Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

WITNESS:   I want the TRC to make sure that they update my father.  I want the TRC to update my father as to whatever is happening in the case so that the people may be prosecuted.  It's difficult for me to say I will forgive them.  I want justice to take its course, then peace will follow later on.  I would request the TRC to take its initiative and make it a point that my father is informed of whatever steps that are being take at law, whether the people are being prosecuted, they are being brought to book, and they are being punished.  Because we are trying to run away from a situation whereby other victims, especially human rights abuse victims, take the law into their own hands.  This is a situation that we do not desire.  We want our Courts to do their job to prosecute the criminals or former members of Inkatha.

MR LYSTER: We thank you both very much for coming here today to tell us about the very sad death of your wife and your mother, and we are glad that you were able to stand here - or sit here together on the stage and talk about that incident.  We will certainly do everything we can to see that the person who you believe was responsible for this, and who has in fact admitted responsibility, is brought to justice.  And we will, as you have requested, keep you updated on whatever we do.
We will be making, as you have heard me say, recommendations to the Government as to how people like you should be assisted, and we feel sure that the President in his wisdom will put the appropriate steps into action to see that those people like yourself who were victims of human rights violations are assisted.
So again thank you very much for coming in, having the patience to wait all day to give your evidence, and we wish you strength as you go.  Thank you very much.

MR LYSTER: The next witness please to come up onto the stage is Mr Alfred Bangizwe Mnikathi.  Mr Mnikathi, can you hear me and understand me?  Can you hear me now?

ALFRED BANGIZWE MNIKATHI: Yes, thank you.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... to tell your story today, and you, like others this morning, are from Mpophomeni, and this statement that you will give, this evidence that you will give, relates to the torture that you suffered at the hands of the South African Police in 1989.  Before you give that evidence please will stand up and take the oath.

ALFRED BANGIZWE MNIKATHI: (Sworn, States)

MR LYSTER: I now ask my colleague, Mrs Virginia Gcabashe, to assist you with your evidence.

MRS GCABASHE: Good day, Mr Mnigathi.  We are glad that you are here to tell us in details about your suffering at Mpophomeni location.  We are glad that you are here, and most of the people from Mpophomeni have also came here to testify.  Before we go on I would like you to tell us more about your family, your own family.

WITNESS:   We are 17, four girls, three boys (sic).  Both parents have died.

MRS GCABASHE: Do you have your own family?

WITNESS:   Mine is only - I was married and I had one child, and now my child is married.  It's a daughter.

MRS GCABASHE: And what about now?  Who are you staying with?

WITNESS:  My wife.

MRS GCABASHE: Now we would like you to tell us more what happened up until where you were tortured.

WITNESS:   The day I got myself injured I heard a rumour that Inkatha people were coming to attack, and then we were all alert.  We tried to delay, not to go to sleep in time, but because it was late at night and we were busy patrolling like, so we went in one house, Mbambo house, we went there.  Because it was cold we opened the heater so that we got ourselves warm.  Before we could even be warm we heard a knock at the door.  We went at the door, and these people at the door said they were policemen.  Mr Mbambo let them in and they asked us, "Who is the owner of this house?"  And he said, "I am the one," and then they said me and this other guy we must go outside, and outside they said, "You must stand here."  We stood there.  They came out and they searched us, and they said to us we must go to the police van.  It was parked outside at the street.  When we arrived there we found two black policemen, because these two who took us from the house were white.  And then they said to the owner of the house he must stand behind the van, and the two of us we must be in front of the van.  And they turned the lights and then they said this other one must leave.

MRS GCABASHE: Let me just ask something.  Do you know these policemen?

WITNESS:   No, I don't.

MRS GCABASHE: You don't even know whether they were ZP policemen or SAP policemen?

WITNESS:   No, I didn't know, because they were wearing their own clothes except for these two who were inside the van.

MRS GCABASHE: You can go on now.

WITNESS:   They said to this other guy who was standing with me he must leave, and they said to me, "Where are the guns?"  I said, "I don't have guns."  They said, "You will give us the guns."  They said to me we must - they took me inside the van at the back of the police van.  We went, and I didn't know where they were taking us, but as I was looking through the window, looking in front, at the front seat they were three.  We went to the stadium in a township.

MRS GCABASHE: What was going on at the stadium?  Why did they take you to the stadium?

WITNESS:   There was nothing going on there.

MRS GCABASHE: Were there other people there?

WITNESS:   No, there was no one.  And when we arrived at the stadium at the gate there were two poles, concrete poles.  They said I must get out from the car and I must put my hands around the poles.  And when I tried to do that they started hitting me using a sjambok, and then they said these two black policemen must hold my hands so that they can beat me.  They went on and on beating me.  They were not beating me in front, they were just beating me at my back.  And then they sprayed me by tear gas and they handcuffed me.  I didn't know how to shake off the tear gas because my hands were handcuffed.  They took a tube and they tied my face, and they continued asking me if I know the guns.  I confessed, I said to them, "I do know the guns," even though I didn't know the guns.  I said - because I was in pain.  I just said so because I wanted the to stop beating me.  They kicked me.  They said to me I must leave.  I started walking, but I didn't have enough strength so I walked - I didn't walk that far and then I sat down.  And then they opened the van and then they said to this other guy he must run.  And he didn't want to run, he didn't want to turn back.  He kept on walking looking at them.  And then after a while I heard a gunfire, and then I was too tired.  I started walking back home.  I didn't sleep, I just took a bath and I was getting ready to go to the doctor.

MRS GCABASHE: Can you please explain to us this tube that you talked about that they put at your face?

WITNESS:   You just tie it, tie my face, and you tie this tube at the back.

MRS GCABASHE: If you can please tell us how many hours were they - how long were you at the stadium?

WITNESS:   I am not quite sure.  Maybe two hours.

MRS GCABASHE: You saw Dr Beard.

WITNESS:   Yes.

MRS GCABASHE: Do you still have his address?

WITNESS:   I don't know him now, but I heard someone saying she is working at his house, because I heard he moved to 'Maritzburg.

MRS GCABASHE: You also said that you went and saw an attorney, John Jeffries.  Do you have his address?

WITNESS:   No, I don't have his address, but I know how to look for him and I can find him.

MRS GCABASHE: Which hospital did you go to?

WITNESS:   Edendale Hospital.

MRS GCABASHE: So in other words even there we can get hold of the records.

WITNESS:   Yes, I think you should.

MRS GCABASHE: Now I heard how you were tortured.  Are you working?

WITNESS:   No, I am not.

MRS GCABASHE: And your age is not allowing you to get a pension?

WITNESS:   No.