Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

WITNESS: He went to report meto the security. A Comrade by the name of Vusi came. He was also a security.Then when he got to me he held me by the hand and said we should go. He took me to the admin block. When I got there he said I should sitdown, he is coming back. He went away, then he came back with Nthu, as wellas two others, or three. They closed the door behind them. They told me that,"You are going to tell us who you are." I asked them what they meant. They toldme that I am going to tell them who I really am. They took out some rods, somevery heavy rods. They told me to sit down flat. They started assaulting me,and they started hitting me with fists, and I fell down, and they told me tosit down. They started using these rods, hitting me on the whole body. Theywere telling me I should tell them who I am, what was happening? I was causingconfusion, and why was I causing the confusion? I asked them what confusionI was causing because I was merely asking for food. They kept on kicking me,they kept on trampling on me. I started bleeding through the nose, as well asthe ears. They kept on assaulting me, and they told me that I am going to tellthem who I really am. I asked them why they were doing this to me. They couldn'tunderstand, they kept on assaulting me. They assaulted me throughout, kickingme, using these rods. They were also trampling on me, and I was bleeding atthat time, and I was lying flat on the floor and I kept on pleading with them.From there they told me that I am going to tell them who sent me to the ANC.They told me that I was going to tell them. They continued assaulting me. WhenI had fallen down and I couldn't stand they stopped assaulting me momentarily.They kept on repeating the very same thing, that I was going to tell them. Oneof them came back. They dragged me on the floor, dragged me through the doorand out. I don't know where my shoes ended, but they dragged me. There'san engine room. They put me inside the engine room. They put me in there, theyshut the door behind them. It was late at night. The place was full of greasebecause there was an engine. I was dizzy at that time, I didn't know what washappening. Later on they switched the engine off. After some time I felt like- I was asking myself why should this happen to me, and I was beginning to suffocate.I was able to break the door and I went out. When I went out I proceeded tothe tent where I was staying. When I got there I was asking myself why I wasassaulted. Then I decided to go and report them. I went to Mazimbo to reportthem. When I got into my tent I was walking on foot, I didn't have any shoes,so there were boots in my tent that we were using to work there. I took my boots,I put them on, then I decided I was going to Mazimbo to report the police, becausethey said they are going to assault me. I went there to the village. When Igot to the village I couldn't walk properly. I got another man at Mazimbo village.He gave me headache tablets, he told me to rest a little bit. I think I stayedthere for about three days, sleeping there. The other thing that they did wasthey had assaulted me or hit me underneath my feet with these rods, so it wasdifficult for me to walk. But after about three days it was fine, then I wasable to go to Mazimbo. When I got to the gate in Mazimbo I got some Tanzanians.They called them FF. They asked me where my permit was. I told them I didn'thave it. They said I couldn't get in. I asked them to call a certain guy forme who was in there. I told them I didn't have permit but I wanted to see him.I tried to speak to them but they just couldn't understand. When theyspeak to you and you don't respond they always take action, so I went away,I left them alone. I went back. On my way back to Dakawa I thought that thepeople were going to assault me so I turned back. I waited at the bus stop.I was waiting for a bus. As I was waiting there I saw a car. I stopped the carthat belonged to the ANC. Fortunately it was Nthu. I climbed into the car. Thenhe told me that they said they didn't know where I had gone to. I told him whathad happened. Nthu took me to Morogoro. When we got to Morogoro he left me inanother house. I stayed and he left. Then there came two Comrades. One of themwas P4, the other one I don't know, I don't know his name. They took me. Wewent to the office of the ANC. When we got in there they put me in another room.I sat there all by myself. Then they came back and took me out of that room.When I got into the room there were people, Comrades, sitting there, quite anumber of them. I don't remember how many they were. When I got in there P4indicated and said, "Here is this man. He is going to tell us today who he is,what he wants, why is he causing so much confusion." I was dumbfounded, I justdidn't know how to respond. They took me to another room, where they said Imust sit down on the floor. As I sat on the floor P4 came to me holding knobkerriesas well as sjamboks. There came another five. They said I must put my handsinside my thighs. They kept on assaulting me then. I was kicked and assaulted.I kept on begging them, I kept on urging them to spare me, but they kept ontelling me that I should disclose the identity of the person who sent me tothe ANC. They kept on assaulting me. I was already bleeding through the nose.They kept on kicking ... (incomplete - end of Side A, Tape 9) ... assaultingme on my whole body, kicking me all over. I told them that I will tell themwho sent me. They said I must tell them. I told them that I didn't know whatthey were talking about. They started once more to assault me. They assaultedme and I told them that I would tell them. They said who sent me? I said Mulemehad sent me. They said, "Fine, now you are prepared to talk, now we will leaveyou." They gave me some papers.

MR LAX: After this, all these assaults, you made what you say was afalse confession to them. You made up a long story about how you'd been sentthere as a spy, and what you'd done at school, and a whole lot of other stuff.--- Yes, I agreed to that.

MR LAX: And then after that it was decided that you would be takento Dar es Salaam.

WITNESS: Yes, that was taken there.

MR LAX: Will you tell us what happened in Dar es Salaam. In fact afterthat you were - you were placed in house arrest in Dar es Salaam, and then afterthat you went on to Zambia.

WITNESS: Yes.

MR LAX: Can we then pick up the story at the place called Rest Twoin Zambia?