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.
© South African Press Association, 1999
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