John Bernard Smith

John Smith (1931 - 1993)

Brief overview:

John (62), and his wife, Rene, were having a braai (barbeque) at their home on the farm at Wesseldaal, Vanstadensrus, when John was stabbed to death on 25th July 1993.

Five members of the Pan Africanist Congress' (PAC) military wing, the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), invaded the farm after Thabo Paulos Mtjikelo (25) received orders from PAC officials to attack white farmers in terms of "Operation Great Storm", aimed at driving whites off the land.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • John's wife, Rene, was injured during the attack.
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
  • Four firearms and a wallet with R100 was stolen.
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction

Extract from the TRC - Bloemfontein, August 27 1997

"212. Mr Jacob T Mabitsa [AM5178/97], Mr Petrus T Mohapi [AM1167/97], Mr Thabo Paulus Mtjikelo [AM1249/96], Mr Simon T Olifant [AM5177/97], Mr John Wa -Nthoba [AM2997/96] and Mr John Xhiba [AM1215/96] applied for amnesty for the killing of Mr John Bernard Smith on 25 July 1993 on his farm at Wesselsdal in the district of Vanstadensrus in the Eastern Cape.

213. The applicants also stole a motor vehicle, three firearms, various pieces of equipment and clothing, two bottles of liquor and a sum of cash. Mohapi, Oliphant and Mtjikelo were convicted of murder and robbery and sentenced to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment. The other applicants were convicted only on the charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances and were each sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

214. The applicants testified that they left Botshabelo for Wesselsdal on the 23 July 1993 with the intention of carrying out the attack. They called this off because of the presence of visitors on the farm. On 25 July, Mjikelo, Mohapi, Oliphant and Xhiba went back to the farm and approached Mrs Smith with a request forpet rol, saying that their car had run out of fuel. Mrs Smith called her husband who said he would help them to syphon some petrol from his car. Mr Smith gave Xhiba his store room key and asked him to fetch a container and a pipe.

215. The other three applicants accompanied Smith to the garage and, while he was syphoning petrol from the car, Mohapi stabbed him in the back. Mr Smith fell to the ground and Oliphant stabbed him in the chest and other parts of his body, ultimately inflicting approximately nine wounds. The attackers then searched the house, seizing three guns and a small amount of cash. They tied Mrs Smith up and locked her in a ward robe. They then took possession of the Smiths’ Mercedes Benz for use in future operations.

216. Oliphant confirmed the evidence and testified that it was the objective of the PAC to wage the struggle for the return of land to the African people, which was why he was involved in that operation. When it was pointed out to Oliphant that the attack took place while negotiations were underway at Codesa (Convention for a Democratic South Africa) in which the PAC was a participant, Oliphant stated that the PAC had not suspended the armed struggle and that, while the negotiations continued, operations were conducted in order to put pressure on the government to give in to the demands of the liberation movements.

217. The applicants called Mr Lerato Abel Kotle, the regional commander of APLA in Bloemfontein, to give evidence about ‘Operation Great Storm’. Khotle explained that ‘Operation Storm’ was intended as a means of intensifying the armed struggle and was decided upon by APLA’s military commission, which included the political leadership of the PAC and the military leadership of APLA. He described the attacks on farmers as one of the phases of the campaign. The PAC believed that the farming community had participated in the dispossession of the African people and that farmers were beneficiaries of the land taken away from the Africans.

218. The Amnesty Committee accepted the contention that the applicants had committed the offences believing they were advancing the struggle being waged by their political organisation with the aim of returning the land to the African people. The offences committed were, therefore, acts associated with a political objective. The possession of the pistol and knives used for carrying out the operation was also associated with a political objective. Amnesty was granted to the applicants [AC/1998/0020]."

Additional Biographical Information:

• ID Number : 3105065009080
• Official cause of death : Unnatural causes
• John married Rene (born Kruger) on 22/10/1955

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.is/W62pT
• http://archive.is/37Y7L
• http://archive.is/ntzZR
• https://www.yumpu.com/nl/document/read/4451339/laai-af-die-lys-van-...
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jan 9 2023, 19:25:35 UTC