlakplaas, a farm outside Pretoria, was a security police base during apartheid. Radebe said that when they reached the appointed meeting place, Riaan Bellingan, Piet Botha and Wouter Mentz went to the passenger side of his vehicle and dragged Ngqulunga out of the car. Radebe said he only heard the following day on the radio that Ngqulunga had been shot dead in the vicinity of Brits. The TRC earlier heard from former Vlakplaas commander Eugene De Kock that Ngqulunga was killed after he had become emotionally unstable and made contact with the African National Congress. Willie Nortje corroborated that evidence when he testified that Ngqulunga's nerves were on the brink of collapse and that he was about to spill the beans about Vlakplaas. However, Catherine Ngqulunga dismissed the suggestions that her husband had gone back to the ANC and added that "he discussed everything that he did with me". She said she had for a long time been made to believe that her husband was killed by the ANC. She expressed relief at the opportunity of knowing who the real killers of her husband were. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 16 September 1999 - SAPA

TRC TO HEAR MCBRIDE MAGOOS BAR BOMBING AMNESTY APPLICATION

Foreign Affairs director Robert McBride will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee later this month for the 1986 bombing of Durban's Magoos Bar, which left three revellers dead and 71 injured. According to a TRC statement on Thursday, McBride - who was sentenced to death but subsequently released on indemnity - and four other former Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres were seeking amnesty for the incidents. The hearings were scheduled for Durban's Christian Centre between September 27 and October 10. Nine other applications, including amnesty bids for murder, sabotage and possession of firearms and ammunition, would also be heard. Although McBride was indemnified during the exchange of prisoners between the African National Congress and the National Party government, he still needs TRC amnesty to cover him against actions by the victims, including civil claims. McBride's co-applicants are Aboobaker Ismail, Zahrah Nakerdien - previously Greta Applegreen - Mathew Lacordier and Johannes Mnisi. The bar's official name was the Why Not Bar, but the media called it the Magoos Bar, TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha told Sapa. The TRC said the commission would also hear other applications. McBride and his father Derrick would be applying for amnesty for their roles in bombings by the ANC's special operations unit in Durban and surrounding areas between 1981 and 1986. Other applicants are Ernest Lekota Pule, Lester Dumakude, Edward Allan Pearce and Marcelle Trevor Andrews. McBride and Aboobaker Ismail were also applying for amnesty for the January 10, 1986 murder of Constable Bobby Wellman during a double bombing of an electrical sub-station in Jacobs near Durban. Wellman'!s four colleagues, Roelf van der Merwe, James Dunn, Dudley Booysens and Vincent Zimmerman, suffered 90 percent burns when the second explosion rocked the sub-station while they were at the scene to investigate the blast. In another application, McBride, his father, Aboobaker Ismail, Applegreen and Lacordier accepted responsibility for the 1986 shootout with police in which Mlungisi Buthelezi was killed while attempting to assist MK cadre Gordon Webster escape from police guard at the Edendale hospital. Four policemen, Linda Edward Ngcobo, Simphiwe Shange, Nkosinathi Nkabini and Johannes Hendrik Visagie were wounded during a subsequent shootout. McBride and Lacordier would also testify on their involvement in a grenade blast which damaged a house and injured Yuill Peter Klein and his wife Brenda Klein in Wentworth on May 5, 1986.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA September 17 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK RELUCTANT TO KILL NGQULUNGA, TRC HEARS

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock had been reluctant to kill askari Brian Ngqulunga, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee heard in Pretoria on Thursday. De Kock's legal representative Flip Hattingh told the committee his client should be granted amnesty for Ngqulunga's murder "because instructions to kill came directly from his senior, (now retired General) Nick van Rensburg". De Kock earlier this week told the committee that the order to kill Ngqulunga was issued by Van Rensburg, who was in command of the security police. He said the order was given to him in the presence of General Krappies Engelbrecht. De Kock, who said he did not feel comfortable with killing one of his operatives, instructed Dave Baker to take charge of the operation. Ngqulunga worked at Vlakplaas under De Kock's command before being transferred to head office in the city. The committee heard that his elimination became necessary when it was learnt he had defected to the African National Congress and was about to spill the beans about Vlakplaas. In documents before the committee, Van Rensburg denied having given the order, while Jan Wagner, representing Engelbrecht, denied that De Kock received instructions to murder Ngqulunga in his client's presence. The Ngqulunga family's legal representative, Nico van der Walt, indicated that the family was opposing the amnesty applications. Van Der Walt also denied that Ngqulunga had switched his allegiance to the ANC.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN September 20 1999 - SAPA

MAN EATS HEART, APPLIES FOR AMNESTY

A convicted "cannibal" who killed a man and then ate his heart pleaded for forgiveness before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Monday. The committee, sitting at the Durban Christian Centre, was told that Mtu Dlamini, 30, and 15 of his African National Congress comrades captured the unidentified man "lurking suspiciously" near their homestead outside Tongaat in December 1992. The man, who is said to have been in possession of a homemade rifle at the time, was bound to a tree with wires and during interrogation it emerged that he was a member of the Inkatha Freedom Party. Dlamini, who earlier regaled the gallery with a tale of how he became an active supporter of ANC policies at the tender age of four in 1973, said the deceased was "under orders" to eliminate their comrade, Lucky Ntshetha. The deceased, he said, was lashed at least 60 times during the interrogation. It would have been foolhardy to release the deceased as he would have "mobilised" and came back for revenge, the committee was told. "But when I tried to shoot him, the gun jammed," said Dlamini. The deceased was then stabbed four times with an assegai after the assailants "discovered" he could "not be shot" as a result of having muti. The killers, using a small fish knife, removed their victim's eyes so that police could not identify their images from the dead man's eyes. A while later the man's chest was ripped open and his heart cut out. The killers then went to a nearby house where they cooked the heart and ate it. The committee also learnt that the killers engaged in an elaborate "cleansing ceremony" which including walking away from the murder scene in single file, at the same time smoking dagga, to avoid bad luck. The applicant, who has a standard three education, claimed the deed was politically motivated and that he and his family "benefited with freedom for killing the man because the area became quiet" afterwards. However, he made an about- turn at the hearings when he denied any knowledge of eating the man's heart. The committee took a dim view of his insistent denials which flew in the face of evidence which surfaced at his and four other accomplices' criminal trial five years ago. Dlamini, who was sentenced to nine years by Judge Brian Galgut for his part in the murder, will be a free man before 2003. He is currently jailed at Waterval prison. Two of his accomplices have since been released after completing their jail terms. The last of the "man-eaters", Ntshetha, who did not apply for amnesty, has already served five years of his 12-year term.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG September 20 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK ORDERED KILLING OF SKHAKHANE IN 1990

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock ordered the killing of Pietermaritzburg askari Goodwill Skhakhane in 1990, fearing he might expose covert operations near Camperdown. De Kock is one of the three applicants who testified in support of their applications before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee at the Marian Centre in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. Former colleagues General Johan Steyn, who was the divisional commander of terrorism protection unit, and Vlakplaas-based Willem Nortje are also applying for amnesty for Shkakhane's murder. Steyn testified: "The Camperdown operation unit commander told me that Skhakhane was abusing strong alcohol excessively and as such we were risking the exposure of operations that were being planned by the unit." Skhakhane, an African National Congress cadre, was allegedly recruited as an askari by his cousin Geoffrey Hadebe in Swaziland. He was killed in Greytown on July 7, 1990. His murder followed that of ANC-aligned Mbuso Shabalala and Charles Ndaba who were killed by members of the same unit at Vula. The three applicants denied allegations that Skhakhane was murdered because he knew about the murders of Shabalala and Ndaba. Nortje, who was dispatched from Pretoria by de Kock, said he, Lawrence Hanton and Dawid Brits dragged Skhakhane into their Volkswagen minibus after he was "lured by Hanton to a meeting" that night. Nortje shot Skhakhane once in the head and twice in chest. De Kock said he gave Nortje between R5000 and R7000 to accomplish the mission. He later gave him another R2000 to thank him for the job. De Kock has already been found guilty of committing more than 100 crimes, including murder, and he is currently serving a long prison term. The amnesty hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG 21 September 1999 - SAPA

MURDERED ASKARI'S FAMILY REFUSE TO RECONCILE WITH KILLERS

The family of murdered Askari Goodwill Sikhakhane said it would not reconcile with his killers, SABC radio news reported on Tuesday. Vlakplaas operatives murdered Sikhakhane on a strip of road about 5km outside Greytown in 1991. Durban security branch head, General Johan Steyn, who has applied for amnesty, along with convicted assassin Eugene de Kock and four others, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pietermaritzburg that Sikhakhane was an African National Congress informer who had to be killed. The Sikhakhane family denied the allegation, saying the truth regarding the circumstances of his death would never emerge. They are opposing the application.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG Sept 22 - SAPA-DPA

COMBATIVE "WINNIE" MANDELA STILL IN THE TRENCHES

When a vicious tornado swept through the townships of the South African city of Cape Town recently, locals were quick to offer "Winnie" as a name for the unusual phenomenon. A suitable honour, they believed, for the country's most prominent and controversial woman politician, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela who celebrates her 65th birthday next Sunday. Weeks after her ex-husband, Nelson Mandela, embraced the comforts of retirement, Madikizela-Mandela again made headlines when she openly criticized as a "disaster" his government's macro-economic Growth Equity and Redistribution (Gear) strategy. With the same fervour she once reserved for apartheid rulers, she was speaking to rural women folk. It is with this sector of the population, along with townships and informal settlements, that "uMama Wethu" (Mother of the Nation) still enjoys great respect, though many in other parts of the political arena have often publicly wished her away. Unlike many of her political contemporaries from the 1960s, the heyday of South Africa's anti-apartheid resistance, Madikizela- Mandela remains socially and politically agile. As the Women's League president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and a minister of parliament in the country's second democratic government, she focuses primarily on the issues of black economic freedom, the plight of rural workers, fundraising and gender equality. But she has also become a powerful weapon for opposition parties, keen to see the figure they perceive as no more than a mere criminal, removed from the country's political playing field. In their recent election campaign, the predominantly white opposition Democratic Party persistently singled her out as a convicted kidnapper and an unrepentant apartheid criminal, undeserving of a government post. Her other detractors often draw attention to the scathing findings of a special Truth and Reconciliation Commission probe into apartheid-era atrocities, including the murders of at least 18 black people by the football club she established in the 1980s. Madikizela-Mandela is most unpopular among white South Africans who will probably never forget her arrogant warning in 1986 that "with these matches, we shall liberate this country". Few, however, would dispute the extent to which Madikizela- Mandela, who only in recent years has put much energy into her role as a grandmother, has sacrificed a normal life for the liberation of her country. Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela was born in rural Bizana in the Transkei to the south-east of the country in 1934, her parents both school teachers. She graduated to become the country's first black social worker and married Nelson Mandela in 1958, just four years before he was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage. The couple had two daughters, Zinzi and Zenani. "Winnie", as she was affectionately known to the disenfranchised masses, tirelessly campaigned for her husband's release from prison in the face of over two decades of constant police harassment, bannings and house arrests. She was reunited with her husband after 27 years in 1990, but later forfeited the opportunity to become the country's first black first lady after the couple separated in April 1992. Madikizela-Mandela's conviction for her part in the 1980s kidnapping and murder of 13-year-old political activist Stompie Sepei contributed largely to the breakdown of their marriage. She briefly held the cabinet post of deputy Arts and Culture minister after the country's first all-race elections in 1994. Amid rumours that she would make a political comeback after the country's second democratic elections in June, Madikizela-Mandela made her position clear. "I have dedicated the remainder of my life to the struggle of my people and that is where I want to be after elections - in the trenches with my people, making sure their basic conditions are improved," she said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG 22 September 1999 - SAPA

APLA CADRES GET AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Wednesday granted amnesty to three Azanian People's Liberation Army cadres for murdering Sandra Swanepoel in an attack on a farm in Tzaneen in 1993. Her husband, Johannes, who was injured in the attack, unsuccessfully opposed the amnesty application. He was referred to the reparation and rehabilitation committee for consideration. Brian Clifford Thobojane, Thomas Ngobeni and Donald Mukhawana had all applied for amnesty for the deadly attack. The committee found the applicants' actions were associated with a political objective. It found the three applicants were deployed inside the country from Zimbabwe in order to intensify the struggle waged by Apla, whose strategy was to target white farmers. Also granted amnesty on Wednesday were two other Apla members, Daniel Xulu and Cunningham Thozamile Ngcukana. Xulu had applied for amnesty for killing policeman Daniel Khoza in January 1993 at Pholosong Hospital in Brakpan. Ngcukana had applied for amnesty for recruiting youths for military training and harbouring cadres of Apla who had infiltrated into the country. The committee also granted amnesty to a member of the IFP, Mzobona Leonard Hadebe, for an attack on a bus carrying passengers who he perceived to be African National Congress supporters. Hadebe had applied for amnesty for the murder of another man, as well the attempted murder of the forty one people on the bus and for possession of two handgrenades. The second applicant for the bus attack, also an IFP member, Rapheal Sithomo who also applied for amnesty, was refused . During the hearing Sithomo testified that he did not know anything about the incident and that he was not present in the area when the incident occurred. The committee also refused amnesty to Richard Maboney Mahapo, an ANC member for the robbery of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to murder another person. Mahapo is currently serving ten years in jail for the offence.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 22 September 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY GRANTED TO EIGHT FORMER SECURITY POLICEMEN

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday announced it had decided to grant amnesty to eight former security policemen and a man convicted in terms of the Riotous Assemblies Act. One of the policemen was, however, denied amnesty for one of the killings because he went against the orders of his superior and ordered the death of an informer. Wikus Johannes Loots, a regional commander of the Western Transvaal security branch, was in 1983 instructed to kill two Umkhonte we Sizwe (African National Congress military wing) operatives being transported into South Africa. He was told to spare the life of the driver, who had informed the police of his route. A Botswanan citizen, named only by the TRC as Moatshe, informed the police he would be bringing Solomon Mlonzi and Schoeman Ramokgoba into the country from Botswana through the Derdepoort border post on May 4, 1983. Loots and four other security policemen were assigned to kill Mlonzi and Ramkgoba. Prior to the incident Loots was told by General Johannes Steyn that Moatshe should not be killed. However, Loots later ordered Moatshe's killing. He told the amnesty committee Moatshe had to be killed due to the danger posed by the MK operatives. He said he had also gone against his instructions because Moatshe was suspected of being an ANC courier. Loots was only granted amnesty for killing Mlonzi and Ramkgoba. General Steyn, Phillip Crause, who received the information from Moatshe, and the other four security policemen, Gideon Van Zyl, Christoffel Smit, Isak Marais, William Smit and Daniel Niewenhuis, were granted amnesty for all three of the killings at Silent Valley near Derdepoort. Another former member of the security police, Phillip Johannes Loots, was granted amnesty for conspiring to murder Jerry Thibedi, a high-ranking official of the Congress of SA Trade Unions in Mamelodi and Soshanguve townships. The police believed Thibedi played a prominent role in the consumer and school boycotts, staged to undermine the government. The committee found that Loots' acts were associated with a political objective. Also granted amnesty was Hanif Mohamed Vally, for contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act. In 1980, Vally, as a member of both Black Student Society and South African Student Organisation, participated at a gathering in a protest rally near Bosmont in Johannesburg.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 22 September 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS HOW ANC COUNCILLOR'S BODYGUARDS MURDERED

Two bodyguards of a prominent African National Congress councillor gunned down their former comrade in full view of the public in Estcourt's city centre in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands in 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Wednesday. The amnesty committee heard that Christopher Phewa was chased down Connor Street, cornered and shot four times by Happy Mngomezulu and Thulani Madlala on March 24. The killing was the culmination of a bitter struggle for the ANC leadership in the town's neighbouring Wembezi township. Phewa became estranged from his former ANC comrades when he joined the AmaBovu faction led by his father, James Phewa, who was shot dead a few weeks before his killing. The committee heard that his father was a strong South African Communist Party figure and his faction sought to topple the area's ANC leader at the time, Teaspoon Mkhize. The bodyguards, in their amnesty plea, said they murdered the younger Phewa to protect the ANC and Mkhize, who is presently councillor in the area. They said Phewa's fate was sealed when he pointed out to a friend at a taxi rank that they had killed his father. They said they pulled out their guns and confronted Phewa, but he ran away. They gave chase, cornered him a few metres down the street and shot him dead. Weeks before the incident, midlands SA Communist Party leader Harry Gwala, who died in 1995, had visited the area to quell the "civil war", but to no avail. The killers claimed that the ANC gave them a 9mm firearm and a CZ 75 semi-automatic pistol to protect the community against Inkatha Freedom Party attacks. The committee heard, however, that the serial numbers of the firearms, which were used to murder Phewa, could not be traced to the ANC. The killers, who are each serving a 20-year sentence at the Waterval prison, said they regretted the killing. "I was motivated by politics at the time. I was still young and immature," said Mngomezulu. The committee told the applicants that they would be informed soon whether they would be freed or spend their remaining 15 years in jail.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 25 September 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE WITHDRAWS AMNESTY APPLICATION

Derrick McBride, father of former foreign affairs director, Robert McBride, on Saturday said he was withdrawing his amnesty application from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. McBride and his son applied for amnesty for their roles in the bombings by the African National Congress' special operations unit in Durban and surrounding areas between 1981 and 1986. Robert McBride would also appear in another application for amnesty for the 1986 bombings of Durban's Magoo's bar and Why Not bar, which left three revellers dead and 71 wounded. Derrick McBride's hearing was scheduled to start at the Durban Christian Centre on Monday. McBride on Saturday afternoon said he had not yet informed the TRC of his decision and was consulting his lawyer on the best way to do so. Asked why he had left it to the last minute to announce his withdrawal, McBride replied it was a matter of strategy in that the announcement would not have had a major impact had he made his decision public earlier. In a letter addressed to the TRC, McBride cited among reasons for the withdrawal of his application, the fact that some of the judges on the amnesty committee also served under the former apartheid government. "I will not allow them to stand in judgment over me. I will never be judged by the same standards as those who maintained and supported apartheid," the letter stated. McBride told Sapa he was disillusioned with the TRC and that there was nothing even-handed about a process which combed people who fought against apartheid and those who acted on behalf of it with the same brush. "Those who committed offences in the interests of apartheid did so to perpetuate it. My actions were to destroy it. I ask the public and the TRC members to consider what their attitude would have been to the establishment of a court, or quasi court, which judged the actions of the Nazis in the same way it judged the actions of those who resisted in the concentration camps," McBride said. In an apparent reference to reparation, he added thatfor many victims of human rights abuses who had appeared before the TRC the reality had not changed and they had not benefitted from it. "What did these victims receive - if they were lucky a copy of the TRC report...This is not reconciliation and I have no wish to participate in it. "I therefore, with no prejudice to my son Robert John McBride, or any other applicants to the amnesty committee, withdraw from all proceedings relating to this committee. "I will take no part in them - either as a witness, an applicant, a bystander, a civilian or a concerned South African," McBride concluded in his letter. TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said it was within any applicant's right to withdraw his or her application for amnesty. It was a matter which would be dealt with by McBride's and the TRC's lawyers, Sompheta added. "If we sit on Monday and find he wants to withdraw (his application), we will respect that," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 26 September 1999 - SAPA

TRC "A WINDOW DRESSER": DERRICK MCBRIDE

Derrick McBride, who has withdrawn his amnesty application from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, on Sunday called the TRC a "window dresser" and said people who had been promised compensation were still waiting. McBride and his son Robert, who is now a director in the Department of Foreign Affairs, applied for amnesty for their roles in the bombings by the African National Congress' special operations unit in Durban and surrounding areas between 1981 and 1986. Derrick McBride's hearing was due to start on Monday. Derrick McBride told Sapa from his home in Durban that he felt the TRC would not accomplish its mission because it was not functioning according to its purposes. "It is a window dresser... Nothing is materialising out of it," he said. "The TRC requires full disclosure of what happened in the past but there are people who appeared before it and did not disclose everything. "The TRC is also aware that the previous government have destroyed 40 tons of documents that (were) relevant to the crimes it had committed but nothing is done," he said. People were promised that they would be compensated for crimes committed during apartheid but to date they had not received anything, he said. "There is no reconciliation in this country. The poor are still poor, people who lost their houses need their land back as promised. "The conditions for the poor people are as bad as before, so why talk to the TRC, if it cannot keep its promises," he said. McBride said his lawyer would hand his letter of withdrawal to the TRC on Monday. In a letter addressed to the TRC released by McBride on Saturday, he cited among reasons for the withdrawal of his application, the fact that some of the judges on the amnesty committee also served under the former apartheid government. "I will not allow them to stand in judgment over me. I will never be judged by the same standards as those who maintained and supported apartheid," the letter stated. McBride said he was disillusioned with the TRC and that there was nothing even-handed about a process which combed people who fought against apartheid and those who acted on behalf of it with the same brush. "Those who committed offences in the interests of apartheid did so to perpetuate it. My actions were to destroy it. I ask the public and the TRC members to consider what their attitude would have been to the establishment of a court, or quasi court, which judged the actions of the Nazis in the same way it judged the actions of those who resisted in the concentration camps," McBride said. "I therefore, with no prejudice to my son Robert John McBride, or any other applicants to the amnesty committee, withdraw from all proceedings relating to this committee," he wrote. Robert McBride would also appear in another application for amnesty for the 1986 bombings of Durban's Magoo's bar and Why Not bar, which left three revellers dead and 71 wounded.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 26 September 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE AMNESTY HEARING SET TO START

Underground activities of the African National Congress' special operations unit will come under the spotlight when nine former freedom fighters appeal for amnesty before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the Durban Christian Centre from Monday. Robert McBride, a director with the department of foreign affairs, heads a list of amnesty seekers for acts of sabotage, bombings and murder, which took place in Durban between 1981 and 1986. McBride said he supported the TRC in spite of his father's misgivings about its value. "As a disciplined member of the ANC, which initiated the process, I support the TRC and its work," said McBride. "It is the only vehicle we have for reconciliation." McBride's father Derrick, 67, withdrew his amnesty plea at the eleventh hour this weekend questioning its credibility. "Some of the judges who sit on its committees were involved in perpetuating apartheid," he said. He would have appeared before the amnesty committee for the murder of one person when he and Robert shot their way in and out of Edendale hospital in May 1986 to rescue Mkhonto WeSizwe member Gordon Webster, who was under police guard recuperating from gunshot wounds after being shot during his arrest. A day after springing Webster out of hospital McBride and Mathew LaCordier hurled a handgrenade into the Wentworth house of a Labour Party member. McBride will argue that the Labour Party's participation in the tricameral Parliament made it by association an organ of the apartheid state. McBride will also apply for amnesty for a car bomb that exploded outside the Magoos Bar on Durban's beachfront killing three people and injuring 73 in 1986. In 1987 a Durban High Court judge handed down three death sentences to McBride for the deaths but he was given a reprieve when the ANC demanded an end to political executions as a precondition to negotiations with the National Party government, almost 10 years ago. He is also applying for amnesty after two limpet mine explosions at an electrical sub-station in Jacobs, outside Durban, killed one policeman and injured four in 1986. The high-profile and emotive nature of these hearings has forced the truth body to beef up on-site security. Some of the applicants are known to have taken their own safety precautions.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 27 September 1999 - SAPA

FUEL REFINERIES STRATEGIC TARGETS FOR ANC IN 80S, TRC HEARS

The African National Congress' special operations unit had identified fuel refineries as strategic targets in the eighties as part of a strategy to bring the former government to its knees, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday. By targeting fuel refineries they hoped to stop the former government from operating effectively, unit commander Aboobaker Ismail told the TRC's amnesty committee at the Durban Christian Centre. He was referring to the attack on the Mobil refinery in 1984. Ismail is one of nine former operatives of Umkhonto we Sizwe (the now defunct armed wing of the ANC) applying for amnesty in connection with a number of incidents in Durban and surrounding areas between 1981 and 1986. The applications will also deal with the Magoos bar bombing by Robert McBride in June 1986, as well as an explosion at the Jacobs electrical sub-station in January 1986. Ismail said as commander of the unit he accepted responsibility for its operations but was not personally involved in all of them. With regard to the bombing of the Magoos bar on the Durban beachfront in which three revellers died and 73 were injured, Ismail said the attack was carried out in a time of extreme political upheaval in South Africa. The attack was carried out to commemorate the 1976 June uprising in Soweto in which police shot dead scores of youths. It was also to commemorate the first anniversary of the June 14 raid in Gaborone in 1985, Ismail said. The actual target in what has become known as the Magoos bar bombing, was the nearby Why Not bar where apparently most of the casualties occurred. In his affidavit Ismail said: "The attack on the Why Not was in line with the ANC's attempts to take the struggle out of the black ghettos and into the white areas." McBride was expected to testify in detail in his amnesty application for his role in the Magoos bar bombing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 27 September 1999 - SAPA

BROTHERS SEEK AMNESTY FOR POLICEMAN'S TAVERN MURDER

A policeman was killed in Morgenzon, Mpumalanga, in 1990 for refusing to cooperate with "comrades" who wanted to search him for a weapon at a tavern, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard on Monday. Two brothers, Joseph and Jabulane Makhanye of Sivukile township near Morgenzon, are seeking amnesty for stabbing Constable Ernest Manana to death at the Easy By Night Tavern. They are serving a 12-year prison sentence for the killing. They told the TRC's amnesty committee in Mayfair, Johannesburg, that Manana was attacked after he refused to subject himself to routine searches by comrades on patrons entering the tavern. Joseph Makhanye, 42, said he stabbed the victim while his comrades and other patrons assaulted Manana with beer bottles after he had tried to shoot them. Makhanye said Manana had earlier that day chased the comrades with a firearm when they confronted him for breaking a boycott of white- owned businesses. According to the brothers, the boycott had been organised by the Sivukile Action Committee Organisation - an African National Congress affiliate to which they belonged. Since there was unrest in most townships, including Sivukile, all policemen and their families were staying in town. Manana had asked the comrades to let him remain in the township, promising he would "cooperate". Cross-examined by commissioner Advocate Chris de Jager, Jabulane Makhanye, 39, said it was one of the comrades' duties to conduct searches on the tavern's patrons for dangerous weapons such as knives and firearms. The tavern owner asked them to do so as there were no police left in the township. When Manana was requested to submit himself to searches, he instead drew a firearm and fired a shot at Jabulane Makhanye. He missed and hit one of the patrons, the younger brother testified. This prompted most of the about 100 people inside to disarm and assault him, he said. But De Jager expressed doubts on whether the murder was politically motivated, particularly if Manana was in fact killed for the altercation he had allegedly caused. The applicants' claims were also rejected by Manana's relatives, including his aunt, Doris Cebekhulu. She said the pair were part of a notorious gang. The amnesty committee will on Tuesday continue hearing applications from African National Congress self defence unit members. The hearings are set to continue until Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 27 September 1999 - SAPA

MAGOOS BOMB MEANT FOR SECURITY PERSONNEL: TRC

The 1986 Magoos bar car bomb which killed hree people and wounded 73 others on the Durban beachfront in 1986 was intended for apartheid security force personnel who frequented the establishments, the Truth and Reconciliation's amnesty committee heard on Monday. The bomb was planted by Robert McBride, who was at the time a unit commander of the African National Congress' special operations unit under the command of Aboobaker Ismail. McBride received three death sentences for the bombing but was given a reprieve when the ANC demanded an end to political executions as a precondition to negotiations with the National Party government, almost 10 years ago. McBride is currently a director in the Department of Foreign Affairs and is applying for amnesty for the bombing. In applying for amnesty for a number of incidents in and around Durban between 1981 and 1986, Ismail told the committee he accepted political responsibility for all the acts committed by former ANC operatives under his command. Ismail and McBride are among nine former Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operatives applying for amnesty for these incidents at the Durban Christian Centre. In his testimony on Monday, Ismail said the Magoos bar bombing was to commemorate the June 16, 1976 uprising which began in Soweto, and in which hundreds of youths were shot dead by police countrywide. It was also to commemorate the June 14 raid on the Botswana capital, Gaberone in 1985 in which 12 people, including a six- year-old child died. Ismail said that during discussions with McBride in June 1986 they had talked about the possibility of carrying out an attack on the Natal Command military base on the Durban beachfront. McBride told him that security around the base had been stepped up. McBride was then instructed to identify other areas with high concentrations of "enemy personnel", whether they were on duty or not. Ismail said McBride raised the possibility of civilian casualties and was then referred to a decision taken at the Kabwe conference in June 1985, where it was decided that civilian casualties should not stand in the way of executing the struggle against apartheid. McBride then informed Ismail that a number of possible targets had been identified which were frequented by off-duty security force members. Ismail said he instructed McBride to select a final target after further reconnaissance and to proceed with the operation. He said McBride was instructed in the construction of a car bomb and was supplied with the appropriate material, which McBride then brought into South Africa from Botswana. McBride was expected to testify in detail about events leading to the bombing after Ismail's testimony. Advocate Tony Richards, acting on behalf of the victims, questioned Ismail extensively over what constituted a legitimate target. Ismail said it was policy that while civilian casualties should be limited, they should not stand in the way of further operations. Ismail also testified on his role in the May 1984 attack on the Mobil refinery, the explosion at the Jacob's electrical sub-station in January 1986, and the escape from hospital of operative Gordon Webster in May 1986. Ismail said he did not know what had actually occurred during the attack on the Mobil refinery but had gathered from newspaper reports that RPG rockets had been used. All the operatives involved in the operation died. Ismail said he had recruited Webster into the special operations unit and Webster was sent on a course in Angola. He returned towards the end of 1985. "Comrade Gordon was instructed to strike at transformer sub- stations including power lines in the power network, to carry out operations against other strategic targets such as oil refineries, fuel depots and government infrastructure, and to carry out attacks on enemy personnel," Ismail said. This was decided on to hamper the former government's ability to function properly. Ismail said McBride was recruited into the special operations unit by Webster, who was then a unit commander, and was sent on a crash training course in Gaborone, Botswana. When he returned he joined Webster's unit, which carried out several operations. "The specific targets were not chosen by special operations command. The unit operated with a measure of autonomy and discretion within the ambit of the policies and guidelines of the ANC. The unit commander and the operatives on the ground had authority to decide upon each target," Ismail said. His testimony continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN September 28 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE: MAGOOS CASUALTIES UNDER SPOTLIGHT

