THURSDAY, 3.30PM
AN African National Congress security guard on Thursday told the Shell House inquest that he heard one of his colleagues firing an AK-47 rifle at a crowd of advancing marchers after their commander gave an order to open fire.
The Johannesburg High Court inquest, presided over by Judge Robert Nugent, is probing the deaths of 19 people in central Johannesburg during an Inkatha Freedom Party march on March 28 1994. The march, protesting the country’s first democratic elections the following month, left more than 50 people dead in its wake.
On Thursday, ANC intelligence and security officer Samuel Mangena told the inquest how a group of marchers approached the ANC’s Shell House headquarters in a threatening manner and shots were fired from their direction. He fired three warning shots but the marchers kept advancing. Mangena said when the crowd approached within 25 metres of seven or eight ANC guards deployed in a line outside Shell House his commander, Gary Kruser, gave the order to open fire. His exact words were: “Repel the marchers.”
Mangena’s colleague, Eddie Khumalo, was stationed behind him and was the only ANC man there armed with an AK-47 rifle. The ANC guards opened fire. As Mangena was firing his pistol he heard the sound of an AK-47 being fired. He said he knew it was an AK-47 because this weapon had a distinctive sound, different to the sound of the pistols fired by the other guards.
After the shooting died away eight Zulu marchers lay dead near the corner of King George and De Villiers streets.