Human Rights Violation Hearings — Benoni — 1997-02-05

MR LEWIN: I would just like to remind anyone who still has statements to make or would like to make statements that there are statement takers.   They are actually upstairs in the room just behind that corner there, if there are people who would like to either make statements now or who would like to find out how they can make statements at a later date.
 And I would now like to call our final witness, Lazarus Shabangu.
 Mr Shabangu can you hear me all right through the earphones?

MR SHABANGU: Yes.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much for being with us for the whole day and for staying on.  I am sorry it has been so long, but it has been a long day and we would like to thank you.
 Before you give your evidence could you please stand and take the oath.

MR SHABANGU: (sworn states)

MR LEWIN: Mr Shabangu I will myself ask you to tell us your story, which is one which we have not had examples of today.   It refers to the incident which took place in 1992 concerning yourself on a train and if you could please in your own time tell us about that experience.
 Thank you.

MR SHABANGU: It was on the 30th of October 1992, in the morning of that day, at half past five to six.  I was working at Clicks next to Denver at the Trade Centre Building.    I just knocked off that morning because I was attending the night shift.   I was using the train for my travelling.
 I was already aboard the train from Denver, which was go to via Germiston.   At Delmore more than 50 men entered the train.   Some had weapons, guns and assegais.   
 I used to read novels in the train, struggling books, to want to furnish myself with information as far as political organisations, the way they started and where were they headed to.
 This particular book was centred in politics, the very one that I was reading at the time when the men entered the train.
 There was one young man amongst them and he was sent to me to ask my name.   I told him my name, that I was Lazarus Shabangu.   He took the book I was reading.  He actually grabbed it, very indecent.   He asked me where I was from and where I was headed to and why I was reading that particular book.   
 Even before I could answer the very group that I was in, the majority was women.  I started seeing people spreading around at the coach.   Before the twinkling of an eye they took me towards the train door.  
 They started assaulting me.   They told the youngest guy to hit me with a clap.  They assaulted me.   One of them drew out a gun.  I heard a loud bang of noise and gunshots.   I heard women screaming and that was the time that they shot me right here.   They shot again twice.  The other bullet got stuck right here on my right hand cheek.
 From there I lost strength, but I could hear them very vaguely, saying he is dead.  
 The train was in motion.   One said, let us throw him out of the train.   The door was opened and they threw me out of the train after chopping me on my forehead.  The train was in motion when they threw me out of it.
 I do not know what happened after that, because when I gained my consciousness I was already admitted to this hospital, asking the attendant where was I and what had happened?   They told me, you are two weeks in this ward at BBH Hospital.   
 I had my parents with me, coming to visit me in hospital.  That is it.

MR LEWIN: Thank you Mr Shabangu.  Could you tell us a little bit about yourself.   You say you were travelling from Denver to Springs.  Is that where you live?

MR SHABANGU: I reside in Daveyton.

MR LEWIN: What do you do now for a living?

MR SHABANGU: I am still employed at Clicks.

MR LEWIN: So they kept your job open for you?

MR SHABANGU: They once threatened to retrench me but I negotiated and they accepted me back.

MR LEWIN: Could I ask if you could give us some more details about this horrible attack in the train.  You say there were other people in the coach when these 15, they were all men were they, when they came in, when these men arrived?   Was the coach quite full?

MR SHABANGU: I will say there were about five women and
two gentlemen that I used to be with and travel with.   When I asked about them they told me that those who were killed were all admitted at BBH, but they passed away.

MR LEWIN: Was that all the other people in the coach?

MR SHABANGU: You mean the ones who were killed?

MR LEWIN: Yes, or just the...

MR SHABANGU: There were others also who were killed, but there were only a few of them, because this happened early in the morning.

MR LEWIN: And were they killed in the coach or were they killed by being thrown out in the same way that you were?

MR SHABANGU: When they shot me I do not know what happened afterwards, because I lost my consciousness.   I did though hear sounds, people screaming.  To me, I will think they attacked them after I was being thrown out of the coach.

MR LEWIN: When these people came into the coach on the station, was there anybody there who could defend you, I mean there were not any police or soldiers on the train to stop them?

MR SHABANGU: There were no police or soldiers.

MR LEWIN: And I mean was it fairly clear to you at once what was happening?  Have you heard of similar incidents before?

MR SHABANGU: Yes I had heard about similar incidents before, that people were attacked in the train and killed.

MR LEWIN: And when the youngest of them came to you and slapped you because of the book and took the book away. Did he say anything else, did they give any indication of what they really were trying to do?

MR SHABANGU: He only asked my name.  I told him my name.  As to what he was trying to do I do not know.  If he was a thug he could perhaps tried to rob me of my possessions, but he did not.  To me, I think he was after my life, to kill me with other people in the coach.

MR LEWIN: So they did not seem as they were muggers or thieves.

MR SHABANGU: They had weapons and were fully armed.

MR LEWIN: And what language were they speaking?

MR SHABANGU: They were talking in Zulu.

MR LEWIN: Did they make any particular statement to you or did they just start attacking?

MR SHABANGU: They only asked me my name and that was all.

MR LEWIN: And now what you would like us to do is to try and find out why this happened.   Is that what you would like?

MR SHABANGU: Yes, I will appreciate that.

MR LEWIN: And in terms of your health, what is the position now?  Have you recovered fully from the attack?

MR SHABANGU: My life has changed, health-wise.  I am no longer the Lazarus at home they knew before and all this change also affected my family at large.  As I am talking, my mom is not feeling well.  She does not even know what is happening and what is taking place with me in my life.   I underwent an operation and they extracted one bullet, which penetrated through my head.  Now my life is drastically changed from all that.

MR LEWIN: Is there still another bullet lodged in your head you think?

MR SHABANGU: You mean in my head?

MR LEWIN: Yes.

MR SHABANGU: Yes there is one.

MR LEWIN: You say your life has changed.   Do you have to take medication regularly?

MR SHABANGU: I take pills, tablets quite often and I am afraid they may cause some other defects in me and at  times at night I do not sleep quite well.

MR LEWIN: Can I ask, do you still travel to work by train?  And if you do, how does it feel now?

MR SHABANGU: Because the violence has come since, after
1994 I told myself that there is nothing I can do.  If I die, I die, who cares?

MR LEWIN: I would just ask the other Commissioners if they have any questions.

MS SEROKE: Lazarus are you married?   Do you have a wife and kids?

MR SHABANGU: No.

MS SEROKE: When you were admitted to the hospital and your parents not knowing where you were, how long did it take for them to locate your whereabouts?

MR SHABANGU: They took about a week to discover that I was at hospital.

MS SEROKE: Who told them?