Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
April 9, 1997
BACKGROUND TO TRC INVESTIGATIONS NEAR ALIWAL NORTH
The Johannesburg office of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission received a statement in April last year from a Soweto pensioner who reported that the late Chris Hani had informed her in 1991 that her son had died in a shoot-out in the Eastern Cape in 1981.
In October last year, the Commission was approached by Mr Tokyo Sexwale, Premier of Gauteng, and given information on an investigation carried out by his staff into the fate of four MK cadres, including Mr Sexwale's brother and the person who had been mentioned in the statement received by the TRC in April. Subsequently, in November, Mr Sexwale's father and one other parent made statements to the Commission. As a consequence, we have statements from three of the families involved in the matter.
TRC investigations have borne out the investigations carried out by Mr Sexwale's family and colleagues. They indicate that two of the cadres died on August 7, 1981, and another two on August 13.
The cadres had been based in the Butterworth/Umtata area but were discovered and attempted to retreat into Lesotho. However, they were stopped at a police roadblock near Elliot on August 7, where two cadres were killed. Two escaped but were intercepted six days later at Barkly Pass, outside Elliot, and also killed in a shoot-out.
Investigations carried out so far indicate that the four were secretly buried on a farm on the Free State side of the Orange River at night. An undertaker, a police reservist at the time, has admitted that he buried the bodies with the help of white Security Police members. The burials took place on the farm of another police reservist.
The Commission is at present looking for the bodies. It will not release the names of those cadres who have not yet been named unless bodies are found and positively identified, and until the next-of-kin have been informed. It will also release only limited information until it is certain that whatever it releases will not prejudice a ongoing investigation.
The Commission will give adequate notice of a full news conference once this stage of its investigations has been completed.
Inquiries: Phila Ngqumba, 082- 458-8463