Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bisho — 1996-11-19

REV XUNDU: Mr Chairman I want to call to the testifying desks the following persons, Desmond Manzolwandle Mpunga, Wandile Nebe, Thobeka Magoloza and Bennette Ndyundyu Jack.  DESMOND MANZOLWANDLE MPUNGA:  (sworn states)

WANDILE NEBE: (sworn states)

THOBEKA MAGOLOZA: (sworn states)

BENNETTE NDYUNDYU JACK: (sworn states)

MR POTGIETER: Thank you.  Desmond Mpunga will be facilitated by June Crichton.  Wandile Nebe by Ntsiki Sandi.  Thobeka Magoloza by Mapule Ramashala and Bennette Jack by Ntsiki Sandi.  I hand over to you in that sequence.
DESMOND MANZOLWANDLE MPUNGA

JUNE CRICHTON: Mr Mpunga good afternoon.  As our Chairman has apologised I am sorry that it is so late.  I am going to be posing questions to you related to the statement that is in front of me.  When my light goes on you will know that I am ready to ask you a question, do you understand that?

MR MPUNGA: Yes I can hear you.

JUNE CRICHTON: Your statement that I have in front of me informs me that you were shot in the jaw in the open space behind the stadium on that day at Bisho on the 7th of
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September.

MR MPUNGA: Our stories are very similar because I am also going to say that I never got to the stadium.  I joined the march on the way, just turning around from the robot on the main road towards Bisho we marched on and we carried on with no chaos.  What we saw was a yellow helicopter hovering above the crowd.  This helicopter was hovering above us the whole time.  On the way there were soldiers that I was positive they were not Ciskeian ones because their uniforms were different, they were wearing red berets.  All the roads were closed. The only road that was open was the one that was going towards Bisho.  When we were approaching the stadium we were told to wait.  There was a lot of us.  We were impatient and we just walked on because we could see the stadium, but unfortunately I never got to the stadium.  When I came close to the gravel road a helicopter emanated from the stadium.  There were already a lot of people in the stadium who were in a hurry to go in, but what happened is that as more people got into the stadium a helicopter emanated, when I looked up there were about five or six men in the helicopter, the doors were flung open, as I was trying to detect exactly what was happening we heard a terrible sound like a radio off station.  Then there was shooting.  People were moving up and down.  I also thought I should start running.  I went back.
 Across there were soldiers, Ciskeian soldiers, those were the people I saw were going to attack us.  Even though the sound coming from the helicopter was different from the gunshots, after about a three minutes there was yet another sound.  I was positive that these were machine guns, a lot of them.  I think those were one of the bullets that shot me EAST LONDON HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
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on my chin.  
 Nothing told me that I must get up or lie down, I just fell over.  When I got up the second time I have never heard such a terrible thing.  I got shot and I fell on my stomach.
We were told that to dress warmly because we might have to sleep over.  We never really asked the reason behind this.  I had a warm anorak and also a bag with my laundry because I used to work in East London and I would go home every weekend.  After I had been shot I thought that this cannot be rubber bullets.  I could not feel my chin.  I looked around to see if maybe I could see my chin lying around.  I had false teeth.  I thought perhaps what I was touching was a piece of my false teeth.  I got up and carried on running.  Unfortunately I ran towards a bush.  Unfortunately it was a tree that I fell over that tree and I fell with my backside.  I thought it was safe because there was a hole there.  I thought I was safe from the gunshots but it was sore, my backside was sore.  
 I then started bleeding. I lost every ounce of my strength.  I thought the way I am bleeding nobody has ever bled like this before.  I realised then that it is my jaw, it was just hanging over together with a bullet.  Fortunately it did not fall off, it just hung on my face.  I tried to put my jawbone back.  The comrades then realised that I had been injured. It was obvious.  It was a distance of about ten metres, somebody else got shot and fell over.  Another man got shot on the leg.  My motives were such that I did not think anybody else would help me.  I thought I had strength.  What was difficult was for me to breathe because my whole chin was totally finished and I was famished.

JUNE CRICHTON: If I may interrupt at this point, because at
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one stage you said that your story was the same as everybody else's, but in fact your story is unique for yourself and for your family.  What I want to know from you now is how this event left its mark on you?  What was the effect of it on your life?

MR MPUNGA: Gee, even now I can't even eat because when I got to the hospital I had a hole on my neck. There was a pipe that they had inserted in my nose.  They had also stuck yet another pipe.  Around my chin was a bandage.  I have never been the same again.  My chin is not that well sensitized.  Even when I do eat I have to have something around my chin because my chin hardly has any feelings.  I have a plate that holds my chin up.  I am not myself, I have never been myself.

JUNE CRICHTON: .... you suffer from depression as a result of this, are you on treatment for that depression?

MR MPUNGA: I don't get any treatment because I thought that - I never mentioned that my backside fell hard.  When I am at home and I think about my condition I think that the doctors are going to charge me some money therefore I don't go to the doctors.  I am suffering to this day.

JUNE CRICHTON: Did you approach an attorney?

MR MPUNGA: Yes I did, I spoke to some attorneys.  The week after the Truth Commission had been in Bisho I went to the doctors, they gave me a bit of money, but it left a lot to be desired.  They told me that the money that was left in the fund was left for specialists that were going to attend to my chin because Dr Webber rejected me.  The attorney then said to me that the rest of my money would pay specialists for my face.

JUNE CRICHTON: Dr Webber?
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MR MPUNGA: It is Dr Webster, he is not in hospital he is at the Medical Centre up the road.

JUNE CRICHTON: Now you say you have five children, is that correct?

MR MPUNGA: Yes.

JUNE CRICHTON: Since the shooting and since you have been left in this condition you have made a special request to the Commission that consideration be given to helping with the education of your children, is that correct?

MR MPUNGA: Yes it is so, that is my deepest wish in my life.  I also need a disability grant.  Those are my requests.

JUNE CRICHTON: Is there anything further you wish to say to the Commission before I hand you back to the Chairperson?