MONDAY, 1.30PM
THE ANC’s submission to the Truth Commission today was the first by a political party to make actual revelations about past transgressions, including the murder of ‘spies’ in its ranks, and bomb attacks on commercial targets.
Among today’s revelations:
Bartholomew Hlapane, a member of the ANC national executive and of the SA Communist Party central committee, was murdered by an Umkhonto we Sizwe unit in 1982, because he gave state’s evidence in a number of political trials — including that of Braam Fischer — and testified to the US Congress, damaging the ANC’s reputation.
Other spies murdered by the ANC were Tennyson Makiwane, shot dead in June 1980 for actively assisting the police.; Leonard Nkosai, killed in 1977 when he joined the police; Steve Mtshali, killed in 1978 for turning state witness in various trials.
The ANC authorised bomb attacks on the offices of companies involved in industrial disputes, although care was taken, says the submission, to avoid civilian casualties. Targets included chemicals company AECI, the bus utility Putco, and the department store OK Bazaars.
Policemen who gave evidence in political trials were killed, among them Sgt Benjamin Letlako (shot in1979) and W/O P Selepe (whot in 1982).
A bomb was placed in the offices of Indian leader Amichand Rajbansi, considered a “collaborator”, in 1987. No-one was injured.
Former ANC president Oliver Tambo ordered the 1983 car bombing of SA Air Force Headquarters in Church Street, Pretoria, to avenge a cross-border raid into Lesotho by South African security forces in which 42 people died. Eleven army staff and eight MK guerrillas dies in the attack. “The objective was to carry out a highly visible attack which was impossible to cover up, against military personnel in uniform,” the submission said.
A special operations command was set up in 1979 to oversee “spectacular operations that would hit the economy hard, and inspire the oppressed majority”. The command consisted of Joe Slovo, Montso Mokgabudi and Aboobaker Ismail, also linked to the June 1986 Magoos bar bomb-blast.
See our full story, and links to the full ANC report. *