East London | Thursday
RETIRED former Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) commander, Major-General Marius Oelschig, on Wednesday concluded his evidence in the Bisho High Court on the events that led to September 1992 killing of 30 ANC supporters in Ciskei.
Oelschig, who denied giving any authorisation for the shooting, maintained that he only issued unqualified instructions for CDF field commander, Colonel Vakele Mkosana, to respond as the situation required.
At the time, he said Mkosana had reported that his unit was under fire from African National Congress supporters among whom, according to intelligence sources, were umKhonto weSizwe members.
Oelschig testified that it would have been impossible for senior commanders to give absolute orders for the unit to open fire while they stood on an ”ivory tower” away from the scene of the shooting.
He admitted that once soldiers had started shooting, it was difficult for them to cease fire.
He again blamed ANC leaders for inciting their supporters to force their way into Bisho where they intended to occupy ”state” buildings and overthrow the Ciskei government.
Two massacre victims who also came under cross-examination, said senior ANC official Steve Tshwete, now Safety and Security Minister, had told marchers to converge at the Bisho Stadium.
Tshwete reportedly said the ANC alliance leadership would proceed from the stadium to Bisho where they planned to hand a memorandum to the bantustan government to surrender power.
Testifying earlier, Oelschig told the court that former Ciskei military ruler Brigadier Oupa Gqozo once described his soldiers as ”slapgatte, dronkgatte en dagga rokers”.
He said Gqozo had told him that the CDF was in a ”very bad state” with major problems, low-level leadership and was plagued with absenteeism.
The cross-examination of more witnesses will continue on Thursday. – Sapa