Human Rights Violation Hearings — Duduza — 1997-02-07

ALBERT NKUNA: That's why I said maybe I should go back to my story.  When the police came on the 18th, the ones we had to visit came on the 16th, then on the 18th the police came. The three of us were in a shack and were discussing the fact that some were saying, Go and shave your hair and escape, and I said, No I want a disguise, I'm an African.  Suddenly the boys came in and said that we should run away because the police were coming.  I said it wouldn't help me to run away.
 When they arrived I did not run away and they just approached me at my shack, and one of them is here, I told that they should not get out because I was the one who was going to get out. When I went out they pointed at me with their guns and I realised that if I turned my back on them they would shoot me from the back and they made me lie on the ground and told me that they want me to give them a certain gun that I used to shoot people at the hostel. I told them that I did not have a gun but they insisted that I was going to give them the gun.  But said that I don't have any guns with me, I can go and look for the people or the person who has a gun.  They went with me and they took me to the shack and we got into another shack, where I ended up saying, Oh no.... I was taken in to a car but I think I lost consciousness because I don't know what happened then but at about half past four I was in Alberton when I regained consciousness, and I saw lights on around.
 They said to me, why did you defend the people that we're looking for?  I said, no I did not defend them, I'm an African myself.  After saying I'm an African, lo and behold, after uttering the word African, that's when the boers assaulted me.  I tried to be strong and I failed because I was already injured by then.  They took me to the hospital at Alberton and they said they mustn't leave me there because I was already dead.  They took me to Germiston.  On lady, I think she was a coloured lady, came and asked why they brought this already dead person here and want them to take the responsibility of this whole mess. The boers replied that they would take me with them again and they took me back to the caspar and drove off. They found out they've severely and brutally injured me.
 I'm very sorry I disclose every truth.  When I regained my consciousness I felt that my private parts were almost dead, not working, not functioning anymore and I was asking myself if the went on torturing when I was already dead or what's happening, I was completely lost.  I was so much in pain because they had shocked me, they threw me in Heidelberg on a mountain there and I heard this noise of the caspar, as if it was taking off, leaving and I had no shoes on.  I did try my best to wake up but I could not, and I felt much pain on my testicles.  
 I tried my best to wake up, I was struggling but somehow I managed because I told myself that maybe I should take everything slowly.  I started walking slowly until I got to my place and I saw many people surrounding the house waiting for me. They wanted to know what had happened and where I had been.  They said that I must be followed.  That is what I was told by one of the people there. I said to them that I am an African and if they could donate money and send it to call me from jail that won't help.
 I left the place and I was ungovernable then.  I took my gun and I went back where I was injured and I thought I was going to console myself with the fact that I had been injured and injured for the truth by Inkatha against the community.  
 The hostel dwellers and Inkatha were being supported by the boers, however we conquered them.  Thank you.

MR LEWIN: Thank you Mr Nkuna. If I could just please, I know it must be very painful for you, difficult for you to go back, but if I could just clarify a few things.  You mentioned the police arriving with guns, this was on the 18th, and then you said you found yourself in the car and you were unconscious or you lost consciousness in the car. What happened between the time that the police arrived and you found yourself in the car, can you remember that?  Did they attack you, did they hit you, how did you lose consciousness?

ALBERT NKUNA: They assaulted me and it was not only one man, this guy that I'm pointing at, his right hand is not functioning any more because they assaulted both of us the most.  They said we should take out all the guns that we were using the previous day and they started assaulting us.  During the days before they were coming and saying they were looking for Nkuna. On other days they would come and ask me where Nkuna was and I would reply that he was not there.  They would leave a message for Nkuna and I would say that I would see that he gets the message.
 What I'm showing here on this newspaper article is what had happened that very day because they carried me and were looking at the paper and asking if this was the one, and after that they uttered that they should deal with this boy. I was the person who was assaulted the most. The other one was not so severely assaulted.  Even now I asked him to come with me to the Truth Commission, but he refused because he was not severely assaulted.

MR LEWIN: Thank you and can you just give us a few more details about the subsequent torture, when you said you woke up, I mean how did they shock you, was there a special machine that they had?  And where was this taking place?

ALBERT NKUNA: That machine, the last time I saw it had two strings when I got into this room, not far away from Vosloorus, and I felt that my trousers were taken off and I tried to look and felt my testicles were hard and were poking me up here and I don't know how they got that far.  When I tried to lift up my head they put through a piece of wood and I've given other statements before with regard to this.  I struggled in the past, even today.  However let me go further.
 After that I could feel that my entire body was severely affected, I lost strength and I went to the doctor and I was taken there by some people in a car.  He examined me and said that to push back my testicles into the right position would be very difficult but I should be taken to Baragwanath Hospital.  I told him that I have tried my best to pump through the testicles so that they can move and get back into the right position, but I failed.
 They took me to Baragwanath Hospital and just when we were trying to gain entry, they gave me tablets and I saw this boy who said I should look outside.  Did I see those people out there?  I said to myself that those were the very people that we were fighting against, and I'm very sorry to say this in the community and please pardon me!  I said I will try and not sleep in this hospital but leave these premises now.  I left that hospital after seeing those people and went back to the doctor who helped me before and I told him that I saw Inkatha members at the hospital and therefore decided not to sleep in that hospital and I therefore decided to come back to him.
 I managed to escape back to the location and I did not even want to show what had happened to me and how I ran from the hospital to the community.  People were saying, Nkuna is back, Nkuna is back, now what is being done?
 I went back to the doctor and asked him to please help me as the gauge is heavy for me and when it's hot, extremely hot, I feel dizzy somehow. I see stars and he replied that I was probably not feeling well. I responded that I was just fine, I didn't think that I was sick.  The doctor suggested that maybe we should take the papers and help me with letters to take to the social workers where I'd get better help.
 I took those papers to the social workers and there was no response. 
 I'm sorry maybe I should apologise again, there is so much that is in me and I want to ventilate today and put everything on top of the table.