Sibusiso Madubela

Background

Sibusiso Madubela was a black army lieutenant serving with the 1st South African Infantry Battalion at a South Africa army base. He was 28 years old.

Madubela was described by witnesses at a judicial inquiry as easily provoked, aggressive, undisciplined and arrogant. Witnesses also said he did not belong in the military, and that numerous complaints were filed against him. Lieutenant Wiehan van Noordwyk, who had been injured in the September attack, testified that Madubela was not fit to be an officer and that there appeared to be a problem at top management level in dealing with underachievers and troublemakers. Van Noordwyk testified that problematic individuals were often transferred to other sections, but then they returned to the surprise of the entire unit. Madubela was described as a loner who did not mingle with white or black colleagues. Major Marthinus Petrus Odendaal, the adjutant of the base at the time, said under cross-examination that Madubela “He was useless -- you could not use him for anything,” and that “We did not want him in the unit.”

The court heard that the defence force had been in possession of psychiatrists’ reports suggesting Madubela should not have been allowed access to firearms. Advocate James Gilliland, for the families of the victims, told the court that one of the gunman’s colleagues recalled having seen documents to this effect in Madubela’s personal file on the day after the shooting. The reports apparently suggested that a person with Madubela’s psychiatric profile should be kept away from firearms.

The offence

Madubela moved from building to building at the Tempe military base in Bloemfontein and shot at white soldiers with an R4 semiautomatic rifle. The police described the attacks as a shooting spree killing six white soldiers and a female South African National Defence Force employee, with five more people wounded. Madubela died in a shootout.

Killed in the shooting were Major Jacques Coetzer, 31; Warrant Officer Reg Sieberhagen, 38; Warrant Officer Johan Lombard, 49; Staff Sergeant Doughie Douglas, 30; Sergeant Willie Nell, 27; Sergeant Tertius Lombard, 26; and a female defence force employee, Marita Hamilton, 57.

Madubela also wounded five others, including one in critical condition. One of the injured later died in hospital.

A judicial inquiry described specific shootings and movements. Captain Johannes Jurgens de Jager, who was also wounded, testified that command structures were informed on several occasions that Madubela was an “undesirable element”, and could not adapt to the SANDF. De Jager testified:

His aggression under pressure was worrying, yet nothing was done about it.

De Jager testified that Madubela stood in the door of an office in the training headquarters building and pointed his rifle at Captain Gert van Tonder. De Jager, Van Tonder, and Sanlam insurance agent Abraham Kleynhans were in the office. Van Tonder jumped up and kicked shut the office door. Madubela fired several shots through the closed door, hitting De Jager on the side of the head. De Jager said he was not seriously injured. Madubela then went to a nearby office, where he shot dead clerk Marita Hamilton. After shooting Hamilton, Madubela went to the battalion headquarters, where he killed four soldiers. Lieutenant Wiehan van Noordwyk, who was in this building, told the inquiry he was wounded while trying to stop Madubela.

Investigation

South African police launched an inquiry into the killings to determine whether they were racially motivated. One soldier at the base, who said he was a close associate of Madubela, said the killings were a result of racial tensions. The soldier said Madubela had been angered by news that his pay for the month had been cancelled after he left the base to attend his father’s funeral. The soldier said:

“Anybody who thinks these killings are not part and parcel of apartheid is mistaken,” and also: “This guy went to bury his father and he comes back to be told that he went AWOL. What is that? He had sought permission before he went.”

The soldier further said:

“I think we're going to see the army split into two -- one section for whites and another one for blacks -- if there are still people dragging their feet when it comes to progress. We've fought for this country and we don't need that to happen.”

South Africa’s Defense Minister Patrick Lekota announced a wide-ranging probe into problems in South Africa’s defence force following Madubela’s shooting rampage.

Aftermath

In the aftermath, suspected members of the AWB and the neo-Nazi African Resistance Movement broke into the army base, stole a minibus, and painted the words “We shall be back,” on a wall.

A funeral for Madubela became violent when mourners insisted on giving him a 12-gun salute over the orders of police. The funeral took place at Mazizini, South Africa, and at least three people were wounded. A crowd of 2,000 screamed and scattered. Police fired live ammunition and tear gas at the funeral. Police Superintendent Wayne Hackert said the live shots were fired into the air, not at the crowd, and claimed the three injuries could have happened as the crowd panicked.

Timeline

• September 16, 1999 — Madubela shot dead seven whites (six soldiers and a civilian woman) at the Tempe military base and wounded five others before being killed in a shootout.
• September 17, 1999 — Reporting followed the killing spree involving Lt. Sibusiso Madubela.
• October 3, 1999 — Madubela’s funeral in Mazizini turned violent, with live ammunition and tear gas used and at least three people wounded.
• Thursday, May 4, 2000 — Lieutenant Wiehan van Noordwyk and other witnesses testified at the judicial inquiry about the killing spree, including evidence about alleged psychiatric reports and complaints about Madubela.

Other details

Madubela was reported to have moved from building to building at the Tempe military base in Bloemfontein. The base was located in Bloemfontein, described as the largest city in Free State, a sparsely populated farming province 220 miles south of Johannesburg.