The death and injury of civilians in a bomb blast apparently intended for apartheid security personnel, outside the Magoos bar on the Durban beachfront in 1986, came under the spotlight at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing in Durban on Tuesday. The committee heard evidence from African National Congress special operations unit commander, Aboobaker Ismail, in connection with a number of incidents and attacks in and around Durban between 1981 and 1986. The incidents include the Magoos bar bombing, in which three women died and 73 people were wounded when former MK (Umkhonto we Sizwe - the former armed wing of the ANC) operative Robert McBride planted a powerful car bomb outside the establishment on June 14, 1986. McBride is applying for amnesty for the bombing. Ismail, as commander of the unit which carried out certain attacks in the Durban area, has claimed political responsibility for all the acts committed by operatives under his command. Ismail said the Magoos bar and the nearby Why Not bar were targeted because they were believed to be frequented by apartheid security force personnel who were regarded as legitimate targets in the ANC's armed struggle against the former government. He said the ANC was satisfied that reconnaissance conducted by McBride had justified the bars as legitimate targets. On Tuesday legal counsel acting on behalf of the victims who are opposing McBride's application, Tony Richards, questioned whether McBride had in fact conducted adequate reconnaissance identifying the bars as legitimate targets in which civilian casualties would be restricted to a minimum. Richards referred to a document submitted previously by the ANC to the TRC in which it apparently stated that the Magoos bar fell into a so-called grey area in which targets were not necessarily clearly defined. Ismail conceded during questioning that not as many security personnel were in the bar at the time of the attack as was thought there would be. Richards said according to his information not a single person killed or wounded in the bombing had specific links with former security forces. During further questioning Ismail remained adamant that the attack was carried out based on intelligence that soldiers and policemen frequented the bars. Marchelle Gerrard, 28, was one of the three women who died in the blast. Her sister, Sharon Welgemoed, who was attending the hearing said her family opposed McBride's application because he was a convicted murderer who had killed innocent civilians. McBride was convicted of the killings and received three death sentences but received a reprieve in terms of a deal struck between the ANC and the former government. Welgemoed said, however, the family would abide by the amnesty committee's decision on amnesty in the interests of reconciliation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN September 29 1999 - SAPA

BAR BOMBINGS WERE INDISCRIMINATE ATTACKS, TRC TOLD

The bombing of two Durban beachfront pubs thirteen years ago was nothing but an indiscriminate attack that fell beyond the parameters of African National Congress policy and any conventions of war, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told on Wednesday. This was said by Tony Richards, who is representing the victims of the attacks and their families, when he rebutted evidence presented by four former members of MK (Umkhonto weSizwe - the former armed wing of the ANC) at TRC amnesty hearings in Durban. The incident, added Richards, was a desire on the part of bomber Robert McBride to take revenge for what the former SA Defence Force did to the civilian populations inside and beyond the country's borders during the anti-apartheid struggle. Richards told the TRC amnesty committee McBride had not done a diligent reconnaissance of his targets and that, in spite of his heel-digging assertion that security personnel frequented the pubs, there were none on that fateful day (June 14, 1986). "There was not a good enough concentration of security personnel to warrant such an attack - if there were any, they were by far outnumbered by innocent civilians who came there looking for a good time," charged Richards. Although the incident quickly became known as the Magoos bar bombing, the adjoining Why Not bar bore the brunt of the 80-kilogram car bomb blast which killed three women and injured 73 other people. The committee, sitting at the Durban Christian Centre, learnt that at least three other special operations members were involved in the bombing and at least five other sabotage operations. Lt Col Lester Dumakude, Lt Col Ernest Pule and Brig Johannes Mnisi, who played "small but vital roles", appeared on Wednesday for amnesty for their involvement. The man who held the keys to the unit's armoury, Pule , supplied McBride with enough explosives to construct a powerful car bomb while they were in Botswana in 1986. "I did not know there was a planned car bomb," said Pule. "We operated on a need to know to basis." The colonel added that Rashid (the alias in exile of the unit's commander - Maj Gen Aboobaker Ismail) had the prerogative about planned operations. The roles played by Dumakude, who succeeded Ismail as the unit's head in 1987, and Mnisi were those of courier and supplier of money to operatives, the committee heard. McBride confirmed that he would have the chance to rebut Richard's charges when he presents his amnesty plea on Thursday, after the TRC decided on Wednesday to hear the "peripheral" roles of the unit's support staff. The success rate of McBride, who ended up heading his own sub-unit, was attributed to Greta Apelgren (now Zarhah Narkedien). "The presence of a lady enabled him to slip and out of the country with ease," said Pule. "As a couple they did not raise any suspicion." The hearings resume on Thursday with McBride presenting the reasons for selecting certain targets.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN September 30 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE AMNESTY HEARING POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEK

The amnesty hearing of former Umkhonto we Sizwe operative Robert McBride was on Thursday postponed in Durban until Tuesday next week. McBride and eight others were applying for amnesty in connection with a number of incidents carried out by the African National Congress' former armed wing, MK, in and around Durban between 1981 and 1986. This included the bombing of two beachfront bars, Magoos bar and the Why Not bar, in June 1986 in which three people died and 73 were wounded. McBride was set to testify on Thursday afternoon but the hearing was postponed for a legal representative from Pretoria to be present at the hearing. McBride was part of the ANC's special operations unit when he planted the beachfront car bomb. The unit's commander, Aboobaker Ismail, testified on Monday and Tuesday, and apologised to the victims of the Magoos bar blast. On Thursday afternoon he met privately with some of the victims who afterwards described the exchange as emotional. On Thursday morning, former ANC operative Lester Dumakude testified about his role in the special operations unit. He told the hearing that his role was to provide materials needed by operatives and to set up safe houses in Swaziland to assist members of the unit. He said he was not involved in the unit's operations. Operative Ernest Lekoto Pule also provided the unit with material but could not say if he had in fact given McBride the ingredients which constitued the bomb planted outside Magoos bar. McBride was scheduled to testify on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG September 30 1999 - SAPA

CONVICTED ASSASSIN IN TRC AMNESTY BID

The man who was convicted in 1989 of murdering two Haggie Rand scab employees in Johannesburg during a labour dispute, told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday that the two were informers. The killings happened during a dispute between the company and the National Union of Metal Workers of SA. Mdumiseni Bhengu of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal told the TRC's amnesty committee that the striking workers ordered him to kill those who were seen as informing on other workers. Bhengu, 34, is serving a 27-year jail term at Leeuwkop Prison for murdering two people and wounding five others - all of whose names are unknown to the commission - as well as illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. The court found he was a hired assassin who was not even employed at Haggie Rand. When his three co-accused were later released on indemnity, Bhengu's application was refused on the grounds that he had been hired to attack the victims. Insisting that he was never paid for the attacks, Bhengu told the committee that his involvement in the attacks were in line with African National Congress-led tripartite alliance's solidarity pledge with Haggie Rand workers. The attacks, according to him, were planned by a "Committee of Ten" consisting of Numsa leaders who instructed the attackers to monitor the perceived informers' movements and their residences. The committee will deliberate on whether Bhengu qualifies for amnesty, and its decision will be made known at a later stage.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG September 30 1999 - SAPA

COUNCILLOR'S CONVICTED KILLER MAINTAINS INNOCENCE

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing into the murder of a Tembisa township councillor was postponed in Johannesburg on Thursday, with the applicant maintaining his innocence some 12 years after he was sentenced to death. The TRC's amnesty committee decided to postpone Joseph Chidi's amnesty application hearing after he insisted he had been framed, adding he had approached the TRC out of desperation to highlight his plight. Chidi, a former member of the now-defunct United Democratic Front, was convicted of murdering Gideon Moeng and burning his property during the countrywide unrest in the townships in 1986. Chidi's death sentence was later commuted to a 20- year term of which he has already served 12 at Baviaanspoort Maximum Security Prison. He told Judge Denzil Potgieter that he had been framed by police who bribed witnesses to implicate him. Commissioner Chris De Jager explained that the TRC only dealt with people who had committed politically related offences and not "innocent" people. Chidi stated that his pleas of innocence had fallen on deaf ears all these years and that he hoped the TRC would highlight his plight. He said he had not been given a fair hearing. After a short, unscheduled adjournment, the commission announced it would try and collect all the available records on Chidi's circumstances.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA October 3 1999 - SAPA

WOUTER BASSON'S TRIAL STARTS

Dr Wouter Basson, who headed the apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare program, goes on trial on Monday in the Pretoria High Court. Basson, a heart surgeon, faces 64 charges including 16 of murder and 24 of fraud involving R80 million. He allegedly oversaw the development of poisons for government assassins, including a muscle relaxant which caused victims to suffocate which was used in the 1980s to kill over 200 South West African People's Organisation members. Others Basson is accused of killing are five men who were thrown from an aircraft into the sea after being injected with an overdose of muscle relaxants. He was arrested in 1997 for possessing 1000 Ecstasy tablets, which he allegedly produced at government expense and sold for private profit. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told last year that Basson had set up a military front company to produce cigarettes laced with anthrax, poisoned chocolate and whiskey and sugar containing salmonella. The trial is expected to last about 18 months. The case has been under investigation for two years.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG October 4 1999 - SAPA

BASSON GIVES INTERVIEW WHICH MAY SHED LIGHT ON QUESTIONS

The previous government's chemical and biological weapons programme head, Dr Wouter Basson, has for the first time given an exclusive interview which promises to reveal information which will shed light on many unanswered questions posed during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings last year. A television journalist, Andrew Jones, who conducted the interview at an exclusive guesthouse in Pretoria on Friday, in a statement on Monday said the interview resulted from over a month of negotiations with Basson. Jones said Basson's only TV debut to date had been with the TRC, and last week he declined to speak to the SABC's Special Assignment crew and TV reporters from Australia. On Monday Basson appeared in the Pretoria High Court on 67 charges ranging from murder to dealing in drugs and fraud. During his court appearance he became visibly irritated when a large group of press photographers and cameramen, who were allowed inside the courtroom during breaks, descended on him. During the tea break, he refused to return to the court before the photographers had been removed. Jones said the interview transported the viewer into a world that nobody but Basson could take them into. "It represents the unique point of view of the person who occupied a singular position of extreme knowledge and power in the wildness of chemical weapons in South Africa," Jones said. "The interview promises to reveal information that will shed light on many of the unanswered questions in Truth and Reconciliation hearings last year," Jones said. He said a broadcaster for the interview had not yet been found. The footage is being edited into a four part series on Basson's life, work and threats on his life.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association LONDON October 4 1999 - SAPA-AP

TUTU SAYS CANCER IS `ALMOST LIKE A GIFT'

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in an interview published Monday that suffering from cancer has been almost like a gift, making him concentrate on the important things in life. "I have a fatal disease and I don't know what will happen," Tutu said in an interview with London's Daily Telegraph, conducted in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is teaching a theology course at Emory University. "In some ways, cancer has been a gift," he said. "It has sharpened my focus and made me concentrate on things that matter: my wife, my three daughters and son, the smiles on my grandchildren's faces, the smell of flowers." The former archbishop of Cape Town, who turns 68 on Thursday, underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 1997. He is "not sure of his condition now, but feels good," The Daily Telegraph said. Tutu accepted the assignment in the United States after heading South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which inquired into abuses in the apartheid era and granted amnesty to perpetrators who confessed fully. "Whether I live or die, I know that I have been given much in this life, and I'm going to try to enjoy it while I have it ," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 5 October 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE APOLOGISES TO FAMILY OF THOSE SLAIN IN ARMED STRUGGLE

Former Umkhonto we Sizwe commander and now Foreign Affairs director Robert McBride on Tuesday apologised to the relatives of those killed during operations by the African National Congress' special operations unit in and around Durban during the early '80s. McBride was testifying in his amnesty application for a number of bombing incidents in and around the city between 1981 and 1986. In one of the incidents, McBride planted a bomb outside the Magoos bar and the Why Not bar on the Durban beachfront. Civilians Angelique Pattenden, Julie van der Linde and Marchelle Gerrard were killed. Seventy-three other civilians were wounded when the 60kg bomb went off on the night of June 14, 1986. In another incident, Mlungisi Buthelezi was shot dead when McBride and five others, including his father Derrick, helped fellow operative Gordon Webster escape from the Edendale hospital near Pietermaritzburg on May 4, 1986. Webster was under police guard after being wounded by police when he was arrested the previous month. Buthelezi was killed and two of his friends wounded while they were waiting for Buthelezi's mother, who was a nurse. In testifying before the committee in Durban on Tuesday, McBride said he was "truly sorry" for those who were wounded and killed. He said he had nothing personal against the victims who had died in his quest for freedom from the shackles of the apartheid system. McBride previously stated that the targets, in what became known as the Magoos bar car bomb, were security force personnel who frequented the adjacent Why Not establishment. The target was selected after intelligence gathered confirmed it was a popular bar among soldiers and policemen, McBride said. This was after it was decided not to target the nearby military Natal Command headquarters because it was not possible to park a car outside the premises. Webster was at the time the commander of the unit which was to carry out the attack. McBride said the purpose of the operation was to commemorate the raid on the Botswana capital on 14 June, 1985 in which 12 people, including ANC members, were killed by the security forces. It was also to commemorate the June 16 student uprising in 1976 in which scores of youth were killed by soldiers and policemen. "It was also intended as an operation of taking the struggle into the white areas as per ANC policy," McBride added. Before the attack could be carried out, Webster was shot and wounded and McBride took over the command of the unit. McBride said reconnaissance of the Why Not bar by Webster, who had concluded that the place was "infested with police", had convinced him that it was legitimate target. This information was conveyed to the sub command in Botswana and he was instructed to go ahead with the bombing, McBride said. He added he had raised concerns over civilian casualties but was told by the commander of the special operations unit Aboobaker Ismail that in terms of the Kabwe conference and policy changes in the ANC that civilian casualties were a secondary consideration and that the main concern was to target military personnel. "The only equivocation given to me was that there should be absolutely no chance of children being killed in the operation," McBride said in his testimony. McBride held these discussion with Ismail in Botswana from where he also brought the explosives for the bomb. He said on the night of the attack he was assisted by Matthew Lecordier and Greta Appelgren who were unaware of the specifics of the operation. McBride said he purchased a vehicle under a false name in which he packed the explosives, comprising SZ6 charges, in the boot of the car. Explaining the construction of the bomb, McBride said: "As per instructions, detonators were added into all the SZ6 charges so as to give the explosion a greater impact. "Also as per instructions, I added shrapnel to the explosive charges. This I was able to get from for example cutting old burglar guards in my father's workshop and placing it amongst the shrapnel." McBride said this was in accordance with his instructions on how to make a car bomb. On the night of the attack McBride, Lecordier and Appelgren travelled to Durban in two vehicles. The one with the bomb was parked in West Street and the three of them drove in the other vehicle to the beachfront bars to establish if any roadblocks had been erected along the way. McBride said after he was satisfied there was no undue police activity or roadblocks he returned to fetch the car in West Street. Appelgren in the meantime secured a parking for him outside the bar by parking the other vehicle in a location pointed out by McBride. Appelgren was then instructed to move out of the parking space and McBride parked the blue Ford Cortina with the explosives in the boot, in the most appropriate location, McBride said. After activating the explosives, McBride, Lecordier and Appelgren then drove off in the other car. McBride also testified of his involvement in a number of bombings of electrical sub-stations around Durban in 1986. One of the explosions at the Wentworth sub- station outside Durban on January 9, 1986 killed security branch policeman Colonel Robert Welman. McBride said in most of these incidents he was not charged nor convicted but was seeking amnesty for them in terms of full disclosure. Cross-questioning of McBride by legal counsel representing the victims was expected to commence on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 6 October 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE EXPLAINS REASONS FOR CHOOSING BAR

African National Congress special operations unit operative Robert McBride on Wednesday conceded he had no way of knowing for sure the Magoos bar and Why Not bar he bombed in 1986 were not frequented by security force personnel on the night of the attack. Three civilians died and 73 were wounded in the Durban beachfront blast which aimed at apartheid policemen and soldiers whom McBride said frequented the Why Not bar. In his application for amensty for the incident McBride, who is now foreign affairs director, said the bar was targetted based on "a preponderance of intelligence gathered" that security force personnel would be there. He said he had carried out extensive reconnaissance of the bar and was satisfied it constituted a legitimate target in terms of the ANC's policy at the time to target military personnel, whether on duty or not. Facing cross-examination by legal counsel Tony Richards who is representing the victims, McBride said even if no military personnel or policemen were in the bar on that day, it would still have been a target based on intelligence. That particular day, June 14, was also significant in that it commemorated an attack by security forces the previous year in Gaborone in which 12 people died, McBride said. It was also to commemorate the June 16, 1976 countrywide student uprising in which scores of youths were killed by security forces. McBride told the committee as part of his reconnaissance he had occasionally followed policemen from the nearby CR Swart police headquarters who regularly frequented the Why Not bar. He told how he had been refused entry into the bar previously because it was full, when it was evident that that was not the case. Asked if people were in the vicinity of the bar when he parked and left the car with the powerful 60kg bomb in the back, McBride replied that he had not specifically been on the lookout for people. He added that even if there were people in the vicinity, that would not have deterred him as he was in the middle of an operation. McBride was also applying for amnesty for a spate of bombings of electrical sub- stations in and around Durban between 1985 and 1986. As a member of the ANC's former armed wing, Umkhonto weSizwe, McBride was also a unit commander of the ANC's special operations unit responsible for the bombings. McBride was among nine applicants applying for amnesty for the unit's operations.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 6 October 1999 - SAPA

TRC COMMITTEE TO HEAR 41 AMNESTY HEARINGS

The of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee is to hear 41 amnesty applications at the Idasa Centre in Pretoria, starting on October 11. The hearings are expected to last five weeks. Former members of the special branch of the apartheid security police are applying for amnesty for abduction, kidnapping, interrogation, torture and murder in the former Northern Transvaal and Bophuthatswana, Botswana and Soweto in the late 1980s. One of the strangest applications is by two security policemen who are seeking amnesty for planning to blow up African National Congress/ Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operatives in a Gaborone hotel room, the TRC said. They used an informer to set up the meeting in 1986, but the operatives smelt a rat and the only person to arrive for the meeting was the informer. Former Northern Transvaal security branch policemen - Hendrick Johannes Prinsloo, Sarel du Plessis Crafford (deceased), Chenny William More, Ernst Bester, Smuts Mathebula, Kokela Jeremiah Matjen, Jose Antonio Tyixyiva Dos Santos, and Johannes Jacobus Strydom - are applying for amnesty for killing former ANC courier Petrus Lubane (combat name "Comrade" or Comrade X). It is alleged the applicants abducted Lubane and interrogated him for four days before murdering him and blowing up his body with explosives. It is believed Lubane was monitoring Wachthuis, the Pretoria police headquarters, at the time for a possible MK attack. In another application, ten security branch members are seeking amnesty for detonating limpet mines on the body of Justice Mbizana (combat name Mandla) in Phokeng, Bophuthatswana between 1987 and 1988. Mbizana was allegedly monitoring residences of Mamelodi policemen, who were to be killed to avenge the killing of a ANC activist Frans Ting Ting Masango and other MK cadres. Three security branch members are applying for amnesty for killing police informer and suspected double-agent Ernest Ramango between 1987 and 1988 near Mamelodi, after he fell out of favour with his handlers. Six security branch members are seeking amnesty for killing Nceba Cassius Snuma, Caswell Castro Khumalo and Elias, in Soweto between 1988 and 1989. A Soweto security branch informer led Nceba, Castro and Elias to believe they were to sabotage Soweto railway lines. Instead it was a police trap and they were executed. Other applicants include three security branch members who kidnapped Moses Morudi from his Potchefstroom and interrogated him, after an informer told them he wanted to join the MK and undergo military training. Six Pretoria security branch members are seeking amnesty for killing a certain Mahlangu, who was allegedly training youths in Mamelodi on the use of AK-47 rifles and hand-grenades. Police infiltrated the operation using turned liberation soldiers (Askaris). Mahlangu was killed and his body blown up near a railway line, the TRC said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 6 October 1999 - SAPA-AFP

WOUTER BASSON, FROM EMINENT SCIENTIST TO MURDER ACCUSED

In the past two years, Wouter Basson's public profile has been reduced from that of brilliant scientist and eminent cardiologist to that of "Doctor Death," accused of mass murder, drug peddling and fraud. Basson, 49, has been on trial since Monday in the Pretoria High Court facing 67 charges, including 16 of murder and 24 of fraud, relating to his activities as head of the former apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare programme from 1982 to 1992. The case of the bearded and balding doctor first grabbed the public's attention in January 1997 when he was arrested by narcotics bureau agents while trying to sell 100,000 tablets of the designer drug Ecstasy. Basson, who dived into a dam in an attempt to evade his pursuers, expressed relief when he was finally apprehended. "Thank goodness ... I thought this was the end of my life," he told police. It transpired later that he believed he was being pursued by foreign agents involved in the murky world of international espionage and germ warfare. While setting up the apartheid chemical and biological warfare programme - codenamed Project Coast - in the early 1980s, he made many enemies as he travelled to at least 24 countries in an attempt to obtain the necessary information and technology. Released on bail of 40,000 rand (6,700 dollars), he was placed in a protection programme provided by the National Intelligence Agency. International conventions demand that he be protected to prevent the transfer of his germ warfare knowledge to foreign governments. The son of a police colonel, Basson joined the military in 1975, after graduating as a doctor. His brilliance as a soldier and medic saw him rise to the rank of brigadier by the age of 30, when he was appointed to lead the army's 7th Medical Battalion. The unit comprised medical paratroopers who dropped behind enemy lines to assist South African soldiers as they went about targeting anti-apartheid activists in neighbouring countries. His involvement in unorthodox warfare saw him branch out into experimentation with chemical and biological weapons at Roodeplaat laboratory, near Pretoria, which he established in 1984. It was at Roodeplaat, according to the 274-page charge sheet, that Basson began concocting potions and poisons that apartheid agents could use against guerrillas in neighbouring countries. Muscle relaxants he allegedly provided were used on more than 200 guerrillas of the rebel South West Africa People's Organisation, now the SWAPO government in Namibia. The relaxant caused the prisoners of war to suffocate from collapsed lungs. He is said also to have supplied muscle relaxants and poison injected into tea, cold drinks and beer that was used to kill at least a dozen unknown black activists. Some of the nine scientists who testified at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing into Project Coast last year, claimed Basson spearheaded research into a vaccine to sterilise blacks and a bacteria that would kill only black people. He also plotted, they said, to poison Nelson Mandela's medication while the former South African president was still in prison. Basson is still employed as a cardiologist at a state hospital in Pretoria and hopes to perform medical duties at least one day a week during the duration of the trial, which is expected to last up to two years. His legal fees are being covered by the state.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 6 October 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE MEETS BLAST VICTIMS

Former Umkhonto weSizwe operative and now foreign affairs director Robert McBride met victims of the 1986 Wentworth sub-station blast on Wednesday. McBride is applying to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty for the bomb attack which he said was aimed at damaging the transformer and targeting security force personnel. Security branch policeman Colonel Robert Welman was killed and Mervyn Dunn, Mr P Zimmerman, Mr R van der Merwe, Mr DA Booysens and a Mr Baker were injured in the blast. McBride was at the time a unit commander of the African National Congress' special operations unit responsible for the attacks. The first blast was followed by a second one which was aimed specifically at security personnel investigating the first explosion, McBride said. On Wednesday morning McBride met privately with Zimmerman and van der Merwe who suffered extensive burns in the attack. On Tuesday McBride also met the Buthelezi family whose son Mlungisi was killed during an operation in which McBride and other operatives secured the release of wounded colleague Gordon Webster from the Edendale hospital near Pietermaritzburg on May 4, 1986. McBride testified how he thought Buthelezi was killed when he opened fire on a group of people whom he believed were police while carrying out the operation in the hospital. Buthelezi and his friends, two of whom were wounded, were in fact waiting for Buthelezi's mother who was a nurse at the hospital. McBride said on Wednesday morning Buthelezi's mother held no grudge and had forgiven him for his role in the killing of her son. McBride is testifying for a spate of bombings in and around Durban in 1985 and 1986, including the blast at the Magoos bar and Why Not bar on the Durban beachfront on June 14, 1986. Three civilians died and 73 were wounded in the attack. Legal counsel Tony Richards, acting on behalf of the victims who were opposing McBride's amnesty application for the Magoo's bar car bomb, was on Wednesday cross questioning McBride on the explosion.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 7 October 1999 - SAPA

INTELLIGENCE ON MAGOOS NOT SUFFICIENT: ISMAIL

Intelligence which led to the bombing of the Magoos bar and the Why Not bar on the Durban beachfront in 1986 in which three civilians were killed might have been insufficient to warrant the attack, the commander of the ANC's former special operations unit said on Thursday. Aboobaker Ismail, addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Durban, conceded that intelligence which indicated that the bars were frequented by security force personnel was not tested by him. Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operative and a unit commander of the special operations unit, Robert McBride, planted the bomb which killed three civilians and wounded 73 others. McBride is now foreign affairs director. The establishments were chosen based on intelligence that they were frequented by security force personnel, McBride said. He said he gleaned some of the intelligence from his colleague, Gordon Webster, who told him the place was "infested" with policemen. Ismail said he sanctioned the attack after McBride briefed him about the operation and told him it was a venue with a large concentration of security personnel. This was in line with the ANC's policy at the time to target large concentrations of soldiers and policemen, irrespective of whether or not civilians would be killed or injured. McBride did not tell Ismail the target was a bar on Durban's popular beachfront. Ismail said had he known that, he might have instructed McBride to conduct more reconnaissance and to gather more information on the proposed target. However, he defended McBride's actions, saying McBride believed the venues were frequented by security personnel and based on that his actions were justified. In an emotional address to the public gallery, Ismail said the civilian loss of life was regrettable. "We may not have achieved our intended (security force) target and I say to the family and the victims, we are deeply sorry for that. "We never intended to strike at you. Our intention was to strike at those security force personnel who upheld the apartheid state." Ismail said the casualties were the result of a civil war brought about by a group of people who perceived themselves to be superior beings. "We had to get rid of that heinous enemy," Ismail said. He made an impassioned plea for all South Africans to work together for freedom and democracy and to oppose the supremacy of some over others. Loud applause erupted when Ismail concluded his testimony with an apology to all people who had lost loved ones and who had suffered during the armed struggle. McBride concluded his testimony on Thursday morning in connection with a number of bombing incidents in and around Durban between 1985 and 1986. The applications of another seven applicants are expected to be heard in connection with incidents in the greater Durban area between 1981 and 1986 which involved the ANC's special operations unit.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 8 October 1999 - SAPA

MCBRIDE TRC HEARING POSTPONED TO MONDAY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing of Foreign Affairs official Robert McBride's amnesty application was on Friday adjourned until Monday, October 11. The SABC reported on Friday that the application hearings by McBride and eight other former MK cadres were adjourned to allow lawyers to consult another amnesty applicant, Matthew Lecordier, who is in prison for robbery. One of the applicants, Marcelle Andrews, told the committee earlier that he participated in a hand grenade attack on a house at Wentworth in Durban in the 1980s. He said they attacked the house because the house owner was an "apartheid stooge". No one was killed or injured in the attack.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG 8 October 1999 - SAPA

ANC, IFP MEN AT TRC FOR KWA/NATAL VIOLENCE

Six members of both the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress will appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pietermaritzburg between October 11 and 15 to seek amnesty for separate acts of violence, including murder and arson. TRC spokeswoman Nosisi Tyantsi said in a statement on Friday that Sbusiso Richard Mbhele would testify on his role in several murders committed in Ixopo and surrounding areas in 1993. Mbhele, who is serving a life sentence and 31 years in prison, claims in his amnesty application that he committed the murders under the auspices of the IFP's Self Protection Units. Another applicant is Brian Muzokhona Luthuli, an ANC member who later joined the IFP, for the killing of Elias Mumfe Dlezi, an ANC member who he says he killed because he saw him as a threat to his life. Dlezi died of seven stab wounds during an argument with Luthuli, who also tried to behead his victim but was distracted by passersby and ran away. In another hearing, IFP member Magogo Bheki Magoso will be testifying on the burning down of houses in the Kwa-Mashu township, as well as his role in the shootout between Kwa-Mashu and Richmond Farm residents between 1989 and 1990. Richmond Farm was at the time an IFP stronghold and all Kwa-Mashu residents were labelled ANC supporters. Ntuthuko Chuene, an ANC member, is seeking amnesty for the 1992 murder of Godfrey Frederick Lanz Heuer who was also robbed of his firearm at his home in Vryheid. Chuene, who broke into his victim's home, claims the purpose of the robbery was to obtain arms and ammunitions to defend his community from the IFP. Another ANC supporter, Dumisani Eugene Nkabinde, is applying for amnesty for killing Umzizi Francis Shabane, an alleged member of the Kapnaars gang, on March 30, 1991in Umlazi. Shabane was accused of being part of a group collaborating with the KwaZulu Police and the IFP who were responsible for the death of two ANC members. The committee will also hear the application of Musa Mahambane for the murder of Derek Pringle Walters at Umhlanga Rocks Centre in 1991. Mahambane and his accomplices were on a mission to rob the NBS Bank at Hilton Centre and, during a police chase, they came across Walters whom they shot dead. They were apprehended as they tried to escape in his vehicle.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 10 October 1999 - SAPA

