Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bisho — 1996-09-11

CHAIRPERSON: Will you all rise.  We are now getting ready to pray.

<UNKNOWN>: Let us pray.  Compassionate God our Father, we thank You for the gift of life that You have given to the good and the bad, to the evil offender and the sufferers.  Your love reigns on everyone and You are always interested in our well-being and always seek to meet us in relationship giving us the privilege to call You Father.  For this, God we are thankful.  We thank You that in the death of Jesus Christ You put an end to division and to disunity and brought to men and women the power of love, reconciliation and forgiveness.  
 We pray for this Commission and all its leaders who represent the power of God's love and forgiveness, that You may give them more grace and strength today, to listen to human suffering and injustices.  Give them a wisdom and a gift of descendment and the strength and ability to listen to the mind and the souls of all testifying.  We pray that you would be present with those who are testifying.  Give them Your Holy Spirit and comfort them as many who break in tears, who cannot contain the pain that they could no longer bear.  Let your Holy Spirit guide all who testify, that they will speak nothing but the truth, so help them God.  
 Above all, teach us the greatest principle of the cross, to love and not revenge, to forgive and not hate.  We also pray for the perpetrators of evil, that the power of Your love and greatness and the greatness of this Commission would lead many of them to repentance, changing their hearts and their conscience which is not always easy.  Help us God to listen to the whole truth, that we will listen and be patient and tolerant to hear the hearts of all who are testifying.  So guide us now God we pray, in Jesus name.  Amen.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Thank you Father.  Please sit.

BONGANI FINCA: Chairperson, I wish to propose that we follow the schedule for day three, with one amendment, that we take from about a quarter to ten or 10 o'clock the testimony of Mr Kobus du Plessis who is going to brief the Commission on the ballistic investigation on this particular event.  I am informed that the former officers of the CDF are present except Mr Dirk Adriaan van der Bank who is not confirmed at this stage.  Chairperson I propose that you accept this order.

CHAIRPERSON: We are now going to follow the list as indicated.

REV XUNDU: Chairperson, I think that the Chairperson should have notified you sir that there are a few amendments also in the list because some people are not here yet and so we are going to call number 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7.  So I will call them in that order.  We can add 9 and, ja we'll do that.
Thank you - Thembinkosi Ntengento, Thembela Mtyingwana, Wandile Mbathu, Boyce Nqono, Yoliswa Kewuti, Nomawethu Witbooi and Paulosi Mantyi should ascend the stage.  I would like to swear you in.

REV XUNDU: Thank you, over to you Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Ntsikelelo Sandi?

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: BISHO MASSACRE - DAY 3 - 11 SEPTEMBER 1996

CASE NO: 1

VICTIM: THEMBINKOSI MC DONALD

TESTIMONY FROM: THEMBINKOSI MC DONALD

NTENGENTO: THEMBINKOSI MC DONALD NTENGENTO   Duly sworn states

ADV SANDI: Thank you Chairperson.  Our first witness to listen to is Mr Thembinkosi McDonald Ntengento who, according to the statement, he is going to tell us about his experience on the 7th September 1992.  We can now listen to Mr Ntengento.  On this day, Ntengento, you say you were one of the marchers?

WITNESS:  Yes I was one of them.

ADV SANDI:  Can you say what actually happened to you because we have already heard what happened to most of the people who were present there.  Now how were you affected?

WITNESS:  When this helicopter landed and again flew up, then there was shooting.  I decided to run away and into the stadium and whilst I was there, soldiers came from a certain direction.  They were shooting already and I ran into the stadium trying to hide myself.  Then I went out of that hiding place and as we were going out of the stadium, I was shot here next to my eye and I fell down with my legs facing upwards.  I could still hear with my ears though I was dizzy and I couldn't tell where I had been shot, so I was taken to Gray hospital and transferred later to Frere hospital and I was swollen, I couldn't see, neither could I hear properly.  On the second day, they inspected my eyes only to find that there was a bullet just below my eye.  Whilst I was there, my family came to visit me because they had heard the news that I was in the mortuary.  I spent three weeks in hospital with the bullet within me and this bullet is still there, just below my eye.

ADV SANDI: Does this not affect you that you still have this bullet here in your eye?

ADV SANDI: ---  Long ago I used to bleed through my nose but getting some medical treatment, but later on I would swell but I must say I still have pain on my eye.

ADV SANDI:  Now you say you still get medical treatment, who is the doctor and where is the doctor?

WITNESS:  This doctor is in Frere hospital and his name is Thomas Tudi and he referred me to Chichu clinic because I also started taking fits after this incident.

ADV SANDI: Are there any lawyers that you visited asking for advice on this matter?

ADV SANDI: ---  I was called to Advice Centre by Mr Mbambi, two times he called me to see Mr Clive who is in Grahamstown and he asked me what happened and I told him and I went to Berlin too, to see Mbambi and they asked me whether I was going to be satisfied with the money they are going to give me.  Then I said to them I didn't know how much I was going to get.  They said I was going to get R80,000 which I have not received to date.

ADV SANDI:  Now do you mean Mr Clive who is working for the Legal Resource in Grahamstown?

WITNESS:  Yes he is a lawyer in Grahamstown but I don't know his office.

ADV SANDI:  Berlin Advice Office that you have referred to, is it the same office that has been mentioned by most people here who used to get assistance?

WITNESS:  Yes, it's the office here in Berlin.

ADV SANDI:  According to your statement there is a request that this Commission should assist you to facilitate that you receive this financial compensation for your shooting.

WITNESS:  Yes I have made that request.

ADV SANDI:  When last did you speak to Mr Clive Plastet about this matter?

WITNESS:  That was long ago at the time Mr Mbambi spoke to Clive otherwise I last saw him in person when he was writing down his statement.

ADV SANDI:  Is there any other request you have?

WITNESS:  I'm asking that as an epileptic case and I'm unable to do anything, I'm asking that I should be assisted to get some disability grant which I had applied for earlier on but was turned down.  I was asking for a disability grant.

ADV SANDI:  Now do you mean that you would like this Commission to facilitate that you receive this disability grant?

WITNESS:  Yes, if it has the power because my children left me only because I am unemployed, even my wife left me.  I'm left all by myself and my sister too is also sick, and though she used to help me because she left the husband and came to stay with me to support me but she fell sick too.  So I've got no one to assist me.

ADV SANDI:  I would like to wait for you to compose yourself or let me ask one last question.  You said Mr Ntengento, due to this shooting incident you took to fits, how often do you get these attacks?

WITNESS:  It is after two months, some other times these attacks become too close to one another.

ADV SANDI:  Is that all you have to say?

WITNESS:  Yes but I still have another request that I wish that those people who were shot could see God later in their life.

ADV SANDI: I thank you Mr Ntengento.  I'm now going to hand you over to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: BISHO MASSACRE - DAY 3 - 11 SEPTEMBER 1996

CASE NO: 3