Human Rights Violation Hearings — Vryheid — 1997-04-17

WITNESS:   Only to find that the mother with whom - the mother of the two children got the message as well and went home, and when she got home - they were together at the time of the incident.  And we decided we should go Nkatheni and run away, leave the area.  Now, the children were attending at Nkatheni, living at Nkatheni and attending Kelumusa School.  Now, my daughter-in-law was the one relating the whole story as she had witnessed it.  We heard from her and she told us she was expecting him at three.  He had left to go to school to leave a message there, and he never got to school, and he was killed right there before he could reach the school.  And in the morning I saw the cars there exactly where the incident took place, and my daughter-in-law had arrived, explaining as to what had happened.  It looked like as he left the house the people were following him with a gun.  Just when he left home one has a whistle, and blowing it, following him.  Now, Mrs Khumalo, the younger wife, the second wife, was relating that.  All what this will mean is that my son died.  And we made arrangements for the funeral.  We never buried him in Haladu, but we buried him where we were at the time.  After that, when we tried to go back to find out as to what would happen to his possessions and stuff, we found out that everything was taken and the house was destroyed, the doors inside completely destroyed.  The house was not in a good condition.  We took whatever we could and left, and we therefore decided maybe we should go and get the bricks so we could build a shack.  When we went to fetch the bricks that were remaining we first consulted with the police at Sipiko(?).  They took us there and told us that they were rushing somewhere.  After we had loaded the bricks in the tractor we saw the boys coming, approaching, using the other route, and other routes were closed.  Right next to the wall, standing there, we saw the group of youths coming, approaching us, and we wondered as to what we should do at that point in time.  I got off the tractor.  I tried to go back to the tractor.  I couldn't.  I did not know what to do.  People were surprised what I was up to.  When I saw them coming close, nearby, I ran along the houses, going to the other side of the wall, and there was one girl I was with and my daughter-in-law.  My daughter tried to go with my daughter-in-law and I said, "No, don't do that.  Just follow me.  Let's take the opposite direction."  As you may be aware I was sick at that time, so you can imagine what I was facing and what I was in.  These others were left in the tractor and tried to take off.  Those who were coming close by tried to approach them on the other side of the road.  The tractor took off and they followed the tractor, hoping that the tractor will take a U-turn somewhere, but to no avail.  The tractor went off.  As I was trying to crawl there in the scene of this incident I managed to get to a certain spot, where I realised that there were bricks that were left there, and I was surprised how come because the bricks were supposed to be in the tractor.  When these other two from the tractor got off and tried to run, and coming back, I heard my daughter shouting and screaming, crying about the fact that she was going to lose her children.  Well, I enjoyed by stay in Haladu, in a nutshell.  I saw the tractor far away, and suddenly I saw the tractor right next to me, and they said, "Are you the one?"  I said, "Yes, I am the one," and we went on ahead.  What can we therefore do, because there was a horse?  They arrived, and then the bricks were taken one day.  But this is such a pathetic story, the death of my son.  You know, we have parents in church.  We have parents in church.  Last year in church we had some other parents and the other relatives as well.  When they got home and found out that they were all there they said to themselves, "Give us money, let's just go back.  We won't go to church with Khanyi.  We can't stomach and stand Khanyi."

MR LAX: Did you ever recover all the things from the house, the one where you went to get bricks from?

WITNESS:   We never went back because they ran after us.  The house was set alight by the way, and many houses were set alight - my house, the neighbours, and so forth.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   I am at Nxakeni. That's the end of the questions.  Sorry, just one aspect, auntie.  Our investigators did go to Mondlo Police Station and they did find some reference to your son's case.  The references confirm that there was political violence in the area between ANC and IFP.  Now, your family were predominantly IFP, is that right?   ---   That is correct.

MR LAX: And as far as you know the people that killed your son were ANC people?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MR LAX: Now, your second daughter-in-law, Mrs Khumalo you've called her, what is her first name please?

WITNESS:   I know Ngehlana.  She is Ngehlana Khumalo.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... at the moment?

WITNESS:   (Inaudible)

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Dinah, as we have been listening to your story we just lost - I lost strength, and as I look right deep into the matter I realise that you are now a pensioner and you were looking up to your children to provide you with food and support you, but the direct opposite is true.  You've suffered this ordeal.  As we look into our children's future we always think and hope that they will bury us one day, take care of us as we are growing old.  But I do trust that as I talk to you, and addressing these people in the hall, everybody has listened to what has been said before the Commission, and I believe that even if there are some here who are still intending to do harm, after this they will repent, especially having listened to people like you.  The situation should really change, and people should see that what happened in the past don't happen in the future.  We will carry on and go on with our investigations, and see how we could enlist help to you and your daughter-in-law.  Thank you for taking your time to come here.   
I would ask you to be patient.  We've come  to the end of our programme.  The lady here was the last one, and I believe that we are all touched after this testimony that has been rendered by the old lady, old as she is, due to the fact that we were fighting each other as a black community.
MACHINE SWITCHED OFF
/ON RESUMPTION
ON RESUMPTION