Human Rights Violation Hearings — Lusikisiki — 1997-03-25

MS FANI: (sworn states)

ADV SANDI: Mrs Fani your full names please.

MS FANI: Nqeke Fani.

ADV SANDI: You are going to tell us what happened to you at the time of this incident.  Can you please tell us what happened to you Mrs Fani?

MS FANI: My arm was broken and my back was also affected.

ADV SANDI: Were these people looking for your husband who is sitting next to you now?

MS FANI: Yes.  His name is Mlandelwa Fani.

ADV SANDI: The police were looking for him because he was a member of Congo?

MS FANI: Yes they were looking for him because he was a member of Congo.

ADV SANDI: Let us talk about you Mrs Fani.  You said that when the police arrested you they beat you up.

MS FANI: Yes.

ADV SANDI: Can you please tell us fully how the police would beat you up?

MS FANI: Yes I can tell you.   They would beat me with rifles and kick me and my back was affected because of that.   And they would beat me with the back of a rifle on my shoulders.

ADV SANDI: At the time that they were beating you, were they looking for your husband?

MS FANI: Yes but he was not there at the time. He ran away.

ADV SANDI: Do you have a request other than the ones that you have mentioned in your statement to this Commission?

MS FANI: No.

ADV SANDI: Is that all that you want to say Mrs Fani.

MS FANI: Can you please repeat.

ADV SANDI: Is that all you want to say Mrs Fani.

MS FANI: Yes that is all.  My back was affected.

ADV SANDI: We will now go to Mr Fani?
 Mr Fani, Mrs Fani has already told us that you were arrested at home and you were beaten up.   The police were looking for you.   Did they eventually find you Mr Fani?

MR FANI: I cannot hear you clearly Sir.

ADV SANDI: Did the police find your Mr Fani, as they were looking for you at the time?

MR FANI: Yes they found me.

ADV SANDI: What happened to you when you were arrested by the police?

MR FANI: They were beating me up.  They slapped me in my face and I cannot see.  I am blind now and my ears cannot hear properly.  And when I was arrested they killed my livestock, my cattle and sheep and my horses.  I do not know who killed them but they were killed during this incident.

ADV SANDI: At the time of this incident, was it after the Nonqulana incident, when people were killed?

MR FANI: Are you speaking about Nonqulana?

ADV SANDI: Yes.

MR FANI: Yes, it was after the Nonqulana incident, after the people were shot there.

ADV SANDI: When the police were beating you up, were you
affected or were you injured in your body?

MR FANI: Yes, I was injured.    I went to hospital.

ADV SANDI: How were you injured?

MR FANI: I was stabbed in my chest.

ADV SANDI: Were you stabbed in detention?

MR FANI: At home, when they were arresting me at home.
I was trying to run away into the bushes.

ADV SANDI: The requests that are written in your documents, do you have other requests that you would like to add?   These requests will be taken to the President when we give him our report.  Do you have other requests?

MR FANI: I have them.

ADV SANDI: Will you tell us about them please?

MR FANI: I was terribly injured.  They burnt down everything that I had endeavoured to build, even when I was injured.

ADV SANDI: Is there a request Sir that you would like to give to the Commission.

MR FANI: When I had my livestock I was well, I lived well.  If there is any way in which you could help, would you please do that.

ADV SANDI: Thank you Mr Fani.

MR FANI: Thank you Mr Chairperson.

ADV SANDI: Rev Xundu would you please give the microphone to Mrs Fani?

ADV SANDI: You see that in your husband's statement his house and his livestock were burnt down.   Who burnt down your house and your livestock?

MRS FANI: I do not know.  It was at night.   The house was burnt down at night.   My livestock would die now and again, apparently poisoned, or stolen.

ADV SANDI: Did anyone in the village have an idea of what happened.

MRS FANI: No.

ADV SANDI: Thank you.

MRS FANI: Thank you.