Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

WITNESS:   No, I just came back from the conference and I just left for work, and at work I received a call.  I think it was quarter past to half past eight.  The person didn't identify himself or herself, the person just said, "Mrs Maphumulo, your house has been burnt down."  And again at work I received another call and they told me, "Mrs Maphumulo, your house has been burnt down."   After that I've fell down, I was unconscious, and after being discharged from hospital they took me to my mother's house.  At that time my husband wasn't at home, he was in Cape Town with Nombulelo.  After two weeks I went with my sister-in-law to see the damage.  When we came at my house where there was a bed you could see because of the stands.  Everything has been burnt down, and you could see that they were using gas cylinders.  What I really know is that some of the things, like some of things have been taken out before they could burn my house.

MR DLAMINI: Thanks, Mrs Maphumulo.  We are very sorry that so much happened to you, but because of time we won't be able to hear the whole story.  We will just like to hear more about your husband's death.

WITNESS:   I don't know where to start, but it was on the 25th February 1991.  I left work and I went home.  As I have said that after my house had been burnt I went to Dambuza to stay with my mother, and my two children were with Nombulelo at Umtata, because the other one was at the pre-school, and Nhlaganipho was at college.  In the morning on the 25th usually when he was from Mrs Shembe he used to come and fetch me and then leave me at work.  Sometimes he used to tell me, "I won't come and fetch you, you can take public transportation to work."  On the 25th I asked myself, "How come he is not "coming to fetch me, because it's my pay day and I want to go and do some grocery, and also deposit money for Nombulelo for the kids?"  And then something told me to make a call, but then I decided to leave, and I told Bhumi that, "If he comes you must tell him that I've already gone."  He was the kind of person who didn't like to spoil us.  Sometimes he would want us to take public transportation.  When I went home I stayed until it was late at night, and I went to bed.  I heard a noise which scared me.  When you are going to my house the route to my house it's not nice, and I heard two people screaming my name, my sister and my sister-in-law, and they called me by my son's name.  And I opened the door for them, and when I opened the door I just thought that, "Oh, maybe something had happened."  I thought there was something happened to my mother-in-law.  And my sister said, "I don't want someone who doesn't have trust.  As you know that your husband - they want to kill your husband, and now they have done that."

MR DLAMINI: As we know that this is a very, very sad story, Mrs Maphumulo, you can take your time.  Take it easy.  Just give yourself time.  We will wait for you.  Thanks.  (Pause)

WITNESS:   I don't know what happened after that.

MR DLAMINI: Don't rush yourself.  Please take time.  (Pause)

WITNESS:   What really happened is that they took me to my sister-in-law's house. Louwfontein Road, that's where she was staying.  My mother-in-law was not told because we were scared that something might happen to her, and my sister-in-law advised me not to tell her.  The following day - what was very sad is that Mrs Shembe, who was with him, never tried to contact his family.   By the way, who is Mrs Shembe?   ---   Mrs Shembe is one of his wives, my husband's wife.

MR DLAMINI: Please don't rush yourself, Mrs Maphumulo.  Take your time.  (Pause)

WITNESS:   We stayed there and people from our church from different areas came, and Mrs Shembe didn't come and stay with us as she was supposed to do.  And what was very sad again is that I only identified my husband through his passport because I couldn't find things that I needed in order to identify him.  Up until today Mrs Shembe didn't come and explain to us.  What I heard is that she said she didn't see what happened, and she didn't take him to hospital, neighbours did.

MR DLAMINI: It's very sad that your close relative experience hard time, and someone that you think is in your shoes doesn't show the same thing.

WITNESS:   Up until today I never met her, I never heard anything from her, and one would expect her to explain more because my husband died while he was in her house.

MR DLAMINI: In one of your statements you mentioned that you wish that the Commission can investigate more about your husband's death.  Maybe there is evidence that you would like to bring forward, evidence that you think no one ever paid attention.  PAGE J when he passed his judgment said, "Your husband has been killed by unknown people," but Sipho Madlala, the one that they suspected him ... (incomplete)

MR DLAMINI: Those who are working in our investigation team they will bring all the evidence that Sipho Madlala has brought forward.  We will see if we can do something.  And another thing that you've requested it's help about counselling, you need psychological help, counselling or therapy.  Are you still looking for that help?

WITNESS:   Yes, I still do, more especially to my kids, because my kids are showing anger and hatred.  Even when they speak you can tell that one day these kids will do something very bad.

MR DLAMINI: Besides that how is their health?

WITNESS:   They are well, except for one who is at the college, because the matron from the college said - I took her to Dr Makhoba and I took her back to boarding school, and the matron said she is okay.

MR DLAMINI: I would like to proceed to Mrs Nombulelo Maphumulo so that she says her part, so that when all the Commissioners are asking questions they'll have a full picture, the whole picture of what really happened.  Mrs Nombulelo Maphumulo, I would like to express my condolences from the Commission, young as you are to experience such a terrible sad thing because of someone.  As I have said that Mr Maphumulo, or Chief Maphumulo was someone that we used to respect because of his doings.  We won't talk into details about what he did, we will just talk about what actually happened on the night of the 25th.  I would like to ask you about children, how many kids you have, and are they in school or what?

WITNESS:   He left me with one kid who died after three weeks, and this happened before the father could see the child.  The father died three weeks after I gave birth to this kid, and when the father died this happened before he could see his child.

MR DLAMINI: As you see your child how is your child?

WITNESS:   This child has got asthma.  He is okay except that he's got asthma, and when I called home this morning he told me to say hi to Mom Thobekile and his father.  And when I told him that, "No, your father is no longer alive," so he says, "Okay."  This child has never seen his father.

MR DLAMINI: How does this affect you?

WITNESS:   This is really affecting me very bad, but the thing is I knew that my husband wasn't going to live for a long time.  I remember one time when he was leaving for Lusaka he said to me, "I am going to leave you a photograph, because when I am dead you won't hear from me or from anyone, you will heard it from the news, because I don't have long time to live now."  And the way we hurried to get married I knew from that time that I was going to - he was going to get married.  I am a Christian, I believe in God, and that's what gives me strength.

MR DLAMINI: Can you please explain to us, in your statement it seems as if there's some knowledge or light that you can shed.  Because we are going to conduct an investigation, we want to know how this matter started.