Bisho | Wednesday
IF the Ciskei soldiers had followed standard procedure they would not have fired without warning on ANC marchers at Bisho in September 1992, businessman Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa, who was African National Congress secretary-general at the time of September 7, 1992 march on Bisho, was giving evidence to the Bisho High Court at the murder trial of former Ciskei soldiers, Vakele Mkosana and Mzamile Gonya.
”We didn’t expect them to shoot. When I heard the shots it never occurred to me this would be live ammunition,” he said.
He said the Ciskei Defence Force’s standing orders specified the use of minimum force whenever soldiers had to fire. If the soldiers had felt under threat they should have followed these rules, used minimum force and issued warnings before opening fire.
He did not see anything which could have provoked the firing.
When the shooting started he had been at the razor-wire barrier across the King William’s Town-Bisho main road, just across the Ciskei border, talking to National Peace Secretariat officials.
”I never thought anyone could take a shot at marchers who were almost stationary and not posing any threat.”
He said the ANC would not have gone ahead with the march if they had thought the soldiers would shoot without warning.
Ramaphosa said the crowd had been cheerful.
”The mood was a happy one, they were jovial, there was no aggression at all.”
Ramaphosa said he had addressed the marchers in King William’s Town, ”insisting the march must be peaceful”.
Under cross-examination by Phillip Zilwa for Mkosana, he agreed that the then Ciskei leader Oupa Gqozo and his soldiers were hated in the region.
However he said the soldiers should not have felt threatened by the marchers.
”The crowd was not hostile, the crowd was not posing any threat.”
He confirmed evidence by fellow ANC leader Ronnie Kasrils earlier this week that after hearing about the unexpected gap in the stadium fence, the leadership had agreed that Kasrils would lead a breakaway group through that gap, outflank the soldiers and head for the centre of Bisho in contravention of the march regulations.
”It was a hurried decision taken on the spot,” said Ramaphosa.
The leaders agreed that Ramaphosa would lead the main group of the march at the Ciskei border, where he would negotiate with peace officials for access to Bisho.
He said the idea was that the breakaway group would get to Bisho, show that it was possible to do this without problems, and thus get agreement for the main march to occupy open ground in Bisho.
The trial continues on Wednesday. – Sapa