Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1997-06-12

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: I was talking about the gas in the prison, when they were gassing my cell.  That gas was very dangerous.  After I brought my child back I use to sleep in a bed.  They changed it all.  They changed the linen.  I refused to go in.  I asked why they had changed my bedding.  I said that they were going to kill me, they had a plot and they were going to say that I had killed myself.  I said that they would have to use another method to kill me and not the method they use to kill other Comrades. They called White police to force me in.  I refused.  They called a doctor to give me tablets.  I refused.  I was forced into the cell.  I was not fully conscious because of the gas.  It was at about four.  The Head of Prison was there.

MS MAYA: Who was he?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Mrs van Heerden if I was there.  Mrs van Heerden.  She was there.  I got fully conscious the next day.  I was just wearing my panties.  I was wondering what they were going to say I had committed suicide with, because I had told my sister to take everything home so that they do not say that I had killed myself, hung myself with my dress or whatever.  I had taken my dress and put it in the toilet and it was wet.  They gave me prisoners clothing.

MS MAYA: You were then released?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Yes.  The following week they gassed me yet again.  Mrs van Heerden was there yet again.  I screamed out and these women, White women, came.  Van Heerden asked why I was making such a noise.  Van Heerden said I must stop making a noise.  If I continue they were going to hang me to.  She asked if I know what strangling is all about.  She showed me.  I then stopped screaming.  The next day Mr Maqabie came to visit me.  I could not speak properly.  I told him that they had tried to gas me to death again.  I told him I was scared.  They must please find out, they must tell me why they were gassing me.  They must tell me the truth, what was the gas they used.

MS MAYA: Do you have other requests?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: If I could go to the doctor.  I served both in the South African and Ciskeian Prison.  I suffered from ulcers.  I was eating special food.  They would drug this special food of mine.  At night my stomach would hurt, it would ache terribly.  I ended up refusing eating the food.  They were drugging me.  I could not sleep, I was insomnic and my stomach would ache.  After that they laid charges on me and I went to court within the prison.

MS MAYA: What happened?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Hinzwa was going to represent me legally.  The Magistrates were the Ciskeian Police.  I won that case representing myself.  They could not sentence me, but after that they really ill-treated me.  They would not give me any medication even when I was ill.  My whole left side was swollen.  I suffered from palpitations.  My left would hurt all the time.  On the Thursday the doctor would not give me medicine.  My sister came to visit me.  I told her.  We could not even finish speaking.  They threw me back in.  After that they took me to the hospital within the prison.

MS MAYA: So you would like specialists to check what is going on with you?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Yes, I would appreciate that, because my joints hurt sometimes.  If, also, they could examine my child.

MS MAYA: Thank you Nomakhepu.  Is that all?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Yes Mam.  As I have two children, if I could be assisted financially to educate my children.

MS MAYA: Thank you.  Maybe the co-panellists would like to ask you further questions.  I will hand you over to the Chairperson, the Reverend.

CHAIRPERSON: I thought Ms Maya was the Chairperson.  June Crichton would like to ask a question.

JUNE CRICHTON: Can you hear me Ms Ntsatha?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Yes, I can hear you.

JUNE CRICHTON: Good.  There is just one question, well, actually two, but I need a very short answer from you simply because of the time problems we have.  You mentioned that you gave your clothes to your sister, because you thought they might think that you were going to commit suicide or had committed suicide if you were dead.  Was that something that had been happening?  Had you been hearing about people committing suicide when you knew that that was not the case?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Will you please repeat your question please?

JUNE CRICHTON: I asked you if you were concerned that people would think you had committed suicide if you died?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Yes, I was very concerned, because I know Comrades like Mabethla, there were rumours that they had committed suicide, but we know that that is not true.  Dr Aggart, they said that Dr Aggart had also killed himself, hung himself with sheets.  I was in detention when he died.  They thought that I did not know how he died.  They would take the clothing and say that it is proof that we had committed suicide.  I told them specifically that they must try other means.  They are not going to kill me the way they killed the other Comrades.

JUNE CRICHTON: My second question to you just needs you to answer yes or no.  Did they, at any stage, try to convince you to become an informer?

JANE NOMAKHEPU NTSATHA: Yes.

JUNE CRICHTON: Thank you very much Ms Ntsatha.  I hand you back to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you June.  As it turns out I am still the, Madam Chair.  I thought that when the Reverend came back he would still be chairing.  I am terribly sorry about what you have gone through, especially the pain of having been parted with your child.  As Dr Magwaza had said, there is nothing that you did not go through, especially because you are a woman.  A lot of things that happened to you happened because you are a woman.  They would not happen, would have happened were you a man.  You were very young when you joined the struggle. We hope that all that has happened to you has not discouraged you.  I hope you are strong and you are still positive about life.  Thank you.  You may step down.