Human Rights Violation Hearings — Venda — 1996-10-03

MALAKA MOTIMEDI: Yes, I can lead you.  Now, when I explain what are done to me, I would like to bring it forward that I will not go deep into the details of my detentions, by the way in which I was detained, but in fact there are incidents which I feel, those incidents are very important and have hurt me a lot.
 They were done with the aim, or with the intention which was out of the law.  In the first place I was detained.  There was a raid in my house in 1976, I cannot remember the date.  When I was raided, my house was searched, there were books which were found which were
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regarded as banned documents and then I was subsequently charged by being in possession of undesirable literature.
 But there in 1976, the turn in which I was detained again and charged for incitement.  In 1977 when I was detained, my case was always being postponed, but I was out on bail in these two cases.  That is the first case of banned literature and the case of incitement.
 I was detained in Nomatabi in 1977.  In 1978, I was arrested on my way back home and at home they were not knowing where I was.  I was taken to a certain place in (indistinct) and I was released later that evening.
 I was detained by Mr Ramswana.  I think sitting with Mr Ramswana there instruction came from General Marauwsi.  Mr Marauwsi decided that I must be detained.  Being detained there - when they took me to the court they say I am appearing for those two cases which I was charged with.
 Then I tried to explain that I was on bail, but the bail was not withdrawn, then I was told that I am detained because they are suspecting that I might skip the country.
 I was surprised because I was detained in Nomatabi and I came back home from Nomatabi.  Coming back home they decided that they must detain me again.
 They kept me for about three months or so, I'm not sure, then finally I was fined subsequently, about R250-00.
 I was released.  On my release the other thing that I discovered again which hurt me so much, is that when I was detained in 1976, when my wife was expecting.  They told her at work that she was pregnant, then they expelled her from work.
 When I was released, after I had been fined, I rebelled as if I was doing something which is rebellious misconduct.
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 On realising that it was hurting me, I considered my family which was earning a living and then we were suspended from work and we stayed at home with my wife, both of us workless.
 This is one of the issues that I think was painful, because I was detained when I was out on bail.  I was also expelled from work and then the third issue is when I was detained in 1985.
 I was taken to Masisi.  The only thing that I had in that cell was a toilet.  I didn't have fresh water, I wanted water to drink.  There was no fresh water.  
 There was no water to bath.  I remember one particular incident which I even explained to the people who were taking care that I was ill then.  Then they went out to the nearest Clinic, they got pills for me, they asked me as to how I was feeling then.
 They then went to the Clinic just to find out if they could get some pills since they realised that look, my health was deteriorating, even before getting treated by anybody.
 Even then when I was considering the cell where I was, I am trying now to visualise and imagine as to whether a dog, an ordinary dog can even stay there.  I don't even think I can take my dog there.
 Because the way I was kept there, not even able to do anything.  During the night, the corrugated irons were very hot.  There were a lot of mosquitoes.
 It is very hot, it was very hot.  That was a very sinister condition that one could not even know how to do.  After they decided that I had to be taken to Donna Fraser Hospital.  They had realised eventually that my life was 
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already in danger.
 I remember Ramadigha who on that day was not available, and there was somebody in charge.  That is how eventually they took me to Donna Fraser.
 I think I stayed there for about three months.  On my release finally I was transferred again to Masisi.  The Doctors were fighting over this issue so that I should not be taken back to Masisi.
 I happened to be taken again to Masisi even though.  Then the other issue that I want to mention here is the issue on this issue of course he choked me.  Some policemen from Louis Trichard, one police in particular, took me and there was this reinforcement at Sibasa.  By then Sibasa was independent off the other police stations.
 Obviously if they wanted to detain me in - they could have done the paper work so that I should have been detained by police people in Louis Trichard.  Now they took me from Sibasa police station and they let me off - the police from Louis Trichard, who, is known as Mabedi.  When they arrived home, before my own family they put me on the boot of Mabedi's Skyline. 
 I don't even know where I went, because as you know by now, I've already said that I was on the boot, but I eventually landed in police cell, Louis Trichard police cell.
 Then I - there was a charge framed on me, because initially I used to work in Mneling.  They told me that there were some other things that I used to take from the 
Mneling.  Finally, subsequently the case was withdrawn and I was released.
 In short these are the incidents that I know very well 
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that really tortured me when I was experiencing all these terrible things.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you Mr Malaka.  What I should have asked you right from the beginning, what were your political activities around that time?

MALAKA MOTIMEDI: I was a local Chairman of BPC, the then  BPC.  There was a time when after I had moved up from Teflo up, I was acting on SASO, which was constituted of students who were - as Vice-chairman and it was changed.  I was changed to be a Chairman of the BPC.
 Thereafter I became the Chairman of the Northern Transvaal Committee.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Which was an affiliate of the UDF?  Would you just in a nutshell tell this house of the policies of political groupings.  What I mean here strictly sir, where they meant to bring about very physical help to anybody that who held different viewpoint?

MALAKA MOTIMEDI: Organisations which I was involved in, mainly the objectives were that the then Government, who was based on Apartheid view and it was really not prepared to have anybody who was not of the same political view, we really tried to accept almost everybody.  Whosoever had a point, it was agreed on.  We used to honour such points and viewpoints.  Just to say that the Government which was then in existence, the Government was really torturing people.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you in your own personal capacity ever do any damage to any body who held a contrary viewpoint that could have led to your arrest, detention, the way you have recited it right now?

MALAKA MOTIMEDI: Really I have never had anybody in such incidents regarding their different viewpoints in as far as
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our political believes were concerned.

THOMAS MANTHATA: then you talk about the book which was burnt which was found in your possession.  Can you remember the title of the book?

MALAKA MOTIMEDI: Yes, of course.  The other one was South Africa, A Police State.  The other one was local publication which was distributed by BPC in and around Sibasa, which was trying to explain the incidents and experiences which were happening on people, because there was a time when people who didn't have men, were being taken out of their own homes.  So we took a stand that the people should not be taken out of their own houses, and that very same article was included in that book.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You were taken to Donna Fraser.  What were you diagnosed for?