Human Rights Violation Hearings — Helderberg Tygerberg — 1996-08-06

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Okay, you say that you were unconscious for a very long time, how long were you in hospital?

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: I was in hospital for three months.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: And did the doctors and the nurses explain to you what your injuries were and do you remember what - what kind of injuries you had?

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: Yes I remember the doctor said the damage - there was seven bullets inside me. Two on the head, one on - in the neck, one just underneath the arm and three on the leg.  I think those, there was a time when I was shot, when I was lying down, but I was told that they had taken out seven bullets out of my body and one arm could not work and one leg too. And even my neck was stiff and even now my neck is still stiff and my arm is not working, so they said that I - I could not get healed even the arm could not turn freely and there is some paralizagist on the arm, I can't lift it up, and so the doctor said they could not help me because I got this injury. My neck was turned so the doctor said they could never help me I would have to remain in this state right through my life.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: So you have many injuries from that attack and you still suffering the consequences of that attack right now.

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: Yes, when it is overcast, I can't hear properly and my body becomes painful.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Are you still receiving any treatment today?

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: Yes I do there in hospital I go for treatment.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Can we talk a little bit about the Court case, obviously the time of your attack you didn't know who these people were, but you subsequently - you subsequently heard who these people were, can you tell us who they were and how they were identified during the Court case.

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: Firstly in that house where they took me and beat me for the first time, they said Piet Rens had his bank card falling there, his card - bank card was found there on the grass in that house and the owner of the house picked it up. I think the owner of the house was Mr Brand and he was one of the witnesses.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: You are aware that in the hearings of the Truth Commission we have to understand whether the violation you are talking about is - has a political motive.  Do you think that this attack had a political motive and can you just explain to us if you do think so, why you think so.

WITNESS: When we were members of the ANC, and they used not to like us in Kraaifontein.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: When you say they, who are you talking about?

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: It is white people of Kraaifontein.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Thank you, Mr Nkwali do you have a family?

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: Yes I have a family.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Can you tell us how this attack and what happened after that has - has affected your family.

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: Yes it has affected my family greatly, such that I cannot perform the way I use to in the past, I have children, I have two children who are of school going age, and my wife is a housewife, she doesn't work, I was the breadwinner at that time and now we just - we just don't have any income except the disability grant. And which does not cover my problems, it's not enough.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: During the Court case you had received a settlement of money, have you received that money yet?

DOUGLAS SIZWE NKWALI: No I have never received any money, as the lawyer - the lawyer claimed for a second amount, this case was included - was concluded in February that year, and then they said they had claimed for R360,000-00 and this was reduced by the Court down but I don't know to how much and I have not received any amount as yet.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Yes it was reduced according to our research notes and the investigations, work that has been done, you were awarded R200,000-00 but I am just surprised that you have not received the money yet, do you - has anyone explained to you why you have not received the money yet.

WITNESS: No-one has ever explained anything to me, not at all.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Thank you very much for telling us your story Mr Nkwali, I have no more questions to ask you but I am sure that there may be questions from my colleagues, so I'll had over to the Chairperson now.

CHAIRPERSON: Any further questions, Mary Burton.

MARY BURTON: Ms Nkwali can you tell us what work you were doing before this happened to you?

WITNESS: I was - I was a gardener.

MARY BURTON: And you mentioned that you were a member of the ANC, were you known to be a member of the ANC, would people have identified you as an active member?

WITNESS: I wouldn't know but I think it's connected to that, because when they met me, they asked me about President Mandela.

MARY BURTON: But you don't think they could have guessed, they just guessed that maybe because you were a black person, you were a supporter of President Mandela.

WITNESS: Yes, I think so.

MARY BURTON: So it was in a way just - just bad luck that you were there on that day at that time when they found you.

WITNESS: How, I don't get your question clearly.

MARY BURTON: I am trying to find out if they were looking for you specially or they would just attack somebody because they happened to meet somebody that morning.
--- It happened that they were just attacking but those days - at that time there were no people on the streets, I was the only one on the street. And I don't know whether, if they could have seen someone as what perhaps could they have done.

MARY BURTON: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you for coming to give us this testimony and express your pain.  We sympathize with you in your pain, because the pains you got we must say in other words the results of such [indistinct] are those that we witnessed today now that we have got this freedom today. And we hope that for that all the people even these very perpetrators are the people who will want to hand themselves over. And this Commission is going to investigate to find out what the money that was allocated to you, why has it not been given to you so far. So we thank you.