FIERCE BATTLE EXPECTED AS BASSON APPEARS IN COURT

A fierce legal battle was expected on Monday, when the State would oppose an application by counsel for former apartheid chemist, Dr Wouter Basson, to quash eight of the 67 charges against him. The trial commenced last Monday with an application by Basson to stop the record of his bail hearing from being handed in as evidence against him. He claimed he never had time to prepare properly, and had been the victim of a "trial-by-ambush" style of cross examination by the State, who questioned him in detail about information revealed during questioning by the Office for Serious Economic Offences(OSEO). Basson's counsel, Jaap Cilliers claimed the State was trying to slip the OSEO proceedings, which was inadmissible as evidence against his client, in "through the back door". Cilliers said that Basson, who headed South Africa's Chemical and Biological Warfare Programme in the 1980's, did not have any legal representation for most of the OSEO proceedings after an attempt by the State to deprive him of government funded legal representation. His crimes, ranging from murder and the manufacturing of drugs to fraud, were allegedly primarily committed whilst he was serving as an officer in the South African Defence Force. Cilliers also told the court that Basson was denied access to relevant documents during the bail proceedings. Senior prosecutor, Anton Ackerman, insisted that Basson in fact had access to some of the documents. Cilliers, on Friday asked the court to quash eight charges of conspiracy to commit murder. He argued that Basson could not be charged in South Africa with crimes committed in another country, and that he had in any event, received indemnity for most of these crimes in terms of a general amnesty granted to Defence Force members in Namibia in 1989. Charges which the defence want excised, include charges relating to the alleged murders of a number of Swapo members who were drugged and killed with powerful muscle relaxants, before their bodies were thrown into the sea, as well as charges relating to conspiracies to murder ANC operatives in Swaziland, Mozambique and London. Although most of the victims died, some of the plans, including one to kill top ANC cadres, Pallo Jordan, and Ronnie Kasrils, in London with umbrellas capable of firing toxic micro balls, and a plan to kill Swapo members at a refugee camp in Namibia by poisoning their water with cholera germs, were never carried out. Cilliers argued that it would have been absurd, if not comic consequences, if a person could be tried in South Africa for crimes committed in another country. Some of the situations that could arise were instances where something was a crime in another country, but not in South Africa. The question would arise as to which country's legislation the sentence should be based. He said although one might find it unacceptable that a person who had conspired to commit a murder, even if it was in a foreign country could get away with it, the court should take care not to be influenced by such a perception. Cilliers referred to a recent Appellate Division judgment in which the court refused to stay the extradition of far right-wingers Darryl Stopforth, and Lennerd Veenendaal, to Namibia because they had applied for amnesty in South Africa. Stopforth and Veenendaal were allegedly involved in crimes ranging from murder and theft aimed at disrupting the elections in that country. The Appeal Court found that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission could not grant them amnesty for deeds committed in Namibia, because it did not have jurisdiction over crimes committed in the former South West Africa, as those crimes could not be tried in South African courts. He said the blanket amnesty granted in 1989 to South African Defence Force members by the former Administrator General of Namibia, Advocate Louis Pienaar, had never been set aside and therefore formed part of Namibia's new Constitution. The former State President of South Africa had also supported and accepted the amnesty at the time. He argued that the amnesty should be seen in broad terms and was not only applicable in the country where it was granted, but should also be respected in other countries. The only person yet to be convicted on a conspiracy to murder charge in South Africa, is former Vlakplaas commander, Eugene de Kock, who was serving a life term for a range of murders committed whilst he was a member of the South African Police Force. Ironically, De Kock was tried in the very same courtroom and by the same prosecuting team as Basson. Dr Torie Pretorius, for the State, would commence with argument on the conspiracy charges on Monday. It has been indicated that the State would fiercely contest the application, as some of the conspiracy charges formed the backbone of the State's case against Basson. Should Basson succeed, he would however still face 59 charges, of which 17 charges relate to a range of murders allegedly committed inside South Africa. The battle concerning crimes committed by South African forces in other countries, but planned in South Africa, would be closely watched by not only legal experts, but also by members and former members of South Africa's Defence Force and police, as the outcome might affect many people who had been involved in cross-border raids and other crimes ranging from murder to sabotage, at the height of the apartheid era. The leader of the Freedom Front, General Constand Viljoen, himself a former head of the SADF, last week attended the trial in a show of support for Basson, and other former SADF members. He expressed special interest in the question of South African courts' jurisdiction to try persons for crimes committed elsewhere. More than 150 witnesses were expected to testify in the trial, which was expected to take up to two years to complete. The State earlier confirmed that a number of witnesses, who refused to testify, had been subpoenaed. Once preliminary legal argument had been disposed of, the spotlight was expected to fall on six charges against Basson, relating to the possession of, or dealing in large quantities of the "happy" drug, Ecstasy, 200 kg of methaqualone (the main ingredient of Mandrax) in powdered form, 100,000 Mandrax tablets, and a smaller quantity of cocaine. Basson is alleged to have headed a secret project of the Defence Force front company Delta G, code-named Baxil, to manufacture at least 900kg of Ecstasy, which were secretly encapsulated and later sold to third parties. He allegedly also headed a project code-named Mosrefcat to manufacture 1200kg of Methaqualone, and was in 1995 responsible for setting up a tablet manufacturing plant at Special Forces headquarters outside Pretoria. It was alleged that he had supplied funds for the manufacturing and packaging equipment, as well as raw materials for the manufacture of 100,000 Mandrax tablets. The tablets were allegedly offered to a former Civil Co-operation Bureau agent for distribution in the Jeffrey's Bay area at R50 each, but the agent turned his offer down. Basson was caught in a police trap in 1997, after allegedly supplying more than 3000 Ecstasy capsules to another former CCB contact, to sell on his behalf. A large sum of money had allegedly changed hands between Basson and his contact. The State has also charged Basson with the illegal possession of Ecstasy, Methaqualone and cocaine found in four locked metal trunks that were stored at the house of one of his acquaintances, and later confiscated by investigators of the Office for Serious Economic Offences.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG 11 October 1999 - SAPA

MKHIZE BOASTED ABOUT KILLING HADEBE: TRC

The amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday heard how a self-protection unit commander and Inkatha Freedom Party member, Bheki Phepho Mkhize, bragged about killing African National Congress member Reggie Hadebe in the early 1990s. The allegations against Mkhize, contained in the amnesty application of Sbusiso Richard Mbhele who is currently serving a life sentence plus 31 years in the Westville prison for murder, were heard at a TRC hearing in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. Hadebe was assassinated on his way back to Pietermaritzburg after a peace meeting with IFP members in the Ixopo area. No one was ever charged for his murder. Mbhele in his application said he attended the peace meeting. "Chief Xhawulengweni Mkhize said that Hadebe had to be killed as IFP officials were being killed but none from the ANC were being murdered," Mbhele said. Hadebe announced on the day before the peace meeting that he had knowledge that an attempt would be made on his life. Mbhele said the chief identified Hadebe by shaking his hand, thereby pointing him out to the assassins. He claimed that after the assassination Mkhize appeared very happy and told him he had finished Hadebe. "When he made this report I had heard an announcement over the radio that Hadebe had been killed in Umkomaas". But Mkhize, at the TRC hearing on Monday, denied the accusations, saying he only knew the applicant, Mbhele, as Sosha, someone he understood to be "terrorising everyone in the area". Mkhize said he was not responsible for the murder of Hadebe. He said he was a member of the IFP peace committee. His committee was responsible for bringing peace within the IFP and that this did not involve ANC members. Therefore, Mkhize said, he could not have been present at the peace meeting between the IFP and ANC. The hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 11 October 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS OF ATTACK ON ACTIVIST AND WIFE

A police reservist and Labour Party activist from the former tricameral parliament, and his wife, narrowly escaped death when a hand grenade was hurled into their bedroom in 1986, an amnesty applicant told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday. Mathew Le Cordier, one of the men who orchestrated the pre-dawn attack on Peter Klein, told the hearing at the Durban Christian Centre that he had been recruited into Umkhonto weSizwe's special operations unit by Robert McBride, a month before the attack. Le Cordier said McBride, who last week told of his role in the bombing of the Magoos Bar, had trained him in the use and handling of hand grenades for the armed wing of the African National Congress. He then gave him two hand grenades for attacks on security force personnel and collaborators. "I selected Peter Klein because he was a police reservist and had been closely associated with the Labour Party, which made him a collaborator," Le Cordier said in justification of his target selection. Le Cordier said he knew exactly where Klein's bedroom was in his Austerville house and had foreseen that Klein's wife, Brenda, might be injured in the attack. "In that case, Mrs Klein getting caught in the crossfire would have been an acceptable, justifiable target," Le Cordier said. Although she might not have been actively involved, the fact that she featured prominently in Labour Party circles in support of her husband, meant "she would have become an acceptable casualty". The Kleins sustained serious shrapnel injuries in the explosion. Le Cordier's grenade went through the window, but a grenade thrown by his accomplice, Antonio du Preez, failed to penetrate and exploded in the garden, he said. Le Cordier, who turned state witness against McBride when he stood trial for the Magoo's Bar bombing, said he was tortured by security branch policemen into testifying. He is currently serving a 10-year jail sentence for armed robbery.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN October 12 1999 - SAPA

EMOTIONS RUN HIGH AT MAGOOS HEARING

Emotions ran high at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday as victims of the Why Not and Magoos bar bombings spoke of how they felt about the events of the night of June 14, 1986, which changed their lives forever. Claire Burton, who lost a sister, Julie van der Linde, 28, in the blast, told the TRC amnesty hearing at the Durban Christian Centre of her strong feelings against the applicant McBride, now a Department of Foreign Affairs official, who has told of his role in the bombing. "What has McBride done to earn amnesty? What has he done to deserve it?" asked Burton, who said McBride's special operations commander, Major General Aboobaker Ismail, "hardly knew anything about everything" and accused him of having handed weapons to young boys without training. McBride responded: "The cause of the conflict was apartheid which benefited people such as Ms Burton. No amount of ranting and raving will make me change my belief that it was correct to fight this crime." McBride is applying for amnesty for planting a car bomb in front of the bars, which were next to each other, just off Durban's main beachfront. McBride and Ismail said they and the African National Congress would reserve their rights concerning what they called Burton's inflammatory attack on them. The amnesty committee heard that Jonathan Jeffers arrived at the Why Not bar 40 minutes before the 80kg bomb exploded in a car parked outside. Three people died and 73 were injured.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG October 12 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARINGS IN JOHANNESBURG POSTPONED

A sitting of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Mayfair, Johannesburg on Tuesday was marred by disruptions and was eventually postponed. The two applications scheduled for Tuesday's sitting could not be heard, TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said. Earlier, in the morning, the hearings were postponed because the judge was delayed at another meeting in Cape Town. In the afternoon, the judge and the advocates consulted behind closed doors for two hours before announcing that the hearings would only commence on Wednesday morning. The first applicant, Tsepo Stanley Mshibe, who is serving a prison sentence for killing a policeman, withdrew his amnesty application. The three victims in the second case were reluctant to appear before the committee because they were writing examinations at school. The victims' mother told the judge that the hearing would further traumatise her children and would affect their performance at school.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG October 13 1999 - SAPA

FORMER SDU MEMBER ASKS FOR AMNESTY FOR KILLING

A former self-defence unit member pleaded before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Wednesday to be pardoned for killing his neighbour in 1993. Agustus Gumede, an African National Congress member from Thokoza on the East Rand, told an amnesty hearing sitting in Mayfair that he needed forgiveness to heal. "I was never arrested for the killing, but I need amnesty for further reconciliation within myself," Gumede said. Gumede gunned down a Mr Msimango, whom he believed to be an Inkatha Freedom Party member, at his home in Mandela section in Thokoza. He said his commander within the ANC, Sam Magoba, ordered the killing. Magoba allegedly told him that Msimango was an IFP member who was trying to recruit people from an ANC stronghold. Although Gumede lived two doors away from Msimango, he was unaware of his political affiliation as he was away at work most of the day. Gumede said Magoba told him that during patrols he saw Msimango holding IFP meetings at his home. At the time of the killing, the conflict between the ANC and the IFP for control of that section of the township had just started. Msimango's wife, Georgina Molefe, testified that her husband was not an IFP member. She said people from the area frequented their home to buy liquor and they often played cards with her husband. She said, however, that she worked during the day and did not know the activities of her husband. The amnesty committee is expected to decide on the matter on Thursday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN October 13 1999 - SAPA

VICTIMS SLATE MCBRIDE AT TRUTH HEARING

Convicted bomber Robert McBride was on Wednesday described as a murderer who had everything to gain from obtaining amnesty for the bombing of the Magoos and Why Not bars on the Durban beachfront 13 years ago. Civilians Julie van der Linde, Angelique Pattenden and Marchelle Gerrard died in the powerful car bomb blast which injured 73 others on June 14, 1986. McBride, who was a unit commander of the African National Congress' special operations unit at the time, was convicted of the bombing but received a reprieve in terms of a deal struck between the African National Congress and the former National Party government. McBride, who is currently a director in the Foreign Affairs department, is applying for amnesty for this attack and a spate of other bombings in and around Durban in 1985 and 1986. At McBride's amnesty hearing in Durban on Wednesday, Gerrard's sister, Sharon Welgemoed, said she abhorred the fact that she, as a taxpayer, was contributing towards the upkeep of her sister's murderer. She said McBride's statements to the media that he would "do it all again" indicated his apology for innocent lives lost during his operations were insincere. Welgemoed said she understood that McBride had fought in the struggle against apartheid but this did not give him the right to rob others of their human right to life. McBride and his commander, Ismail Aboobaker, have maintained the attack was aimed at the Why Not bar because it was frequented by apartheid security force personnel. Welgemoed questioned this, saying McBride knew innocent civilians would be killed in the blast. "In my opinion, what Mr McBride undertook to do was a cowardly racist attack on innocent white people. People who had no connection with the government or any other political inclinations," Welgemoed said. "Why not target the very people who were ultimately responsible for the (then) state of emergency and apartheid - the government of the day," she said. On Tuesday, Van der Linde's sister, Claire Burton, called McBride a despicable man who did not deserve amnesty. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG October 14 1999 - SAPA

"KILL THE BOER" SLOGAN LED TO FARM KILLING: TRC

The convicted murderer of a Vryheid farmer told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday that his crime was influenced by the "kill the Boer, kill the farmer" slogan he heard at African National Congress rallies. Ntuthuko Chuene, 28, is serving a life sentence for the murder of Godfrey Frederick Lanz Heuer on August 22, 1992. He also stole a Rossi Special firearm, ammunition and a suitcase containing about R1000 in cash, a pocket calculator and books. He said he stole the guns to defend his community from the Inkatha Freedom Party. Chuene said his accomplice in the killing, Piet Nkosi, was later shot and killed by the police. He said he was forced by circumstances in the area where he lived, Mondlo, to commit the crimes. The killing was not directed at Heuer, as he just happened to be a white farmer at the wrong time. "I could have killed any other white man I came across at that time. My frustrations were directed to white men because they had what we did not have," Chuene said. "I am sorry, I look back now and regret." Heuer's wife Amy said she did not believe Chuene killed her husband because of politically motivated reasons. "I do not want him to be granted amnesty. I watched my husband die in front of me and could not help him," she said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG October 14 1999 - SAPA

MONUMENT TO YEARS OF EAST RAND BLOODSHED

The massive monument honouring those who died in bloody political conflict in Thokoza, especially in the early 1990s, currently bears 688 names. If the names of more victims come to light, plaques will be added to the black granite slab. The latest figure of those slain in the violence is 3000, according to Dr Margaret Mojapelo, project director of the Thokoza Monument Foundation Council. This Saturday, 20,000 Thokoza residents will attend a joint ANC-IFP rally to celebrate the unveiling of the Thokoza monument. President Thabo Mbeki and Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi will stand at the corner of Khumalo and Buthelezi Streets, and, hand-in-hand, officially open Buthelezi Street. In the early 1990s, Buthelezi Street served as a boundary between warring IFP and African National Congress supporters. Most of the 3000 who were killed in East Rand violence died between 1991 and 1994, from the time of Nelson Mandela's release from prison to the time of South Africa's first democratic election. It is widely believed that the apartheid government ignited violence on the East Rand following Mandela's release, the unbanning of liberation movement organisations and the start of negotiations for political power-sharing. It is believed the apartheid government's security forces attacked ANC and IFP members in order to fire up conflict and create the perception that majority rule would lead to the violation of the human rights of minorities. Testimony to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was that the violence started in earnest in the early 1990s, when residents of Thokoza started being attacked by local hostel-dwellers associated with the IFP. Residents claim the hostel-dwellers were armed and organised by the police and the army - the so-called "Third Force". Schoolboys left school to protect their families and the community, the commission heard. They formed themselves into Self Defence Units. The hostel-dwellers in turn formed Self Protection Units. Gang members became involved in the violence, and a peacekeeping force was employed in Thokoza in 1994. The Thokoza monument is situated on Khumalo Street, where Star newspaper photographer Ken Oosterbroek was killed during an attack by African National Congress-aligned SDUs on the Mshayazafe hostel on April 19, 1994. The attack - which led to a shoot-out between the units, hostel-dwellers and security forces - claimed several other lives. By the time of the attack, Thokoza residents had been living in terror for three years. Civic leader Sam Ntuli was shot dead in 1991 on the same street, as were 23 IFP members three weeks previously - on September 8. The 23 were gunned down with AK47s, allegedly by covert elements of the SA Defence Force. In the week following the murders of the 23 IFP members, more than 100 people, mostly residents of townships surrounding Johannesburg, were killed by Inkatha supporters. But leaders of the ANC at the time vehemently denied any role in the Khumalo Street attack. Then ANC deputy president, Walter Sisulu, described the massacre as a "wanton act of provocation". The Congress of SA Trade Unions described it as bearing "all the hallmarks of state and vigilante violence". Referring to a peace plan that was due to be signed by the ANC, IFP, FW de Klerk's government and other parties on September 14, 1991, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: "It seems as if the Thokoza action was planned to wreck the [peace] summit". At the time, Nelson Mandela said: "The suspicion is that there is an attempt to derail the signing of the peace convention, and this was a deliberate provocation to that end." Former SADF officer Nico Basson, who later exposed the role of the SADF in fomenting township violence, said the Thokoza attack bore the signature of the SADF's covert Fifth Reconnaissance Command, known as "Five Recce". Mbeki will lay a wreath in the colours of the IFP on Saturday and Buthelezi will lay a green, black and gold wreath. Speaking about the opening of Buthelezi Street, Obed Bapela, the ANC's provincial secretary in Gauteng, this week said: "The road must be used by everyone now, regardless of political affiliation. "We are trying to achieve a situation where we can honestly say our people are able to co-exist with different political affiliations," Themba Khoza, a senior IFP official in Gauteng, told Sapa on Wednesday.

ANC YOUTH SET ALIGHT POLICE INFORMER: TRC

Five African National Congress Youth League members doused a Soweto man with petrol, set him alight and watched him burn, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard at a sitting in Mayfair, Johannesburg, on Thursday. The youths, together with about 200 residents of Zone Five in Diepkloof Soweto, marched to Jacob Manoto's house on April 2, 1993, to warn him to stop his activities as a police spy but instead killed him, Ndumiso Nyhluko told the TRC's amnesty committee. All five applicants are serving long jail sentences at the Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison in Johannesburg for their role in the murder of Manoto and the assault on his wife and children. "Manoto was a police informer, his neighbours told us this. As members of the ANC, we knew if someone was an informer then they should be eliminated or burnt alive," Nyhluko said. Earlier that day, ANC members from the area met at the Lutheran Church to discuss how they should deal with Manoto, he said. They decided they should go to Manoto's house and talk to him about his alleged police involvement. Nyhluko said they chanted slogans like "informers should be killed" and "the witch and his lizard should die" as they marched to Manoto's house. "But on arrival Manoto was sitting on the roof and he threw stones at us. We threw stones back at him and he returned inside his house. I ran to the neighbours house, (of) an ANC comrade, opened a window, climbed on the roof and threw an iron object onto Manoto's house to destroy his roof so we could get access inside." However, he said, the other youths had already dragged Manoto outside while another had set his car alight. Although they were instructed at the meeting just to warn Manoto, Nyhluko said, they attacked him as they could not tolerate his behaviour. He said Manoto's attack on them confirmed their suspicions that he was a police informer. Peter Shabange then doused Manoto with petrol and set him alight. Shabange confirmed this in his statement. He said he murdered Manoto to maintain peace and political stability in the ANC stronghold as Manoto was a troublemaker. Manoto had allegedly told police that one of the youth league members, Sipho Tshabalala, had hidden illegal firearms in his house. Another applicant, Mandla Thanjekwayo, described how he and other members had assaulted Manoto's daughter, Beverley. "She threw hot water on us while the others were attacking her father. We needed to silence her so we caught her and hit her with a stick and a pick-axe." He said he then picked up a liquor bottle, filled it with petrol from a nearby store and helped Shabange to pour it on Manoto. Shabange set Manoto alight and they burnt his house afterwards with his wife still inside, he said. His wife, Mary, was left for dead. Nyhluko showed remorse for his actions, saying: "I'm very sorry and if the victims were here I would ask for their forgiveness. We did it for the liberation struggle. All informers had to be burnt," he said. Manoto's wife and children could not attend the hearing as they had been informed too late and had to consult with the in-laws first before attending. She also said her children were writing examinations and she felt that it would affect their performance at school. Judge Denzel Potgieter ruled that they would be given seven days to respond to the case.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN October 14 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY HEARINGS FOR WESTERN CAPE MURDERS

The political violence that occurred on the Cape Flats in the 1980s will be recalled when former security policemen and African National Congress activists apply for amnesty before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee in Cape Town next week. Among those set to appear are former security policemen Michael Phillip Luff and Yizaya Patrick Siyali, who are applying for amnesty for attacks on ANC activists. Luff is applying for amnesty for killing William Dyofi in Worcester in November 1985. In his application, he claims that Dyofi was a member of a group that stoned a hall in Zwelethemba township near Worcester. Luff says he searched the area on foot and found Dyofi in a shack and arrested him. However, he claims Dyofi tried to flee, and was shot while running away. Siyali is applying for amnesty for shooting Bongani Jonas during 1987 on the N2 near Guguletu. Siyali claims he spotted the car in which Jonas was driving, and gave chase and stopped the vehicle. Siyali said he tried to arrrest Jonas, who, he says, was wanted for alleged acts of terrorism. Jonas was shot and wounded by Siyali when he tried to run away from the scene, and was taken to the security police for interrogation. Also applying for amnesty in the same hearing will be Johannes Nhlopo, for the murder of George Beenton and Cedrick Jansen in August 1980 in Klipfontein Road near Crossroads. Both victims were killed when their vehicles were stoned in separate incidents. Two other applications to be heard are those of Zola Yekwana and Fumanekile Booi. Yekwana, who was a member of an ANC self defence unit, is appling for amnesty for killing fellow ANC member Mzonke Pro Jack. Booi has applied for amnesty for killing policeman Nicholas Els in July 1990 in Langa, during a shoot-out between police and another self defence unit. Moegmat Annez Salie, Vanessa Rhoda November and Sydney Henricks are also applying for amnesty for a bomb blast that occurred in September 1988 in Bonteheuwel, in which Moegmat Bartlett was seriously injured. The hearings are expected to continue until October 28 this year.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 15 October 1999 - SAPA

EUGENE DE KOCK AND OTHERS GRANTED AMNESTY

Three prominent apartheid security figures - Eugene de Kock, Craig Williamson and General Johannes Coetzee - were granted amnesty on Friday for the 1982 bombing of the London offices of the African National Congress. They were are among nine applicants who sought indemnity for this incident and other crimes, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said. The others who received amnesty were Wybrand Du Toit, Roger Raven, Peter Caselton, John McPherson, John Adam and James Taylor, the TRC said in a statement. De Kock formerly commanded the Vlakplaas security police base outside Pretoria, Coetzee headed the security police and Craig Williamson spied for the former apartheid government. The policemen were also granted amnesty for conspiracy to bomb the SA Communist Party's offices in London, malicious damage to property, obtaining false passports, and the illegal possession of weapons and explosives. The offences were committed by the applicants on or about March 14, 1982. The TRC's amnesty committee found the applicants had complied with all the necessary amnesty requirements. "The acts, omissions or offences to which the applications relate are acts associated with a political objective and committed during the course of the conflict of the past. "The offences committed were advised, planned, directed, commanded and ordered inside South Africa. "Although South African courts may not have jurisdiction to conduct a criminal trial, they would have jurisdiction in civil matters against the applicants ... in South Africa." The TRC said the acts were mainly directed at political opponents, were related to the conflict in the past, and were ordered by the then-Minsiter of Law and Order, Louis le Grange. The policemen had made full disclosure, the commission said. The nine applied for amnesty in Pretoria at the beginning of the year.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 16 October 1999 - SAPA

ANC ACCEPTS GRANTING OF AMNESTY TO DE KOCK AND OTHERS

The African National Congress on Saturday welcomed the granting of amnesty to Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock and nine others for the bombing of its London office in 1982. The Truth and Reconciliation Committee's amnesty committee found the applicants had complied with all the necessary amnesty requirements. "While it is extremely difficult to accept that freedom is being granted for such a heinous crime ... the criteria laid down have been adequately met," the ANC said in a statement.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN 18 October 1999 - SAPA

MADONDO'S EXECUTION LEAVES POLICEMAN DISTURBED

The cold-blooded execution of an Umkhonto we Sizwe member 17 years ago left a seasoned security branch policeman disturbed, numbed and shocked, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on Monday. Warrant Officer Donald Gold appeared before the TRC's amnesty committee at the Durban Christian Centre seeking amnesty for killing Oupa Madondo and blowing up his body. Gold, a security branch policeman for 15 years, shot Madondo in the head several times near Jozini Dam in northern KwaZulu-Natal in April 1982. Gold told the committee he volunteered for an "unknown" operation where explosives were to be used. A self-confessed explosives expert, Gold said he reported at the Mbazwana police station on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast where he met four security branch policemen. They had Madondo with them and he appeared to have been sedated. Gold said he had been told that Madondo, a police informer, had to be eliminated as he had turned to the African National Congress. Madondo was then taken to a disused farm near the dam where he was shot. His body was taken to an island on the dam where Gold blew it up. He told the committee he had packed enough military plastic explosives on Madondo's body to destroy any trace of him. "The body was completely obliterated - there was nothing remaining of it," Gold testified. The remaining bits of Madondo's body were recovered after a 360-degree search and blown up again. "This incident had dire consequences on my life - I was not in the business of seeing people getting killed," Gold said. "I empathise with the family of the deceased," he told Madondo's sister, Thokozile. "Ngiyaxolisa, sisi (I am sorry, sister)." Thokozile Madondo, however, did not accept the apology because there were insinuations that her brother was a police informer. Gold was involved in unrest control in the June 1976 Soweto uprisings and is currently the area commander of the South African Police reserves in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 18 October 1999 - SAPA

ET'S ATTEMPTED MURDER, ASSAULT APPEAL FAILS

Two Pretoria High Court judges on Monday rejected Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre'Blanche's appeal against his 1997 conviction on attempted murder and assault charges. The judges' decision to uphold the conviction could see the 59-year-old right-wing leader serving a six year jail term. Terre'Blanche was sentenced to six years imprisonment by a Potchefstroom Magistrate in 1997 after he was found guilty on attempting to murder one of his black employees and assaulting a petrol attendant at a Ventersdorp garage in 1996. Judge Willie van der Merwe on Monday upheld the conviction, confirmed Terre'Blanche's six year sentence and also declared him unfit to own a firearm. Van der Merwe said the state had proved its case against Terre'Blanche and there was no reason to set aside the convictions. He said both victims had been assaulted severely - one of them to such an extent that he was described as "a vegetable". Terre'Blanche had been proved to be man with a quick temper who easily resorted to violence. The only apt sentence for him was direct imprisonment, van der Merwe said. He would have sentenced Terre'Blanche to an even longer jail term, had it not been for the fact that he received amnesty for his previous convictions from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee earlier this year. The amnesty committee in effect made him a first offender in the eyes of the court, van der Merwe said. Although the state indicated that summons would be served on Terre'Blanche as soon as possible to start serving his sentence, his senior advocate Johan Engelbrecht has not ruled out further appeal procedures. This could include an appeal to the Appellate Division in Bloemfontein, for which leave to appeal must be granted by Judge van der Merwe or by the Chief Justice. If leave to appeal is refused in both cases, Terre'Blanche would have to start serving his sentence. Bail can be extended where an application for leave to appeal was granted. Terre'Blanche sentence resulted from an attack on two Ventersdorp men in 1996. One of the men, Paul Motshabi, 29, who worked for Terre'Blanche's security firm, suffered brain damage as a result of the assault. He was beaten with a blunt object on the head and neck and remained in a coma for some time. Terre'Blanche was also found guilty of assaulting petrol attendant John Ndzima and encouraging his dog to bite Ndzima in a toilet where he tried to hide. Van der Merwe said Magistrate Chris Eksteen had approached the evidence before him carefully and with great self-restraint. He had correctly rejected Terre'Blanche's evidence that he had nothing to do with either of the attacks. He described the attack on Motshabi as particularly serious and cruel. Any sentence imposed had to reflect the seriousness of the crime. Even if one disregarded Terre'Blanche's previous convictions for, among other things public violence, relating to the Ventersdorp siege and an incident in which the late Professor Floors van Jaarsveld was tarred and feathered in the early 1980s, it was clear from the evidence that he was a man who easily resorted to violence, van der Merwe said. Witnesses testified that Terre'Blanche had waged a reign of terror in Ventersdorp and black people in the area especially, feared him. His uncalled for and uncontrolled outbursts in the court were also proof of his quick temper. To argument by Terre'Blanche's advocate that direct imprisonment would severely humiliate him and harm his standing in his community, van der Merwe said the community expected of political leaders to act with self-restraint because others followed their example. Irresponsible behaviour by persons in leadership positions could not be tolerated and should be severely censured. A high standing in the community was no reason for receiving a lighter sentence than any other ordinary citizen. "Our courts were there to help the community to live in harmony. This could only happen if courts could mete out punishment without fear and without regard of persons," van der Merwe said. He stressed the court could not disregard the natural indignation and abhorrence with which the community regarded crimes such as those committed by Terre'Blanche. Community service, linked to some form of payment to the victims, was not an apt sentence and would send out a totally wrong message to the community.

