Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-18

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: I think for some time yes, but the fact that really affected me was the restriction, you know a question of not meeting any people.  This really affected me a lot.

MS MAYA: Now these restrictions how did they affect you as well?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Now these restrictions just before they could end I was told the ANC and other organisations were now
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unbanned, that's where I started resting.

MS MAYA: In this report that you have put before us I read six times where you were caught, what were you doing inside the prison cells?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: I was assaulted except only the state of emergency 1986, 1989, but after Matthew's funeral I was one of the victims who was assaulted, whose clothes was red with blood, I was told to explain where are others.  I had to pinpoint.  Stanza also passed away, he was one of those people who were being sought by the police and Orbet.  I think Orbet is now working at the Shell House for the ANC.  It was difficult in those times but one had to really bear.

MS MAYA: Did you try to do anything, did you try to take these policemen to the court?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: No it was only once when I was sent to Mortimer.  The police said to me I had to go and submit a charge.  No, after submitting a charge at the police station I never followed anything. Well everything ended at the hands of the police.

MS MAYA: Do you want us to go back, is there anything maybe that we have left behind?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Well from my release at Pollsmoor they said I should find out about articles on the TV, everything was not publicised about this because they wanted to know how were the inmates of the cells doing.  That is where I was taken to Port Elizabeth.  This was in connection with the statement that I took out.

MS MAYA: Before you came to the Truth Commission you have a wish, you have a request?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Yes it's true.

MS MAYA: What do you want to say about that?
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FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: I am a person with two children and I am also staying with a grandmother.  I have many years staying unemployed and I was always detained time and again, and this made me to be a person who has passed matric at 23, it was in 1993.  I am now just unemployed.  We are dependent on the money which is received by the old pensioner who is my grandmother.  At times I get odd jobs and I get some little earnings to bring back.

MS MAYA: How old are the children that you are talking about?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: The first born is 11 years old, is doing standard 2.  The last born is two and a half years.  He is supposed to go to creche this year.

MS MAYA: Is there anything that you would like to say?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: No there isn't.

MS MAYA: Thank you very much.

DESMOND MPILO TUTU: Thank you very much Tiny.  Who is this Tongata, is it a policeman?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: I last knew him as a security officer in Port Elizabeth.

DESMOND MPILO TUTU: Did he assault you whilst he was a security officer?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Yes it is so.

DESMOND MPILO TUTU: Thank you.

MR SANDI: Mr Jacobs the police at this time Mr Jacobs that they arrested you in 1986 knew very well that you were a great friend to Mr Matthew Goniwe, is that so?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Yes it is so.

MR SANDI: And during that period was Mr Goniwe already dead?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Yes it was like that.
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MR SANDI: During this period when you were arrested from '86 and '89 is there anything or any questions that were directed to you about Mr Goniwe?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Yes it is so because there were so many things that they asked me.  I was informed that my friend who was also a teacher and who taught me this communism is now deceased. Let me explain that, at Louis Le Grange there was a bottle it contained water, I don't know how does it smell, that is where I was showed this hand of Mrs Sicqtelo(?) Goniwe and then they said this is one of the baboon hands that is kept in this bottle and I knew that Sicqtelo was buried without his hand.

MR SANDI: Who showed you this hand, was it the policemen?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Yes, it was Mr Hattingh.  There is another one he has recently been charged, Nieuwoudt is now charged, he is the one also who showed me this hand.

MR SANDI: Is that all that you would like to tell us or is there anything that the police said during '86?

FEZILE DONALD MADODA JACOBS: Those are the highlights that I can remember.

MR SANDI: Thank you.

DESMOND MPILO TUTU: Thank you very much.  I would also like to thank you because nobody could prohibit you to go further with your education because you were made to discontinue education due to these detentions, but you told yourself that you would go on even if you are old.  We are very grateful as I had said before to others, we are very grateful about your contribution to this armed struggle.
 The other thing that the Commission would do is that it would take all these things and put them in front so that the world can know about them, and we would make it a point that we do not forget about these things.  Our wish is that 
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all these things that you have told us, and all those that have been given, we would like that they would never happen again in our country.  Thank you very much.