Thread by @D_Great_NkanyiM

THE NOFOMELA AFFIDAVIT - the affidavit that exposed Vlakplaas, NOT Jacques Pauw as claimed by @RediTlhabi

I, the undersigned, BUTANA ALMOND NOFOMELA do hereby make oath and state:

1. I am a 32-year old male presently under sentence of death....

My execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning, 20 October 1989, at 07h00.

2. The contents hereof, unless otherwise indicated by the context, are true to the best of my personal knowledge and belief...

3. I did not commit the murder for which I stand condemned. I repeat my evidence at the trial, which led to my death sentence. I confirm the contentions raised therein by myself and on my behalf by my Counsel....

4. I wish to hereby reveal facts about my past, which I respectfully contend, might very well have had a bearing on my conviction and/or sentence of death had they been known to the Trial Court, Appeal Court and the Honourable First Respondent...

5. I was a member of the Security Branch stationed at headquarters in Pretoria from 1981 until my sentence of death on 21 September .1987.

6. During the period of my service in the Security branch, I served under station commander Brigadier Schoon...

In 1981 I was appointed a member of the Security Branch’s assassination squad, and I served under Captain Johannes Dirk Coetzee, who was my commanding officer in the field.

7. Some time during late 1981I was briefed by Brigadier Schoon and Captain Coetzee at Pretoria to...

eliminate a certain Durban attorney, Griffiths Mxenge. I was told by these superiors that Mxenge was to be eliminated for his activities within the African National Congress. They instructed me to travel to Durban in the company of Brian Justice Nqulunga, David Tshikalange and...

...Joseph Mamasela, colleagues of mine in the assassination squad. I was the leader of this group that was to eliminate Mxenge, and initially I was briefed alone. Thereafter, also in Pretoria, Coetzee briefed the 4 of us together....

There follows a description of how the group drove to Durban where at the CR Swart police station they received further briefing from Coetzee with instructions that only knives be used for killing Mxenge. Poisoned meat was thrown into the Mxenge yard....

After monitoring Mxenge’s movements for a few days, he was waylaid, forced into a car, driven to a stadium where he was assaulted and stabbed to death. The body was left stripped of items of value in order to simulate a robbery. The group then returned to CR Swart with Mxenge’s..

car where they informed Coetzee of completion of mission. Next Coetzee and Nofomela drove to Piet Relief, taking Mxenge’s car with them after fixing on false number plates. There they stripped the car of all removable items such as the radio, before driving it to the Swaziland...

border where it was doused with petrol and set alight in a plantation. They then returned to Piet Retief and on to Durban.

8. Some days thereafter, Brian, David, Joseph and I returned to Pretoria in the service bakkie (pick up truck) in which we had travelled to Durban in, and..

Coetzee returned in his service bakkie. We drove in convoy.

9. The next day was month end. Usually at month’s end we had a week off. Before going off, Coetzee handed Brian, David, Joseph and I R1000 (USD 100) each, which he said was from Brigadier Schoon for successfully...

eliminating Mxenge.

10. Before we went off for one week, in fact, immediately after our return from Durban, all the items removed from Mxenge’s car and placed in Coetzee’s service bakkie in Piet Relief were given to Sergeant Schutte by Captain Coetzee in my presence...

with the instruction that the radio/tape and booster were to be installed in Brigadier Schoon’s vehicle. After my return from one weeks leave, Schutte remarked to me informally that the radio/tape had been installed into Brigadier Schoon’s service bakkie...

11. After my return from one week’s leave, Captain Coetzee informed me that Mxenge’s wife is also active in the ANC’s activities, and that he might require me to eliminate her as well at some future date. This was the last I heard of this.

12. I was involved in approximately 8 other assassinations during my stint in the assassination squad, also numerous kidnappings. At this stage, I do not recall the names of any of the victims. Some of the assassinations, 4 in fact, took place in Swaziland, one in Botswana, one..

in Maseru (Lesotho) and one in Krugersdorp (present day Gauteng Province South Africa).

The victims were all ANC members, except in Krugersdorp where the victim was the brother of an ANC terrorist. This terrorist had allegedly shot and killed a policeman in De Welch...

The brother had been working in the United Building Society as a security guard (Krugersdorp Branch).

13. All these missions were performed under different officers in the security branch. Captain Coetzee, Major de Kock, Lieutenant Vermeulen, Colonel Cronje are these officers...

Their superior was at all times Brigadier Schoon, who was at all times aware of these missions.

14. I am instructed that due to a shortage of time, I cannot here furnish details of these other missions.

15. I now wish to explain why I have only revealed all this information at.

this stage. Major de Kock visited me with Captain Naude after my sentence of death. De Kock told me that Brigadier Schoon asked him to convey to me that I was not to reveal anything about my activities as a member of the assassination squad, and he further promised that they will

help me out of this problem. This visit by De Kock & Naude was in 1987. Thereafter other members of the security branch visited me at various intervals. They were Lieutenant Van Dyk, Lieutenant Letsatse, Constable Mofalapitsa, Constable Khumalo, & some whose names I don’t know.

They all brought messages from Major de Kock that steps are being taken to get me out of the Maximum Prison.

16. Then on 12 October 1989, I received my notice of execution, and on 17 October 1989 Captain Khoza and a certain Lieutenant, both members of the Security Branch visited

me and informed me that the instruction from Major de Kock was that I should take the pain. I then realised that I had been betrayed by my superior officers, who had promised to assist me in getting out of the Maximum Prison...

17. It was at this stage that I decided to reveal all of the aforegoing, and I sent a message to the Lawyers for Human Rights to send someone to me to take a statement accordingly to apply for a stay of my execution

@pinkykhoabane