FATHER TELLS TRC HOW POLICE SHOT HIS SON

A father told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Cape Town on Monday how he heard the shot that killed his son while he was reporting an earlier shooting at a Western Cape police station in 1985. Stefaans Dyasi was testifying in the hearing in which security policeman Michael Phillip Luff is applying for amnesty for shooting 17-year-old William Dyasi in Zwelethemba township near Worcester in November 1985. Dyasi said he was called to a shack in the township on the night of November 3 and found his son lying wounded on the floor. He said his son was in great pain and he noticed blood and shotgun pellets in his mouth. Dyasi said his son told him he had been shot by two policemen. He said he went to the nearby police station to the report the shooting and while he was there he heard another gunshot and went back to find his son lying dead in the street. Luff told the committee he had identified Dyasi as the leader of a group of youths who were stoning the local community hall and fired a shot at him in an attempt to subdue the crowd. Luff said he later searched the area and found Dyasi lying wounded in a hut. He disputes the account of the boy's father that he was too badly injured to walk and claims he led Dyasi away by the arm. Luff claimed, however, that Dyasi broke free. Luff fired a shot in his direction in an effort to stop the youth from escaping. He said he did not intend killing Dyasi who was struck in the lower back with a lethal SSG shotgun cartridge. Luff said he regretted the shooting and asked Stefaans Dyasi to accept his apology and asked for forgiveness. Dyasi replied that he would have considered forgiving Luff if had made earlier efforts to contact him to explain the shooting and to apologise, but he had heard nothing since the night of his son's death. Dyasi, who wept during the hearing and had to be comforted, said he did not believe Luff was telling the truth about the shooting. He said he did not accept that his son was in any condition to walk after the first shooting and therefore did not agree with Luff's allegation that he had led the youth away. During his testimony, Luff described conditions in townships at that time and said he was "all out war, in every sense of the word". He said policemen were regularly shot at and petrol bombed, and on many occasions he feared for his life. He said his decision to fire the shot that killed Dyasi had been taken in a split second and the consequences had haunted him ever since. He explained his failure to make contact with the family of the youth on the grounds that it could have been interpreted as an attempt to obstruct the course of justice. Committee chairman Judge Denzil Potgieter said the committee would consider the application and make known its decision in due course. More amnesty hearings are to be held in Cape Town over the next two weeks.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 18 October 1999 - SAPA

WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS SLOW TO APOLOGIZE FOR APARTHEID

If white South Africans are sorry for atrocities committed under apartheid, not many are saying so. In December 1997 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up to probe apartheid-era abuses, started a «register of reconciliation» where people could express regrets about human rights violations and failures to prevent them, and could commit themselves to reconciliation. Few have taken the opportunity. Registers kept at four commission offices list a few hundred entries, while just 250 people commented on an Internet version. South Africa's white population numbers 4.5 million, or about 11 percent of the population. As a whole, remorse has been slow in coming from white political leaders and major institutions, despite occasionally anguished calls for apologies from black figures, such as the commission's revered chairman, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Most of those who did sign expressed regret at not having done more to oppose the oppressive system, which formally ended with all-race elections in 1994. «Sorry black S.A.,» wrote A.C. Botha, a resident of Somerset West, a small town about 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Cape Town. Laura Johnson, a South African who now lives in California, pledged her entire inheritance towards reparations for apartheid victims. «I have to take responsibility for the awful crimes committed in my name for my benefit, irrespective of whether I knew or asked for them to be committed, and I have to make reparations and appeal to other white South Africans to do the same,» she wrote. But her entry in the Truth Commission's Cape Town office register is just one of two made this year. Botha made his there last year. Mary Burton, a commissioner with the Truth Commission who came up with the idea for the register, said she was initially very excited at people's response. «Unfortunately there was not sustained utilization of the register. We didn't have the time to push the idea,» she said. Burton also feels white South Africans want to forget about apartheid rather than come to terms with it. «People inevitably move (on) from what is painful and that is what is happening now.» The Truth Commission completed hearings for victims of human rights violations under apartheid last year, but one of its committees continues to consider amnesty applications. It expects to wind up its work early next year. Meanwhile the commission is still waiting to see how the government will respond to its recommendations that billions of rand (hundreds of millions of dollars) be made available to compensate about 25,000 people it found to be apartheid victims. It is worried that the issue is slipping from the public agenda. «There were many people who were shocked and moved by what they heard at hearings but the euphoria and goodwill (toward the victims) has waned,» said Burton. The commission has had about 11,000 applications for state assistance from people it classified as apartheid victims and about 8,000 of these have been given small amounts in the interim.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE-TOWN October 19 1999 - SAPA

WHITES WERE ENEMIES IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR POSITIONS: TRC TOLD

Whites were the enemy irrespective of whether they were part of the security forces or not, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told on Tuesday in Cape Town. "A white man was an enemy, and it did not matter whether he was in the military or not. We attacked indiscriminately and if you were a white soul roaming around the township, you were making yourself a serious target," said Johannes Africa Hlapo. Hlapo, 39, is applying for amnesty for the murder of Frederick Jansen, and George Beeton on August 11, 1980. In terms of Section 18(1) and Section 20 of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act of 1995, Hlapo should be granted amnesty if, among other requirements, he discloses the whole truth about his role in the killing of the two men. His actions also have to be politically motivated. Jansen and Beeton were stoned to death, and Jansen was set alight and his van overturned on Klipfontein Road in Crossroads. Hlapo's detailed account of how Jansen and Beeton died opened up old wounds and their families, who sat in the audience, could not stop weeping. Hlapo repeated what he told the TRC in 1997, saying he saught forgiveness and regretted his actions. "I am truly remorseful of my actions which led to the deaths of Beeton and Jansen. I offer my deepest apologies to the families of the two men and I ask for their forgiveness for my actions. "My actions were not motivated by criminal intentions but were politically motivated," Hlapo said. Hlapo and Oscar Mpetha were convicted in 1980 for the two murders. Hlapo served 11 years and was released from Robben Island in 1991. According to Hlapo, on August 11, 1980 there were bus, meat and school boycotts in Gugulethu, Nyanga and other townships. He said about 2000 supporters of the African National Congress, Azanian People's Organisation and Pan Africanist Congress marched to Klipfontein Road to stop buses and government vehicles from entering Crossroads. He said that group had been incensed by news that a white police officer had assaulted a 79-year-old woman. They decided that they needed to do something to stop this behaviour by whites. After 3pm, Beeton drove along Klipfontein Road in a white vehicle. "The vehicle stopped shortly before the barricades. The driver did not get out and the crowd, including me, began throwing stones at the vehicle, but the driver remained in the car. The stones damaged his vehicle extensively and a number of stones hit him, rendering him unconscious. "Some of the people in the crowd pulled him out of the car and threw heavy stones at him while chanting freedom songs," Hlapo said. Beeton was left for dead on the road, Hlapo told the commission. Jansen met a similar fate and was set alight a short while after Beeton was attacked. Unlike Beeton, Jansen tried to escape but his vehicle stalled. He refused to get out of the car and the crowd pulled him out and stoned him. Both Jansen and his car were set alight. "He jumped up, and ran and jumped into a pool of water near the road", Hlapo said. Hlapo said an army casspir arrived at the scene but the occupants did not see Jansen or Beeton, who lay dying alongside the road. Hlapo asked the commission for amnesty, saying he acted in a manner which befitted the situation at the time. The hearings continue on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN October 19 1999 - SAPA

TUTU TO HAVE PROSTRATE CANCER TESTS

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be admitted to hospital in Atlanta in the United States on Thursday for tests to determine new treatment for prostate cancer, his office said on Tuesday. Recent tests in Atlanta have indicated that there has been a recurrence of the prostate cancer first diagnosed and treated in 1997. "I understand this is a fairly normal occurrence two years after radiation treatment," the chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town said in a statement from Atlanta. "On Thursday I will have an operation to determine whether the cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland. If it is confined to the prostate, I expect to undergo cryosurgery - a technique in which the affected tissue is frozen with liquid nitrogen. "If it has spread, I am likely to undergo renewed hormone treatment, which ran concurrently with my radiation therapy in 1997," he said. "But I am feeling fine."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NATIONAL ASSEMBLY October 19 1999 - SAPA

5412 AMNESTY APPLICATIONS REJECTED: MADUNA

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee had rejected the amnesty applications of 5412 of the 7124 individuals who applied, Justice Minister Penuell Maduna said on Tuesday. Replying to a written question by Sheila Camerer (NNP), he said 538 individuals had been granted amnesty to date. Another 95 had also received amnesty for some of the incidents they had applied for, Maduna said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN October 20 1999 - SAPA

JUDGE PRAISES FORMER FOES FOR RECONCILIATION

Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee member Denzil Potgieter praised two former political opponents on Wednesday for their reconciliatory attitude in dealing with the conflict that occurred in Dysselsdorp in the 1980s and early 1990s. Potgieter, who chaired the hearing on an amnesty application by former activist Dirk Grootboom, said he was encouraged by the forgiveness that one-time political rivals in the Karoo town had shown towards each other. Former United Democratic Front supporter Grootboom, 33, is applying for amnesty for his role in attacks on the civic centre and police station in Dysselsdorp in 1985 and 1981. He told the committee that although he was not sorry for what he had done in the name of the struggle, he regretted the injuries caused to two policeman during the attack on the police station. One of the policemen who was injured during the occupation of the Dysselsdorp police station in June 1991, Martin Tarentaal, was present at Wednesday's hearing and testified before the committee. Tarentaal said the incident had affected him both physically and mentally and he had difficulty coping with his job as a policeman for years after the incident. He said, however, that he had come to terms with the situation and he and Grootboom had since worked together on community projects in Dysselsdorp. Grootboom said, in turn, that although Tarentaal had been notorious in his treatment of activists, he forgave him in the name of reconciliation. However there were still many policemen who had committed atrocities against the community in the 1980s but were still in their positions and had not changed, he said. Grootboom said many of these policemen had not had made any attempt to reconcile themselves with the community which they had brutalised in the past. Potgieter said the attitude of the two men had been encouraging and said he hoped the same spirit would be passed on to the other people who had been involved in conflict in Dysselsdorp. Grootboom told Sapa in an interview after the hearing that he had also reconciled with Sergeant Mervyn Murray who was also injured during the occupation of the Dysselsdorp police station by UDF activists. "He is now a captain in George and I went to see him. We had a braai together and have put aside our differences," he said. Earlier Grootboom told the hearing that the police and the former SA Defence Force had attempted to brainwash the black youth in the town but their efforts had backfired. He said that after being invited to a SADF camp the youth emerged more committed to the liberation struggle than ever. "We attended the camp but it was soon clear to us that the purpose was to interrogate our members about our political affiliation and to brainwash us with videos of cruelty, depicting the ANC, Swapo and Frelimo as evil terrorists," Grootboom said. However the effort failed because Grootboom said the Dysselsdorp Youth Organisation became a closer knit organisation and identified more strongly with the liberation struggle and the United Democratic Front. Grootboom described how he and other youths became involved in violent attacks on government buildings in Dysselsdorp and Oudtshoorn and eventually leading to his arrest and sentence to seven years imprisonment for sabotage. He said that while on Robben Island he joined the African National Congress and described how he and other political prisoners were threatened by warders. "They tried their utmost best to turn us into gangsters or to have gangsters sodomise us," he said. Grootboom said that after serving five-and-a-half years in various prisons, he returned to Dysselsdorp in April 1991 to "build the ANC" in the area. He said the local ANC Youth League was at loggerheads with the police and the town council over the holding of meetings in the area. The organisation then decided to occupy the local police station in an effort to draw attention to their grievances. After taking control of the police station for more than six hours, he and 47 others were arrested and convicted on charges of the illegal occupation of a police station. He was given a suspended sentence and is applying for amnesty to have his name cleared. "I am not sorry and do not regret anything I have done in my small contribution for liberation," Grootboom said.

© South African Press Association, 1999 This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CRADOCK October 20 1999 - SAPA

NEW EVIDENCE ON CRADOCK FOUR

The TRC will hear an application in Port Elizabeth on Monday to present new evidence on the "Cradock Four", in connection with the amnesty hearings of former Vlakplaas police boss Eugene De Kock and six other former apartheid security policemen. George Bizos SC, representing the Cradock Four, would make an application before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee to present new evidence that was not dealt with during a 1998 amnesty application, TRC spokesman Phil Ngqumba said on Wednesday. The Cradock Four - Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli - were leaders of the United Democratic Front in the Eastern Cape. According to the policemen's evidence, they were kidnapped at a roadblock outside Port Elizabeth and taken into the veld where they were shot, their bodies were cut up with knives and a car was burnt. Eric Taylor, Johannes Lotz, Nicholaas Van Rensburg, Harold Snyman (deceased), Johan Van Zyl, Hermanus Barend Du Plessis and Eugene De Kock are applying for amnesty for the killings. A decision on their amnesty application was pending, Ngqumba said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 21 October 1999 - SAPA

YENGENI REFUTES SUGGESTIONS BETRAYAL

The African National Congress' chief whip in Parliament, Tony Yengeni, appeared at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing in Cape Town on Thursday to refute suggestions that he may have betrayed his ANC colleagues while in police detention in 1987. Yengeni asked the TRC's amnesty committee to allow him to pose questions to policeman Sergeant Patrick Siyali, who is applying for amnesty for his part in an attack on ANC activist Bongani Jonas. Yengeni told the committee he wished to correct the impression that had been created by some media reports that while in detention he had led the police to Jonas. Yengeni reiterated by way of questions to Siyali that the police already knew what Jonas looked like and what car he drove, and therefore did not need him to identify their target. Yengeni was detained and tortured by security policeman Captain Jeff Benzien, who claimed during his amnesty application in 1998 that he had extracted information from the former Umkhonto we Sizwe commander in the Western Cape. However, Yengeni denied that he revealed information that had led to the attack on Jonas. Siyali agreed that Yengeni had never worked for or with the police. Siyali is applying for amnesty his part in the attempted murder of Jonas near Cape Town in September 1987. He told the committee he was present when Jonas was shot and wounded by askaris (turned ANC members) while driving in his car on the N2 highway near Gugulethu. Siyali said Yengeni, who had been arrested and tortured by security police, was also present when the attack on Jonas was carried out. During Yengeni's questioning, Siyali became angry when asked why he had allowed himself to be used by the apartheid government to commit acts against his fellow South Africans and why he had not left the security police. "If I had left the police, you Mr Yengeni, would not be sitting here," Siyali replied. He said that while working in the security police he had done his best to assist and protect ANC detainees. He repeated that he believed he had prevented Yengeni and other ANC supporters from being killed by the police. He described how during the attack on Jonas he had fired a shot in the air, which had warned the ANC man of the impending assassination attempt. He did not explain how he saved Yengeni's life except to say that he had been assigned to guard the former Western Cape Umkhonto we Sizwe commander while he was in detention. He admitted during questioning that the police already knew Jonas and the car he was driving so did not need Yengeni to identify the ANC man. Siyali, who is presently employed in the organised crime and drugs unit said that during his time as a security policeman he had attempted to help ANC detainees wherever possible. When asked about his role in the attack on Jonas he said it had never been his intention to kill the man and he had gone out of his way to prevent him being killed by firing a warning shot so that he could flee. Committee chairman Judge Denzil Potgieter said a decision would made on the matter and communicated to Siyali

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association ATLANTA 21 October 1999 - SAPA-AP

ARCHBISHOP UNDERGOES SURGERY TO SEE IF CANCER HAS SPREAD

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu underwent two hours of surgery Thursday to determine whether his prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body. Tutu, who is now a theology professor at Emory University, was in surgery at Emory University Hospital from 8:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., said Emory spokeswoman Rashel Stephenson. The procedure, in which parts of Tutu's lymph nodes were removed, will determine the extent of the cancer and whether new treatments are necessary. Doctors planned to discuss the results at a news conference when available. Tutu, 68, was originally diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer in 1997, when he was head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Recent blood tests indicated the cancer may have returned, and a biopsy of Tutu's prostate confirmed the recurrence, Tutu said in a statement earlier this week. The former archbishop of Cape Town won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his anti-apartheid efforts.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 21 October 1999 - SAPA

SECURITY POLICEMAN TELLS TRC HE SAVED YENGENI'S LIFE

A former security policeman told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee in Cape Town on Thursday that he prevented the African National Congress's Chief Whip Tony Yengeni from being killed by the police in 1987. Sergeant Patrick Siyali, 40, is applying for amnesty for his part in the attempted murder of ANC member Bongani Jonas near Cape Town in September 1987. He said he was present when Jonas was shot and wounded by askaris (ANC members who turned to the security police) while driving in his car on the N2 highway near Gugulethu. Siyali said Yengeni, who had been arrested and tortured by security police, was also present when the attack on Jonas was carried out. Yengeni attended Thursday's hearing and asked the committee if he could ask Siyali questions to clarify any impression that he had been involved in leading the police and the askaris to Jonas. During his questioning, Yengeni asked Siyali why he had allowed himself to be used by the apartheid government to commit acts against his fellow South Africans and why he had not left the security police. "If I had left the police, you Mr Yengeni, would not be sitting here," Siyali replied. He explained that while working in the security police he had done his best to assist and protect ANC detainees. He repeated that he believed he had prevented Yengeni and other ANC supporters from being killed by the police. He described how during the attack on Jonas he had fired a shot in the air which had warned the ANC man of the impending assassination attempt. However he did not explain how he saved Yengeni's life except to say that he had been assigned to guard the former Western Cape Umkhonto weSizwe commander while he was in detention. Siyali admitted during questioning that the police already knew Jonas and the car he was driving so did not need Yengeni to identify the ANC man. Yengeni said during the hearing that he took exception to certain press reports that suggested he had played a part in pointing out Jonas and the car he drove. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN October 22 1999 - SAPA

CRADOCK FOUR AMNESTY CASE COULD REOPENED

An application to reopen the amnesty hearing of the seven policemen who have admitted killing the "Cradock Four" in 1985 will be heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee in Port Elizabeth next week. George Bizos who represented the families of the slain four former United Democratic Front activists has applied to have the hearing reopened so that new evidence that has emerged can be presented to the Amnesty Committee. Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli were killed while travelling between Cradock and Port Elizabeth in June 1985. Their stabbed and burnt bodies were found in the dunes on a vacant stretch of coast and police at first claimed that they had been victims of vigilante killings. However years later seven security policemen confirmed the suspicions of many of the locals of the time, and admitted carrying out the killings. Nic van Rensburg, Herman du Plessis, Sakkie van Zyl, Eric Taylor, Gerhardus Lotz, Eugene de Kock and Harold Snyman, who has since died, applied for amnesty for the killings on the grounds that they were trying to quell the unrest in the Eastern Cape by removing the UDF leadership. Bizos told Sapa on Friday he would argue before the Amnesty committee that the amnesty hearing should be reopened so that the new evidence could be led. Bizos said he could not provide more details of what his argument would be at this stage, but said he had obtained an affidavit which contained new information about the planning and execution of the attack. Government ministers at the time have denied that the killing of the "Cradock Four" had been officially sanctioned. However in minutes from a State Security Council meeting held shortly before their deaths and produced during the application for amnesty by De Kock, it appeared that a request to have Goniwe eliminated had been made by government ministers. The application will start on Monday. In Cape Town the TRC's Amnesty Committee will continue to hear applications emanating from incidents of violence in the Western Cape during the 1980's. One of the hearings involves a prominent ANC leader at the time, Pro Jack, who was killed by members of his organisation's own Self Defence Units. The applicants, who were members of the unit, will have to explain to the committee how they came to kill one of their own members. The hearing has been set down for Tuesday next week.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PORT ELIZABETH October 25 1999 - SAPA

RE-OPENING CRADOCK FOUR CASE, TRC UNDECIDED

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Port Elizabeth has reserved a decision on re-opening the case of the seven policemen who admitted to murdering the Cradock Four in 1985, SABC radio news reported on Monday. George Bizos, representing their families at a special one-day sitting of the committee, lodged an application for the re-opening of the case on the basis of new evidence in the minutes of a apartheid state security council meeting held in March 1984 The four former United Democratic Front activists, Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli, were killed on a journey between Cradock and Port Elizabeth in 1985. Their stabbed and burnt bodies were found in the dunes on a vacant stretch of coast. Police initially claimed they had been killed by vigilantes. But subsequently seven security policemen - Nic van Rensburg, Herman du Plessis, Sakkie van Zyl, Eric Taylor, Gerhardus Lotz, Harold Snynman and former Vlakplaas head Eugene de Kock - applied for amnesty on the grounds that they were trying to quell unrest in the Eastern Cape by killing the UDF leaders. Government ministers at the time denied that this was officially sanctioned. But minutes of a government state security meeting held shortly before their deaths and produced during De Kock's amnesty application appeared to indicate that a request to have Goniwe eliminated emanated from government ministers. The minutes proved the case should be re-opened because the amnesty applicants were not telling the truth, Bizos said. The applicants' defence counsel, Kobus Booyens, opposed reopening the case and questioned whether the document would have any influence on the granting of amnesty. Committee chairman, Judge Ronnie Pillay, said a decision would be reached soon.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association MASERU October 25 1999 - SAPA

LESOTHO FAMILIES TO BE COMPENSATED FOR APARTHEID RAIDS

Preparations were underway to award reparations to the victims of raids into Lesotho by the SA Defence Force during the apartheid era, the Lesotho Christian Council announced on Monday. The council's secretary-general, Reverend Ishmael Mqathazane, said an official from South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) would visit the victims in Maseru for two days to review their claims. He said Ramoithumi Woolff was expected to conduct interviews with victims on November 5 and 6 at the Christian Council Hall in Maseru. Mqathazane said a supplementary claims list would be compiled, in addition to those who had already applied to Pretoria for reparations. He said the TRC would also consider compensating others whose property was damaged during the 1982 and 1985 raids. Fifteen Lesotho citizens and 36 African National Congress activists were killed in the raids.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN October 26 1999 - SAPA

TRC PROBES SDU MURDER OF WCAPE ANC MAN

The killing of a prominent and popular member of the African National Congress in the Western Cape by one of the organisation's own self defence units in 1991 is being probed at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing in Cape Town. The TRC's amnesty committee is hearing an application for amnesty by former SDU member Yola Tembinkosi Yekwani, 39, who has admitted killing Mziwonke "Pro" Jack during an ambush in Lansdowne Road near Cape Town in June 1991. Yekwani claims the killing of Jack was a mistake and that he had opened fire on Jack's car believing it was a police vehicle. He told the committee he and other SDU members waited for a police vehicle that was returning from the nearby town of Phillipi. They were planning to ambush it in revenge for police action against ANC supporters earlier. However Yekwani's version of the events of the night are being contested by the ANC and Jack's nephew who was in the vehicle at the time. Andile Jack, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, said Jack was driving him home but stopped when a group of men called out his name at a stop street. He said his uncle was opening the car window when the men began firing. His uncle pushed his head under the dashboard to shield him from the fire. The boy later managed to flee from the vehicle. According to other testimony before the committee, Jack was a popular and charismatic figure in the ANC in the Western Cape and his death shocked the community in which he had enjoyed widespread support. The hearing also heard that during Jack's funeral, Yekwani had been assigned to guard the dead man's family. At that stage it was not known that Yekwani was responsible for Jack's death. Earlier Yekwani told the committee that the killing of Jack had been a mistake which he now regretted. However, he said he had been extremely angry with the actions the police had taken in the area earlier and was bent on revenge. He said that when he saw a car approaching he thought it was the police and began firing at the driver's side. He said he was not sure whether the other members of the SDU also fired because of the sound his automatic R4 rifle made. After the shooting, Yekwani said he and the other three fled to a nearby squatter camp and they agreed among themselves that they should not tell anyone about the incident. He said that when he read in a newspaper the following that prominent ANC member Pro Jack had been killed he felt "shocked and hurt", because he had never intended killing a fellow comrade. While testifying he said he felt "very bad" about the shooting and apologised to Jack's family who were present at Tuesday's hearing. He said if he had known the driver had been Jack, he would not have opened fire. The ANC, which is being represented at the hearing, is expected to oppose Yekwani's application for amnesty. The hearing is being attended by a large contingent of ANC supporters in the Western Cape, including Tony Yengeni who was the Umkhonto we Sizwe (the ANC's former military wing) commander in the province at the time and is now the ANC's Chief Whip in parliament. The hearing continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN October 26 1999 - SAPA

DE KLERK NOT INVOLVED IN GONIWE MURDER: FOUNDATION

There was no reason at all to insinuate that former president FW de Klerk and other Cabinet ministers present at a March 1984 meeting of the then state security council (SSC) were involved in, or aware of, plans to murder Cradock teacher Matthew Goniwe, the FW de Klerk Foundation said on Tuesday. Four former United Democratic Front activists, Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli, were killed on a journey between Cradock and Port Elizabeth in 1985. Their stabbed and burnt bodies were found in the dunes on a vacant stretch of coast. Police initially claimed they had been killed by vigilantes. But subsequently seven security policemen - Nic van Rensburg, Herman du Plessis, Sakkie van Zyl, Eric Taylor, Gerhardus Lotz, Harold Snyman and former Vlakplaas head Eugene de Kock - applied for amnesty on the grounds that they were trying to quell unrest in the Eastern Cape by killing the UDF leaders. Referring to recent press reports that the investigation into the deaths could be reopened, the foundation said in a statement that the simple and obvious fact was that the decision at the SSC meeting to transfer Goniwe (to Graaff- Reinet) in early 1984 had nothing to do with his murder 15 months later. This was particularly in view of then deputy black education minister Sam de Beer's subsequent efforts to work with Goniwe and reappoint him to a school in Cradock. De Beer had been impressed with Goniwe's qualities as a man and teacher, and had wanted to bring him back to Cradock and appoint him as headmaster of one of the local schools. De Beer was still pursuing these efforts in June 1985 when Goniwe was murdered, as had since been revealed by elements within the security forces. The murder of the Cradock Four was a "reprehensible and absolutely unacceptable" part of the conflict that engulfed South Africa at the time, the statement said. "However, there is no way that Mr De Klerk or other ministers present at the SSC meeting in March 1984 can reasonably be implicated in this matter. "On the contrary, he and his colleagues played indispensable roles in finding a path away from the conflict that was then threatening to engulf the whole country," the foundation said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 27 October 1999 - SAPA

TUTU'S REJECTION OF HIS EFFORTS DISAPPOINTING, SAYS FW

Former President FW de Klerk said on Wednesday he found TRC chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu's reported rejection of his sincere efforts to continue to work for reconciliation in South Africa and other divided societies "strange and disappointing". This was especially so coming from a man of the cloth, De Klerk said in a statement. He was reacting to reports from Atlanta, United States, that Tutu has written in his latest book "No Future Without Forgiveness" that De Klerk could have gone down in history as a truly great South African statesman but had eroded his stature and become a "small man, lacking magnanimity and generosity of spirit". Tutu reportedly disclosed that while he had enthusiastically supported De Klerk's nomination to receive the Nobel Peace Prize with former president Nelson Mandela in 1993, he would have opposed it vehemently had he known then what he knew now. De Klerk said on Wednesday Tutu seemed to be "blinded by his own narrow perception of the truth and his attitude does not befit a man of his stature". "I have learned with disappointment of Archbishop Tutu's attacks on me in his latest book and of comments that he is reported to have made in Atlanta." De Klerk said Tutu repeatedly ascribed views to him that he did not hold and "seems to have listened to nothing I have said, including the sincere and unambiguous apology for apartheid that I gave at the TRC hearing on May 14, 1997". "Time after time, his accusations against me have withered under the light of proper judicial scrutiny - most recently with regard to his claim that I was somehow involved in the Boipatong massacre." All this led him to write a letter to Tutu last year in which "I offered to meet him to try to resolve our differences in a spirit of Christian reconciliation". "I wrote that I sometimes gained the impression that he resented any statement which sought to place in perspective the very complex history of our recent past. It was as though he rejected the notion that anyone from past governments might have acted under any circumstances with any worthy motive or that they might have had any moral worth or justifiable concerns whatsoever. "I concluded by asking that if we as Christians and Nobel Peace Laureates could not find reconciliation, what hope was there for our communities - or for our country? Unfortunately, the kind of meeting that I had suggested never took place." De Klerk concluded: "Despite his criticism, I shall continue to work for reconciliation and for a better new South Africa - and, in this spirit, renew my invitation to him to have a heart-to-heart talk."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 27 October 1999 - SAPA

ANC OPPOSES AMNESTY FOR MEMBER WHO KILLED FELLOW ACTIVIST

The African National Congress on Wednesday opposed the granting of amnesty to one of its former Self Defence Unit members who killed fellow Western Cape activist Mziwonke "Pro" Jack in an ambush in 1991. The ANC told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Cape Town the organisation did not associate itself with the actions of former SDU member Yola Tembinkosi Yekwani, 39, who admitted gunning down the popular activist. Lawyer Peter Williams, who appeared for the ANC, said Yekwani was telling the committee a "scheme of lies" and was clearly not making a full disclosure about the incident. Yekwani claimed the killing of Jack was a mistake and that he had opened fire on his car believing it to be a police vehicle. Williams argued that Yekawani had for years denied killing Jack and even when approached by the late Chris Hani for information never admitted any knowledge of the incident. Williams said there were strong indications in the accounts of the shooting that Yekwani had known Jack and had deliberately set out to shoot him. Although this could not be established beyond reasonable doubt, Yekwani's account still left many unanswered questions which led to the inescapable conclusion that he was still not telling the truth. "The ANC therefore distances itself from his actions and opposes the granting of amnesty," Williams told the hearing. In his testimony, Yekwani told the committee he and other SDU members had waited for a police vehicle that was returning from the nearby town of Phillipi and were planning to ambush it. However Yekwani's version was contradicted by that of Jack's nephew Andile Jack who was 14 at the time and in the car on the night the activist was shot. He told the committee he had seen three men standing under some trees and they had called out to "Pro" Jack. "Pro" Jack reversed his car towards them shortly before the shooting started. The lawyer appearing for the Jack family, Ismail Jamie, also opposed the granting of amnesty to Yekwani on the grounds that his account of events was hard to believe. Jamie said Jack's death had either been a deliberate hit, or had been the result of a mistake caused by hi being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He said that if he had been assassinated there were several possible motives, including his involvement as a mediator in the taxi violence which was raging at the time or a dispute over the control of firearms. He said, however, that if Jack's murder had purely been a mistake then it was the result of a series of extraordinary coincidences. Shortly before the committee adjourned to consider the application for amnesty, Yekwani asked for permission to address the committee and once again protested he had not deliberately murdering Jack, and said it had been a mistake for which he was sorry. The committee, chaired by Judge Denzil Potgieter, will make its decision known at a future date. The committee is due to hear more applications on Thursday and Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 27 October 1999 - SAPA

HUMAN RIGHTS VICTIMS PROTEST AGAINST REPARATIONS DELAY

Human rights victims of apartheid will protest in Johannesburg on Friday in the hope that government will stop dragging its feet over reparations. Their action will coincide with the one-year anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report, which included a recommendation on reparations. An organisation representing survivors of political violence - the Khulumani Support Group - on Wednesday said victims had been waiting for a year for policy to be expedited. "In good faith we came forward and suffered the retraumatisation of exposing our wounds in public in the understanding that this was necessary in order to be considered for reparations. "We now feel that we have been used in a cynical process of political expediency," the organisation said in a statement. The victims' need for reparations was not being considered seriously by the Justice Ministry. "We are angry, frustrated and disappointed by the lack of progress and transparency regarding reparations. "Survivors are suffering in poverty and the elderly are dying without receiving the relief of the promised reparations," the statement said. Protesters would also petition Justice Minister Penuell Maduna. The petition calls on government to prioritise the implementation of the TRC's recommendation on reparations. It also calls for the urgent payment and streamlining of much-needed reparation to victims in need and the setting of targets and time frames for the delivery of final reparation measures. Justice Ministry spokesman Paul Setsetse told Sapa the department was in constant written communication with the Kulumani Support Group to update it on developments. Directors-general from the departments of education, arts and culture, health, justice, welfare and foreign affairs had met last week on Wednesday to discuss the issue. This included the need to create a co-ordinating mechanism at national and provincial government level "so that victims can be in a position to access mechanisms regarding their concerns and some of their needs." This issue would be taken to Cabinet in due course, Setsetse said. He said the Justice Ministry was also concerned about the pace of the process. The department had drafted a proposal on the TRC's reparations recommendations, but this had to be discussed by Cabinet first and he was not in a position to give details. TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said interim reparations were still continuing and that this process was being finalised. Cases differed but the average amount received in compensation was about R2000. The TRC had made its recommendations and the issue of final reparations was now a matter for government, Ngqumba said. However, people who were accepting monetary compensation were missing the point. "Money is not the key thing," he said. The TRC had recommended symbolic, community and individual reparations. Addressing Parliament during the debate on the TRC's report last year, then President Nelson Mandela said the commission's recommendations on reparation and rehabilitation was broadly acceptable to government. Urgent interim reparation had been paid to individual victims identified by the TRC, and funds had been set aside for this purpose in the budget. Government was firmly of the view that to the extent that resources allowed, individual reparation grants should continue to be made to identified surviving families and victims. The mobilisation of such resources for reparations, would require a partnership with the private sector and civil society. In the same debate, then Justice Minister Dullah Omar said while government would do what it could about reparations, those who sought to overthrow the previous dispensation did not do so for monetary compensation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 27 October 1999 - SAPA

