Right-Wing Groups - South African Government Information

259. An explosion at the Lowveld High School on 16 March 1992, after a gardener at
the school discovered and handled an explosive device found in the grounds of
the premises. The gard e n e r, Mr Chashasa Andries Sithole, was killed in the
explosion and another person, Mrs Sophie Mashaba, was injured. Snyders had
planted explosive devices at the school during the period 14 to 15 March 1992,
with the intention that they detonate simultaneously with explosives placed at
Nelspruit Agricultural College. All reasonable steps were taken to avoid any loss
of life or injuries in the operation. The explosives were primed to detonate at
03h00 when no one would be present on the school premises. Unbeknownst to
Snyders and due to some defect in the detonator, the devices did not explode
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y. Snyders and his colleagues were shocked at the death and
injury that resulted. He expressed remorse at the consequences of the explosion.
Snyders said he had acted on the instructions of Douw Steyn in placing
the explosives at the school. He was facing various criminal charges including
m u rder and attempted murder as well as a civil claim for the incident.
260. Subsequent to the arrest of applicants, the police discovered various arms
caches on farms in the vicinity of Nelspruit and Sabie. One of the farms
belonged to Kruger. Various charges were brought against the applicants as a
result. The arms and explosives in question had been stockpiled on the instructions
of the leadership of To e k o m s g e s p rek in accordance with its policy of
p reparing for armed resistance against the political reforms introduced by the
NP government at the time.
261. None of the implicated parties, including Douw Steyn, appeared at the hearing.
Only one of the interested parties submitted an affidavit which, to some extent,
p rovided the political context for the incidents and supported the subjective
political beliefs of the applicants.
262. The Amnesty Committee was satisfied that the applicants made a full disclosure
of all facts relevant to the applications. The Committee accepted that the applicants
had acted on the orders of one of their superiors within To e k o m s g e s p re k
and that the attacks fell within the policy of that organisation at the time.
Although membership and the activities of To e k o m s g e s p rek were secret, the
Committee was satisfied that, even if not widely known, it was a publicly known
political organisation, independent of the CP, whose policies did not include the
kind of offensive, violent actions undertaken by the applicants.
263. Insofar as the death of Mr Sithole and the injuries of Mrs Mashaba were
c o n c e rned, the Committee took into account that all reasonable steps had been
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