self-protection units (SPUs)

... involved in orchestrating and fomenting such violence in order to derail the negotiation process. This ‘third force’ was seen to involve covert units of the security forces acting in concert with other individuals or groupings, such as the IFP and various right-wing paramilitary structures. ...

... THE STATES OF EMERGENCY; RECOMMENDED THE ADOPTION OF PRINCIPLES OF COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY WARFARE WHICH LED TO THE INCREASED DEPLOYMENT OF SPECIAL UNITS OF THE SADF IN SUPPORT OF THE SAP IN SOUTH AFRICA, RESULTING IN A SHIFT OF FOCUS IN POLICING FROM ARRESTING AND CHARGING OPPONENTS OF THE ...

... hearing. 48. A further difficulty that bedevilled the Committee in assessing the APLA applications was the somewhat loose structure of the APLA units that operated inside the country and, in particular, the ‘task force’ or ‘township trainees’ recruited by trained APLA commanders to ...

and M sections as he had a grudge against them. He was always saying the people from there (L) killed Goniwe [a councillor].’ 56 ANC self-defence units 375 During 1992 and 1993, at least one SDU was responsible for multiple attacks in Khayelitsha (see below). 54 South, 20 February 1992 55 ...

... of attacks on liberation movement supporters from 1990, several local communities, especially in Khayelitsha and Nyanga, set up self-defence units to patrol affected areas at night. SANCO was instrumental in this process, and there are allegedly instances of community collections to fund ...

... Nongwe and the SAP were aware of his MK training and background and, over the next few years, the Elese home was continually raided by different units of the SAP. 394 Approximately 108 houses in the Unathi development were destroyed and tens of people were killed in the 1991 conflict.60 Mr ...

... (These activist leaders are the core of the problem and their removal is essential.) In 1986, a number of special unrest investigation units were set up to address the ‘unrest’ problems in the Western Cape; the Athlone unit was responsible for infiltrating and halting the ...

twenty-five South Africans, members of one or other of the SADF’s Reconnaissance Regiments, and eighteen former members of such Rhodesian military units as the Selous Scouts, SAS, Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) or the Special Branch. One of the former Congo mercenaries, Mr Jeremiah Puren, was ...

in April or May 1987. 228. Ms Khubeka lived in KwaMashu near Durban, and was suspected of acting as a co-ordinator between the external and internal units of MK. Two C1/Vlakplaas askaris, Xola Frank Mbane and a Mr Dube, made contact with her. 229. Mr Mbane drove Ms Khubeka to Battery Beach from ...

PART THREE: KEY SECURITY FORCE UNITS INVOLVED IN GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS SECURITY BRANCH HEADQUARTERS 155. The Headquarters of the Security Branch was based in Pretoria. Until 1992, the Security Branch was organised centrally, with headquarters in Pretoria and nineteen regional divisions ...

... their release . Abductions/disappearances 106. Evidence from amnesty applications and hearings reveals that the Security Forces (including covert units, the Security Branch and the SADF) engaged in abduction operations inside and outside South Africa. The main purpose of the abductions was ...

... were received from members of the Western Transvaal Security Branch, six from the SADF Special Forces and five from members of other SAP units for a number of joint operations or incidents in which they had participated. An application was also received from the commanding officer of ...

... landmines were approved for use; anti-personnel mines were specifically excluded. The targets were military personnel, both regular and combat units made up of farmers in the militarised border zones near Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The landmines were placed mainly in the borde r a ...

... remote hills of the region, there was no possibility of remaining outside the fray. For many, fight or flight became the only options. Self-defence units, made up primarily of young local men, mushroomed in these areas. Statistics 216. One hundred ANC-linked persons applied for amnesty in ...

Crowd killings 178. Although SDUs were usually small units, some of the less structured SDUs seem to have operated in conjunction with larger groups of residents or crowds in ‘collective action’. 179. Amnesty applicant Foreman Mngomezulu [AM0187/96; AC/2000/048] described himself as a member ...

... did the Committee avail itself of the opportunity to receive such inputs. This was helpful in matters concerning witchcraft, the self-defence units (SDUs), the policies of the Azanian People’s Liberation Army ( A P L A )6 0 and the activities of so-called right-wing groupings. Given the ...

Self-defence units and township violence 26. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (the Commission) discussed the phenomenon of SDUs and the various acts of violence their members committed in many parts of the country2 9. It will not, therefore, be elaborated on here. 27. ...

Durban were allegedly responsible for the death of MK member Ms Ntombi Khubeka, who was allegedly involved in liaison between the local and external units of MK. The Security Branch members had information that a locally trained ANC combat unit was operating in KwaMashu and Inanda. Ms Khubeka was ...

... sessions and were urged to kill UDF people on their return to Natal. After six weeks of training, the special constables were attached to SAP Riot Units and deployed in the Pietermaritzburg and Mpumalanga areas where the UDF was gaining the upper hand. Many special constables were sent to guard ...

... suspects could be brought before due process of law. Electric shocks to the genitals appear to have been a commonplace method of torture. 109 Units of both the Bophuthatswana Defence Force and the Bophuthatswana Police Force were posted to Thaba'Nchu. Statements made to the Commission about ...