Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — UNKNOWN

WITNESS: The reason why I am saying this is because our Constitution, unfortunately we cannot move around now.  What I am trying to say is, what we could do here in Port Elizabeth... 
We are the only people in this country where we can show an example of what people did in this country, especially here in Port Elizabeth.  [Xhosa not translated] there are many and I want to appeal to support the Commission on things like, let us not break our rules because should we do that we are going to make ourselves a laughing stock.  One of the persons who was here ran away.  He did not even stay one hour in jail.  He is now enjoying freedom.  [Information lost due to recording]  ...but the State is paid every penny.  The value has gone up to R5m that has been paid on the various cases that are taking place in the country and yet we, the victims, we cannot have a lawyer like many people who are here.  This is the thing that is worrying us.  These people have been using the very benefits which they stood against in terms of the principle for the land.  That is worrying us.  I am appealing to people that we let us show that dedication, we have shown throughout the struggle.  First we started by freeing it.  We are free, so what must we do now?  Please let us make sure that we make ourselves the nation we are.  We deserve that.  Let us leave those people enjoying and abusing our Constitution to protect themselves, because that is what they are doing.  They can do it.  I think we have fought for their freedom and we have always said so.  
I know, I have spoken to the gentleman four weeks ago for 45 minutes and then I pointed out to him that I would mention his name in the Truth Commission.  He agreed with me on certain things because we had one thing in common that unfortunately the task masters were not on the podium, it was just the few soldiers that were the victims who were called to come and give account here.  There are people who at the top places enjoy all the benefits and the glamour of a free South Africa and yet most of our people they will come and crawl here in poverty etcetera.

WITNESS: Anyway, I say this with the greatest respect for all. Everyone let us now, we are tested, the mother of Mtimkulu, I am going to go and sit next to her and say to her, she has a case, she does not need to put it here in order to destroy her credibility and her integrity because the nation will watch that and it will be flashed all over the world; "South Africa do not even respect their own Constitution or their own Judicial system, how can you go to that country, it is a risk".  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much, you can stand down.

WITNESS: IS EXCUSED

CHAIRPERSON: We call the next witness.  The next witness was supposed to be Mrs Mtimkulu.  We are going to hold back that case until lunch time today.  We call Dr Maqina.

CHAIRPERSON: Order, please.  Quiet, please.  Could you please sit down.  Ladies and gentlemen please sit down.
Dr MAQINA D.S.S.
(?) Dr Maqina, I have been assigned the role of guiding you through your statement, but I believe that I do not need to do that because you have prepared the statement in a way that it can guide itself.  Am I correct, sir?

WITNESS: Yes, that is true.
(?) Please proceed, sir.

WITNESS: Greetings to the Commission and its members and the whole crowd in Centenary.  Firstly, I would like to speak Xhosa so that everybody in here are able to hear what I am going to say.  My Xhosa will be both Xhosa and English.  Some of the terms will be in English.  I am a District doctor here in Port Elizabeth.  I arrived in Port Elizabeth 1981.  I have been working at Laleni from 1981.  I left Laleni in 1993.  I am now working for the Western District Region.  I am the Director of Health.  
The details I am going to give you today are about the work that I have been doing at Laleni.  This is not the kind of work that I am only doing by myself.  Other doctors are also doing it.  The nurses, psychologists and social workers are also involved.  We have our own organisation called NAMDA which was formed in 1982.  So I am going to give you briefly its history so that people can see what it was doing.  What I am going to talk about today involves those colleagues and the Comrades who were doctors at that time, things that happened to them.

WITNESS: 'S MICROPHONE WAS