Human Rights Violation Hearings — Winelands — 1996-10-14

MARY BURTON: The next witness this morning is Ms Nothemba Kabane and I'd like to ask her to come up to the stage.  Ms Kabane can we just check that you can hear the translation threw the earphones.  Can you hear me - can you hear me threw the earphones, thank you?  Would you please stand so that you can take the oath.
NOTHEMBA KABANE Duly sworn states

REV XUNDU: Thank you Mr Chairman, greetings to you Nothemba Kabane.  What is your clan name?

MS KABANE: I'm Mamfulani - Mamfulani.

REV XUNDU: Are you married to new Zulu clan?

MS KABANE: Yes, I am

REV XUNDU: Thank you, where did  you grow up?

MS KABANE: My home is in  Lady Frere.

REV XUNDU: Thank you, where did you get married, did you get married in Lady Frere or here in Paarl?

MS KABANE: We got married in 1960 back home.

REV XUNDU: Your husband, according to this statement, was - his views were in contras to the POQO Regime.

MS KABANE: Nozulu, my husband was against the POQO Regime - he spoke openly.

REV XUNDU: In which organization was in?

MS KABANE: He belonged to no organization, it  was in 1962 one could not say anything about the POQO Regime - not even to the next person - because we were never sure whether that person belonged to POQO or not.

REV XUNDU: What is it about the POQO Regime that your husband did not like?  I - pardon, what is it exactly that your husband was against in the POQO Regime?

MS KABANE: He did not like the killing of people - where were a lot of people who got killed by POQO.

REV XUNDU: According to your statement - apparently somebody said your husband must be careful of speaking about POQO in the negative.  Did your husband tell you exactly who it is that your husband was against?

MS KABANE: My husband used to like going to the bar - he'd stand on a chair and speak out rightly against POQO.  This man that advised us to tell my husband that he should stop speaking against POQO, we then tried to stop speaking against POQO.

REV XUNDU: Are there particular people that you know or that Jam-Jam  knew.

MS KABANE: It was  in Langabuya  Jam-Jam stayed in Mhaluweni.  My husband was with me at home.

MS KABANE: Did he not  say exactly who it is that wanted to kill your husband?

MS KABANE: No, he did not say, it is just they - it is just that they gave him lethal looked should he speak against POQO.

REV XUNDU: Did you not know POQO members?

MS KABANE: No, we did not.  You could not identify them as POQO members.  It was a terrible situation them.

REV XUNDU: Your husband then went to  Mhaluweni.  Wouldn't you please tell the Commission exactly what happened?

MS KABANE: It was in 1962 the 27th of October, on a Saturday, at half past four.  My husband worked at Rembrandt at night.  Then Zamela Gologolo worked with him - and Gaja - they came to our house, they then left with him to go to eMalholweni.  He never came back, at Langabuya the situation was terrible at the time.  At 6 o'clock we'd shut our doors, we thought perhaps he would sleep at eMalholweni.

REV XUNDU: Did these people not say exactly what happened to your husband?

MS KABANE: They all did not come back on the Saturday.  I then thought he slept at eMalholweni with his relatives.  On the Sunday morning we were wondering why he was not coming back.  I then went to Mr  Ndongeni and Mr Ngendani to - I then reported that my husband was not yet back and it was all ready 12 midday.  1 o'clock elapsed and he still had not come back.  When we went to Mr Ndondela's house - when I entered his house at midday they then looked down.  I told Mr Ndondela that Nozulu is not back, they said they would find out where he is.  Mandigisa and Mr Ndondela came back.

REV XUNDU: Where did  [indistinct] and your husband separate?

MS KABANE: We were not able to go to  [indistinct] because he was at eMalholweni.  What we did is to go ask someone else if he'd seen Nozulu.  Njati then said there's someone who was found next to the river - someone who was headless.  We did not know what to do, because the situation was terrible at Lungabuya at the time.

REV XUNDU: Did you then go and investigate if it was him?

MS KABANE: We were not able to go because it was Sunday  [indistinct] .  My neighbours then stayed with me until the morning on   the Monday.  On the Monday morning there were a whole lot of people - our neighbours.  Investigators then came with Ndugela, the police van went to the farm were Mr Nxhani stays.  Ndugela and Ndunlungu in the presence of Mr Ndongeni asked were Nozulu was.  I then said he left on Saturday, they then said to Mr Ndugela why is it that her husband should not come back until Monday morning.  I then went to the police station,  I left my children with Manthene.  We went to the police station - when we got to the police station on the Monday morning, there  were a lot of people from Umtata, that were at the police station.  The investigators then said  
Your husband is headless, can you not go and identify the body?  
I said  
I have a young child, I cannot go to identify the body.   
I then requested that they bring his clothing to me, then Ndugela brought his clothing, I said 
This is it.
I then went back home and there were a whole lot of relatives at home.  On the third day the police came again saying I should identify his head.  I then went because I could not escape from this,  I identified his head.

REV XUNDU: Did they then allow you to take the corpse to bury him?

MS KABANE: The Umtata people buried him but as Anglican I could not bury him.  The Methodist Church buried him.  He was Anglican member and I was Methodist, but it was difficult for him to buried according to the Anglican routine.

REV XUNDU: Was it the churches that was censoring the churches?

MS KABANE: It is this organization.

REV XUNDU: Where was your husband working at the time?

MS KABANE: He was working at Rembrandt, it had been 10 years.  His employer was there at the funeral.  But they did not help me bring up my children, they did not give me my husband's rights.

REV XUNDU: So you were not able to receive any of his pension?

MS KABANE: No, I did not receive anything, I was under a lot of stress and heart ache.  I have not been well since because it was the first time I saw a man headless like a sheep.

REV XUNDU: Did you investigate if he had any rights or pensions that had been deducted from his salary?

MS KABANE: No, I did not, it was very stupid of me.

REV XUNDU: Do you have enough evidence that your husband worked at Rembrandt?

MS KABANE: I have full evidence - if things had gone according to plan I would be staying in a subsidized house and I'd be a Madam.  There are people who work for Rembrandt who are here now.

REV XUNDU: Do you wish that the Commission would investigate for you?

MS KABANE: My request is that the Commission would investigate about my husband's monetary issues.  I also request the Commission to give my children a tombstone.  I also have 3 grandchildren - my son passed away, I only have a daughter.

REV XUNDU: Do you work?

MS KABANE: I'm a pensioner as a result of ill health.

REV XUNDU: Besides what you have already said, do you have any more to request to the Truth Commission?

MS KABANE: There is nothing that I'm forgetting, but I want to emphasize that my request is that the Commission investigates my rights at the Rembrandt and I request a tombstone for my husband.  As a pensioner with my 3 grandchildren it the Commission would help me with that.  Excuse me sir, I also want to know who killed Nozulu, I want to know so that that person can ask for forgiveness and confess that I killed Nozulu as a result of this or that.  There's nothing I can do with those who have been hung, there are people who have been hung.  I was also asked to go to the Court of Law, but I had children and I couldn't.  But I was also taken to court cases.