JOHANNESBURG, Dec 4: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela today denied allegations that she ordered the killing of child activist Stompie Seipei and that she hired hit-men to murder anti-apartheid physician Abu Baker Asvat. She also refuted claims that she was involved in a string of other murders and assaults.

Answering allegations made against her in the past nine days at the Truth Commission hearing, President Nelson Mandela's ex-wife described claims of her involvement in human rights abuses as ``ludicrous'' and ``hallucinations''.

Looking calm while answering questions from her lawyer Ishmail Semenya, Winnie denied having met the two men who alleged she hired them to kill Asvat. Winnie also denied either ordering or taking part in the killings of Lolo Sono, Maxwell Modondo and Siboniso Shabalala, as claimed by witnesses earlier this week.

She said claims by her former assistant Jerry Richardson that she ordered him to kill Seipei were ``ludicrous'' and ``the worst lunacy''.

Richardson yesterday told the commission, which is probing human rights abuses during the apartheid era, in graphic detail how he ``slaughtered'' 14-year-old Seipei ``like a goat''.

``I killed Stompie under the instructions of Mami,'' he said, referring to Winnie. ``Mami never killed anyone, but she used us to kill a lot of people. She does not even visit us in prison, but she used us,'' he added.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.