Issued by: TRC
May 21, 1999
The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission today has granted amnesty to thirteen members of the former security forces for their role in the murder of a Mamelodi doctor, Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence and a former Kwandelbele cabinet minister Piet Ntuli in July and December 1986 respectively.
Major Jacob Jan Hendrik van Jaarsveld, former SADF's General Abraham Mouton Joubert, Colonel Charl Naude, Noel James Robey , Coenraad Vlietstra, Deon Gouws, Stephanus Adriaan Oosthuizen, Brigadier Wikus Johannes loots, Colonel Philip Rudolf Crause, Trevor Ian Floyd, Civil Co-operation Bureau chief Col Pieter Johan Verster, Major Diederick Jocubus Vorster and Abraham Christoffel Kendalll.
The Ribeiros were gunned down at their home in Mamelodi and Ntuli died after an explosive was planted under the seat of his car in Siyabuswa.
Joubert, Naude, Loots, Crause, Verster and Vorster have also been granted amnesty for their role in the murder of ten African National Congress supporters on their way to Botswana for military training in June the same year.
The youth Abraham Mokolane, Samuel Masilela, Sepo Sibanyoni, Jeremia Mfundi, Thomas, Phiri, Jeremia Mkabula, Morris Nkabinde, Matthew Kekutle, Stephen Makenna and Ellit Sasage were first injected with a drug which rendered them unconscious and doused with petrol before being set alight in a minibus kombi in which they were travelling . The youth had allegedly been lured by former Vlakplaas operative Joe Mamasela pretending that he was a member of the ANC's armed wing.
The committee said it was satisfied that the offences were associated with a political objective, committed in the course of the conflict of the past 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 committee reparations and rehabilitation to be considered as victims of gross human rights violation.
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