Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-06

COMMISSIONER: Mrs Ndlebe, good afternoon.

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: Good afternoon to you, sir.

COMMISSIONER: Sit down for the moment.  Mrs Ndlebe, just tell me who is accompanying you this afternoon.

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: It is my daughter-in-law, the wife of the deceased.

COMMISSIONER: Is that Sebongele?

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: Yes, it is true.

COMMISSIONER: I also welcome Sebongele.

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: Mrs Ndlebe, you are going to tell us also about Michael Zwandile, your son, who also went to the night vigil.  Before I ask Professor Piet Meiring to help you in telling your story, can you please stand to take the oath.  MRS ELLI NDLEBE (s.s.)

COMMISSIONER: Thank you Mrs Ndlebe.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Ndlebe, thank you for coming.  We have heard so many stories today about the same event, about that fateful night, the vigil, the massacre, the people involved. And now you have come and you have brought your daughter-in-law Sebongele with you. Will you please relax and tell us in your own words what happened that night and how it affected your life and also the life of Sebongele.

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: Chairlady, on the 11th January 1991 my son by the name of Michael Ndlebe and my daughter-in-law, they asked to go to attend the night vigil at Zone 7.  It was
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their friend who died.  I said yes they could go.  They did leave the whole night.   The following day in the morning on Saturday my daughter-in-law was supposed to go to work and we were surprised they were not coming back.  We were sort of surprised what was happening but no one could relieve us.  As the day went on, I think it was around eight, one man came who was a neighbour to us in Zone 12, by the name of Zwandile.  When this man came he told us that things are bad in Zone 7, people have died.  Blood had been shed.  I got worried because I knew very well that my children were there as well.  My eldest son by the name of Naido and his uncle said to me just sit down and relax, we will leave and find out what is happening.  Indeed they left.  The whole day they never came back.  We were surprised as to what was happening.  When they got back they told us that they were already coming from the hospital.  When they followed they said they arrived there at Zone 7, everyone had already been taken to the hospital.  When they got to the hospital they searched in every ward and they could not find Michael.  The only person they found was the wife.  Michael's wife.  When they asked Michael's wife she was also asking about her husband, Michael.  They went in search of Michael, they went to the mortuary but still they could not find Michael, and they came back.  On the second day, it was on Sunday, they went back again.  They could not find him.  On Monday they went back again, they could not find him.  On Tuesday they did find him in the mortuary.  Here at home the comrades kept coming asking how things were going.  When we tried to explain to them they were of assistance to us.  They helped us about things that we did not have, they supplied us with some things.  They indeed performed a good job bringing food
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and all the preparation of the funeral.  We spent the whole week.  On the second week, that is when all those who died were going to be buried and they were asked to go and gather in the stadium of Zone 7, truly we did go there.  After that we went to No. 1 for the funeral, to the cemetery, to the graveyard.  We got back fine.  We arrived at home just fine.  On that very day, at the night of that day, on Sunday evening, police came.  We just heard by the knock at the door.  We found out that they had surrounded the whole house.  We were already sleeping, the lights were off.  We all went to the one bedroom.  The whole family, we were packed in the one bedroom.  They kicked the door.  The door burst open.  We didn't know how they opened the door.  They came in and when they were inside they came direct to the bedroom in which we were.  They said to us we are the police.  First of all it was dark in the house, we didn't have any lights on but they had their torches on.  I asked them who do you want, they said we are looking for Michael Ndlebe.   I told them that we had already buried Michael, I don't know the Michael you are talking about.  And I don't know why you are looking for him and how you are looking for him because the police were present at the stadium.  They said you are lying, Michael is still alive and we are looking for him, we are going to put Michael right here now.  They searched under the bed, they could not find Michael.  They could not find him.  They asked for Michael's death certificate.  I told them we didn't have it.  They said tomorrow you should go get it from the mortuary.  We will be here to fetch it.  Truly we did that, we went to the mortuary to get it but they never came for it, up to this day they haven't come for it. 
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PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much Mrs Ndlebe.  You have told your story very clearly and we do sympathise with you.  Can I ask just a few questions for clarification and then perhaps some of my fellow Commissioners would like to do the same.  You said in passing that Michael was a friend of Chris who died.  Were they close friends, did they do many things together?

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: I am not quite sure there because when he told me that he was going to the night vigil I didn't even know that Chris.  He only told me that Chris was a friend and I didn't have any further questions from there.  I said yes you can go.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  Thank you very much.  And now again I would like to take you just a little bit further.  After the massacre took place when it was time for the funeral of all the people who were massacred at the vigil, you said that it was on Sunday 27 January that the funeral was arranged.  Was that a peaceful funeral or was there also trouble brewing at that funeral?

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: No, it was a peaceful funeral.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you.  And then just a question about Sebongele.  I am so glad that she accompanied you today because I wanted to ask how she was.  Are there children, does she have work?  Please tell us a little bit about the circumstances of Sebongele.

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: Sebongele is currently working.  She works and stops because the arm where she was shot at times it troubles her.

PROF MEIRING: I didn't know that she was also hurt, she was also injured in the shooting in her arm.

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: I thought I had said that she was also
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shot because she was found at the hospital and Michael was not in the hospital and she is the very one who explained to us that she didn't know how they parted ways with Michael.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you for that.  We have that now on record. Also I want to ask only a last thing.  You said in your written statement that the only thing I beg of the Truth Commission is to help me erect a tombstone for my child Michael who died, who passed away.  Of course we will take that along to the Truth Commission to bring your request to them.  Is there anything else you would like to ask of the Commission?

MRS ELLI NDLEBE: No, I don't know.  Really today I cannot say.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  I pass you on to some of the other Commissioners.