Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — 1996-06-27

MRS BEKWA: I contacted Incabinde because I wanted him to give me more details.  He did nothing else but send me from one office to another, that's why I didn't get any information.  I continued to make enquiries, but I didn't get any information.  I was surprised because I sent my son for education, but he came back as a corpse.  But I was glad because he died in the institution in which I have sent him.

REV XUNDU: Was there any lawyers that you went to?

MRS BEKWA: No, the lawyer who was always handling our cases, the lawyer Mcenge, also died and his wife also died.

REV XUNDU: The child was brought in, was he transferred to your place?

MRS BEKWA: Yes, he was put in a coffin which was a coffin for paupers.  All the students were there and everybody gave support.  I had to go to the shops to buy some food for the students who were filling my place because they were coming to support me.
 They didn't even want to go anywhere because they said they wanted to come to my place.  They didn't mind that my house was very small.  They said they didn't want to go to anybody's place, but my place.
 We were assisted by the neighbours for everything which was required at the time.

REV XUNDU: I have another question for you Mama.  What would you like the Commission to do if it was capable?

MRS BEKWA: I know Lundi was going to be a breadwinner,
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because before he left he said to me, Mama, as I can see that you are struggling so that I can be educated, I will take over when I finish school.  Your grandchildren will never struggle and all my relatives will not struggle, because I will try my best so that they can continue their education.
 And he was prepared to build me a house because he was very proud of himself, he was certain that he was going to a successful lawyer, he stated that wherever I would go, I would never suffer.  I will give you monthly support, financial support of R5 000-00.

REV XUNDU: Mama, what would you like the Commission to do?  What is your wish?

MRS BEKWA: I cannot hear properly.

REV XUNDU: What is your wish?

MRS BEKWA: I'd like the Commission to make investigations about what happened at the university.  There are many students who state that they were there.  Mr Brian Dlebe was supposed to be here, he had promised to come and give support and add some information.
 Unfortunately his father has died so he has to make funeral arrangements for him.  Xolisle Nana is the other one who is prepared to give evidence, because they were his friends, they know what happened.  There are some girls who were also prepared to come.
 I'd like you to make contact with those people, they might give you more information because I was not there, but most of the information they might be having, I can also give you some facts that I documented, so that you can go on with your investigations.

REV XUNDU: Were there any problems during the funeral?
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MRS BEKWA: Yes, the police would come and hit the people, trying to disperse them from the funeral.  They wanted to take the corpse.  There was a huge crowd of people which was dispersed by the police, I think it is because my son was the first student to be killed by the police, it was such a huge crowd which attended the funeral.
 Many of them wanted to make a speech because Lundi was popular amongst them and he was also a comrade.

REV XUNDU: Was Xolisle Jack the Xolisle that you're talking about?

MRS BEKWA: Yes, the Xolisle that I say he was also a friend to my son, is Xolisle Jack.

REV XUNDU: Would you like to say anything more than what you've said?

MRS BEKWA: As Lundi died in October, he was about to get married in December.  As he was about to get married, I had already bought a car so that when he, after the marriage they should go to their honeymoon.
 Nunkeleko died, she was the fiance.  She also died.  They were buried together.

REV XUNDU: Thank you very much.  I will hand over to the Chairperson, maybe some of the Commissioners would like to ask you some questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Reverend Xundu.  Any questions?  Revd Finca?

BONGANI FINCA: Thank you very much Mr Chairperson.  I would like to ask a few questions to the witness.  I'd like to know the role of the university of Mqoya.   I think there are some issues that it might have handled, so we'd like to know whether they had any responsibility that they had taken when your son died.  I want to find out did I get it right when
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your son died, you read this, it was on papers and the university never informed you because we believe the institution was supposed to have informed you about his death.

MRS BEKWA: Nobody informed me.  Revd Zonka is the person who came to me.  Incabinde who is the rector of the university at the time, he wrote me a letter later on after my son had already been there, the one who was surviving the deceased.

BONGANI FINCA: When you went to fetch your son, did the university provide any transport so that your son should be brought along in a dignified manner?

MRS BEKWA: He was brought along in the kombi of the university.  I requested the person to go because I was trying to protect him, because I was afraid that the children or the youth would be angry and could come and assault the person who is driving the ...

BONGANI FINCA: (tape starts) ... give a speech so that you can get information about the death of your child?

MRS BEKWA: No, nothing of the sort did happen.  The only thing that happened is during the memorial service, Mpomelelo Faku was the one who was addressing people, informing them about what happened, that is where I got the information.

BONGANI FINCA: Was there any inquest made by the university with regard to your son's death, did they inform you or contact you to state what happened?

MR BEKWA: No, nothing.  I believe that they were happy about the incident.  I repeat, I'd like the investigations to be made so that this should never happen again.   It is painful to send your child for tertiary education and then he comes
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back as a corpse.  They used to say he is a Xhosa and they would be harassed by the other students.  But they used to continue studying although they were having racism amongst themselves.  The Sotho's, the Zulu's and the Xhosa's.  I was surprised why could they accommodate other racial groups, yet they knew that they wanted only the Zulu's to be in that university.
 I am having a problem because my children have not been educated, because my son was prepared to take over from me.  I have this child who was thrown from the train, the window of a train and his legs were amputated.
 Lundi was prepared to support my children and the whole family.