DEAD AMNESTY APPLICANT'S CASE TO BE CONSIDERED

The application for amnesty by a security policeman involved in killing an informant would be considered further when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reviewed evidence given by his accomplices, the commission said on Wednesday. TRC spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said Sarel du Plessis Crafford died of natural causes early in 1998 before he could be cross-examined. The TRC's amnesty committee therefore reserved judgment in his case. Crafford, together with former security branch policemen Johannes Petrus Roodt and Daniel Jacobus Kruger, applied for amnesty for their role in the murder of police informer Ernest Ramango in the late 1980s. Roodt and Kruger were granted amnesty in Pretoria on Tuesday. Ramango, who fell out of favour with the three after admitting he was a double agent, was killed with explosives in Mamelodi outside Pretoria. Kruger and Roodt met the requirements of the amnesty committee, said Judge Sisi Khampepe of the amnesty committee.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 27 October 1999 - SAPA

TWO FORMER SECURITY COPS GET AMNESTY FOR KILLING INFORMANT

Two former security branch policemen were on Tuesday granted amnesty for their part in the murder of an alleged police informer, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said on Wednesday. TRC spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said Johannes Petrus Roodt and Daniel Jacobus Kruger - together with Sarel du Plessis Crafford, who died of natural causes early in 1998 - applied for amnesty for their role in the murder of police informer Ernest Ramango in the late 1980s. Ramango, who fell out of favour with the three after admitting he was a double agent, was killed with explosives in Mamelodi outside Pretoria. Kruger and Roodt met the requirements of the amnesty committee, said Judge Sisi Khampepe of the amnesty committee. Crafford's application would go before the committee for further consideration. A TRC spokesman could not say why Crafford's application needed further consideration.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG October 29 1999 - SAPA

TRC TO HEAR AMNESTY APPLICATIONS FROM ANC-APLA CONFLICT

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hear evidence in the Eastern Cape next week from six former ANC members who are seeking amnesty for their role in the murder of six Apla members shortly before the 1994 election. Lusindiso Poyo, Zamekile Pato, Fundisile Guleni, Dumisa Mdlulwa, Mfanelo Matshaya and Pumelela Hermans are also seeking amnesty for an attack on an election workshop in March 1994 and several other murders. The attacks were among several clashes between supporters of the African National Congress and members of the Pan Africanist Congress' armed wing, the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army in the Eastern Cape, the TRC said in a statement in Johannesburg. The TRC's amnesty committee will also hear an amnesty application from Vuyani Memani, who claims that as a member of the AN's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe in the Eastern Cape, he raided Frankfort police station with four other men in the former Ciskei homeland for weapons in August 1992. The TRC said Memani was also seeking amnesty for his part in a shootout between his group of friends and police. Xolisa Mkonwana was seeking amnesty for the murder of two alleged police informers and for arson attacks on government buildings in 1985 and 1986. The amnesty hearing will take place from November 1 and 5 at the Catholic Centre in Queens Road, East London.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA October 29 1999 - SAPA

TRC REPORT ANNIVERSARY SIGNIFICANT MOMENT FOR DEMOCRACY: MADUNA

The first anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report represented a "significant moment in the development of South Africa's democracy," Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Penuell Maduna said in a statement on Thursday. Thursday marked the first anniversary of the day TRC chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu handed the commission's report on gross human rights violations committed by South Africans against fellow compatriots between 1960 and 1994 to then president Nelson Mandela. Maduna said the occasion was clear testimony to the determination and commitment of all South Africans to build a united and strong nation on the ashes of apartheid. "It is an occasion to celebrate the triumph of our democracy and an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the values enshrined in our constitution," he said. It was also a reaffirmation of the belief that the future could be faced with confidence only if South Africans as a nation accepted and dealt with their past. "As a government, we have always been cognisant of the fact that true reconciliation can only take place if the concerns and plight of victims are taken seriously," he said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association LONDON 1 November 1999 - SAPA-AP

TUTU SAYS DE KLERK "TOO CLEVER BY HALF" OVER TORTURE

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Monday called former President F.W. de Klerk "too clever by half" for publicly apologizing for apartheid-era abuses then denying knowledge of routine torture. Tutu, chairman of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has repeatedly clashed with de Klerk, who denies knowing about the involvement of a Cabinet minister and top officials in ordering the murder and torture of antiapartheid activists. "He wanted to suggest that it was done by the lower echelons in the security forces but we're talking about brigadiers ... in one instance a Cabinet minister. How can you say that it is a few bad eggs?" Tutu said in an interview with Associated Press. "Torture was not exceptional. Torture was standard practice." Tutu, who now teaches at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, was in London to address lawyers at the Bar Human Rights Lecture. He suggested that the United States should consider setting up a tribunal similar to the South African commission to face up "to the legacy of slavery and the civil war." "Things look OK on the surface but you scratch just below the surface and the pain African Americans and Native Americans carry is almost palpable," said Tutu. In a recent book, "No Future Without Forgiveness," he called de Klerk "a small man lacking magnanimity and generosity of spirit." De Klerk retorted that Tutu of being "blinded by his own narrow perception of the truth." Tutu said the chapter criticizing de Klerk was difficult to write. De Klerk, he added, had an opportunity to be remembered as a great leader but his reputation was sullied by a lack of accountability. "I am sad because what he did to was to erode a stature that was built up around his presiding over the transition (in government) in the manner he did," said Tutu. "He eroded it by being too clever by half." In his speech to the British lawyers, Tutu maintained that South Africa had no choice but to practice the commission's form of "restorative justice" rather than "retributive justice." "It was an ad hoc way, a once off mechanism to handle a delicate and particular situation," Tutu said in remarks prepared in advance. "It was not intended to provide precedents, it was not meant to be the normal way of South African jurisprudence." Tutu, 68, said he is feeling fit and healthy after being told by doctors last week that his prostate cancer has not spread. Next week in Atlanta, he expects to undergo cryosurgery, in which doctors use liquid nitrogen to freeze the existing cancer.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 1 November 1999 - SAPA

ANC ACTIVIST GIVEN AMNESTY FOR WESTERN CAPE TERROR CAMPAIGN

African National Congress activist Johannes Afrika Hlapo was on Monday granted amnesty for his part in the stoning to death of two people on the Cape Flats nearly 20 years ago. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee found that Hlapo's acts were associated with a political motive and that he had made a full disclosure. Hlapo admitted during his application for amnesty in Cape Town last week that he had been part of a crowd of about 2000 that took part in stoning and burning vehicles in Crossroads and Nyanga townships near Cape Town in August 1980. Two men, George Beeton and Frederick Casper Jansen, who happened to drive into the crowd were stoned to death and their vehicles set on fire. Committee chairman Judge Denzil Potgieter said Hlapo's actions had been a direct result of the ANC's liberation struggle and he therefore complied with the requirements for amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 1 November 1999 - SAPA

MK CADRE DESCRIBES HOW HE ESCAPED FROM POLICE CELLS

A former Umkhonto we Sizwe cadre on Monday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission how he escaped from Jeppe police station after being arrested for numerous crimes, including the robbery of Fidelity Guards security officials. Linda Mtambo was applying for amnesty for nine crimes he committed with members of an MK cell in 1988 and for his escape from the police station a year later. The TRC's amnesty committee heard his application in Mayfair, Johannesburg. MK was the armed wing of the African National Congress. Mtambo is serving 30 years in prison for an armed robbery in Standerton in 1992. Crimes for which he was awaiting trial when he escaped also counted against him. Mtambo, in his amnesty application, said he wanted to skip the country in order to go into exile. He had planned to escape on May 31, 1989, three months after being arrested for arson and armed robbery. The plan was to rob a guard of the keys to his solitary cell. He said he asked the guard to take him to a cell where prisoners met visitors to see a relative. Mtambo then told the guard the visitor had not arrived and asked to be returned to his cell. He then repeatedly stabbed the guard with a sharpened spoon, stole the keys and locked the guard in the his cell. Mtambo ran to the Jeppe train station and caught a train home. He had been awaiting trial for a robbing two Fidelity Guards at the time of his escape. Mtambo, together with George Mohapi, Andrew Mathabathe and Sazi Ndlovu, robbed two Fidelity Guards officials picking up money in Dube. Mtambo, who said he joined the ANC in 1982 while he was still a pupil in Soweto, said the plan was approved by their MK cell second-in-command leader, known as "Bless". Bless said the money was needed to bribe a policeman so that the cell leader, Modise Metsing, who was arrested for an unspecified crime, could be released. Mtambo was injured during the robbery, but the other three men made away with two steel trunks carrying R76000, as reported in the media. He said he went to hospital and only received R4000 of the money to cover his medical expenses at a clinic. He said the rest of the money was with Mathabathe, who later gave it to Bless at a park in Soweto. Asked whether he knew that it was not ANC policy to commit robbery, Mtambo answered that he did not know. "As an operative, you would be ordered what to do and you would be convinced that it was the right thing to do in order achieve the organisation's goals," Mtambo said. Mtambo, with Sandile Hlongwane, Jabu Mbatha and Mohapi, also attacked the houses of three Soweto residents they believed were forcing municipal workers into not joining a strike in 1988. Mtambo said they attacked the house of a Mr Monamedi after receiving information from their sources that he was pressing workers not to heed the strike call by the SA Municipal Workers' Union. He said he threw a handgrenade through the dining room window after Monamedi had switched off the lights. "This (the bombing) was not meant to injure anyone but to threaten because we thought they had gone to bed." The attacks on two other people were also similar and there was no threat to human lives, Mtambo said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA 1 November 1999 - SAPA

TRC SEARCHING FOR VICTIMS' FAMILIES AHEAD OF DE KOCK HEARING

The amnesty hearing of former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock will continue in Pretoria on November 15, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee said on Monday. In light of this, the committee was trying to locate a number of victims and the families of deceased victims. These included the next-of-kin of two people killed in an ambush near Nerston in Mpumalanga in 1986 and three people abducted from Swaziland in 1984, or their next-of- kin. The committee asked the following people to contact it: - Alpheus Sidlane Sithole, the next-of-kin of Shadrack Sithole from Swaziland, and Christina Phuthego Kone, and the next-of-kin of Mbongeni Kone from Shayandima in the former Venda. The victims were killed in an ambush on the Nerston/Amsterdam road in Mpumalanga on August 14, 1986. - Vikelisizwe Colin Khumalo, Ernest Nonjawanagu and Michael Dauwanga Matikinca, who were abducted from Swaziland in 1984 together with Gaboutlwelwe Christopher Mosiane. - Candy Ntshonsho, who was injured in a car explosion in May 1987. Theophilus Dlodlo and Nomsa Msomi were killed in the explosion. The committee was also trying to locate people known as "Ndam", "Stretcter", "Sebole" and "Vietnam", who were used by the security forces to spread Aids in the Hillbrow area during 1990. They can contact Tania Hosking at (021) 245161 extension 2240 or by fax at (021) 4222221, or Yunus Dhoda at (011) 3311471 or by fax at (011) 3311109. The hearing will continue until December 10 at the Idasa centre in Pretoria. De Kock and eight others, including super spy Craig Williamson and head of the security forces General Johan Coetzee, were granted amnesty on October 15 for the 1982 bombing of the London offices of the African National Congress. They were also granted amnesty for conspiracy to bomb the SA Communist Party's offices in London, malicious damage to property, obtaining false passports, and the illegal possession of weapons and explosives. The offences were committed by the applicants on or about March 14, 1982.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG 1 November 1999 - SAPA

SDU MEMBER SEEKS AMNESTY FOR MURDER OF IFP SYMPATHISERS

An African National Congress member on Monday applied for amnesty for the murder of what he believed were two Inkatha Freedom Party members in Power Park squatter settlement in Soweto in 1994. Peter Luja Mbala, 34, is serving a 16 year jail sentence for the murder of Bonginkosi Ndaba and Sipho Sithole. Mbala told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Johannesburg on Monday that he was a member of a self-defence unit (SDU) whose aim was to protect the community from what they regarded as "disruptive people" supporting the Inkatha Freedom Party. He said that on the night of April 9, 1994, he and a group of SDU members went to the house of a Mr Zwane because they wanted to establish whether Zwane was a member of the IFP. "We asked them which organisation they belonged to because they were not part of our patrol teams," Mbala said. Mbala denied that he shot the two men who they found in Zwane's house, but admitted that he stabbed Thokozani Maduna with a spear he was carrying. Mbala said the men were shot by the commander of the unit, known only as Mkabane. After Ndaba and Sithole had been killed, Mbala said he poured paraffin all over the shack before setting it on fire. Asked why he believed the victims were IFP supporters, Mbala said Zwane always had visitors from the nearest hostel. Hostel dwellers were generally regarded as IFP supporters during this period. "I had seen Ndaba and Sithole one day as the hostel dwellers were leaving Zwane's house," Mbala said. "We were highly upset about this because they (hostel dwellers) were attacking and killing some of our people." Mbala said he heard that Mkabane had died in 1996. "The objective for the attack was to protect the community," Mbala said. The amnesty committee will sit at the JISS Centre in Mayfair until Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 2 1999 - SAPA

FORMER MK MAN TELLS TRC WHY HE ROBBED

A former Umkhonto we Sizwe cadre serving a 60-year-sentence for various crimes told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday he committed armed robberies to raise money for arms for underground African National Congress activities. Ephraim Nkosi told the TRC's amnesty committee in Mayfair, Johannesburg, that he needed the money to buy a vehicle which would be used for transporting arms caches from Oshoek in Mpumalanga to KwaZulu- Natal in the late 1970s. MK was an armed wing of the African National Congress. He said he started working for Iscor in Newcastle in 1974 and operated as an MK member. His task was to set up an ANC underground network in the province. "While at Iscor, I used the company cars to ferry arms from Swaziland to South Africa." Nkosi claimed the police's special branch exposed him and forced him to become an informant. His refusal to do so led to his dismissal from Iscor. "But my orders to set up an underground network stood, and that is when I decided to commit robbeit robbeit robbeit robbeit robbeit robbeit robberies so that I could have a car e a car e a car e a car to ferry the arms," Nkosi said.si said.si said.si said.si said.si said.si said. "Because my chances of emploof emploof emploof emploof emploof emploof employment to another job were nil, Ie nil, Ie nil, Ie nil, Ie nil, Ie nil, Ie nil, I was forced to take initiativestiativestiativestiativestiativestiativestiatives as an operative who was forced forced forced forced ater robbed a Mr Du Plooy in Standerton. This robbery was done without Nkosi's knowledge and took place as the two were going to KwaZulu-Natal to contact the underground structures before the final lap of crossing the border. "I do take the full responsibility because his (Mntambo's) explanation is that the money was for the purpose of skipping the country, which has a political motive as I have recruited him." Nkosi was later re-arrested and was in 1982 given a death sentence. The sentence was later commuted to 60 years and six months. Mntambo's application for amnesty for the robbery in Standerton was rejected because the commission felt his acts did not relate to acts associated with a political objective.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON November 2 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS CISKEI KILLINGS WERE PART OF STRUGGLE

The killing of two people in 1986, including a member of the Ciskei National Independence Party, formed part of the struggle against the former Ciskei homeland system, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee heard on Tuesday. Xolisa Mkonwana is seeking amnesty for the killing of Nomboniso Cakwe and Vuyisile Paka at the Sada township in Whittlesea, and the burning down of a local rent office, a labour department building and two alleged informers' houses. He told the committee, sitting in East London, that while he did not personally take part in the killings, he endorsed the incidents because "I was part of a meeting ... Ciskei cabinet minister. Mkonwana said he was among a group of about 50 people who visited Cakwe before her death and accused her of being an informer. He ordered her to stop her activities. "After some comrades were arrested after we talked to Cakwe, we realised she had informed the police and so once more sold out," he said. Mkonwana said he was informed on April 25 that Cakwe and Paka were killed the previous day. The amnesty committee reserved judgment.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON November 2 1999 - SAPA

APLA MAN GETS AMNESTY FOR KILLING DELIVERY DRIVER

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission granted amnesty to a former Azanian People's Liberation Army cadre on Tuesday for the murder of a delivery van driver in Port Elizabeth in 1991. Lumko Nkumanda, who is currently serving an 18-year sentence, and Zolani Mkonko ambushed Norman Beaton in New Brighton in March. Nkumanda shot Beaton after he refused to hand over his gun. The killer then took the pistol and left. The TRC heard Apla had adopted a strategy of robbery to obtain the necessary funds and arms to attain the Pan Africanist Congress' political objectives. Nkumanda was also granted amnesty for his role in an armed robbery in December 1991. He and four others robbed the Unity Agency in Korsten in Port Elizabeth of R93000. They were arrested shortly afterwards and all the money was recovered.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN 3 November 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO 10

Six former security policemen who attempted to murder a current SA National Defence Force general and three other ANC activists in Botswana in 1987 have been granted amnesty, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said on Wednesday. The amnesty applications of three African National Congress members and a Free State policeman were also successful, the TRC said in a statement. The six security policemen - Willem Johannes Coetzee, Anton Pretorius, Lodewyk de Jager, Ignatius Coetzee, Wikus Loots and Manual Oliphant -were part of a group that appeared before the TRC's amnesty committee in Pretoria last week. Ignatius Coetzee headed the security police's Sowetan Intelligence Unit which, together with other informers, infiltrated the ANC's MK underground structure in Botswana in 1987, which was active in South Africa and specifically in Soweto. The MK unit was responsible for recruitment, training and infiltration of trained cadres, the statement said. "The applicants conspired to kill General (Lambert) Moloi, Mark Shope, MK Sipho and MK Jackie, who were staying at the Oasis Motel in Gaborone. "The committee found that the applicants made full disclosure of all relevant facts and their acts were associated with a political motive," the statement said. The three ANC members granted amnesty on Wednesday are Jabulane Walter Nxumalo , Vusi David Khumalo and Patric Musa Madondo. Nxumalo received amnesty for terrorism and sabotage committed as a member of MK in 1977. Khumalo and Madondo, both self-defence unit members, were granted amnesty for the attempted murder of a policemen and unlawful possession of arms and ammunition in Katlehong on the East Rand in April 1994. The committee was satisfied that the actions of the applicants constituted acts associated with a political objective. Also granted amnesty was Free State policeman, Jacobus de Ru, for killing Jonas Ramphalile and Zacharia Mofekeng and for defeating the ends of justice. De Ru testified that he killed the deceased because he felt they were part of the Pan Africanist Congress' operation "Great Storm", during which farmers and policemen in Ellington, Steynsrust and Edenville in the district of Kroonstad were killed, the statement said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association EAST LONDON 3 November 1999 - SAPA

TRC TOLD SDUs KILLED FOUR APLA MEMBERS

An African National Congress and former self-defence unit member on Wednesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee that he killed four former Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army members. He said they were suspected of planning to disrupt an ANC rally in Majola near East London, and were killed and buried in one grave in 1994. Fundisile Guleni, seeking amnesty, told the committee that on April 20, 1994 he and another person identified only as Mnguni heard that Apla cadres were planning to disrupt a rally to be addressed by former Transkei leader Bantu Holomisa. He said they found the Apla members hitchhiking at Mampube to Umtata and gave them a lift, pretending to be on their way to Umtata as well. Guleni said instead of going to Umtata, they drove the men to Majola where they met seven armed men who took them to a house belonging to someone named Mxize for questioning. "Their stories did not make sense and we decided to take them to another place for further questioning," he said. Guleni said after the cadres were questioned, he heard gun shots and discovered that Mxize had shot and seriously injured some of the Apla members. "At that time we were all shocked as we did not plan to shoot them," he said. Guleni said one of his accomplices, Mzwandile, ordered Mxize to kill the men rather than take them to hospital, but he could not do it. He said Mzwandile then shot and killed them instantly. The bodies were buried in one grave in a spot at Sinuka near Port St Johns. Guleni is also seeking amnesty for his part in a shootout between SDUs and Apla cadres during a voter education campaign in Lusikisiki on March 28, 1994 and for his part in the death of a man known as Mapipa during the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress fights in Port St Johns before the 1994 election. Also in his amnesty application, Guleni asked to be pardoned for his part in the killing of the Weakly Brothers in 1993. The amnesty committee reserved judgment.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 4 1999 - SAPA

LEGAL CHALLENGE LOOMS FOR GOVT OVER TRC REPARATIONS

The government could soon face a legal challenge from non-government organisations if it, as the groups claim, continues to sidestep the payment of reparation to apartheid victims who appeared before the TRC. "Reparation is a right," said Thandi Shezi, a spokeswoman for the Khulumani Group, said on Thursday at a meeting in Johannesburg of a coalition of NGOs concerned about reparation. "Victims feel they've been taken for a ride by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the government," she said. "We've been used by politicians to get what they wanted from the perpetrators." The organisation planned to take legal action on behalf of victims against the government unless it responded to their demands by the end of the week, Shezi said. Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Penuell Maduna had not even accepted a memo from victims at a protest march on the issue last month, she said. The Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act implies that reparation is a right but it suggests that this could also take the form of moral compensation or token gestures rather than actual payouts. The government - claiming it could not afford the R5 billion the TRC final report cited as the amount needed for reparation payouts -recently suggested it would offer symbolic reparation, such as erecting monuments dedicated to victims. But Shezi rejected this outright: "That is painful to people," she said. "What can a disabled person or an orphan do with a monument?" Brendan Hamber of the Centre for Violence and Reconciliation said that from a human rights perspective, reparation was a right, which was recognised by the United Nations as well as five other similar international institutions. But the longer the reparations issue was left resolved, the more likely it was that the government could overrule these rights on the basis of what was pragmatic, he said. The TRC final report was released a year ago and the government had still done nothing to deliver promised long-term reparation. Meanwhile, in two-and-a-half years, relatively few people had received interim reparation payments of R2500 while the perpetrators of gross abuses had walked free. Hamber criticised the government for ignoring the TRC recommendations on how to raise the money needed for reparation payouts and refusing to engage in debate on the matter. "The lack of debate means the reparation process may be reduced to pragmatics and the principle pushed aside," he warned. It was important to note that countries such as Chile had made reparation payments to victims of human rights abuses under dictator Augusto Pinochet, he said. The government could involve the business sector in fund-raising, because big business had benefited considerably from apartheid. "If we can't treat the victims of the past with due dignity we can hardly expect the victims of present crimes to ever receive due recognition for their suffering," Hamber said. Former deputy chairwoman of the TRC's reparations committee, Dr Wendy Orr, said it was "tremendously disingenuous" of government to abandon promised reparation to victims at this point. It was implicit in the Act that victims had a right to reparation and that it might take a monetary form. Victims felt they had been denied justice though the granting of amnesty since it blocked them from taking legal action against perpetrators, but that compromise was justifiable as long as reparation could be expected. Without reparation, that compromise was not justifiable, Orr said. "Government has negotiated in bad faith with the victims to refuse payment now," she said. Reverend Caesar Molebatsi, who represented churches at Thursday's meeting, said this was "a double betrayal". "The TRC process re-opened victims' wounds. Not to resolve the reparation issue is inviting people to walk on those reopened wounds."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

PRETORIA November 4 1999 - SAPA

FIVE DAY TRC HEARING FOR VLAKPLAAS OPERATIVES

The amnesty applications of former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, fellow operative Almond Butana Nofemela and eight others will be heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) amnesty committee in Pretoria from November 8 to 12. TRC spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said in a statement on Thursday, that the former Vlakplaas group was applying for its role in the 1985 abduction, torture and murder of Jameson Nqoloyi Mngomezulu, a Swazi National. Mbatha said Mngomezulu, according to the amnesty applicants, was said to have provided safe passage to trained and armed members of the African National Congress and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in the mid 1980s. Among the applicants was an askari, Moses Nzimande, a former MK soldier, who claims that Mngomezulu had assisted him and other MK soldiers to enter South Africa illegally. Mbatha said Mngomezulu was allegedly abducted by the group, taken out of Swaziland, tortured and killed at Sodwana Bay, north of Durban. Meanwhile, the hearing on an amnesty application by the "Khumalo Gang" would start at Palm Ridge Community Centre on Palm Ridge in the East Rand, starting Monday, November 8. The Khumalo Gang became prominent from 1991 onwards, and had allegedly been responsible for numerous acts of violence, Mbatha said. The gang was formed by Mbhekiseni Khumalo, an Archbishop of the Light of Zion Church. Khumalo was dubbed the "Killer Bishop" by the people of Thokoza and Katlehong, Mbatha said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 5 1999 - SAPA

TERRE'BLANCHE CONFIDENT HE WON'T BE JAILED

Going to jail did not form part of his future expectations, AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche said on Friday after he was refused leave to appeal a six-year-prison sentence for attempted murder and assault. "I am not going to prison. Truth will come out in some or other way. As a man of faith, I have no doubt that I will not be jailed for something I have not done," he said from Ventersdorp. The general staff of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging said the ruling against their leader was an attempt to silence him. After what was described as an urgent meeting, the body said in a statement: "This is part of a campaign against him after our successful protest meetings against the country's proposed new gun laws." The Pretoria High Court earlier in the day rejected an application by Terre'Blanche to appeal to the Appeal Court in Bloemfontein against his conviction and sentence. However, bail of R20,000 was extended to allow him to petition the Chief Justice. The petition, his last resort, must be filed within the next 21 days. Terre'Blanche afterwards said: "I have no doubt that a full bench of the Appeal Court will acquit me." Judge Willie van der Merwe and Acting Judge Johan Kruger also dismissed Terre'Blanche's application to reopen the case to lead further evidence. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in June 1997 in the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court for attempting to murder and assault two Ventersdorp men. One of the men, Paul Motshabi, 29, who worked for Terre'Blanche's security firm, suffered brain damage and was described as a "vegetable" after the assault. He was beaten with a blunt object on the head and neck and remained in a coma for some time. Terre'Blanche was also found guilty of assaulting a petrol attendant, John Ndzima, and encouraging his dog to bite Ndzima in a toilet where he tried to hide.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN November 7 1999 - SAPA

DE KLERK HAS PLACE IN HISTORY: MANDELA

Former President Nelson Mandela on Sunday said he did not regret having shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former State President FW de Klerk. "Whatever mistakes he (De Klerk) has made, he has a place in history," Mandela said in an interview on the SABC television's Newsmaker programme. He was asked to react to statements by Truth and Reconciliation Commission chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu that he (Tutu) now regretted having backed De Klerk's nomination for the prize. Mandela said that although the liberation movement was responsible for the transition in South Africa, it would never have been able to bring about peaceful transformation if it had not spoken with the enemy. De Klerk and his predecessor PW Botha had played a critical role in this regard, Mandela said. Mandela said he did not want to challenge Tutu's statement, but if De Klerk had not played the role he had, South Africa would have gone up in flames.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN November 8 1999 - SAPA

FORMER MWASA SECRETARY GRANTED AMNESTY

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday granted amnesty to a former secretary of the Media Workers Association of South Africa (Mwasa), Sithembele Khala, for his part in a Johannesburg bank robbery in 1990. Khala - an Azanian People's Liberation Army (Apla) member at the time - was sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment for the robbery and five years for attempted murder, after a shootout with police following the robbery of Nedbank's Fox Street branch. The TRC's amnesty committee found that Khala had acted with the requisite political objective and had made a full disclosure of all relevant facts. In his testimony, Khala said the operation was authorised by the PAC leadership, and that Apla was responsible for carrying out the fund-raising operation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 8 1999 - SAPA

SWAZI DEATH: DE KOCK TAKES RESPONSIBILITY

Former Vlakplaas police commander Colonel Eugene de Kock on Monday said he accepted responsibility for the actions of operatives who kidnapped, tortured and killed a Swazi national on his orders in the 1980s. De Kock and eight others are applying for amnesty for killing Jameson Mngomezulu, an African National Congress member who assisted ANC cadres to infiltrate South Africa. The apartheid security police wanted information from Mngomezulu on the names and number of "terrorists" who had infiltrated the country to be able to trace them. De Kock said security forces also wanted to establish to what extent their had been infiltrations in rural areas and if the "terrorist threat" was larger in the rural areas than in the cities. Mngomezulu had apparently also been involved in establishing arms caches for the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. "I take responsibility for the actions of those persons who acted under my command and those who were co-opted," De Kock said. Mngomezulu was kidnapped and taken to a place called Moolman outside Piet Retief in KwaZulu-Natal. He was later moved to a farm, Leeuwspoor, which was close to Josini, the headquarters of the northern Natal security police. De Kock testified that the order to take action against Mngomezulu came from Lieutenant Gert Schoon, head of the northern Natal command at that stage. It was approved by his brother, Brigadier Willem Schoon, at the security branch headquarters in Pretoria. De Kock ordered Lieutenant Paul van Dyk to lead a team of "heavy operatives" to carry out the order. He supplied them with Russian firearms and should anything go wrong, Mngomezulu was to be shot dead. De Kock said he did not approve of the methods used to torture Mngomezulu to get him to talk. While he was not present himself, he was informed that barbed wire was inserted into the captive's urethra by Kimpani Mogai, who was mainly responsible for the interrogation. De Kock said he found this so offensive that he ordered Mogai not be used for interrogation again. "We were used to torture methods such as electrocution, the helicopter method, burning, breaking arms, assault, sjambokking, tubing and wet bags. "But this was ....I don't know....beyond me and I am not being coy here. I have never heard of this," De Kock said. There were no specific guidelines given to operatives on how to interrogate people and it was left to initiative, he said. "When we look for operatives, we look for individually thinking people, but I have never heard of the methods used by Mogai." Presiding officer, Judge Sisi Khampepe, said the panel found it interesting that De Kock found the methods used by Mogai offensive in light of the fact that there were no guidelines for torture given to Vlakplaas operatives. "It was not acceptable to me. It might have been to Mogae," De Kock said. Mogai's legal team said his client would deny ever using such torture methods. Mogai would also claim in his application that De Kock had been party to the torture. He had allegedly "struck the deceased in his testicles". De Kock said if he had been present at the interrogation, he would have told the committee so. Van Dyk told the committee only "normal" torture proceedings had been used on Mngomezulu. He was not aware of the barbed-wire method, but he was not present all the time. Asked if he had seen blood on Mngomezulu's private parts at any stage, Van Dyk said no. He testified that he "smacked" Mngomezulu a few times, but "I did not manhandle him". "The man was interrogated in a normal fashion. Just about everyone assaulted him", Van Dyk said. "He was assaulted with bare fists and feet and he was struck with a stick over his back." Van Dyk left the farm to go to Middelburg in Mpumalanga at one stage and upon his return saw that Mngomezulu had been severely assaulted. He was barely conscious and they realised they would not get anything more from him. They decided to take him back to the border, but he died on the way. "We had to get rid of the body". His body was blown up at a missile range near Sodwana Bay. Van Dyk, Gert Schoon and fellow applicant Frederik Johannes Pienaar, were present. Van Dyk denied that it was their intention from the beginning to kill Mngomezulu because his release would have created an international incident. The security police were led to Mngomezulu by Moses Nzimande, an askari (ANC cadre who defected to the apartheid police). Nzimande was one of the ANC cadres who was assisted by Mngomezulu to enter South Africa, but he was arrested and recruited by police. Pienaar, then a security branch commander at Piet Retief, testified that Mngomezulu was interrogated by, among others, Almond Nofomela who has apparently not applied for amnesty for this incident. Neither Nofomela nor his legal representative were present at the hearing on Monday. The matter will be resolved on Tuesday. Another operative, Gert Beeslaar, has apparently disappeared. His legal representative, Conrad Swart, said he had not been in contact with his client for several weeks and could not take instructions to prepare for his current application. The hearing continues on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN November 9 1999 - SAPA

