By Mariette le Roux
Lieutenant Sibusiso Madubela, who gunned down seven white colleagues at the Tempe military base last year, was not fit to be an officer and would never have been tolerated in the former SA Defence Force, a judicial inquest at the Bloemfontein High Court heard on Tuesday.
Witnesses at the hearing described Madubela as easily provoked, aggressive and arrogant.
"He did not belong in the military," said Captain Wynand Opperman, who was Madubela's commanding officer about three years ago. "He was arrogant and refused to obey lawful orders. He was later transferred from our unit because he could not get along with any of us. He would not have been tolerated in the former defence force, not even as a foot soldier."
Madubela shot dead seven whites - six soldiers and a civilian woman - at the Tempe on September 16 last year.
Another five people were wounded before Madubela was killed in a shootout.
One of the wounded victims died in hospital a week later.
Opperman told the inquest that Madubela was easily provoked, and sometimes got so angry that he stuttered.
Questioned by Advocate James Gilliland, acting for the families of the victims, he said Madubela was not officer material, especially since officers had easier access to arms and ammunition.
Opperman said this was an example of the problems faced by the defence force as a result of the integration process.
Madubela, a member of the former Azanian People's Liberation Army, was an "undesirable element".
"He was one of those who could not be integrated, but nobody was prepared to do anything about it," Opperman said.
He said Madubela's troublesome character had been reported to a number of superior officers.
Opperman was involved in a running battle with Madubela on the day of the shooting. He and two other officers used a military vehicle to chase the gunman after his shooting spree.
He said Madubela shot at them as soon as he saw the vehicle, without provocation. Opperman returned fire, but said he doubted whether any of his bullets caused Madubela's death. He said he wanted to shoot Madubela to "neutralise" him, as he was a threat to all the other soldiers on the base.
Earlier, Madubela's former colleague at Tempe, Major Neville Majola, testified that the lieutenant had accused white co-workers of enjoying the fact that his salary had been frozen for going absent without leave.
"Before Madubela went to the weapon store (on the day of the shooting) he told me in Xhosa that these whites are happy that his salary has been stopped."
Majola said he was not alarmed at this statement despite Madubela's aggressive personality. "It never occurred to me that a person would do something like that, no matter how angry he was."
Majola told the inquiry that Madubela had a short temper, was easily provoked, and was not someone who accepted orders readily.
His personality clashed with military discipline and he seemed to lack maturity at a professional level.
Majola said Madubela had an argument with his commanding officer, Major Christiaan Lourens a week prior to the shooting.
The quarrel was about Madubela having been listed absent without leave after not returning promptly from his father's funeral.
His salary was stopped as a result.
He also testified that Madubela and one of the victims, Marita Hamilton, quarrelled regularly. She was one of the people he accused of taking pleasure in the fact that his salary had been stopped.
Majola was in the building where the shooting took place. He told the inquest that Madubela passed his office with a rifle in his hands shortly after he heard shots. He did not realise at the time that Madubela had opened fire on his colleagues.
Madubela then proceeded to Hamilton's office, and shot her before leaving the building.
Majola said he only realised what had happened when he found Hamilton bleeding on the floor. He said he was too shocked to arrest or disarm Madubela, and instead went to get medical help for Hamilton.
Majola said he did not know where Madubela obtained the ammunition he used for his shooting spree. He had been issued that morning with a rifle for shooting practice, but ammunition was issued only on arrival at the shooting range.
The shooting took place before the practice.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Jurie Wessels, commanding officer of 1 SA Infantry Battalion at the time of the shooting, told the inquest that he had dealt with Madubela on only three occasions. On one of these, he had to reprimand the lieutenant for lack of discipline.
He apparently refused to stand up when a senior officer entered the room.
Wessels said he had an open-door policy, and Madubela had never approached him with a problem. He said that he did not experience Madubela as an aggressive person.
None of the witnesses were able to say where Madubela obtained the ammunition he used for his shooting spree.
According to evidence, he went to the duty office to get more ammunition after shooting dead a number of colleagues, and when Staff Sergeant Richard Douglas refused to issue any ammunition, he was also shot dead.
Madubela then proceeded to the transport section of the base where he shot dead another officer before being killed himself.
Soldiers are not allowed to keep ammunition at the base.
The court also heard that Madubela tried to obtain a firearm from the weapons store the day before the shooting.
The inquest is aimed at determining the cause of the nine deaths, as well as to ascertain whether any living person can be held responsible.
Three weeks have been set aside for the hearing, and about 25 more witnesses still have to take the stand.
Madubela's sister Nondumiso as well as several family members of his victims attended Tuesday's proceedings.
- Sapa