Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-08

MICHAEL MKHIWANE: On the first of September 1984, I received a call from an anonymous person. I asked him as to who he was, because I wanted to know but he did not answer me.  He tod me that he cannot tell me his name but he wanted me to resign as a member of the Council. That happened up to Sunday, that was now on the 3rd of September 1984. On the 4th it was a Monday, still in September, I was heading for my work place.  I think it was in between 10 and half past ten in the morning of that very same day, I received a call from my wife, she told me that our possessions had been burned. We no longer had a house, we no longer had any possessions. As she was speaking she told me that the house was in flames. 
 She related to me about what she saw through the window, because she ran away from our place and she went to the neighbour's place, that's where she peeped through the window. She saw a group of people, the youth as well as elderly people. I further asked her as to whether she could identify any of the group who had come to burn my house. She HRV/1049 said/...
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said that she could not identify any of the group or any of the members of that group. 
 My house was burned together with all my possessions. As I was a secretary of the Ciskei Committee, way back then, the money to the amount of R1 000 which was in the house at the time that the house was burned, as well as the money that we had which was R500, that was my personal belonging. I went to report this matter with regard to the money, I went to Die Deur police station. And during those days, just after my house had been burned, the police came from Krugersdorp, they were CID's, they wanted me to give them a full statement as to what had happened. I gave them a full account of the occurrences that took place or that led to my house being burned. 
 Just to add to that, they even asked me as to which political organisation I belonged? Even though I knew that I was actually putting myself into a predicament, I felt I had to tell them the truth and I told them that I was a member of the African National Congress as from 1943. 
 I went home and at Daysicgnoete(?) I saw all the things. I made a special request to Captain Fourie that he should enlist some policemen to accompany me so that I could see how much damage had occurred at my place. He was a person who was very sympathetic, he was cooperative, he took out two cars and mine was the third.  When we got to my place I did witness that everything that was there was  in ashes, including my house. 
 We made a request to see a person who was responsible in the Council, that was Mr Hoog.  We wanted to enlist some help and find out as to whether we could be helped in any way. As a member of the Executive in the Likwa City Council 
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or the Vaal City Council, we made an appointment together with the Town Clerk Mr N P Louw and we arranged to go to Pretoria.  We indeed went to Pretoria. That is where we gave an account of what had happened to our councillors in the dark as well as the councillors who were killed during the riots on the 4th of September 1984.
 He could not promise us anything conclusive but he said he was going to pass the recommendations to the Government, so that the Government may see how it could help us. At the time we made requests to Mr Gunn who at that time was in the Development Board in the Vaal Triangle. We were offered an amount of R5 000 per each council. We were never told that that money was a loan.  As time left, we were served a letter and those letters were letters of demand that we were addressed to us as members of the Council. And these letters were demanding that we repay the amount within 14 days of receipt of those letters.
 I'm speaking personally, that is on my own behalf.  I went to Mr Botha who's an attorney. I gave him an account of the event that led to the loan and I told him that I wouldn't be able to pay that much money because I had lost a lot. Then in 1994 I received a summons. I was being summoned to appear in Court and that I had to pay that amount of R5 000.
 I took this summons to Mr Botha who was by now my attorney.  After about a week, Mr Botha told me that I did not have to pay the money.  I should just forget about the summonses.  Time lapsed and I received a reply from the Government with regard to the request that we had made that the Government should assist us as we had lost a lot of possessions and we were left with absolutely nothing. I 
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received a certain amount from the Government. This was called a State President's Fund.  It was to the amount of 
R8 709,50.  That is the money that I received from the State President Fund.
 Thereafter I realised my health was not the same as before.  It was deteriorating. Where I was working at the time I was one of the President's Office, the Claims Department in the Insurance Department but because I was a councillor, I was requested to resign because I was told that the people did not accept me.
 I realised that there was some negativity between myself and the employees. I was forced to resign but it was not a voluntary action. I should take it that I resigned at gun point. I notified the Black Local Authority about my resignation and that I no longer had a source of income and I wanted them to advise me as to what action I should follow. I never got a reply up till now. What I got, which I have with me now is that I have frequent dizzy spells. That even affected my eyes. I can't see properly at this moment.  There are certain times when I want to read and when I read the letter, I would read only two or three paragraphs, then it would be hazy, I wouldn't see properly. 
 I've never been a person who remained without employment, I've always been employed throughout my life. Now after what happened, there is nothing that I can do in the form of employment. It is my wish that this honorary Commission should gain some insight and have a complete picture as to my health as from that time up to now. I cannot stand for a long time. Because I start shivering and I start having those dizzy spells. I have tried several times to go to the Department of Manpower, to apply for my HRV/1049 pension/...
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pension, then in 1994, that was in December, up to November 1995, they did pay me. In 1995 they stopped giving me the money. They never notified me that they were going to cut my payment or my income. They never even furnished reasons as to why they did this. I went to them to enquire as to why my pension had been cut.  I was helped by a certain white woman who seemed to be holding a position of authority. The reason that she gave me was that my wife is working so I could not get any pension. I want this Commission to be clarified. I have suffered tremendously.  If I did not have any clothes in my home where I was born, I wouldn't be having even a single thread of clothing with me. I want to make this request to this Commission because I want to get medical attention, because I need some medical attention so that my health status can go back to normal if possible.
   Honourable Mrs Seroke, as well as your honourable colleagues, I wish to make this statement.  I thank you sincerely for the time afforded me.  Though it is not an easy way of going back and it's a very painful day to me. I have been trying to overcome all what happened to me but today is one of those days. 
 During the time when we were faced by the attackers, by the attackers by the 4th of September 1984, I did not care to carry any weapon. I was not provided by a weapon. I had the greatest weapon of them all, I had the great great Creator, the Almighty God. Jesus Christ my Lord was with me, I wish you a success on your task.  Thank you.