MOGOBA DELIGHTED ABOUT EIKENHOF THREE'S RELEASE

Pan Africanist Congress president Stanley Mogoba on Tuesday expressed delight that the so-called Eikenhof Three would finally be released from prison. However, the PAC was angry that it had taken such a long time, he told Sapa. Mogoba said the party had called for the release of the three African National Congress cadres well before Christmas last year, after it transpired that the Eikenhof attack had been carried out by members of the PAC's armed wing the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army. An Apla commander, Phila Dolo, claimed responsibility for the attack when he applied for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Dolo maintained the Eikenhof Three were innocent and the PAC launched a campaign to free the men, Mogoba said. The continued imprisonment of the three ANC members, despite repeated calls for their release, was a "miscarriage of justice", Mogoba said. The PAC had hoped the men would be released last year so that they could at least spend Christmas with their families. "At least they'll finally be home for Christmas this year," Mogoba said. Boy Titi Ndweni, Sipiwe James Bholo and Sipho Samuel Gavin were convicted of murdering Zandra Mitchley, her 14-year-old son Shaun and his 13-year-old friend Claire Silberbauer. They died in a hail of bullets while on their way from Vereeniging to Johannesburg in 1993. Ndewni, Bholo and Gavin were due to be released from Johannesburg Prison on Tuesday afternoon. Transvaal Deputy Judge President Eddie Stafford signed the warrant for the men's release on Tuesday morning following a decision by the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, not to bring fresh charges against them. The trio's convictions and sentences were set aside by the Appellate Division in August this year.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 9 1999 - SAPA

NOFOMELA TO TESTIFY BEFORE TRC

Former Vlakplaas operative Almond Nofomela, who escaped the gallows by supplying dramatic last minute information on hit squads, will testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Friday. Nofomela, former Vlakplaas commander Colonel Eugene de Kock and eight others have applied for amnesty in connection with the death of Swazi national Jameson Mngomezulu in the 1980s. Mngomezulu was abducted and tortured to death by Vlakplaas operatives who wanted information on the infiltration of African National Congress members into South Africa. They also hoped to prise information on arms caches for the ANC's armed wing Umkhonto weSizwe out of him. Afterwards they blew his body up. On Monday it seemed Nofomela might withdraw his amnesty application on the matter but on Tuesday his lawyer, Albert Ramawele, said his client would testify on Friday. Confusion over Nofomela's testimony arose when he said he had already testified in the matter before the TRC in 1997, and was not aware that he should testify again. He was called to this week's hearing as an implicated person and was apparently not notified to testify. He is currently serving a jail term for killing a farmer. He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted after 1994. Andre Steenkamp, the amnesty committee's evidence leader, informed the committee on Tuesday that TRC documents retrieved from Cape Town indicated that Nofomela had testified on the matter. Fellow applicant Johannes Koole implicated him as being part of the group who tortured Mngomezulu. Koole, the fifth applicant to testify, said he, Nofomela and other members of the group assaulted Mngomezulu. He testified that he had seen de Kock briefly at the torture scene at a house at Jozini, in northern KwaZulu-Natal. On Monday De Kock denied ever being present during the torture. The committee on Tuesday also heard how Vlakplaas operatives used an Eskom caravan parked at a substation at Moolman, about 20km from Piet Retief, to torture Mngomezulu. Retired security branch commander at Piet Retief in Mpumalanga, Freek Pienaar, said they had an arrangement with Eskom guards to use the caravan when they wanted to. "We made use of it several times. We arranged it with the Eskom guards and we could come and go as we liked," he said. Pienaar, who testified that he had assaulted Mngomezulu several times, said it became clear to him that Mngomezulu would not break under interrogation. He opposed Schoon's idea of recruiting Mngomezulu as an operative or that he should be released. "He was a hardened man and I saw that he would not break under interrogation. This was one of the reasons I did not agree to send him back. He was an important link and it would have been futile to send him back when one would have wanted to remove that link," Pienaar said. The assault continued at a farm, Leeuwspoor, near Jozini where Mngomezulu went into a coma and died. His body was blown up at a missile range at Sodwana Bay, now a popular diving spot. Pienaar said that the former head of the security police's northern Natal division, Lieutenant Gert Schoon, and Vlakplaas operative Paul van Dyk accompanied him on this mission. Legal representative for Mngomezulu's family, Mpho Kgasi, asked that Pienaar take them to where Mngomezulu spent his last days. "Would you be willing to take them?" he asked Pienaar. "I can understand the family's wish, but I am not that familiar with Sodwana. Lieutenant Schoon knows it better," Pienaar said. Schoon gave the order for Mngomezulu's kidnapping and it was approved by his brother, Brigadier Willem Schoon, head of the security branch's C section in Pretoria. The hearing was postponed to Thursday. The committee will start hearing evidence on another matter on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 9 1999 - SAPA

EIKENHOF THREE RELEASED FROM PRISON

The Eikenhof Three walked out of their cells at Johannesburg Prison as free men on Tuesday afternoon, more than six years after they were jailed for a triple murder during the apartheid era. Their release came after Bulelani Ngcuka, the director of public prosecutions, decided not to bring fresh charges against the men. The warrant for their release was signed by Transvaal Deputy Judge President Eddie Stafford on Tuesday morning. African National Congress cadres Boy Titi Ndweni, Sipiwe James Bholo and Sipho Samuel Gavin were jailed in 1994 on charges of murdering Zandra Mitchley, her 14-year-old son Shaun and his 13-year-old friend, Claire Silberbauer. The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania last year took responsibility for the attack. A colourful group of chanting ANC supporters waved party flags and displayed posters at the gates of Johannesburg prison on Tuesday afternoon as they awaited the release of the three. The posters read: "Welcome Home", "Free at Last", "Goodbye Curl Lewis," - referring to trial judge David Curlewis who convicted and sentenced the ANC cadres - and "Jail is not for (the) Innocent". Moments after their release, the three were hoisted onto the shoulders of the supporters, who sang freedom songs on the prison grounds. At a press conference, the Eikenhof Three expressed their gratitude to supporters. "Really this is a surprise," said Gavin. "I am still surprised and I don't believe this is true, that this is happening now. I'm shaking. "But I would like to thank all those who supported us: the PAC, the ANC, our families and all those who were part of the campaign. God be with you people. Thanks." Ndweni said he was happy to be released because he and the other two had always been innocent. Bholo thanked people for their support, adding his gratitude to the lawyers who fought for the release of the three. Asked whether the three would take action against the state, ANC provincial secretary Obed Bapela said: "For now I think we are still celebrating the release of the three comrades. We will discuss that organisationally." Asked what he thought of South Africa's present justice system, Ndweni said he did not have a problem in general. "There are just these reactionary judges. I think they will have to appoint people who really know their work and judge by what is in front of them and not because of a person's colour." Bapela added that the ANC was not happy with the way the three were treated by police, and intended bringing this up during the expected re-trial. "Now because there is no re-trial we shall have to discuss what to do next." Ndweni and Bholo previously said they confessed to the murder because they were tortured by members of the Brixton murder and robbery squad. Mitchley and the two teenagers died on March 19 in a hail of bullets while on their way from Vereeniging and Johannesburg. Steps to free the Eikenhof Three began two years ago after PAC member Phila Dolo claimed responsibility for the attack. In his amnesty application to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, Dolo said he supervised the operation in his capacity as commander in the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the PAC. In a statement circulated on Tuesday, Ngcuka gave his reasons for not reinstituting a prosecution against the three. One was Dolo's evidence to the TRC, another the subsequent investigation by his Pretoria office. Other circumstances he had considered were that the three had already spent six years and seven months in custody, a re-trial would be lengthy, resources for prosecutions were limited, and dealing with current crime was a priority. In August this year, the Appellate Division set aside the conviction and sentencing of the three by Judge Curlewis in 1994. The PAC launched a campaign to free the men before Christmas last year. Speaking at the press conference, PAC secretary-general Mike Muendane said the three deserved compensation. "Together with the ANC we will try to explore the possibilities of compensation," he said. Muendane also called for a judicial review "because there are people who still use old values. These people must be weeded out of the judicial system." Bapela thanked the PAC for their national conference resolution to support the release of the three and co-operate totally with the ANC. Bapela said it would be difficult for Ndweni, Bholo and Gavin to reunite with their families and start life again. "But with the support of the ANC, and the ANC Youth League in particular, I am definitely sure that they will take care of you until you are part of the community of the Vaal Triangle and Gauteng," he told the three. For the ANC there was still the question of what had happened to the R25000 reward money promised to those who found the Eikenhof killers. The party handed Ndweni, Bholo and Gavin over to the authorities in March and April 1993, less than a month after the attack. The money was previously promised to the families of the three. Former Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa phoned during the press conference to congratulate the three. He was instrumental in legal work that led to their release. PAC president Stanley Mogoba on Tuesday expressed delight at the release of the Eikenhof Three. However, the PAC was angry that it had taken such a long time, he told Sapa. The PAC had hoped the men would be released last year so that they could at least spend Christmas with their families. "At least they'll finally be home for Christmas this year," Mogoba said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN November 9 1999 - SAPA

SELF-CONFESSED EIKENHOF KILLER IS NOW IN SANDF

Phila Dolo, the man who claims he ordered the Eikenhof attack for which three men were wrongly convicted and finally freed on Tuesday, has joined the SA National Defence Force. Dolo, a former commander of the Pan Africanist Congress's armed wing, the Azanian People's Liberation Army, applied for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the March 19, 1993 killing of a woman and two children. Dolo's attorney Lungelo Mbandazayo told Sapa on Tuesday the case was expected to be heard by the TRC's amnesty committee early next year. If he was denied amnesty, the state could charge him for the murders, depending on whether it had sufficient evidence. Dolo was in Johannesburg recently, consulting with the lawyers of three African National Congress cadres who were wrongly jailed and preparing for their retrial. "But now it's no longer necessary," his attorney said. The three ANC members were convicted and sentenced in June 1994 for the murder of Zandra Mitchley, 35, her 14-year-old son Shaun and his 13- year-old friend, Claire Silberbauer. Mbandazayo said Dolo was part of a group of Apla cadres who had received amnesty and were now being integrated into the defence force. Dolo received amnesty for his part in the attack on the Diepkloof police station on May 29, 1993 in which two policemen were killed. In a newspaper interview last year, Dolo accused the police of knowing for a long time that he was responsible for the Eikenhof massacre, but deliberately putting the wrong people in jail. "I personally ordered that massacre, although the initial target was supposed to be a school bus carrying white children," he reportedly said. Attempts to contact Dolo for comment following Tuesday's release of the wrongly convicted trio were unsuccessful Senior PAC members, including Apla's former chief of operations, Letlapa Maphahlele, said Dolo was part of a group of ex-cadres who were integrated into the defence force in Kimberley last Wednesday. Asked how he felt about the fact that Boy Titi Ndweni, Siphiwe James Bholo and Sipho Samuel Gavin were serving jails terms for something they did not do, Dolo reportedly said he felt sorry for them but could not do anything as he would have to face the hangman's noose himself if they were acquitted. "Had it not been for the opportunity offered by the TRC, I would not have come forward. I can't be blamed for being quiet for such a long time. It was not for me to go to the police and confess I was not doing it to go to jail," he told the Mail and Guardian newspaper. Transvaal Deputy Judge President Eddie Stafford on Tuesday morning signed the warrant for the ANC men's release following a decision by National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka not to bring fresh charges against them. The trio's convictions and sentences were set aside by the Appellate Division in August this year. Earlier, PAC president Stanley Mogoba at news of the release. He told Sapa the PAC was angry that it had taken such a long time, The PAC had hoped the men would be released last year so that they could at least spend Christmas with their families. "At least they'll finally be home for Christmas this year," Mogoba said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 11 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK AMNESTY HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK

Former Vlakplaas security police commander Eugene de Kock will apply for amnesty next week in seven of nine cases scheduled to be heard in Pretoria involving former policemen. De Kock is also implicated in an eighth case, according to a schedule put out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday. The hearings will include the issues of askaris spreading the Aids virus to prostitutes in Hillbrow and cross-border abduction raids into Swaziland. Askaris were turned African National Congress cadres. The TRC said Andries van Heerden and Willie Nortje would be the only two applicants in the Aids hearing. "De Kock, a person known only as Warrant-Officer Bellingan, Lieutenant Charles Zeelie, Paul van Dyk and four askaris, Ndam, Stretcher, Vietnam and Sebole have been implicated (in the Aids case)," said the statement. De Kock is seeking amnesty in three of four cases involving cross-border activities into Swaziland. He and Willem Schoon, Gert Visser, Willem Nortje, Schalk Visser, Daniel Greyling and Izack Bosch are seeking amnesty for abducting and killing Jabulani Msibi, a bodyguard to former ANC president Oliver Thambo in 1986. Then, with 11 others - Almond Butana Nofemela, Douw Gerhard Willemse, Izak Daniel Bosch, Frederick Pienaar, Eugene Fourie, Johannes Koole, Nicholaas Vermeulen, Schalk Visser, Paul van Dyk, Christo Deetlefs and Willem Schoon - De Kock will seek amnesty for abducting and killing Glory Sedibe from Swaziland. The TRC statement said that Sedibe, alias MK September, was former defence minister Joe Modise's brother-in-law who later became a Vlakplaas operative. De Kock will also seek amnesty for killing Thophilus Dlodlo, alias MK Viva, Thulani Nkwanyana, Nomsa Mildred Msomi and injuring Candy Ntshontsho, Shezi Msimang and Shongwe on May 1987 in Swaziland. With him will be Frans Smallberger Labuschagne. The only cross-border application not involving De Kock will see Schalk Visser, Christo Deetleefs, Frederick Pienaar and James van Zweel seek amnesty for abducting five MK guerrillas from Swaziland. They were Chris Mosiane, Vikelisizwe Colin Khumalo, the late Goodwill Sikhakhane, Michael Daliwonga Matikinca, alias MK James, and Ernest Nonjwanagu, alias MK Bhuye, said the statement. Another amnesty application by De Kock and eight other policemen involves the attempted murder of Dirk Coetzee and the subsequent killing of Bheki Mlangeni. The others are Jakobus Kok, Izak Bosch, Willie Nortje, Willem Bellingan, Jacob Francois Kok, Wybrand du Toit, Simon Makopo Radebe and Kobus Klopper. In the next case, De Kock, along with Willie Nortje, Johan Tait, Leon Flores and Izak Bosch will seeking amnesty for murdering Umkhonto We Sizwe soldier Xolile Sam, alias MK Valdez, in Germiston in 1988. In yet another case, De Kock will be one of 10 applicants. He and Paul van Dyk, Christo Deetlefs, Frederick Pienaar, Frans Smallberger Labuschagne, Jan Greyling, Eugene Fourie, Izak Bosch, Almond Butana Nofomela and Cornelius Johannes Botha will appear for the ambush of seven MK cadres at Nerston border near Swaziland in 1986. Finally, De Kock, Kobus Klopper, Johannes Swart and Nicholaas Vermeulen have applied for amnesty for killing an alleged arms smuggler, Sweet Sambo at Komatiepoort in 1991. His body was later blown with explosives at Verdrag Training Centre near Pretoria. The hearings will be held at the Idasa Centre, corner Prinsloo and Visagie Streets, Pretoria, starting on Monday at 9.30am.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PARLIAMENT November 11 1999 - SAPA

EIKENHOF 3 RELEASED ON UNTESTED EVIDENCE: VILJOEN

The Eikenhof Three were released on the basis of information from the amnesty process, which did not guarantee tested evidence, Freedom Front leader Constand Viljoen said on Thursday. Giving notice of a motion in the National Assembly, he called on Justice Minister Penuell Maduna to spell out the reasons for the release of the three. African National Congress cadres Boy Titi Ndweni, Sipiwe James Bholo and Sipho Samuel Gavin were convicted in 1994 on charges of murdering Zandra Mitchley, her 14-year-old son, Shaun, and his 13-year-old friend, Claire Silberbauer, at Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg. Phila Ndolo, a former commander of the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the now defunct armed wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, said in an amnesty application before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission last year that he was responsible for the attack. After the Supreme Court of Appeal referred the case back in August for a retrial, National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka decided not to bring fresh charges against the so-called Eikenhof Three. Viljoen said the National Assembly should express its concern about the legal process that led to the release, which could result in a lack of confidence in the legal system, given the role that Ngcuka played in the final decision with information from the amnesty process. This did not guarantee tested evidence, he said. It should be accepted that no innocent person should be punished, and if there was reasonable doubt about the guilt, the accused should get the benefit of the doubt, Viljoen said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association THOHOYANDOU November 14 1999 - SAPA

37 AMNESTY APPLICATIONS TO BE HEARD IN THOHOYANDOU

A total of 37 amnesty applications involving 16 matters will be heard by the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission's amnesty committee in Thohoyandou in the Northern Province over the next two weeks. TRC spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said most of the amnesty applicants were serving jail terms ranging from five years to life. The government of the former Venda homeland found the applicants guilty of offences ranging from arson to murder. Mbatha said that according to their amnesty applications, the 37 claimed the former Venda government used witchcraft to cling to power and ritually murdered people who opposed them. The hearings are taking place at the old parliamentary building and will continue until November 26.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 15 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK TELLS HOW HE WAS TOLD TO KILL DIRK COETZEE

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee in Pretoria on Monday that he was ordered to eliminate Dirk Coetzee, a former commander of the Vlakplaas unit, SABC radio news reported. De Kock said Brigadier Nick van Rensburg had ordered Coetzee's murder because he was on the verge of exposing the unlawful operations of the former security police to the Harms Commission of Inquiry in London. De Kock said a Walkman tape recorder fitted with an explosive device was posted to Coetzee in Lusaka. The parcel was sent back after Coetzee refused to accept it. It was then sent to African National Congress lawyer Bheki Mlangeni, who was killed when the device exploded. De Kock and eight others are seeking amnesty for the killing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 16 1999 - SAPA

I TRUSTED BASSON: FORMER SADF SURGEON GENERAL

Former SA Defence Force Surgeon General Niel Knobel told the High Court on Tuesday that he had fully trusted Wouter Basson and said the head of the apartheid government's chemical weapons programme had been "like a child in his house". "In the defence force, where you work closely together on a top secret project such as Project Coast (the code name for South Africa's chemical and biological warfare programme), you develop a very intimate relationship," Knobel said during Basson's trial on 61 charges ranging from fraud to murder. "Basson was a former student of mine and he had to work under great pressure. He single-handedly had to supply all of the chemical products. "He often came to my house. My wife and I became closely involved with him and his family. He was like a child in my house," he said. Knobel added wryly that his statement about Basson being like a child in his house, had been used against him every since even by the prosecution. Asked by prosecutor Anton Ackerman if "it was about loyalty", Knobel said: "Of course it's about loyalty. This is about a Brigadier General, a man who had a very senior rank in the defence force. "If you can't trust him, who can you then trust?" he said. The court earlier heard that the defence force had been totally reliant on Basson's expert knowledge and that Knobel repeatedly had to refer to him for answers when Knobel was asked about the top secret Project Coast. Knobel, who served as surgeon general from 1988 to 1997, testified that Basson had determined the needs of the project and worked out the budgets after conferring with the scientists and the managing directors of the various front companies running the project. He said the defence force top structure had started asking questions about Project Coast in mid-1992 and expressed doubts about how an aircraft company and a luxury guesthouse in Pretoria -– Merton House --fitted in with the project. Basson supplied answers to the questions at Knobel's request, assuring him he was only involved in an advisory capacity on behalf of a close personal friend, an American businessman, David Webster, and that no defence force funds were involved. It was yesterday revealed that the questions about Merton House came about when Eitel Kruger, the son of former Justice Minister Jimmy Kruger, started asking questions after seeing Basson arrive at the house in a military vehicle. When confronted by Kruger, Basson apparently answered that his complaints "left him cold", repeating Jimmy Kruger's famous quote about the death of activist Steve Biko. This incensed Kruger to such an extent that he wrote a letter to his Member of Parliament, who in turn wrote a letter to the Ministry of Defence. The court heard that Basson had also supplied Knobel with answers to questions about Project Coast by the auditor general, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a parliamentary committee on public accounts. Knobel said he had never been aware that Basson had a commercial interest, or had wanted to obtain a commercial interest in various defence force front companies or private companies that did business with the defence force. He had also not been aware that Basson had private bank accounts in his own name in Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. He said Basson had been under an obligation to reveal this information to the defence force, because no member of the defence force was allowed to make a personal profit from SADF projects. The State alleges that Basson had in the early 1990s enriched himself at the expense of the SADF when various front companies were privatised. One of the companies, Delta G Scientific, which handled chemical warfare research for the project, had two existing projects on Aids research and crowd control, which continued after the privatisation process. Knobel revealed that the defence force still had a small chemical laboratory for its use, but within the confines of an international chemical warfare convention. Basson, who held the rank of brigadier in the defence force, was put on pension in March 1993, but he stayed on in a civil capacity for a further 12 months to conclude certain projects. Permission was later given to re-employ him, but in his capacity as a heart surgeon. On Tuesday, Knobel revealed that he had a strained relationship with the Office for Serious Economic Offences (OSEO), which started investigating Basson in 1992. Knobel had felt that all interested parties such as the auditor general and the National Intelligence Service should be involved in the investigation into Project Coast. He also felt that he could not answer detailed questions without first consulting Basson, who was the only person central to the whole project. At one stage, Knobel offered to give the OSEO all the documents still in his possession and to arrange a meeting between the OSEO investigators and Basson. But he eventually refused to answer their questions. Basson has denied guilt on all the charges against him. ranging from murder to fraud and drug dealing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG November 16 1999 - SAPA

NIGERIAN DELEGATION TO VISIT TRC

A Nigerian delegation will visit the Truth and Reconciliation Commission this week as part of its review of countries with comparable historical experiences, TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said on Tuesday. The delegation would be led by Justice Chukwudfudi Oputa. The Nigerian government elected the seven member Human Rights Violation Investigative panel, which was inaugurated by president Olegun Obasanjo in June to investigate human rights abuses from January 1994 to May 1999. The delegation's visit was sponsored by the Centre for Democracy and Development and the Swedish Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. They will also visit Argentina, Chile, Ethiopia and Uganda. Recently TRC commissioners Dumisa Ntsebeza and Hlengiwe Mkize visited Nigeria to share their experiences, Ngqumba said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN November 16 1999 - SAPA

SDU MEMBER APPLIES FOR AMNESTY FOR FACTORY ROBBERY

A worker at the Natal Luggage Factory in Ladysmith became a victim of conflict between the African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party in Ezakheni township in KwaZulu Natal in the early 1990s, the TRC was told on Tuesday. Former Ezakheni self-defence unit member Alex Bhekani Hlongwane told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee sitting Durban that William Raysdorff was robbed of R27000 on February 28, 1992. The robbers also tried to kill Raysdorff. The luggage factory was robbed as part of a scheme to bolster the ANC's war coffers, he said. "Since we did not have enough weapons we needed the money to buy them in Johannesburg and during the fighting, which had broken out in 1991, the IFP had appeared well armed." Hlongwane said his SDU commander, Mshishi Nzimande, conceived the plot and gave him, Bheki Mtshali and Bonginkosi Zulu the weapons to carry out the robbery. Raysdorff and two colleagues were surprised by the three at the factory's gate after returning from collecting the week's wages at a bank. Raysdorff told the committee two attackers pointed their firearms at the factory employees and crashed through the gate before coming to a halt, hiding inside a minibus. "They approached me as I hid under the vehicle and one of them opened fire on me from four metres," said Raysdorff, who was hit in the right shoulder and arm. The robbers grabbed the bag with the money and fled, but were apprehended minutes later by policemen. Hlongwane was convicted and handed a 12-year jail sentence by the Ladysmith Regional Court in 1998. He told the committee he wanted amnesty as the robbery was not committed for his personal gain. His accomplices, Mtshali and Zulu, who are serving between 15- and 20-year sentences for the crime, did not oppose Hlongwane's application and did not apply for amnesty themselves. Nzimande was shot dead by IFP members just before the 1994 election. The amnesty committee reserved its decision.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG November 16 1999 - SAPA

WITCHES WERE KILLED TO MAKE HOMELANDS UNGOVERNABLE, TRC HEARS

Sixteen alleged witches and sangomas were killed in Venda in the early 1990s in an attempt to make the homelands ungovernable, the Truth Commission heard on Tuesday. SABC radio news reported that Foster Munyai told the TRC's amnesty committee political activists believed the sangomas and witches used muti to enhance homeland rulers' positions of power. Munyai is serving a 20-year prison sentence on two counts of murder and assault. Thirty seven people applied for amnesty for the killings.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 16 1999 - SAPA

FORMER VLAKPLAAS COMMANDERS CONCEAL EVIDENCE: TRC JUDGE

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Judge Andrew Wilson on Tuesday accused nine former security policemen of deliberately concealing information on the murder of ANC lawyer Bheki Mlangeni, SABC television news reported. Mlangeni was killed in 1991 after the headphones of his Walkman tape recorder were fitted with an explosive device. Amnesty applicant and former Vlakplaas operative Simon Radebe testified in Pretoria that the package was actually intended for former Vlakplaas commander Dirk Coetzee. He said Coetzee became the state's number one enemy after he blew the whistle on police hitsquad activities and defected to the African National Congress in 1989. Wilhelm Bellingham, another former Vlakplaas operative, on Tuesday told the amnesty committee all evidence on the murder was destroyed to prevent that the police be linked to the crime. Judge Wilson said he could not understand the policemen's ignorance on how Mlangeni fell victim to a murder plot which was meant for someone else. Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock told the amnesty committee on Monday that Brigadier Nick van Rensburg had ordered Coetzee's murder because he was on the verge of exposing the unlawful operations of the former security police to the Harms Commission of Inquiry in London. De Kock said the Walkman was posted to Coetzee in Lusaka. The parcel was sent back after Coetzee refused to accept it. It was then sent to Mlangeni, who was killed when the device exploded.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association KLERKSDORP November 18 1999 - SAPA

FIVE ANC OPERATIVES TO APPLY FOR AMNESTY

Five African National Congress operatives will apply to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty for bombing an administration office in Tembisa and attacks on a police station in Sharpeville and hostels in the East Rand. The TRC said in a statement Umkhonto weSizwe members, Obed Salukwanda Madontsela and Lawrence Bongani Mahlangu, will seek amnesty for bombing the Tembisa administration offices. They said they were ordered to conduct armed operations in Tembisa in response to police brutality and the apartheid-sponsored local elections. They were convicted and sentenced for attempted murder and possession of firearms and ammunition. The applicants claimed the high command structure of MK in Botswana ordered the attacks. Nco Ignitius Phahlane, a former deputy president of the Vaal Youth Congress, is also seeking amnesty for his role in the attack on the Sharpeville police station in January 1989. Several policemen were injured in the attack. Phahlane said the ANC leadership in Sharpeville had decided to arm the communities to defend themselves. Former commander of the Self Defence Unit on the East Rand, Samuel Mofolane Hlope, has applied for amnesty for his part in the SDU's activities which included attacks on hostels. He claimed the community was constantly under attack by the Inkatha Freedom Party, from the hostels and a third force. ANC Youth League member Kehedamile Tinyane is seeking amnesty for robbing a gun from a policeman at Khuma Location in Stilfontein in May 1993. He claimed that members of the Youth League were required to disarm police officials. The hearings, which start on Monday, will be heard at the GISS Centre in Mayfair, Johannesburg.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 18 1999 - SAPA

