TUESDAY, 4.00PM
The killers of American exchange student Amy Biehl appeared before the truth commission’s amnesty committe on Tuesday, where they explained that Biehl’s murder was inspired by the Pan Africanist Congress slogan “one settler, one bullet”.
Earlier, Peter and Linda Biehl, the parents of the slain Fulbright scholar, shook hands with the parents of the killers, Mzikhona Mofemela, Ntobeka Peni, Vusumzi Ntamo and Mongezi Manqina, who are serving 18-year prison terms for their role in the mob-attack that led to Biehl’s death. The Biehls are expected to meet PAC leaders later on Tuesday.
In his testimony, Peni, a former chairman of the Pan Africanist Students’ Organisation’s Guguletu branch, said the killing was carried out with the approval of Paso’s regional executive. Manqina, a leading member of the Pan Africanist Students’ Organisation branch in Guguletu at the time of the incident, said that shortly before the fatal attack he had attended a Paso meeting at Langa High School where “inspiritational” and militant speeches had been made.
He said Paso’s executive had ordered its members to make the township ungovernable and to assist the PAC’s armed wing, the Azanian People’s Liberation Army, in winning the land back for the African people. “I regarded this as an instruction to also harm, injure and kill white people.” Killing Biehl, he said, had been an opportunity to put the slogan “one settler, one bullet” into practice.
In his testimony, Peni said even if he had known Biehl was a “comrade” he would probably have killed her because she was white. “Whites were our oppressors. We had no mercy for a white person …”
Biehl’s parents listened impassively as he apologised for the murder. They are not expected to oppose the amnesty applications. “I feel sorry and very down-hearted, especially today, realising the contribution Amy Biehl played in the struggle,” said Peni. “I realise it was bad. I took part in a killing of someone who we could have used to achieve our aims. Amy was one of the poeple, who in an international sense could have worked for the country.”