Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-12

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Khulusa, are your going to speak Xhosa or Soetho?  Are you going to speak Xhosa or Swana?

M X KHULUSA: I cannot hear properly.

CHAIRPERSON: Number four.  We welcome you Mr Khulusa after lunch.  We are going to hand over to Dr Randera to administer the oath so that we can hear all about your story.

DR RANDERA: Mr Khulusa, good afternoon.  If you will just stand to take the oath please.  If you can just repeat after me.

M X KHULUSA: (Duly sworn in, states).

DR RANDERA: Thank you Mr Khulusa.  Ms Seroke.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Khulusa, you have come to tell us about the incident that took place in May 1991.  That is when your car was destroyed by certain members of the IFP.  Maybe you can just give us a brief explanation as to what was taking place at that time in Swanieville where you were staying up to the time where this incident took place.

M X KHULUSA: In 1991 that is in May just before we were attacked we saw Caspers on a Wednesday which came to the area at which we stay.  That was before the attack.  It was in the afternoon and there were two Caspers.  There were certain people who were speaking Afrikaans as well as people who were speaking Zulu.  We were told that we should sleep
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at eight o' clock.  All of us should be asleep at eight.  That was on a Wednesday before the Sunday of the attack.  Then on a Thursday those Caspers came once more and they were saying the very same thing, that we should sleep at eight.  There was a certain Afrikaner who was saying today you must sleep just like yesterday.  The other one was translating it into Zulu.  He was saying to us as you have already heard that you slept yesterday at eight and even tonight you are going to sleep at eight.  They also came on a Friday and on that Saturday we told ourselves that we were going to rest and we were going to sleep.  We slept on the Saturday.  
 Then on a Sunday morning, I think it was at about half past six in the morning.  I heard some gun shots very early in the morning.  That is the day of the attack.  I heard sound of gun fire in the morning.  I hopped out of the bed and I went outside to investigate what was happening.  When I looked up the area I saw some flames bellowing in the air.  I also saw some smoke and I could hear some gun fire going on throughout that time.  I went back into the house to wake up my wife and I told her as to what was happening outside. When I came back for the second time to see what was happening I noticed that the shack in front of me was now falling.  It was being burnt down to ashes.  That is when I ran back into the house and I could not get anymore chance that I could take my family and run away.  The time was too short.  This happened quite soon and there was more sound of gunfire outside.
 I think this went on for about five minutes before I could go outside once more.  When I went out for the third time to look as to what was happening I came across stones, 
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they were pelting me with stones.  They broke my windscreen and somebody was saying you must hit or break into the car because these people have already run away.  They were speaking in Zulu.  When I went out I saw the last six going past my house.  That is when I took my baggage as well as my family.  I put them into the car.  As I was going out of the car I saw one Afrikaner who was standing in the Casper pointing a gun towards me and a certain boy who was running away across was shot by this very same Afrikaner.  He hung on the fence.  That is where he fell and they proceeded down.
 I went with my wife trying to get some escape route so that I can go back to the location.  Along the way I was going across some corpses so that I could go past.  At the lease, I think I removed about six bodies along the way so that I could gain some passage.  As I was looking at Hazedville I saw that the people were surrounded by the Caspers.  There were two on each side and the people were in the middle.  They were heading towards the direction of Kagiso number one.  The Hippos were escorting them.  They went up to Kagiso number one.  This is what I saw with my own eyes.  
 At that time we saw some journalists who were asking as to what had happened, who died and what caused all the havoc.  Later on we were told that we were supposed to go to court.  When the time arrived for us to go to court, we kept on going to court, we kept on going up and down, but at the end the Prosecutor told us that we should buy the newspaper because our case had been finalised and we shall read in the newspapers as to how the matter was finalised.  We went and we bought the newspapers.  When we looked at the newspapers 
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I saw that what was written in the newspapers was that the evidence was insufficient for a conviction.  So the people had not been convicted, but we were not all called to give evidence or to give testimony.  Out of 40 complainants they called only three witnesses and the very same people pointed out the perpetrators because photos of them had been taken.  The complainants were pointing out the perpetrators and they pointed the right people, but the case was dismissed because there was insufficient evidence.  I could not understand this and I said we should re-open the matter and they had been threatened.  We were told that if we re-opened the case the Inkatha would come back and finish us off.  So we were scared that.  That was the whole thing. 
 I still want my windscreen as well as the people who died during that incident.  I am not yet satisfied.

CHAIRPERSON: When they came to attack your place on this particular day, they warned you for two consecutive days.  What was happening in that area, that is in Swanieville?  Were there any boycotts or were there any fights?  What was happening.

M X KHULUSA: I do not know.  Something was happening, but I do not know how it was connected with this incident.  There is a certain group which called us women.  This group stayed a little bit further down the area and they called themselves The Men.  When they came to us they would call us women and this very same group, whenever they wanted to kill a person, they would take that particular person at twelve in the evening or at midnight and you would be killed there.  The group was being led by a certain two men whose names I have in me.  If you witnessed this you would not be able to go and report the matter to the police because you would be
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the next victim.  
 Then it was apparent that this group wrote a letter.  They said they were not afraid of anyone.  I think this is where the whole fight started because besides that I am not aware of any fight that took place.  So at the end of the day we tried to form a group in order to try and protect ourselves.  They would tell others to wake up so that we patrol the area.  So I do not know whether this is what triggered the whole incident or there was something before then and as to how Inkatha and the police feature into the whole equation, is unclear to me.

CHAIRPERSON: These two factions, that is The Man and The Women, were they within the very same area?

M X KHULUSA: Yes, that is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Now, how sure are you that it was Inkatha that came to attack you?