Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-02

MANZINI ROBERT ZITHA: (s.s.)

YASMINE SOOKA: I will now hand you over to Miss Mkhize who will help you to tell your story.

MS MKHIZE: I will start with you, Mrs Nkosi.  I will give you time to tell us your statement and then we will ask you questions, then we will proceed with Mr Zitha.  Just tell us briefly about yourself.  What kind of a person are you?  Who are you, where do you come from?   Just before you tell us about your son.

MS MKHIZE: I am Ntonbi Betty Nkosi.  On the 13th March 1986, it was in the afternoon after five o'clock just to seven o'clock Tomosani left home.  He went to my brother's place.  He was going to my brother's place.  He used to go to his place every afternoon to watch TV.  He left and I knew that he had been to my brother's place but contrary to that he didn't go to my brother's place, he went to his friend's house.  And at about seven o'clock we heard a gunshot but we didn't know where the gunshot was taking place.  I remained at home until time to go to bed thinking that no they must have heard the gunshots and he will spend the night at my brother's place.  The next morning I woke up, I went to work because I was really going to work very early every morning.  When I came back from work in the
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afternoon the neighbours said to me your son is not yet back and I went out, I went to Mandla's place, that is his friend, to investigate and I met another woman and she said to me please do not go there you had better go to Zitha's place, that is where people were shot yesterday.  This woman left with me.  We found two women there and I asked them as to what happened and they indicated to me the clothes that were worn by the boy and they told me that he arrived because he was chased by the police and the police shot him and he fell on the bed in the house.  And the police shot the boy belonging to that home.  We asked them where are the clothes, they said no we woke up very early and we washed the clothes.   We went back to the clinic and when we arrived at the clinic the nurse told us that is a visitor's boy who is in hospital but the other one we didn't know his name but he passed away, he is now at the mortuary.  Because it was already sunset we went back home.  The next morning we woke up together with my brother and my other sister and we went to the mortuary.  Truly we found him at the mortuary and we went to the police.  I must say before then we went to the police and they said they did not know his whereabout.  They said there are people who were shot at Matsulu but should go and find them there.  They didn't know that we have been told already at the clinic that he was at the mortuary.  That is where we found him and we went back home to carry on with the arrangements for the funeral.  The police were always around at home, especially in the evenings when we held prayers.  He was buried and we came back home.  One day the soldiers arrived, the house was locked but they broke the doors and they got themselves into the house and they searched.  They took some of his
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documents and they left others.

MS MKHIZE: We want to thank you very much about the brief story you have told us.  Let me take you back a little while and ask you a question.  Now was your son involved in political organisations or was he also a churchgoer like his mother?

MRS NKOSI: He was a churchgoer.  I didn't know him belonging to any political party.

MS MKHIZE: The other thing that is appearing in your statement is that after he had been killed in that manner the police didn't stop harassing you.  They were always at your house harassing you.  Just tell the Commission as to what kind of treatment did you get from the police after the burial of your son.

MRS NKOSI: The police would come and they would park their car at home and they would start harassing us.  It was towards the time when we were about to be cleansed in a traditional way and the function, the ceremony, didn't take place in a normal way because the police were there and they spread their tear-gas.  People took different directions, others were injured.  Because there were many people attending that cleansing ceremony.

MS MKHIZE: Are there may be any people from any organisation who came to help you as you were faced with this trouble?

MRS NKOSI: Yes, but I do not know the name of the organisation they belonged to but there were people helping us at all times.

MS MKHIZE: His death certificate was taken, as you have mentioned, but were you given another chance to have it back so that you can have the record as to what happened?
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MRS NKOSI: No, I didn't get any death certificate afterwards.

MS MKHIZE: You have already said that you want to know exactly who the perpetrators are.   Is there any other thing else that you would like the Commission to help you with?

MRS NKOSI: I would request the Commission to find that person.  I want to know what my son did, because they were just sitting and shot.

MS MKHIZE: I thank you.  I thank you very much.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mama, you mentioned in your statement that the police were patrolling the township during the day.  Could you tell us what was happening in the township around that period because why was it necessary for the police to patrol the township.

MRS NKOSI: I do not know because this was the first incident that took place.  Because after he had been shot we heard later on that there was going to be unrest in the township.  The youth were now stoning cars with stones.  We didn't know exactly what was happening.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.

MS MKHIZE: We want to thank you very much.   Mr Zitha I want you to briefly tell the Commission as to where did you grow up until the time when you gave us this statement.