Human Rights Violation Hearings — Venda — 1996-10-03

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Joshua.  It is clear both from your testimony now and from your statement, that you were very involved  in the struggles which were taking place in this part of the country.
 And that your involvement starts round about 1985, 1986 and continued right until the end of the homeland system year, till the decision that independence would no longer be observed, independence of Venda land.
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 Now I would just like you to help us to try and understand some of those political activities.
 This will help us understand the context in which many of the things that you were speaking about and others took place.  It seems that this period, 1986 to 1989, 1990, was a period of intense  political struggle.  Sometimes it is described as the period of ungovernability, where the homeland system had to be attacked in such a way that it couldn't work and that there were attacks on people who supported the homeland system.
 Whether they were in the Government themselves or businessmen, in fact, even teachers.  One teacher was attacked and killed in 1986.  Now when you speak about you being charged and you say that the charge against you, although you say that the case was never ever taken to completion, was public violence.
 Is there any link between some of those activities and those charges, what was the exact nature of that charge of public violence against you and some of the colleagues who were charged with you at that time?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: By the way in which I've heard the questions, when questioned, where there was a charge, the police have linked the meeting which we have attended with other members of the South African Youth Congress, which was held at the University of Venda.
 They took what was said in that meeting and they think that thing are related with public violence.

RUSSELL ALLY: This public violence, can you tell us a bit about it.  Did something happen after that particular meeting?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: After that meeting, nothing happened except that students and the youth who were coming from different
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villages, they were saying that in the villages they must form structures for the South African Youth Congress.  Those who were in our schools, were told to form structures, which are democratic to represent the students from different forums.
 Maybe what happened, happened before in - round 1987 when there were activities which you can say they can be linked with public violence, but after that meeting, there was no incidents of activities which you can say are related to public violence.

RUSSELL ALLY: You in your statement speak about being severely beaten up and shambocked.  Can you tell us if there had been any permanent effects?  How are you now and the state of your health?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Being assaulted by a shambock have got no major effect in my body, but I just felt pain for weeks and months that followed, and then I was healed.

RUSSELL ALLY: The other thing you mentioned is that you were forced to abandon your studies.  You were at the University of Venda, I think you said you were studying B.Proc or some law degree that you were studying.

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Yes, I was studying (indistinct)

RUSSELL ALLY: And did you ever go back to continue or did you after what happened to you, just abandoned your studies completely?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: I went back again, but the difficulties was that I was having a family which I must take care of it and it was very difficult for me to balance the money for school and running my family.

RUSSELL ALLY: So were you again forced to discontinue your studies because of all the financial and family pressures?
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JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Yes.

RUSSELL ALLY: But you are presently employed at the Old Mutual, you say you work as a consultant?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Yes.

RUSSELL ALLY: In your statement you also speak about events which happened in 1990, which you actually didn't speak about in your testimony.   If you could just speak about it very quickly.  When you speak about seen the death of a student by the name of Elsie in 1990, can you just tell us very briefly about that event.

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: In short, what happened is that everywhere when there is a liberation struggle, it go hand in hand with casualties which are different, which came in different ways.
 By that time, to make mention of Elsie, I could also make mention of many more, people like Lawrence was shot by the police.  The child from the Lusunsi and Karambe family who was run by a car, the White man car while the people were helping after the release of Mandela.
 To include that is because in the forefront of all these things which were happening, which were politically, people from political congress were leading the people in organising.
 Now to make mention of those names so that some of them died and it ended up being casualties of things which happened when there is a struggle.
 I am feeling pity for their family members and those who have passed away.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you very much Mr Mulaudzi.  I will see if there is any more questions.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Mr Mulaudzi, it seemed by the time of your
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arrest that is of Mabele, Nesemari these people simply had such an intense dislike of you, that if appears things had happened before, you know, before this very time when they had to detain you.  What were your activities before?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Before I was arrested, I've already explained that I was a member of the Northern Transvaal Action Committee and a member of the South African Youth Congress, which was lodged by that there.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I want the activities not the membership that you belonged to.  What campaigns had you had before?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Campaigns which I was involved in were those like anti- (indistinct), anti-independence campaign.  Those were the campaigns which were there by that time.

THOMAS MANTHATA: They wanted someone Jerry.  What position did Jerry hold or what had he done?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Jerry was the Regional Executive Committee member of the South African (indistinct)

THOMAS MANTHATA: A student at Venda University?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: Yes.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And what became of him?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: He ended up being arrested and he was questioned and he ended up being released after some time.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You engaged the services of a lawyer for Human Rights, who was he?

JOSHUA LUFUNO MULAUDZI: I cannot remember his name, but he was a White man who was instructed by the lawyers from the Human Rights, from Jo'burg.