DERBY-LEWIS, WALUS TO APPEAL AMNESTY REFUSAL

Rightwingers Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus will appeal a decision by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission not to grant them amnesty for the 1993 assassination of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani. The Afrikaner Political Prisoners' Support Group on Thursday said the men's legal team would appeal the amnesty committee's decision to the Cape High Court. Funding for the appeal was made possible through the contributions of thousands of supporters, chairman Pikkie Coetzee said. Derby-Lewis and Walus were sentenced to death for Hani's assassination in front of his Boksburg home on April 10, 1993. Their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment after the abolishment of the death sentence in 1995. The TRC's amnesty committee on April 7 this year rejected their application for amnesty for the murder on the basis that they failed to prove the killing was politically motivated. The committee also found that the men had failed to make a full disclosure, another prerequisite for amnesty. Walus, a polish immigrant, and Derby-Lewis, a former Conservative Party parliamentarian, tried to politically motivate the killing by claiming that they had taken their cue from the CP. The committee said it was common cause that the applicants were not acting on their express authority or orders from the party. Coetzee on Thursday said the amnesty committee had set a precedent in granting amnesty to other applicants whose cases were a "great deal thinner than those of Derby-Lewis and Walus". There was also a lack of consistency in the amnesty decisions made by the committee. Examples were the Amy Biehl murder, the St James Church bombing and the Heidelberg Tavern massacre, as well as amnesty granted to political groups which had never publicly declared a policy of violence. "In some instances.... amnesty was granted for the murder of a traffic policeman and for criminal activities which occurred on a school march. "The applicants' need to approach the court for relief was precipitated by the belief that they should have been granted amnesty, not only on the merits of their case, but on the precedent set by the amnesty committee," Coetzee said. The legal team also felt their clients' case was severely prejudiced by the more than 40 calls by prominent political figures, including former president Nelson Mandela, that the two men should not be granted amnesty. These calls were an infringement of the sub judice rule. "It is probably unique in the history of South African jurisprudence that so many sub judice infractions occurred with regard to one case." Coetzee said the Derby-Lewis amnesty hearing of 23 days was one of the longest in the amnesty committee's history for one crime. "No stone was left unturned by the opposing legal team to unearth conspiracies which were ultimately shown not to exist," Coetzee said. The decision to refuse them amnesty was made public only three days before the launching of the African National Congress' election campaign. Coetzee added that the amnesty committee further failed to give priority to their applications as was required by amnesty legislation for incarcerated persons. "Nearly two years had elapsed from the time of Derby-Lewis and Walus' application to the date of their amnesty decision," Coetzee said. Four Afrikaner organisations, the Conservative Party, the Freedom Front, the Afrikanereenheidsbeweging (Afrikaner Unity Movement) and the Herstigte Nasionale Party, came out in support of the men shortly after they were refused amnesty. The parties decided that priority would be given to the legal review of the Derby-Lewis/Walus amnesty decision. As soon as it was completed, the parties would meet the TRC to ask for their support of the review, as the committee had done with the review application of the 37 African National Congress members whose amnesty applications had been refused.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN November 18 1999 - SAPA

POLICEMAN'S AMNESTY APPLICATION FOR ROBBERY OPPOSED

The amnesty application of a former police sergeant who shot dead two colleagues in an armed robbery in 1990 was opposed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee evidence leader in Durban on Thursday. Jones Mdluli, a former member of the now defunct KwaZulu Police (ZP) in the self-governing territory of KwaZulu, was seeking amnesty for the murder of two ZP colleagues, the attempted murder of two others and robbery. The committee heard that on March 23, 1990, Mdluli and four of his armed accomplices -- two of them fellow policemen -- raided the Ntaphuka Store pension payout point in Ndwedwe, north of Durban, with the aim of robbing the four armed policemen guarding the store. Mdluli and his gang allegedly shot dead policemen Samuel Hlongwane and Jerome Khuzwayo and took three rifles from the victims, a shotgun and an empty money box. Christopher Ngcobo and Zeblon Dube escaped. The department of welfare's pension team, who the policemen were guarding, had R290000 with them at the time. Mdluli claimed he sympathised with victims of attacks on KwaMashu's K-section and nearby Ntuzuma by supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Mdluli said his gang's mission was to net the policemen's weapons, not the pension money. The weapons, Mdluli claimed, were to be used in the fight against the IFP. "We took the metal box because we believed weapons were kept in it, otherwise we were not interested in the money," said Mdluli. He said they would not have taken the money even if they had seen it. Mdluli, who was sentenced to 18 years for the crimes in 1992, said the guns were given to the community of KwaMashu's K-section to protect themselves from further attack by the IFP. The TRC's evidence leader Zuko Mapoma argued the intention of the attack was to steal pension money for personal gain, and he doubted the policemen had been ANC supporters. "Given the situation at the time it was highly improbable that the men had been ZPs and ANC members, and if they wanted weapons why choose a pension payout point and not the police weapons storeroom? "I therefore ask the amnesty committee to turn down the application," he said. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN November 19 1999 - SAPA

NIGERIA HOPES TO AVOID SOUTH AFRICA'S TRC PROBLEMS

Nigeria's equivalent of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission will aim to avoid some of the problems experienced in this country's process, a Nigerian delegation said on Friday. Judge Chukwudifu Oputa, chairman of Nigeria's Human Rights Violation Investigative, told a news conference in Cape Town he did not believe South Africa's TRC had made any mistakes, but realised there were problems and difficulties. He said that after meeting South African TRC officials, his delegation had a better appreciation of how the problems could be solved. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated the panel in June to investigate human rights abuses in Nigeria during the period of military rule. At Friday's news conference, TRC commissioners Yasmin Sooka and Hlengiwa Mkhize said they had identified problems in the commission's handling of the process, and had passed these on to the Nigerians. These included the taking of victims' statements, which, they said, should have been done by tape recordings rather than in writing to provide a more animated narrative for the record. Withholding payment of reparations to victims until the amnesty process was complete, was also a difficulty that could have been avoided. Oputa said the process was well underway in Nigeria, and public hearings would begin early next year. He said the panel had received about 30000 petitions from people affected, or those involved in human rights violations. Among these are high-ranking former military government officials, including Lieutenant-General Olapido Diya, the second in command to the notorious dictator Sani Abacha. However, Diya had applied to the panel as a victim, because he is complaining that he was framed by other military officials in the commission of atrocities. The delegation will also visit Argentina, Chile, Ethiopia and Uganda. The other members of the delegation are: Elizabeth Pam, Modupe Areola, Aduma Bamali, Bala Ngilar, Matthew Kukah, Nu'uman Danbatta and Adamu Alhajim. Recently, TRC commissioners Dumisa Ntsebeza and Mkhize visited Nigeria to discuss their experiences with the Nigerians.

POET JAILED WITH MANDELA TO SUE OVER LOW TRC PAYOUTS

Poet and former political prisoner Dennis Brutus, who spent time with Nelson Mandela in Robben Island, is to claim R60000 in reparations from the government in a bid to end the "dithering" over the awarding of compensation to apartheid victims, the Star newspaper reported in its Monday edition. Brutus said his application for reparation related to when he was shot in the back in 1963 and his wrongful arrest, imprisonment and banning from 1961 to 1966. He said he wanted the money to be paid into the fund for reparations to victims who suffered under apartheid. "The current government has accepted all liabilities of the former National Party government and therefore should be liable for reparations," Brutus said. He said the confusion over reparations to victims who appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Committee was disappointing. "Nothing has happened and this stalling should not continue."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 22 1999 - SAPA

DERBY-LEWIS, WALUS TAKES TRC TO COURT OVER AMNESTY

A right-wing group supporting Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus have taken the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to court for not granting the two men amnesty for the assassination of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani. The Afrikaner Political Prisoners' Support Group on Monday said its lawyers had lodged papers in the Cape High Court on Friday, challenging the TRC's amnesty decision. The papers ask for a review of the amnesty decision. Walus gunned down Hani in front of his Boksburg home on April 10, 1993. Derby-Lewis and Walus were sentenced to death for the killing. Their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment after the abolishment of the death sentence in 1995. On April 7 this year, the TRC's amnesty committee rejected their application for amnesty for the murder on the basis that they failed to prove the killing was politically motivated. The committee also found that the men had failed to make a full disclosure, another prerequisite for amnesty. Walus, a polish immigrant, and Derby-Lewis, a former Conservative Party parliamentarian, claimed in their amnesty application that the murder was politically motivated and that they had taken their cue from the CP. The committee said it was common cause that the applicants were not acting on their express authority or orders from the party. Chairman of the support group, Pikkie Coetzee, on Monday told Sapa the group had taken action against the TRC because "we feel that the two men did not get a fair hearing by the amnesty committee". "The papers were handed in at the court on Friday and the TRC now has 30 days to respond before we go to court," Coetzee said. He said the documents included a number of examples where the TRC's amnesty committee had granted amnesty to people whose cases were "thinner" than those of Derby-Lewis and Walus. The examples included the amnesty granted to Amy Biehl's killers and those responsible for the St James Church bombing and the Heidelberg Tavern massacre. In an earlier statement, Coetzee said the applicants' need to approach the court for relief was precipitated by the belief that they should have been granted amnesty. He said the legal team also felt their clients' case was severely prejudiced by the more than 40 calls by prominent political figures, including former president Nelson Mandela, that the two men should not be granted amnesty. Coetzee said when the two men wanted to appeal the decision earlier they were told that the Legal Aid Board apparently did not have money to assist them. A fund was established and enough money was donated by supporters to finally take the matter to the Cape High Court, Coetzee said. The TRC on Monday said it would most probably oppose the application. TRC national legal officer advocate Paddy Prior confirmed the commission had received notice of the application. "They (Derby-Lewis and Walus) have filed an application for review. We have already discussed the matter and it is fairly certain that we will file an opposition," Prior said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 24 1999 - SAPA

TRC EMPLOYEE TO PAY BACK VICTIMS' MONEY

A senior employee at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has pledged to pay back money she is accused of misappropriating, e.tv reported on Wednesday. The money at the centre of the allegations was meant to cover transport and food costs for families attending the hearings. She was suspended after a TRC internal audit found irregularities of about R50000, relating to these costs for victims of the Boipatong massacre. The woman wrote to the commission, said she would pay the money back and asked that her contract not be renewed, e.tv reported.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG Nov 24 Sapa TRC EMPLOYEE TO PAY BACK VICTIMS' MONEY

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 26 1999 - SAPA

TRC TO HEAR AMNESTY APPLICATION ON SEPEI MURDER

The amnesty application of Jerry Vusumuzi Richardson, former coach of the notorious Mandela United Football Club run by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela during the apartheid years, is to be heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday. A TRC statement on Friday said Richardson had applied for amnesty for his role in the 1988 abduction, torture and murder of Stompie Sepei, Lolo Sono, Anthony Tshabalala, Koekie Zwane and the attempted murder of Leratodi Ikaneng. In his application Richardson had mentioned a number of high-profile people, including Madikizela-Mandela, the TRC said. Another hearing scheduled for next week is that of former Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) unit commander Sipho Peter Blose. He is seeking amnesty for ordering the murder of Mthobi Thomas, bodyguard of late ANC leader Oliver Tambo, in Soweto in 1987. The application of another former MK cadre, Mandla Johannes Shabangu, will also be heard next week. He is held responsible for the 1980 handgrenade attack on a member of the old South African Police, Mayeza Mahaule. Former MK cadres Tsepo Matlala Makola and Mogupudi Buurman Mphanga have applied for amnesty for their role in the 1990 attack on the house of Boy Skhosana, who was apparently advocating the incorporation of Ekangala into KwaNdebele. Former Congress of South African Students member Tebogo Freeman Mutle has applied for amnesty for his role in acts of violence against Pan Africanist Student Organisation members in Springs during 1993 and 1994. The TRC's amnesty committee will hear the applications at the Jiss Centre in Mayfair, Johannesburg between November 29 and December 3.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 26 1999 - SAPA

VLAKPLAAS OPERATIVES TO APPEAR BEFORE TRUTH COMMISSION

Applications for amnesty for various crimes from 35 former members of the Vlakplaas security police base will be heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pretoria over the next five weeks from Monday. Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock is among the applicants and he is leading a group of 10 seeking amnesty for a 1986 attack in which six African National Congress members died, TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said on Friday. Two other Vlakplaas operatives will appear before the TRC's amnesty committee for killing ANC activists and members of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, in Swaziland in 1987. Other applicants have applied for the abduction and murder of various ANC members and staff. These include the abduction of Glory Sedibe from Swaziland. Sebide was the brother-in-law of former Defence Minister Joe Modise. The hearings will be conducted at the Idasa Centre in Pretoria.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA November 26 1999 - SAPA

SECRET DOCUMENTS FOUND IN BASSON TRUNK

Documents found in a trunk belonging to chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson were so "top secret" that it could not be revealed in any circumstances to the court or public, the Pretoria High Court heard on Friday. If the top secret information, which dealt with hundreds of biological warfare projects, was revealed, it could lead to the sudden build-up of weapons of mass destruction, a member of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Leon Maree testified. Maree said he and several other agents also found bank notes and coins of various international currencies in two trunks confiscated by the Office for Serious Economic Offences at the house of Basson's friend and former business partner, Sam Bosch. The trunks also contained drugs and some of Basson's personal belongings, including a written quotation from an international removal firm, dated April 1995, to which a full inventory of his house contents were attached. Maree said after several experts, including former surgeon Niel Knobel and two veterinary surgeons, analysed the documents, he was convinced that revealing them could lead to proliferation. Basson's counsel Jaap Cilliers, however, said his client, together with an expert from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission who also read documents, agreed that it was not really about proliferation. The documents did not reveal the true capability of Project Coast -- the former South African Defence Force's chemical and biological warfare programme -- and it mainly constituted research material that could be found by any person on the Internet, said Cilliers. An undercover NIA agent, who the court forbid anyone to reveal his identity, testified that he was on surveillance duty at Basson's house on the night of his arrest in January 1997. Shortly after 8pm, an unidentified female drove from Basson's house to a block of flats in Arcadia, Pretoria, and dropped off a black rubbish bag next to a blue Jetta, registered to Bosch. Bosch came out afterwards and placed the bag in his boot, he said. NIA agents followed him to his house in Wonderboom and later briefed the serious economic offences unit. Former forensic investigator Ettiene Lambrechts said they obtained a search warrant after receiving information about the refuse bag. Instead they found two trunks, which Bosch said belonged to Basson, in the garage, he said. The contents of the trunks were checked and the documents were found to be top secret. The trial continues. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association DURBAN November 26 1999 - SAPA

SIX CAPRIVI TRAINEES GRANTED AMNESTY

Six Caprivi trainees implicated in hit squad activities that left more than 100 people dead in KwaZulu-Natal have been pardoned by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, SABC television news reported on Friday. Romeo Mbambo, Ncina Mkhize and Bethwell Ndlovu walked out of Durban's Westville Prison as free men on Friday afternoon. The other three -- Daluxolo Luthuli, David Dlamini and Bhekisisa Khumalo -- will not be punished for the offences they committed. The SA Defence Force of the apartheid government trained more than 200 Inkatha Freedom Party members in military combat in the Caprivi Strip in 1986. The trainees were involved in wide-ranging hit squad activities that mainly targeted African National Congress and United Democratic Front members. The six men who were pardoned from criminal prosecution -- and a seventh, Israel Hlangwane, who was not -- said they were unwavering supporters of the IFP. The collective testimony of the Caprivi trainees to the TRC's amnesty committee in KwaZulu-Natal last year implicated master assassin and Vlakplaas police commander, Eugene de Kock, and IFP MPP Ivor Powell as weapons suppliers. The testimony of Luthuli implicated former IFP secretary-general MZ Khumalo and former defence minister Magnus Malan. Khumalo detailed his involvement in the 1987 KwaMakutha massacre, in which 13 people were killed. The evidence helped the commission contextualise some of the bloody political violence of the mid 1980s and early 1990s. Hlangwane was granted amnesty for his political crimes but denied pardon because he is currently facing charges of non-political kidnapping, rape, murder and attempted murder.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN November 29 1999 - SAPA

CAPRIVI TRAINED IFP SEVEN GET AMNESTY

Seven former Inkatha Freedom Party members who were given military training by the former SA Defence Force on the Caprivi Strip in then South West Africa have been granted amnesty for mass murder among other crimes. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday announced the pardoning of the seven for various offences, including murder, attempted murder, arson and illegal use of arms and ammunition. The crimes were committed in KwaZulu-Natal in the 1980s, at the height of political conflict between the IFP and the United Democratic Front. The seven are Daluxolo Wordsworth Luthuli, Bhekisisa Alex Khumalo, Zweli David Dlamini, Bheki Berthwell Ndlovu, Mbuso Romeo Mbambo, Gcina Bain Mkize and Nyoni Israel Hlongwane. TRC spokesman Phila Ngqumba said the TRC's amnesty committee found that the applicants met all the amnesty requirements, including provision of a political motive and full disclosure of the relevant facts. The committee also recommended that all the victims and their families affected by the deeds of the seven men be considered for reparation awards. Luthuli, the leader of the group, was given amnesty for 13 murders, ten attempted murders, conspiracy to murder and unlawful supply and possession of machine guns, rifles, ammunition, handgrenades and explosives. Hlongwane received amnesty for 36 murders and eighteen attempted murders, while Mbambo was let off for 12 murders and nine attempted murders. Mkhize, Khumalo and Ndlovu were granted amnesty for 13, 11 and four murders respectively, while Ndlovu was pardoned for two murders and one attempted murder. The applicants were further granted amnesty for conspiracy to kill IFP opponents and unlawfully providing military training to members of the community between March 1986 and December 1993.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 29 1999 - SAPA

MADIKIZELA-MANDELA IMPLICATED IN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

African National Congress Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was on Monday at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing implicated in various human rights abuses during the '80s. Jerry Richardson, former coach of the notorious Mandela United Football Club, told the hearing in Johannesburg that the murders and abductions he committed were either ordered by Madikizela-Mandela or she was informed about the crimes afterwards. He said Madikizela-Mandela ordered the murders of Stompie Seipei, Koekie Zwane and Leratodi Ikaneng. All three had their throats slit, but Ikaneng did not die from his wounds. Richardson is seeking amnesty for the abductions, torture, attempted murder and murders, which all took place in Soweto in 1988. He has also applied for amnesty for the murders of Lolo Sono and Anthony Tshabalala, who were both killed for allegedly being police informants. He told the amnesty committee that he informed Madikizela-Mandela about the murders after they had occurred. Richardson said Madikizela-Mandela, who ran the football club, ordered Zwane to be killed because she was suspected of being an informant. He said Madikizela-Mandela also told him to choose somebody to help him kill Zwane. Zwane was dating a man known as Butile, a member of the football club who lived at Madikizela-Mandela's house. Richardson said Madikizela-Mandela's explanation for Zwane being a informant was that the woman visited her house regularly. He said he did not believe that Zwane had been an informant. Richardson and a man known as Killer took Zwane to a school in Orlando East. Richardson said he held Zwane's hands while Killer slit the "struggling" Zwane's throat. Zwane's body was left at the school. Richardson said he then informed Madikizela-Mandela about the murder. "She asked us if we had done the perfect job. She wanted to know where and requested me to accompany her to the scene," Richardson said. He said Madikizela-Mandela told him that the murder was a "dirty job" because Zwane's body had been left close to a footpath used by school children. Richardson told the hearing that Madikizela-Mandela assaulted 14-year-old Stompie Seipei, and ordered his killing. He said Seipei and three men were abducted from a Methodist church close to where Madikizela-Mandela lived after Katiza Cebekhulu told him that there was a Reverend Paul Verryn at the church who was allegedly forcing Cebekhulu to have sex with him. Verryn is currently a bishop in the Methodist church. Richardson said Seipei and the three others were separated at Madikizela-Mandela's house for questioning about the sexual allegations. Seipei told a man named Slash that he had "sold out four guerrillas (freedom fighters)". Richardson said Madikizela-Mandela questioned Seipei about the freedom fighters and when Seipei admitted to "selling them out, Mrs Mandela hit him in the face with an open hand". "She said Stompie must not be left alive," Richardson told the TRC. Richardson said he and others severely assaulted Seipei for several days. The assaults included throwing Seipei up into the air so that he hit the ceiling and letting him fall onto a tiled concrete floor. The other three men were assaulted only on the day of the abduction. He said after about seven days, Madikizela-Mandela decided that Seipei must be killed. "She said to me take that child and dump him somewhere," Richardson said. He said that he and a man known as Slash told Seipei that they were taking him to his home in Parys. Richardson said the one side of a pair of garden shears was stuck into Seipei's neck so that the end of the shears protruded from the other side of the neck. He said he told Madikizela-Mandela that Seipei was dead. "She asked me if I had done the perfect job and I said yes," he said. Richardson said he attempted to murder Leratodi Ikageng, who was a member of the football club, because Ikageng had joined another soccer team. "Mrs Mandela felt that if a player defected to another team he was taking out information and spreading it," he said. Richardson said he informed Madikizela-Mandela that Ikageng, who had been missing for a while, was spotted. "She told me I knew what my job was." He said he understood this to mean that he should kill Ikageng. The man's throat was slit with a pair of garden shears. Tshabalala and Sono were killed in Orlando West in 1988 because they were suspected of providing police with information which led to the deaths of two ANC cadres. Tshabalala and Sono, who lived at a house which Madikizela-Mandela rented for them, had their throats slit with a knife. Richardson said he only watched the murders because he "did not want to be involved because I had killed many people". Tshabalala and Sono were buried where they were killed. He said he informed Madikizela-Mandela about the incident. Richardson told the amnesty committee that he lived at Madikizela-Mandela's house for a few years and described their relationship as close. "I respected and liked her." He asked for forgiveness for the incidents. Richardson is serving a life sentence for the crimes. Madikizela-Mandela, who is not seeking amnesty for the incidents, is aware that she has been implicated and is attending the hearing with her lawyer. Richardson's cross-examination will start on Tuesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG November 30 1999 - SAPA

RICHARDSON SAYS HE LIED AT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARING

Jerry Richardson, former coach of the Mandela United football club says he lied at a human rights violation hearing two years ago to protect African National Congress Woman's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Testifying before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee in Johannesburg on Tuesday he said he was "taking chances" at the hearings two years ago. "Today I am not taking chances," he said. Richardson told the human rights violation hearing that Madikizela-Mandela did not assault 14-year-old Stompie Sepei. On Monday he told the TRC that Madikizela-Mandela had slapped Sepei with an open hand and ordered his death. Richardson, who is seeking amnesty for a number of murders, abductions and assaults in Soweto during the 80s, told the hearing that he carried out human rights abuses because Mandela ordered him to do so and he was scared of being killed. "If one doesn't perform his duties he can be killed or eliminated," he said. "I felt I would go as far as dying for her," On Tuesday Richardson also accused National Police Commissioner George Fivaz of being a liar. Two years ago Fivaz told the human rights violation hearing that Richardson had been a police informer. "If I had the powers I would sue him because George Fivaz was telling a lie," he said. Richardson has denied being an informant. Mandela's lawyer Ishmael Semenya is expected to start cross-examining Richardson on Tuesday afternoon. Richardson is currently serving a life sentence for murdering teenage activist Stompie Sepei. Madikizela-Mandela was convicted of his kidnapping.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG November 30 1999 - SAPA

AMNESTY APPLICANT IS A LIAR: VICTIMS' LAWYER

Amnesty applicant Xhawulani Thulasizwe Ngcobo, who testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in connection with eight murders, "is a liar and is contradicting himself", his victims' legal representative Shireen Jelal said on Tuesday. Jelal made the statement in the wake of evidence given by the Inkatha Freedom Party-aligned Ngcobo pertaining to the crimes he committed in Table Mountain near Pietermaritzburg between 1990 and 1992. TRC spokeswoman Nosisi Tyantsi said police were called in to intervene when relatives of people killed by Ngcobo threatened to shoot him inside the hall where the TRC amnesty committee hearings took place. The families accused Ngcobo of lying when he said the people he murdered were African National Congress members. The relatives said almost all the victims were associated with the IFP. Ngcobo was never arrested for the eight murders he has applied for amnesty for, but he is serving a 25-year jail sentence at Waterval prison in connection with the 1996 murders of two Zimu family members. He did not ask for amnesty for the Zimu killings because they fell outside the TRC's cut-off date of May 10, 1994. In another case, ANC-aligned Sifiso Cedric Sibisi of KwaBhekuzulu in Escourt applied for amnesty for the murders of Phumzile Mbongwa, Jabulani Hadebe and Nkambanathi Sithole in December 1993. He maintained he was not party to the execution of the two murders, although he had been convicted for them. Sibisi said he was only present when a plot to attack the Mbongwa homestead was hatched because Sifiso Mbongwa "was always spotted among the people who attacked the ANC supporters". The hearing continues on Wednesday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA December 1 1999 - SAPA

BASSON RECEIVED TRC AMNESTY OFFER

Germ warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson was offered amnesty from prosecution after his 1997 arrest in exchange for details of the apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare programme, the Pretoria High Court heard on Wednesday. Jaap Cilliers, for Basson, told the court that a high-level delegation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made the offer during a meeting with Basson. The commission provided for such testimony to be given in camera. The offer also included approaching the medical and dental council for an assurance that it would take no disciplinary steps against Basson if he made a full disclosure. Basson declined the offer, Cilliers said, as he felt he had committed no offence and therefore did not need amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN December 1 1999 - SAPA

WINNIE SLAMS TRC AMNESTY HEARING PROCESS

African National Congress Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on Wednesday lashed out at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing of former Mandela United football club coach Jerry Richardson. Richardson is seeking amnesty for a number of murders, abductions and assaults in Soweto during the 1980s and on Monday implicated Madikizela-Mandela in the human rights violations he is seeking amnesty for. In a statement on Wednesday, Madikizela-Mandela said it appeared that a deliberate attempt had been made to prevent her legal team from cross-examining Richardson during the hearing. She had not been given the opportunity to test before the public the veracity or otherwise of Richardson's claims. "Mr Richardson was given a platform on which to make his statements, but as soon as it came to the turn of (her) lawyers to cross-examine him on that evidence, his lawyer, who had previously found no problem with Mr Richardson's ability to appear before the hearing, suddenly raised the issue of the mental stability or otherwise of his client and the hearing was ended without cross-examination taking place," she said. The hearing was postponed on Tuesday so that Richardson's lawyer, Tony Richard, could tell the committee what procedures he planned to follow to have Richardson mentally evaluated. Richard told the hearing in a formal application that he believed his client was incapable of understanding his amnesty hearing.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association December 1 1999 - SAPA

P2: BASSON RECEIVED TRC AMNESTY OFFER

During cross-examination, National Intelligence Agency deputy director-general Mike Kennedy confirmed that such an indemnity offer had been made to Basson. Kennedy told the court that top-secret documents found in trunks belonging to Basson should not be made public as they could pose a danger to society. The information contained in the documents should be kept secret from criminal and terrorist elements, he said. "There have already been so many cases of espionage in the country by people trying to get hold of this sort of information." Kennedy testified that he had investigated a number of cases in the 1980s of international espionage on South Africa's chemical and biological warfare programme, Project Coast. He confirmed that some of the documents had been made public during TRC hearings, even though they were supposed to have been kept secret. A large number of the papers, however, were seen only by TRC commissioners and legal teams involved in the hearings. The court also heard that Basson had close contact with members of the Libyan intelligence community. Cilliers put it to Kennedy that Libyan intelligence agents had at times resided at Basson's house, and once for a lengthy period at the home of Basson's mother. In response to a question by Cilliers, Kennedy said he had been aware that Basson at one stage brought a highly placed Libyan to meet former president Nelson Mandela, but said he had not been aware that the visitor had travelled without a passport. The court previously heard that Libya had been one of South Africa's closest allies in the establishment of a chemical and biological warfare capability for the country. Kennedy, who was involved in investigations surrounding Project Coast in the 1980s and 1990s, said he was not officially informed of the existence of the programme until 1993. FW de Klerk was informed of the project when he became president in 1989, and he directed NIA to investigate any abuses or irregularities relating to Project Coast. Kennedy testified that he had been present during a briefing Basson gave on Project Coast to British and United States experts, and said they had been amazed at the sophistication of the programme They had described it as second only to Russian chemical and biological warfare capabilities, he said. One of the aspects that most impressed them had been research done in changing the moods of people by using brain-altering equipment. © South African Press Association, 1999

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 1 1999 - SAPA

MAN ESCAPES FROM TRC HEARING IN MAYFAIR, JHB

An awaiting-trial prisoner escaped from a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing in Mayfair, west of Johannesburg, on Wednesday, a TRC spokesman said. Spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said Freeman Tebogo Mutle, 25, was in custody at the Modderbee prison on the East Rand. He was held on charges of murder and attempted murder, Mbatha said. Mutle withdrew his application for amnesty on Wednesday before he took the stand. Mbatha did not give reasons for the withdrawal. "The TRC Act states clearly that applicants have the right to withdraw if they want to," he said. A spokesman from the East Rand police was not immediately available to comment on details surrounding the escape.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PIETERMARITZBURG December 1 1999 - SAPA

TRC HEARS WRONG PERSON WAS KILLED DURING '94 ESTCOURT ATTACK

Members of the African National Congress-aligned self-defence unit in KwaBhekuzulu near Estcourt killed the wrong person when they attacked the Inkatha Freedom Party-supporting Mbongwa homestead in January 1994. Amnesty applicant Sifiso Cedric Sibisi on Wednesday revealed this information to the amnesty committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Pietermaritzburg. He was testifying in connection with the murders he committed during the political war between the parties. "According to a plan we hatched in our meeting, the Mbongwa boy was the legitimate target but later I found out that Phumzile (his sister) had been killed. I was not part of the people who attacked his home, that is why the plan went wrong," Sibisi said. He said Sifiso Mbongwa was the intended target because he was regarded as responsible for the political turmoil in the area and he was spying on the activities of the ANC, and subsequently informed the police. Sibisi is also applying for amnesty for the murders of IFP-linked Jabulani Hadebe and Nkambanathi Sithole who were gunned down with AK-47 rifles, and for the attempted murder of Mpikayipheli Hadebe, who was forced to drink petrol and "necklaced". He is serving 30 years in a Johannesburg prison for the murders of Mbongwa and Hadebe. He applied for amnesty in connection with the killing of Sithole on Tuesday. In a separate application hearing, ANC member Bhani Vivian Ngcobo told the committee that he shot dead Bhekithemba Shandu and Petros Mbokazi at a meeting in Ngonyameni near Umlazi because the IFP had attacked his home and killed his grandfather and a number of other people in area. "I am deeply sorry for having killed Shandu and Mbokazi. The only reason they were killed is because of the then ongoing violence in the area. "They were also encouraging members of the IFP to kill members belonging to the ANC," Ngcobo said. The hearing continues.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG December 2 1999 - SAPA

RICHARDSON SCHIZOPHRENIC: TRC TOLD

Jerry Richardson, former Mandela United football club coach, was described as schizophrenic and mentally retarded in a report presented to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Thursday. The TRC testimony of Richardson, whose team members once acted as bodyguards for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was postponed on Tuesday because his legal representative Tony Richard told the TRC he believed his client was incapable of understanding the hearing. On Thursday TRC judge John Motata ruled that Richardson be sent for mental evaluation and the hearing be postponed to January 24 next year. Richardson is seeking amnesty for a number of murders, abductions and assaults in Soweto in the 80s. In this week's testimony, he implicated Madikizela-Mandela in the incidents, contradicting previous testimony.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA December 2 1999 - SAPA

CHARGE THOSE IMPLICATED IN TRC: SAYS AFRIKANER GROUP

The Public Prosecutor should charge those implicated in Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings without worrying about public uproar, acccording to an Afrikaner organisation fighting for amnesty for the killers of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani. In a letter on Thursday to President Thabo Mbeki, the Afrikaner Political Prisoners Support Group referred to African National Congress Women's League chairwoman Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who, according to evidence before the TRC, was considered "untouchable".

