Human Rights Violation Hearings — Piet Retief — 1997-05-21

CHAIRPERSON: Whilst the next witness is coming to the stage, can I just make a few announcements again.  What I'm going to do, because we have so many people here and so many people who haven't got head sets, we asked whether it was technically possible for the interpretation to come across to you directly but it's not possible.  So what I'll do is, I'll actually read out a summary of what people are going to be saying so that it helps people on the stand what's being said.  I also think that those individuals who are in the audience who don't understand Zulu can always, this is part of our learning curve if you like, getting to know each other, speak to your neighbour next to you and ask them to interpret for you as a statement goes through. Thank you very much.
 I want to extend a warm welcome to Mrs Mary Khumalo, the deputy mayor.  Will you please stand Mam, welcome; Councillor Bekkie Twala, welcome; the Reverend Cedric Pretorius, thank you for coming; Councillor Mtemkhulu, welcome.  And then we have many students, I understand Piet Retief Secondary school and or Khempville Secondary School, welcome.
 I want to also announce that Lebo, our statement-taker, and I'm sure there are some other people with him, he's in the hall now, so if there's anybody who wants to make a statement, can you quietly make your way to the back of the hall and find Lebo, please.  Thank you.
 Two other guests that I would like to welcome, people who have appeared at our hearings previously and who also work with the Khulumani Group, we have Duma who was one of the Sharpville Six, if he can stand and he's from the Vaal, and then the mother of Bekkie Mlangeni.  Mrs Mlangeni if you can just stand and, welcome, thank you for coming again.   Mrs Mkhwanazi, good morning; welcome to you.  Mrs Mkhwanazi can you introduce the person who is with you?

KATELENI MKHWANAZI: The person sitting next to me is Joyce Mkhwanazi.  Mrs Mkhwanazi, Mr Hugh Lewin is going to help you as you're telling your statement, but before I hand over to him will you please stand to take the oath.  Dr Russel Ally will help you with that.  Thank you

KATELENI MKHWANAZI: (sworn states)

MR LEWIN: Mama Kateleni, I would like to welcome you, to say feel relaxed, you're here amongst friends and I hope you can hear clearly.
 What you're going to tell us about today is what happened to you in the bad years, in 1986 specifically.  Before you tell that story could you please just tell us a little bit about yourself, how you got to be where you were in 1986, where you were from and what you were doing, just tell us briefly please.

KATELENI MKHWANAZI: I was in Johannesburg in 1969.  I was there working there and I got I got my passbook.  In 1960 we heard that everybody should go back where they belong, like those who come from Piet Retief should go back to Piet Retief and we've started now being uncomfortable about the fact that we had to move back to our places. We held a meeting in Whiteville and we were there to discuss how we could overcome this pass law.  We reached a decision that we should take this passbook back to the commissioner. We started collecting these pass books from people and we'd go to peoples' houses collecting the passbooks and even at the places where we were working and we set a date that for the time all the passbooks should be taken back to the commissioner.  I was working at the factory.
 After that we heard that they were refusing to accept those passbooks and they were insisting that we should have those passbooks in our possession. I left the factory job and I went to join another work place and I heard that they were searching for me, looking for me and saying I am busy involved in attending meetings.  I knew very well that I had vowed that if it means that we get arrested we will refuse every single thing that we knew.  
 They continued looking for us until 1963 when they arrested me and I was asked where the others were, and I said I didn't know.  The only one I knew was the one who pointed me, that's why they were able to arrest me and I told them that I can not show them where others were because I didn't know them.  Those who were working with me collecting the passbooks and trying to boycott the passbooks. We felt that that was all the work of apartheid.  I was arrested and sent to Boksburg Prison where I spent four years and five months before being released back here in Piet Retief.  
 I left to the other place and I was there for one year and six months. One morning,  Mrs Msivi and David said that I should go back home on Sunday, which I did.  I was there fr two days and on Monday morning I heard Mr Masewo tell me that the boers were looking for me and they were wondering how I left I prison because they were not aware that I was out of prison as they had set a date for my release.  I took my uncle with and we went to the magistrate and showed him the permit that I'm her child and that I was born here and that I should please have a pass.  I was given one but they still refused to accept me as a citizen here.  After that the magistrate said he was issuing only six years that I should not be bothered at all in any way.  After all that I was never comfortable anymore.  
 I was a domestic worker at this particular time and the police came to find out from my employers as to how I was behaving and how I was carrying on.  I went to rent a room in the Black location and I was there at Hundred in 1986.  At around nine pm the police came knocking at the door and I asked who they were.  They said they were police and I opened the door and they came in.  When they were inside they asked for books that I kept giving to the students.  I told them I didn't have such books and they said I shouldn't think that they were joking or perhaps this is a joke but they were telling me this is serious business, they wanted those books and Mr Mathebula held me and started assaulting me.  I fell down and he continually kicked me and insulting me, saying I'm a dog that doesn't want to disclose all the truth.
 One boy was called in and he said here are the books that you furnished to me. They assaulted me even further and they said I should open the wardrobes and they searched the house, all the rooms looking for those books.  My brother came and asked what was happening, why was I being assaulted  and they told him to keep quiet and they will attend to him later.  They took me with them to the police station and Mathebula kicked me and they were even burning me with cigarettes. Every, even in the kombi they had started doing that, burning me with cigarettes.  When we got to the police station Mr Mathebula again assaulted me further until I fell down.  He tubed me in the police station and I was taken out and they insisted that I should show them the books.  Then Mr Mathebula further assaulted me brutally.  I fell down and when I tried to wake up Mr Mathebula continued and I was shot right here on my knee and have a problem.  He didn't shoot me but he hit me with the butt of a gun.  
 I stayed for four days at the hospital before I went home.

MR LEWIN: Could we please have quiet.  This is the time for the witnesses to tell their stories and we need to give them the chance to do that.
 Now could you tell us a little bit about these pamphlets, these books which you say the police wanted or which they said you were giving.  What were they?

KATELENI MKHWANAZI: Those were books of the ANC and we used to read them.  I didn't see anything wrong with them and I didn't see the reason why they said students should refrain from reading such books but I did give this other boy these books and he took them with him to school and supplied others and came back and I gave him some more stock and he supplied them around, and I was assaulted as a result of that, until my knee injury.

MR LEWIN: Can I ask where you actually got the books from?