Human Rights Violation Hearings — Vryheid — 1997-04-16

MR LAX: Now, you said in your statement earlier that as a result of these assaults, and obviously the tension that you were experiencing, that a few weeks later after you had been detained you had a miscarriage, is that right?

WITNESS:   That's correct.  After they brought me home where they took me I was sick, and then I started bleeding.  I went to see Dr Thompson and Dr Thompson referred me to hospital, and he said I mustn't take a public transport, I must take a car or an ambulance to hospital.  And then I got a miscarriage.

MR LAX: Now, let's look on further at other things that happened.  Just for the record you say that your two brothers, Cyril and Nelson, went into exile in 1977.

WITNESS:  That is correct.  When they were doing all these things to us these two brothers of mine were outside the country.

MR LAX: Now, you spoke about a brother, Makhafula.

WITNESS:   Makhafula is Cyril.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... confirming that it was in fact the same person.   Now ... (inaudible)

WITNESS:   They never came back to us and told us that they found him, but instead they continued coming to our house.  And it was Mr Mazibuko, and they showed us a certain album and they asked us to point people whom we knew on that album.  I only pointed at my brothers because they were the only two I knew in that album.  And then one white man said, "Oh, I know him very well," but he didn't say that they've killed him already.

MR LAX: Okay, if you're ready to continue.  (Pause)  I am not going to be very much longer.  As a result of these interrogations that you had you've told us in your statement that you now suffer from high blood pressure, is that right?

WITNESS:   That is correct.

MR LAX: You get headaches and your sight has been affected.

WITNESS:   That is correct. You've also said that you have had problems with your kidneys from being beaten on the sides.   ---   That is correct.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... frightened and anxious person.

WITNESS:  That is correct.

MR LAX: Now, have you had any medical treatment for any of these conditions?

WITNESS:   Yes, I do get high blood pressure medication, but I don't have money to travel up and down going to fetch the medication.  My husband is not working and I am also not working.  Sometimes I am supposed to go and fetch my medication, but because I don't have money for transportation I don't go there.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... to find out from you was about your own children and your family.  How many children do you have?

WITNESS:   I have six children, and my husband also has one child from another woman.

MR LAX: Are you responsible for looking after all of those children?

WITNESS:   That is correct.  All seven of them are staying with us.

MR LAX: Once again just for record purposes, one of the policemen who was named in your statement, we wrote to him, and - that was a Mr Ngobese, and we asked him about a situation where you were assaulted at Battlefield Farm.  That's the first incident that you told us about.  He denies any knowledge of such incident.

WITNESS:   I gave all the names of the black policemen who were there.  Not all of them assaulted us.  I just gave their names.  But the white policemen were the ones who were torturing us a lot, and I gave you the names of the black policemen because that's where you can get the white policemen's names.  And Mazibuko was the one who tortured us. (Inaudible) ... do you any harm?   ---   No, he didn't, Ngobese and Gunene, but Filisi Mazibuko did assault us, and one policeman who died at KwaNongoma.  And they also tortured us after he died.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... in your original statement.

WITNESS:   Yes, I did mention him even though he is now deceased.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   He did assault me.

MR LAX: Just before I hand over back to the Chair, your brother Nelson, did he ever tell you about what happened to him?

WITNESS:   There are a lot of things happened to Nelson.  They used to come a lot looking for him.  They will kick our doors, and we also laid a charge once, but we never heard the case.  I got injured at my eye, and they told me that they will come back because I laid a charge for his, but they never came back to tell me.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... 1994 Nelson was arrested and he ended up in hospital.  Do you remember that?

WITNESS:   Yes, I do.

MR LAX: Did he tell you what happened to him?

WITNESS:   I can't relate exactly what happened to Nelson, but what I can tell you is that they came and they took Nelson.  So they tortured him somewhere, I don't know where.  I heard that he was put in a tube, and his eyes are not working now because he was kicked or injured.

MR LAX: Just one question now to Mr Mahlobo, and this relates to Nelson.  Did Nelson talk to you at all about his treatment?  If you don't know it's fine to tell us you don't know.  That's okay.

WITNESS:   I will just relate what I can remember.  He told me that the police took him and they assaulted him.  He told us they assaulted him badly.  When I went to the police station the next day I couldn't see him.  His ribs were broken.  I can't remember which side, but his ribs were broken because they were jumping on top of him.  A lot of things they've done to Nelson.  I've never seen them doing this, but that's what he told me.  The next day when I saw him he was terrible injured.

MR LAX: Did you see him when he was in hospital?

WITNESS:   I went to hospital and I realised that his eyes were blood red, and he couldn't go to the loo because when you go to the loo you're supposed to put pressure, but because his ribs were broken he couldn't do that.

MR LAX: Thank you, Chairperson.  That's all I want to ask at this stage.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Dlamini.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you, Chairperson, I have one question to Christine, and I would like to tell you, Christine, that we have noted some of the things which you've put down on your statement.  Like you would need assistance from psychologists or social workers, and doctors as well, and assistance to educate your children.  I would like to tell you that whatever assistance you've asked for yourself you must tell the social workers, or the people who will be helping you.  And I will also like to tell others as well who came here before the Commission that we've noted everyone's requests, and except that we, we are just committee members of the Commission.  What we will do, we will make recommendations to the Government or to the President, and we will put forward our views as to how to help the people, people like you.  To everyone who came forward here, they must know that we have noted everything.  We didn't ask them here because we noted these things in their statements.  What I would like to ask you is that you said police are still coming to your place and they are still harassing you.  What type of harassment?

WITNESS:   They come to my house at night and they kick my door sometimes.  As I have mentioned that I was once injured in my eye, that's because one police kicked me.  They come to my house and they will say they're looking for guns.  The last time they were at my house it was in November 1996.

MR DLAMINI: Did you go and report this matter to the police?

WITNESS:   The November incident we never reported it because they told us to wait, and they've also told us they will come and ask why these things were happening, but they never came.

MR DLAMINI: Do you know their names, the names of the police who came to your house and they kicked your door and they also kicked you?

WITNESS:   No, I don't know their names because they were boers.

MR DLAMINI: And you said they were from Firearm Unit?