SA National Defence Force chief General Siphiwe Nyanda testified at an amnesty hearing that he had ordered the bombing at the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court in which various people were killed, yet he said he did not intend to apply for amnesty, the letter said. "The TRC itself said in its final report that it was afraid to call in Chief (Mangosuthu) Buthelezi for questioning because of the public uproar this action could cause. "It seems that this is the reasoning ... why the Office of the Public Prosecutor seems unable or unwilling to prosecute certain people within the political spectrum who have been mentioned in amnesty applications and other hearings as being responsible for either committing gross violations of human rights, giving instructions for same or being overtly or covertly responsible for these violations." The organisation also referred to a submission by the lawyers of chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson during his Pretoria High Court trial on Wednesday that he had been offered amnesty without a public hearing, as required by law. The Afrikaner Political Prisoners Support Group was formed to support the amnesty applications of Afrikaner political prisoners, and to monitor the granting of amnesty and whether any action was taken following TRC evidence or the mentioning of names in amnesty applications. The group is involved with legal proceedings to reverse a TRC decision not to grant amnesty to Clive Derby-Lewis and Janus Walus, both serving a life sentence for killing Hani. It said some political prisoners had withdrawn their amnesty applications because they believed their groups had been infiltrated by agents of the former regime "and that they had been encouraged to take up arms by persons who exploited their patriotism". "We write to you because these situations have precipitated considerable bitterness among many political prisoners when one considers that the majority of those who gave the orders are still walking around." The organisation also criticised the TRC for inconsistency in amnesty decisions. "At best there is hardly any consistency in the decisions and, at worst, the rules seem not to apply to everyone. People have been given amnesty for killing traffic policemen, while another was given amnesty for belonging to a political organisation no one has ever heard of." The group said its analysis of the awarding of amnesty was substantiated by a survey done by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation. The survey found that in the first 70 amnesty decisions there was no consistency and there were different interpretations of the conditions necessary for the granting of amnesty. "The public perception is that the law is applied to some and waived for others... The time has surely come that the Public Prosecutor must decide to prosecute or not, without worrying about mobs in the streets and uproars," the letter said. "If bodies like the TRC say they are afraid to question leaders because of this, and if the Public Prosecutor is hesitant to call leaders to book before the law, then the whole process is hostage to the streets."

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 2 1999 - SAPA

FOUR ANC MEMBERS AND E-RAND GANG APPLY FOR AMNESTY wo Umkhonto we Sizwe commanders Phillip Makwale Nyalunga and John Itumeleng Dube will apply to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty for their role in the 1988 bombing of the NBS building in Witbank, Mpumalanga. The TRC said in a statement Nyalunga and Dube had applied for amnesty for their role for the planning and execution of the bombing. The building allegedly housed the offices of some security police members, who were the target. The week-long hearing will be held at the GISS centre, Mayfair Johannesburg, from Monday, December 6. Nyalunga and Dube claimed that they were members of the African National Congress special operations unit based in Botswana. They worked with internal recruits from Vosloorus who were sympathetic to the ANC objectives. Mandlenkosi Vilakazi and Steven Maboa were convicted and sentenced to long-term imprisonment for the blast. Vilakazi and Maboa have already been released from prison. Neither have applied for amnesty. A TRC hearing into the Khumalo gang's involvement in widespread unrest in the Katlehong and Thokoza areas is expected to start on Tuesday, December 7 in Palm Ridge on the East Rand. One of the gang members, Thulani Tsotetsi, will be giving evidence before the amnesty committee. The gang is alleged to have had close ties to the Inkatha Freedom Party. ANC operatives Edward Mokoti and Sipho Mthembu, and John Dube have applied for amnesty for bombing Vanderbijlpark bus terminus and Naledi power station in September 1988. The three maintain that they were trying to send a message to the then Nationalist government to relinquish power.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN December 5 1999 - SAPA

WINNIE TALKS ABOUT HER CONTRIBUTION THIS CENTURY

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela says if the media has anything to do with it, her contribution to the country's history will only be remembered for kidnapping and assault. Interviewed on the Newsmaker programme, Madikizela-Mandela recalled how on a recent flight back from Spain she opened a magazine trumpeting the achievements of women this century, but under her name saw only negative. On whether she believed the media had forgotten her personal contribution to the liberation struggle, she said: "Whether they've forgotten or not, I don't care, I care about my people and their perceptions and their opinions. "The people have spoken two Saturdays ago. They awarded me a humanitarian award." Describing herself as a "country girl form Pondoland", she again said she owed no one an apology for her role in the liberation struggle. She had not applied for amnesty and she would never do so. Anti-apartheid activists had fought a just war and the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission were inconsequential. She again dismissed the TRC's findings that she should be held accountable for the gross violations of human rights committed by her Mandela United Football Club. It found the club was involved in criminal activities, including killing, torture, assaults and arson. Asked whether she was worried about being prosecuted, Madikizela-Mandela said: "I wouldn't give a damn what the attorney-general does. I'm not bothered by what the TRC said, or how it came to its findings. "I will not apologise for any of my activities under apartheid. I fought and I was part of that struggle to fight for the liberation of the country and I don't owe anybody an apology for that." Madikizela-Mandela described her work with the country's youth while working underground for the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, as "one of my greatest contributions to this country". On attaining freedom, she said although there was now a black government in power, "I personally feel that this is not the democracy I fought for. We thought gaining political freedom would be the end of our struggle only to find that we have inherited a country that has been looted dry by apartheid." On claims by MUFC coach Jerry Richardson that he had killed teenage activist Stompie Seipei and others on her instructions, she said: "History will prove all that was said is false." On her trial for kidnapping and assaulting Seipei, she said it suited the trial judge at the time to ignore evidence that Richardson was mentally unstable. Noting that Richardson's lawyers during his amnesty hearing were now asking for him to undergo psychiatric observation, Madikizela-Mandela said: "I was convicted on evidence from a man who is now declared insane." She was eventually found guilty of assaulting Seipei and was fined, after the then Appellate Division overturned her earlier convictions for kidnapping and assault. Madikizela-Mandela said she believed Richardson's amnesty application was not genuine and that the idea was to "resuscitate Stompie's ghost". She repeated she had never met Stompie and was not in her Soweto home when the assault and murder took place. "I hope Jerry Richardson will prove one day the theory I personally hold that Jerry was used to kill that child, so that they could criminalise the ANC. "For some lunatic reason, they thought that if they wanted to destroy the ANC, they must destroy me." Madikizela-Mandela declined to name these "sinister forces".

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association UNITED NATIONS December 7 1999 - SAPA-AP

KOSOVO PARTIES SHOULD FOLLOW SOUTH AFRICA TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

The Yugoslav government and Kosovo Albanian leaders should follow South Africa's example and admit the truth about atrocities and revenge killings as a first crucial step toward reconciliation, says the head of Europe's 54-nation security organization. "We have to present the truth, and the truth is not necessarily nice, it's not necessarily likable, but we cannot start a process of reconciliation without truth," said Knut Vollebaek, chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He said the OSCE tried to document the truth in two reports issued Monday - one on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown against ethnic Albanian militants and tortures, rapes and summary executions during NATO airstrikes and the other on revenge-motivated violence in recent months by ethnic Albanians attempting to exact redress for a decade of oppression. "We must get out of this spiral of violence and counter-violence," Vollebaek said in an interview. "Though you cannot compare Kosovo with South Africa we could learn from the South African situation - the way they managed to start a process of reconciliation by first of all the leaders of the apartheid regime admitting that apartheid was wrong," he said. Vollebaek, who is also Norway's foreign minister, said he has told the Yugoslav government time and again that its leaders have to publicly admit they committed atrocities. "Up to now, the problem with Belgrade has, of course, been that they have denied any kind of wrongdoing," he said. On the same basis, he said, Kosovo Albanian leaders should stand up and say they don't accept revenge against Kosovo Serbs, but he fears they will say revenge attacks must be understood. Certainly, Vollebaek said, it is easy to understand the Kosovo Albanians' desire for revenge, especially when Belgrade refuses to admit any responsibility for killings or atrocities, Vollebaek said. "But then I think the popular leaders of Kosovo Albanians have to stand up and say, `yes, it is understandable but it's still wrong,"' he said. Building a democratic, multiethnic society based on law and order requires reconciliation - not revenge, Vollebaek said.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

NELSPRUIT December 7 1999 - SAPA

CP MEN'S AMNESTY BID POSTPONED

The amnesty hearing of three members of the Conservative Party, who said they bombed the Sabie Magistrate's Court and two high schools in protest against school integration, was postponed on Tuesday, African Eye News Service reported. A second reason for the pre-1994 elections attacks, they claimed, was the because the fight for Afrikaner self-determination had been abandoned. The hearing of Daniel Benjamin Snyders, 36, Ian Kruger, 53, and Marthinus Christoffel Ras, 37, was postponed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee to allow the men to obtain legal representation. Committee Judge Ronnie Pillay said people implicated by the three applicants were not available for Tuesday's hearing and would be invited to the next sitting. No postponement date was given. Those implicated included several prominent members of the former SA Defence Force, Afrikaner business circles, and organised agriculture. Commander Douw Steyn, Colonel Johan Broekman, businessman and member of the Transvaal Municipal Association, Louis Badenhorst, and Michael van den Berg and Sarel du Plessis of the Research Station for Subtropical Fruit in Nelspruit, were all named in the statement. The men allegedly supplied guns and ammunition to far-right organisations and chemical ingredients for the making of bombs. Snyders is also applying for amnesty for the murder of Chashaza Andries Sithole, and the attempted murder of Sophie Mashaba. Sithole died and Mashaba was injured in a bomb explosion at Nelspruit High School in March 1992. Another bomb was planted two months earlier at Lowveld High School near Nelspruit, in which no one was injured. In his application Snyders admitted he was a prominent member of the secret Afrikaner organisation, Toekomsgesprek, and the CP. He accepted responsibility for organising Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, CP and Herstigte Nasionale Party supporters into neighbourhood watches. Although he said he was promised a salary of R8000 a month, he alleged he was never paid. He said he "vehemently" opposed the suggestion by one of the leaders, Schalk Pienaar, that 40 National Party MPs be murdered to force a general election. According to his statement, any member of Toekomsgesprek arrested was to deny having ties with the organisation, and to shoulder the blame to protect his comrades. In their amnesty applications, Kruger and Ras admit to placing and detonating explosives at Sabie Magistrate's Court in 1991, and at the Lowveld High School. They say they did this to protest against the NP government's policy of integration in schools. The court and school buildings were damaged in the explosion, but nobody was killed or injured. Others implicated were Christo Smith, Hendrik du Plessis, Jan Seegers, Jan Kruger, Louis Kok -- all of Toekomsgesprek -- and Tienie Ras and Frikkie de Jager of the AWB's Ystergarde unit.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association NELSPRUIT December 8 1999 - SAPA

EX-IFP HITMAN GETS AMNESTY FOR BUSHBUCKRIDGE MURDER

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission granted amnesty to self-confessed Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) hitsquad member Mondli Wiseman Ngxongo at a hearing of the commission's amnesty committee in Nelspruit on Wednesday. The TRC's amnesty committee noted that 32-year-old Ngxongo was one of a two-member team sent from KwaZulu-Natal to kill Bushbuckridge businessman Japie Theledi six years ago. Ngxongo named the other IFP team member as former police officer Romeo Mbuso Mbambo during testimony in February. Theledi, an African National Congress member, was suspected of giving guns to the ANC's Ermelo office in Mpumalanga to use against IFP members. Theledi was shot dead in his supermarket on June 13, 1993, just before he closed for the day. Ngxongo is serving a 10-year jail term at Westville Prison near Durban for the murder, two counts of attempted murder, and for the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. He has been in prison since January 1997. The committee heard Ngxongo's amnesty application in February and he was present at Wednesday's hearing to hear the committee's ruling. The amnesty committee decided that Ngxongo had made full disclosure of the facts. Amnesty committee chairwoman Sisi Khampepe said Nxongo had been granted amnesty for all three offences. Standing with his lawyer, Johan Oosthuizen, Ngxongo said: "The only thing I need now is to work with people who are trying to bring peace to trouble-torn KwaZuluNatal." He said he was glad Theledi's relatives did not object to his amnesty application. "I hope the victim's family will find a way to forgive," he said. He said he had tried hard, during his application, to explain why Theledi was killed, and what was to be achieved. Ngxongo, a father of two boys aged 11 and 6, said he hoped the paperwork would be processed in time for him to spend Christmas with them. Mbambo is in jail for the murder of Theledi and several other people. He has also applied for amnesty.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association

JOHANNESBURG December 9 1999 - SAPA-AFP

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO 568

South Africa's truth commission has given 568 people amnesty for apartheid-era human right violations but refused pardon to nearly 10 times as many self-confessed rights abusers, the body said Thursday. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) said the majority of those who were given amnesty by November -- 383 -- were members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). In contrast, 124 members of the apartheid regime's security forces received amnesty and 10 were granted partial amnesty, but only 163 security operatives had applied for amnesty compared with 556 members of the former liberation movement. The TRC said it had given amnesty to 56 members of the neo-Nazi Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB), which tried to derail the country's first all-race elections in 1994 with a bombing campaign. The body received only one amnesty application from the National Party which enforced apartheid and whose members have been highly critical of the truth commission. The application was successful. The TRC was appointed in 1995, over a year after the end of white minority rule, to investigate human rights abuses under apartheid between 1960 and 1994. It concluded the bulk of its work in 1998, but the lifespan of its amnesty committee had to be extended because it was battling a backlog of applications. The committee, which can grant amnesty to perpetrators of abuses provided they make a full confession and prove they had a political motive, received more than 7,000 applications. It said Thursday it still had to deal with 815 cases but hoped to complete them by the end of March 2000 and hand a final report to President Thabo Mbeki in June. The TRC in October 1998 handed a report on its work to then president Nelson Mandela, finding that the apartheid regime and its law enforcement agencies committed the "predominant portion of gross human rights violations" though the liberation forces had contributed. The commission was meant to reveal who was responsible for atrocities under apartheid in order to heal the racial and political divides of the past, a task in which, say critics, it has failed. Some detractors say the commission was biased and others believe it has been too easy on perpetrators, some of whom have been accused of lying to the body.

TRC HOPES TO FINISH WORK BY JUNE 2000

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Thursday said it hoped to finish its amnesty work by June next year and that it had only about 300 amnesty applications still to consider. Two other components of the commission, the human rights violation committee and the reparation and rehabilitation committee, were closer to finishing their tasks, the TRC said. The TRC was appointed in 1995 to investigate human rights abuses under apartheid between 1960 and 1994. The amnesty committee was on track to finalise all applications by end of March next year. It hoped to submit a final amnesty report to President Thabo Mbeki by end of June. "The objective is to use the months of April, May and June to deal with any specific applications that may require attention, to finalise the audit of all applications and to certify that all have been dealt with according the Act," the TRC said in a statement. Of the 6037 applications received by the amnesty committee by November 15, 568 people were pardoned for human rights violations but 5287 people were not. Of those granted amnesty, 383 were from the African National Congress, 124 from the apartheid security forces, 56 from the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, 28 from the Inkatha Freedom Party and 82 from the Pan Africanist Congress. Only one member of the then National Party applied for and was granted amnesty. The reparation and rehabilitation committee had completed and had sent to the President Fund 9165 applications for reparations, the TRC said. The President Fund had processed 4608 of the 9165 applications received. The TRC said the reparation and rehabilitation committee had held numerous discussions with the Inter Ministerial Committee, provincial premiers and director-generals of the relevant ministries on reparations. "The purpose of these discussions was to create an awareness and understanding of the long term nature of reparations for victims/survivors as found in the reparation policy." The committee had recently called for a formation of a reparation co-ordinating structure at local and national levels. "This structure would be responsible for implementation of a long-term reparation process, and serve as the responsibility for all outstanding reparations. "The attempt to facilitate the reparations process from the TRC offices and President’s Fund, when all the service resources are within government department, has not been satisfactory, and has happened as a result of the absence of such a structure." The human rights violations committee at the end of November had completed its task of writing proper summaries for each victim and had prevented the possibility of multiple payments to reparation beneficiaries. The commission said it was still receiving applications from victims’ groups asking that they be considered for reparation.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 9 1999 - SAPA

KHOZA IMPLICATED IN ANC LEADER'S MURDER

Inkatha Freedom Party MP Themba Khoza has been implicated in the killing of African National Congress leader Sam Ntuli in the early 1990s at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty hearing on Thursday. SABC television news reported that amnesty committee judge Selwyn Miller said Khoza would have to be notified that he had been implicated in the matter. Khoza was implicated by IFP member Thulani Tsotetsi, who is seeking amnesty for being involved in the killings of six people between 1992 and 1993 in Thokoza, east of Johannesburg. Tsotetsi was a member of the notorious Khumalo gang. He told the amnesty committee in Johannesburg that although he did not kill Ntuli, he stole the two cars that were used in the murder. Khoza is not seeking amnesty for the matter. He is facing criminal charges after allegedly been involved in the attempted murders of ANC members Paulus Nsali and Izack Ngwenya in Ermelo in 1990. He also faces 16 other charges relating to the alleged possession and distribution of weapons, ammunition and explosives. The case stems from the trial of apartheid assassin Eugene de Kock and the inquest into the Shell House massacre of eight people in March 1994. The amnesty hearings continue on Friday.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 10 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO AWB ELECTION BOMBERS

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee on Thursday granted amnesty to 11 Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging members responsible for several bomb blasts prior to the 1994 elections. TRC spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said on Friday that Ettiene Jacobus Le Roux, Jan Bastiaan De Wet, Johannes Abraham Vlok, Johan Wilhem Du Plessis, Abraham Christoffel "Abbie" Fourie, Johannes Andries, "JJ" Venter, Jacobus Petrus Nel, Petrus Paulus Steyn, Gerhardus Daniel "Gert' Fourie and Johannes Petrus Olivier had applied for amnesty between June and September last year. The men were responsible for bomb attacks in Johannesburg, Germiston, Pretoria, Westonaria, Krugersdorp, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg and at Johannesburg International Airport a few days before the country's first democratic elections in 1994.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 10 1999 - SAPA

TRC GRANTS AMNESTY TO NINE APPLICANTS

Amnesty was granted to Inkatha Freedom Party member, Phumlani Derrick Mweli, 25, for the murder of seven United Democratic Front members in Pietermaritzburg over a period of four months from October 1988 to January 1989. TRC spokesman Nonhlanhla Mbatha said Mweli, who was only 14 years old at the time, committed the murders in Mbali near Pietermaritzburg. He is currently serving a 32 year jail sentence. Another IFP member, Goodman Musawakhe Ngcobo, was granted amnesty for the murder of 10 people, and the attempted murder of four people, in the Ezongolweni area in KwaZulu-Natal between 1990 and 1992. He was sentenced to death in 1993 for the killings. The committee granted amnesty to Sandile Msongelwa of the Azanian Peoples Liberation Army for two murders and two prison escapes. Another applicant, Sikhulu Patrick Hlengwa, was granted amnesty for the 1991 murder of Hlakanlpha John Mbeko at Umgababa, south of Durban. Hlengwa, a member of the ANC, was imprisoned for 15 years for the murder. Sibandiso John Nkuma was granted amnesty for the 1986 murder of Samuel Amos Mpapane (Mbango). Amnesty was also granted to Mandlakayise Joseph Mkhize in connection with 10 attempted murder charges, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Sipho Peter Blose was granted amnesty for his role in the 1987 murder of Thomas Mothobi, a former bodyguard of late ANC leader Oliver Tambo, who was killed in Soweto. Amnesty was granted to Madumetsa Frans Ranoto, who was charged with high treason, attempted murder, malicious damage to property and illegal possession of arms and ammunition. Amnesty was refused to a former KwaZulu-Natal policeman, Jones Juda Mdluli, 39, for crimes committed in 1990. Mdluli, who was sentenced in 1992, is serving an 18-year jail term for murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. Mdluli was also involved in the robbery of a security van. This is a sequel to his role in the murder and robbery attack of a security van that was escorting a pension team in Mdwedwe, north-east Durban. He and four others shot and killed two policemen, Samuel Sipho Hlongwane and Ngqongqoshe Jerome Khuzwayo, and attempted to kill another policeman, Christopher Ngcobo, as well as a pensioner, Zeblon Dube. Mdluli, who claimed to be an ANC supporter during his application, said he wanted to rob the policemen of their firearms and hand them over to other ANC supporters in the area to defend themselves against the IFP. The amnesty committee found no indication that Mdluli was an ANC supporter and found it highly improbable that his actions were politically motivated.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PORT ELIZABETH December 13 1999 - SAPA

TRC REFUSES AMNESTY TO 9 FORMER SECURITY POLICE

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Monday refused amnesty to nine former security branch policemen, including former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, for their role in the murder of four colleagues in 1989. TRC spokesman Nhlanhla Mbatha said De Kock, Daniel Snyman, Nicholaas Janse Van Rensburg, Gerhardus Lotz, Jacobus Kok, Wybrand Du Toit, Johannes Vermeulen, Marthinus Ras and Gideon Niewoudt were responsible for the death of Warrant Officer Mbalala Glen Mgoduka, Sergeant Amos Temba Faku, Sergeant Desmond Daliwonga Mpipa and Xolile Shepherd Sekati. The four died when the police vehicle they were travelling in was blown up in Port Elizabeth. According to the amnesty applicants, the four were involved in a fraudulent scheme which entailed intercepting and appropriating for personal gain, cheques mailed to various trade unions and political organisations. Police were under pressure to charge them but the deceased had allegedly threatened to expose the unlawful activities of the security police. According to Mbatha, the committee found that De Kock and Niewoudt had provided different reason for the murder of the four, and on those grounds they did not comply for amnesty. The TRC also refused amnesty to Yizaya Patrick Siyali, a former Cape Town security policeman, who attempted kill Bongani Jonas, a former soldier of Umkhonto we Sizwe, in 1987. Mbatha said Siyali had also applied for -- and was refused -- amnesty for his police activities in the area between 1985 and 1992. Afrikaner Weerstands Beweging member and former policeman, Johannes Olivier, was granted amnesty for his role in the 1994 aborted plan to plant a bomb in the East Rand. Ten former United Democratic Front members were also granted amnesty for among other things, murder, arson and dealing in and distributing firearms and ammunition. The 10 were: Anthony Ndumiso Maci, Ellen Vathiswa Barnabus, Daniel Manese Booi, Sipho Albert Mkhonto, Thulani Vincent Nhlapho, Sipho Japhtha Maduna, Lucku Themba Buthelezi, Victor Peter Moloi, Bruno Skhosana and Thambiso Zakwe. They were all residents of Thokoza in the East Rand and were involved in a territorial war with the rival Inkatha Freedom Party-aligned hostel inmates late in the 1980's and early in the 1990's. The amnesty committee granted amnesty to former Self Defence Unit members, John Radebe and Fannie Sbram Mkhwanazi for murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

The two shot and killed Martha Hapile Ndumo, Maletsatsi Marumo and tried to kill Elsie Mokoena in August 1993 in Sebokeng. The victims, according to the applicants, had been identified as informers.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 14 1999 - SAPA

FORMER NAT MINISTER VLOK GETS AMNESTY

The former Minister of Law and Order, Adriaan Vlok, as well as 22 former members of the former security police were granted amnesty for their involvement in the 1987 bombing of the Cosatu House in Johannesburg, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced on Tuesday. Vlok, former chief of the security branch Johannes Velde Van der Merwe, former Vlakplaas commander Eugene De Kock, former Witwatersrand divisional commander of the security branch Nicholas Gerrit Erasmus, Willem Frederick Schoon, Deon Greyling and expert on explosives Charles Alfred Zeelie were part of the group that attacked the offices of the Congress of South African Trade Union in May, 1987, the TRC said

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PORT ELIZABETH December 14 1999 - SAPA

DE KOCK GRANTED AMNESTY FOR CRADOCK FOUR MURDERS

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock was granted amnesty on Tuesday for offences related to the murder of four United Democratic Front (UDF) activists known as the Cradock Four, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) said on Tuesday. Six former members of the Port Elizabeth security branch, however, were refused amnesty for the murders, the TRC's amnesty committee said in a statement. "(De Kock) was granted amnesty in respect of defeating the ends of justice and any offence incidental thereto," the statement said. The four UDF activists -- Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli -- were killed near Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape in June 1985. The vehicle in which they were travelling was stopped and the four men were kidnapped. They were taken to different secluded places where each was killed and their bodies burnt. Those refused amnesty are Eric Alexandra Taylor, Gerhardus Johannes Lotz, Nicholas Jakobus Janse Van Rensburg, Harold Snyman, Johan Martin "Sakkie" Van Zyl and Hermanus Barend Du Plessis. The TRC on Monday refused amnesty to nine former security branch policemen, including de Kock, for their role in the murder of four colleagues in Port Elizabeth in 1989.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association JOHANNESBURG December 14 1999 - SAPA

COSATU FORGIVES VLOK FOR 1987 BOMBING, ASKS FOR HELP ON OTHER ATROCITIES

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Tuesday forgave former law and order minister Adriaan Vlok and his 22 accomplices, for their role in the bombing of Cosatu House in 1987. The union was responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) announcement on Tuesday that it had granted amnesty to Vlok and former members of the security police for their involvement in the incident. Cosatu, however, said dozens of atrocities committed against anti-apartheid activists remained unsolved because no one had applied for amnesty for them. In most cases, the perpetrators only went to the TRC when they knew that they could easily be linked to the crimes. The union has listed more than 40 crimes committed against it during the apartheid era, and said that to date no police officers or agents of apartheid had shed any light on the cases. These incidents included: -- an October 1985 fire that broke out in a Cape Town building housing the United Democratic Front and various trade unions; -- the destruction of Cosatu's Nelspruit offices by fire on May 19, 1987; -- the destruction of two cars belonging to Cosatu officials Howard Gabriels and Dirk Hartford, by arsonists outside their Johannesburg homes on June 14, 1987; -- a fire that gutted the National Union of Mineworkers' Kimberley offices on August 1987, and resulted in the loss of virtually all union documents; and -- a bomb blast on August 29, 1987, at Cape Town's Community House which accommodated Cosatu's Western Cape offices. All of these attacks remained unsolved, Cosatu said. The union called on Vlok to help the TRC shed light on these cases and others. Vlok, former chief of the apartheid police security branch Johannes Velde Van der Merwe, former Vlakplaas police commander Eugene De Kock, former Witwatersrand divisional commander of the security branch Nicholas Gerrit Erasmus, Willem Frederick Schoon, Deon Greyling and expert on explosives Charles Alfred Zeelie were part of the group that attacked the offices of the Congress of SA Trade Unions in May, 1987, the TRC said. The others were Izak Daniel Bosch, Marinus David Ras, Petrus Casparus Ras, Paul Jacobus Hatting, Wilhelm Riaan Bellingan, George Hammond, Larry John Hanton, Pierre Le Roux, Frank McCarter, Willem Albertus Nortje, Douw Gerbrant Willemse, Peter Kimpani Mongoai, Johannes Christoffel Meyer, Dawid Jacobus Brits, Adrian David Baker and Nicolaas Johannes Vermeulen.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association PRETORIA December 15 1999 - SAPA

TRC TURNS DOWN JILI'S AMNESTY BID

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday refused Mbekiseni Mgcabeni Jili amnesty for a May 1993 incident in Umkomaas Valley in the district of Ixopo in which two people were killed. In his application to the TRC amnesty committee Jili said he was a member of the United Democratic Front and that his organisation and the Inkatha Freedom Party were fighting each other at the time. He said the victim, Vetelo Joyce Ferrero, was the wife of a farmer and that the couple were members of the Afrikaner Weerstandbeweging, a right-wing organisation sympathetic to the IFP. The other victim, Mababhama Mtolo, was a farm worker. Jili said that on the day of the murder, he and his accomplices went to the Ferrero's to rob the family of firearms for use against the IFP. The amnesty committee did not grant Jili amnesty for this incident, as it found no political objective in the murders. In another amnesty application, Sibakhulu Mqalo was granted amnesty for malicious damage to property committed in February 1992 near Malaxi Village in Bisho. Mqalo, a member of the ANC's Youth League, said township communities had called for a boycott of white-owned businesses to put pressure on the apartheid government. He was arrested when he and a group of other youths stoned and burnt white-owned delivery vehicles coming into black townships. The committee found a political objective in Mqalo's acts and amnesty was therefore granted. Nqobese Bongani Gilbert was refused amnesty in relation to 13 counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and arson -- crimes for which he is serving a 15-year jail term. Gilbert, who said he was a UDF supporter, was a resident of Mahlabathini, Cottonlands in KwaZulu-Natal at the time of the murders. Residents of that area belonged to both the UDF and the IFP and were always at war. It was alleged that the local IFP chairman, Dingindawo Xulu, forced people, irrespective of political affiliation, to pay a certain amount of money into the coffers of the IFP. Sometimes residents were forced by Xulu to attend IFP meetings. Early in January 1990, two of Xulu's sons were stabbed to death, apparently by UDF supporters. Fearing revenge from Xulu, Gilbert and other supporters of the UDF then attacked the home of Xulu at night and wiped out the whole family. The amnesty committee found the reason for the attack on Xulu's house --to forestall a revenge attack -- to be unacceptable. It was not a defensive action, the committee said, and was disproportionate to any political objective.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association CAPE TOWN December 15 1999 - SAPA

CAPE HIGH COURT DISMISSES BUTHELEZI APPLICATION AGAINST TRC

Home Affairs Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Wednesday said his application in the Cape High Court to access TRC documents containing allegations of human rights violations against him and the IFP, had been dismissed. Buthelezi, who is the president of the Inkatha Freedom Party, said he was satisfied with the judgement because it effectively gave him the go-ahead to challenge the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report in court. "The judgement seems to suggest that the TRC report can be rectified in a more expeditious way than my legal team originally thought, and this in itself is a cause for satisfaction," said Buthelezi. Buthelezi has criticised the report, labelling the allegations, "preposterous, false and defamatory" and denying any involvement in human rights violations. IFP national spokesman Reverend Musa Zondi told Sapa the minister intended to "correct" the allegations, which relate to an amnesty application by Andries Nosenga. In an affidavit handed to the TRC in January, Nosenga claimed the IFP president had congratulated IFP-supporting hostel residents involved in the 1992 Boipatong massacre in the Vaal Triangle. Buthelezi said his team of legal advisors would review the high court judgement before deciding on how to proceed.

This text is for information only and may not be published or reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association