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

CHAIRPERSON: Could I now ask the next witness, Petrus Ntombela to please come forward. Petrus welcome to you. Could you tell us who you've brought with you today?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: She is Mary Mbele.

CHAIRPERSON: Welcome to her as well,  There is a request that you speak a bit louder and that you speak into the microphone.  Petrus, Miss Joyce Seroki is going to assist you with your statement.

MS SEROKI: Good afternoon Petrus, you are here to tell us about the events where three people were killed and one was injured.  Won't you tell us where this took place and how did it transpire and give us the full picture of the day?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: Yes.

MS SEROKI: I will ask you to stand up so you may take an oath.

PETRUS NTOMBELA: (sworn states)

MS SEROKI: Go on ahead Petrus and relate your story.

PETRUS NTOMBELA: In 1992 in December I had a stokvel at home and the Khumalo Gang members came.  I was inside the house selling and my brother who is dead now, was outside. Three boys came in,  Khumalo gangster members and one sat down right next to me and the two others went on inside the house searching for others.  Three minutes later one boy came in with an AK running after the Khumalo gangster members that were inside the house and left also.  One friend showed him that the person standing at the door is the one they were looking for. He shot at the guy who was a Khumalo member and the other two ran away and jumped the fence.
 They brought Khumalo who came himself in person and started shooting randomly around at everybody who was on the premises, shooting without even asking anyone what happened. The stability unit and the soldiers came and started assaulting and slapping people and did not listen when the people tried to express themselves.  We ran out of the house and I went to a friend's place and lay down on the lawn because I was tired and in pain.  
 They got inside and took the television set and money and my radio and liquor.  When the soldiers were still standing there a mortuary vehicle came to fetch all the corpses and there was one lady in a wheelchair and she was also affected.  She was with us in the house, she just died recently a few weeks ago.
 The 14th, the following day one policeman came and arrested my brother.  He didn't want the house and he kept saying that the house was a house of thugs and the lady who is here just now, Lucky is my friend.
 December 16th we heard some sort of party of some kind and there was one girl who called Khumalo and told Him where we were.  Fortunately we had already left the place and when he got there he found one boy whom he assaulted and shot him.
 The 17th of December I opened this Spaza shop and there was Tokoza taxi patrollers who were working hand in hand with Khumalo and they were shooting around. If they met any male they would shoot without asking any questions.  If you were a boy you were shot, no doubt about that.  If you had on a cap, no question, you would be shot. I tried to escape and I went to Sebokeng.  I came back on the 31st.  
 My friend and my brothers also had a party and they extended and invitation to me and I joined them where the party was taking place.  We had a good time drinking wine when at one o'clock said that I was leaving. We all decided to go and the five, Tapelo, Randy, Aaron, Pani and one other that I did not know of us, went in opposite directions to me and met the Khumalo gang on the way who shot them all dead.
 One day Khumalo came to my house with boers and they were driving a maroon husky and they took my entire album with them.  I left the place and went to a girl friend's place in Katlehong and Khumalo followed me there. Just when I left the house he came in and said he was looking for a short boy and another one who had a limp.  They did not find them because they had already left.  That disturbed me a great deal because I knew Khumalo as a reverend, a pastor so to speak.  Now that all these things were happening and he was the very one in the forefront it was a shock and a surprise to me. 
 One day he came to my place before my brother was arrested and requested us to go and beat up Mugabe.  He was driving a combi that day and we joined him and when we got to Mugabe's house we found his mum and she told us that Mugabe had left the place and it's been quite some time.  We came back and suddenly the very man that we were rendering the favour to turned against us.  Today he calls us hooligans and all sorts of names.  When we put on a cap or a pair of jeans he calls us a name.
 When we go to some areas we are not free at all because follows us always armed and those weapons are probably not even licensed but they are however allowed to use them.  I will end there.

MS SEROKI: Petrus you just said you had a stokfel at your place and Khumalo's boys came.  What about the Khumalo boys, were they students or were they comrades?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: All they knew was IFP.

MS SEROKI: Are they the same age as you?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: Yes, perhaps I'm a little older than them.

MS SEROKI: And you also talked about the other ones that entered the house.  Were they running away from some kind of shooting and they went into the house, or what was happening?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: There were three and one of them drew out a gun and started assaulting people in the premises. He was suddenly shot and we did not know who shot him.

MS SEROKI: And tell us about Khumalo, why was Khumalo after you, we're not clear about that one? Were you a comrade or what.

PETRUS NTOMBELA: Yes I was a comrade.

MS SEROKI: And were you one of the SDU members?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: No SDU came after the whole thing.

MS SEROKI: You were just protecting but you were called comrades?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: Yes.

MS SEROKI: Now Khumalo was after the comrades?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: Khumalo was killing comrades and people who were misbehaving.

MS SEROKI: What about Mugabe, was he a comrade?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: No he was not a comrade, he was a thug.

MS SEROKI: He was also being hunted by Khumalo?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: Yes, my brother is in prison and also he attacked my brother.

MS SEROKI: Now Khumalo's job was to collect all the thugs and the comrades or what?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: No Khumalo was an IFP and against the whole community and we are ANC.

MS SEROKI: Have you been to the police station to report the matter about Khumalo? Did you ever report this case?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: No all the time we were trying to seek cover from one place to another so we were for ever running away.

MS SEROKI: Did anyone lay charges against Khumalo, perhaps one of the victims or so? Would you have any idea of any charges laid against Khumalo by one of the victims or did you try to do that collectively?

PETRUS NTOMBELA: No Khumalo was collaborating with the police, working hand in hand with them so that we were not in a position of reporting him or probably laying charges against him. We could do that but policemen would discard the information.