Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-08-28

WITNESS:   I used to support ANC, and I was not yet an ANC member at the time.

MR LAX: Do you know whether there was any inquest into this case, an inquiry into Bongani's death?

WITNESS:   No, nothing was conducting, except Mr Hunter was called to take the statement, and that was the end.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... in your statement that Hunter was accompanied by another policeman called Mhlongo.

WITNESS:   Yes, Mr Mhlongo.  He was the translator, interpreter, telling me what Mr Hunter was saying, interpreting.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... they were from the Amanzimtoti Police Station?

WITNESS:   Yes, Mhlongo was a sergeant working at Merebank, and Mr Hunter was in charge of the police from Point to Amanzimtoti.

MR LAX: Thank you very much.  Now, tell us a little bit about your family.  Are your parents alive?  Brothers and sisters?

WITNESS:   I still have my mum and my dad.  They are still alive.  My mum is a housewife.  She is just working for RDP in the community.  And my father is on pension.  I have three brothers.  One is still at school, and myself I am still at school, and the other two are home.  And my eldest sister got married, and I have one other sister who is in Johannesburg with my uncle at Zolo township.  And the other children, kids, are there still attending school, schooling.  I am schooling at Gagazinya.  I am in standard 10.  We stay at Malugazi.  We have a shack of about four rooms.  You see I have my own room where I just read and study from.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... what would you like to do when you - if you finish studying?  Would you like to study further, or ... (incomplete)

WITNESS:   I am so ambitious, and what I had planned is that after my standard 10 I would like to go and further my studies at the university.  And I'd be something in the community and be of much help at home.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   I want to be an attorney, advocate, lawyer under the human rights.

COMMISSIONER: Thank you very much for coming in today.  What you have told us sounds very familiar.  We have heard  /many other
many other stories like yours in other parts of the country, and these stories have never been told before.  You never hear stories like yours on television or in the newspaper or on radio, and that's why it's very important that you have come to tell your story here in a public place like this.  It's very important that we have a description of what life was like in those years of conflict, so that we never ever forget what life was like for people like you, who struggled against an unjust system.  And of the co-operation that you've told us that existed between the police and political parties.  In this case you have described very close co-operation between the police and the IFP.  And that sort of thing has happened in many other places.  We've heard stories like that, where the police have detained people and have taken them to areas where they know they will be very badly dealt with, assaulted or killed.  In this case you and your friend, Bongani, were taken to an IFP area, and you were very lucky to escape with your life.  And it seems that Bongani was no as lucky as you.  He was brutally killed, and his body was burned.  So again that's why it's important that you have come today to tell us here, the public, in front of television, to tell us what happened in those days so that when we write our report stories like that go into the report, and we - and the generations that come after us are all the more determined that those sorts of things should never ever happen again in this country.
We will try to investigate what happened to Bongani, and who was responsible for what happened to him.  That will be very difficult, but we will make an effort to do that, and we will also make contact with these police and ask them why they did what they did, and ask them to give an account of themselves.
So we thank you again very much for coming in.  We wish you well in the future.  We hope that you are able to succeed with your ambitions, one day become a lawyer, and spend your life protecting the rights and interests of other people.  Thank you very much for coming in to see us.

COMMISSIONER: We welcome you here today, Mr Thusi.  You have come from Umlazi township, and you will be telling a story about your detention, harassment by the Security Branch of the South African Police during 1986 and 1988, and the factors that caused you to embark on a hunger strike.  Before you give that evidence can I ask you please to stand and take the oath.

SANDILE THUSI: (Sworn, States)   (Through Interpreter)

COMMISSIONER: You can give your evidence in obviously the language of your choice - in Zulu.  Dr Khoza Mgojo will be assisting you in leading your evidence, so if you want to give your evidence in Zulu please do so.  Thank you very much.

KHOZA MGOJO: Good morning, Sandile.  How are you?  Are you feeling quite fine?  Where do you stay, by the way?

WITNESS:  I stay in Umlazi at No 5.  Now, I am staying in Durban because of discrimination.

KHOZA MGOJO: Just give me a picture, the background of your family.  Just give us a brief background about your parents, your sisters as well as your brothers.

WITNESS:   I have both parents.  They used to stay at Swaaiman(?), but because of the situation that prevailed at that time they were being harassed, so I fetched them to come and stay at Umlazi, and presently they are staying there.  And they are quite old, they are on pension now.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did they go back to Swaaiman?

WITNESS:   No, they are staying in Umlazi.  I have two sisters.  The one is staying in Gauteng.  That's where she is married.  And the other one is staying in KwaZulu-Natal.  She is also married at Avoca.  And I also have two brothers.  They are still alive.  The other one is staying at Umlazi and the other one is staying in Chesterville.  My brother's children as well, I took them to their grandparents, and the other ones are with my sisters-in-law.  We asked them to take the children because their husbands had died, so there are also other children who are in Clermont.  That is my brother's children, my deceased brother's children.  I am presently working at the NGO Centre for Community and Labour Studies.  We are involved in progress and development of the community.  That's about all I can say.   No, I am satisfied.  You have quite a big family.  You have come to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to tell us and relate to us as to what happened to your place or to where you stayed which you thought the police were behind.  You were also harassed at some stage.  That is from 1985, is that correct?   ---   That is correct.

KHOZA MGOJO: Now, I will ask you to tell us briefly as to what happened.  Just start from scratch, that is from the morning September 1985.  What happened to your family?

WITNESS:   The police used to come and visit my place, especially the Flying Squad, to such an extent that each time they came to my place whenever I was not at home my parents knew that these police were coming, and they used to come at different intervals.

KHOZA MGOJO: What happened that led to the police frequenting your place?  Were you involved in political organisations, or were you politically active?

WITNESS:   I was part of the Umlazi youth, and we belonged to the Umlazi Youth League.  Because I was involved in politics it so happened that the police decided to frequent my place.

KHOZA MGOJO: What sort of organisation was the Youth League?

WITNESS:   We started this Youth League when we had finished school because we wanted to participate in the politics that were taking place in this country.  Then in 1983, when the United Democratic Front started, we became part of the United Democratic Front.

KHOZA MGOJO: You can continue.