Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-27

MS MKHIZE: We thank you and welcome back for the last part of our session today.  The first person we will call will be Nomusa Ngwandi.  We welcome you, we also see here that you are one of those who lost one of their beloved ones.

NOMUSA NGWANDI: (sworn states)

MS MKHIZE: Can you tell us who is accompanying you?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: It is my neighbour.

MS MKHIZE: We also welcome you neighbour and we appreciate your unity in these times.  We will request one of the Commissioners to assist you in giving your evidence and that will be Hugh Lewin.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much for coming and we are very pleased that you could come.  Please try and feel relaxed, I know it's not easy.  What you are going to tell us about took place not all that long ago in July 1993.  You are from Ntombeka Section here in Tembisa.  If you could please, in your words and in your own time, tell us about what happened to you and your husband.

NOMUSA NGWANDI: In Tembeka where I am staying we had a gang called Toasters in the community, which was harassing the community.  After some time they went to stay in Vusimuzi Hostel with Mr Mduze.  There at the hostel they collaborated with Inkatha.  On 31 July 1993 whilst I was sitting at home in the dining room I heard men talking outside saying wake up men.  Because there were patrols at that time, the comrades were patrolling, trying to protect us against the
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Toasters.  It went on, the gunshots and then I became concerned with all these gunshots my husband hasn't arrived back at home from work.  He went to work accompanied by his cousin.
 Whilst I was sitting there I heard somebody in the dining room.  I heard the windows being broken in the dining room and then I thought it's the Toasters again starting to attack people and stealing their belongings as well.  Time went on with all this gunfire going on.  Thereafter all windows were being broken down, the kitchen, the bedrooms as well, then I hid next to the wardrobe.  Then I tried to open a window to see what is happening outside, then I saw some men who were carrying guns.  They were in a Casper.  They were shooting relentlessly.  
 It was round about 8:30 when my cousin arrived and I asked him where is my husband?  He took some time to tell me.  He tried to hide something from me.  Then finally he told me that all this gunfire my husband was shot as well.  Then he left and he said he's going to cover him up with a blanket.
 Whilst he was away I tried to ask him to accompany me so that we can go and fetch him because he saw him.  When he came back round about 11 o'clock he said I must take a wheelbarrow and a blanket so that we must go and fetch my husband.  As we tried to go out we saw a Casper passing through another road facing our house.  Then I suggested that we should go to this Casper and tell them that we are being attacked here in Ntombeka Section.  But before then there were more gunshots and then we went into a nearby house.  These men came back and passed by.  We sat there until two o'clock in the morning and then we decided to go 
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back home.
 When we got home at 2 o'clock that morning, at 4 o'clock my aunt's child came and told me that my husband had fallen at a new residence area and he told me exactly how it happened.  
 Thereafter I tried to contact the police so that they should be able to help us.  But when I phoned they gave me a different number to call, Kempton Park, but Kempton Park they referred me to Rabasotho.  We tried further to make a few calls but to find that the phone was engaged until we managed to phone through round about 8 o'clock the following morning.  Thereafter I will tell you what led to this gang being called Toasters.

MR LEWIN: Can you tell us a little bit more about your own search for your husband's body?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: I never went the following day to the place of the incident where he was killed.  My sister and neighbours went there.

MR LEWIN: Mrs Ngwandi you also mentioned that you have a daughter, one daughter, or do you have more daughters, children?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: I have got two children.

MR LEWIN: And what was the effect on them of this incident?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: This disturbed them a great deal because their father was the breadwinner, he was doing everything for us.  But now at the moment I cannot manage everything because I am unemployed.

MR LEWIN: Could you tell us how old they are the two daughters?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: They are 22 and 19 years of age.
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MR LEWIN: So if you would like to tell us because we are trying to build up information about this gang, if you could tell us how you think they were operating and why and how they were made up.

NOMUSA NGWANDI: The Toasters are youth from Ntombeka Section.  They are very young for the things that they were doing.  They decided to go and stay at Vusimuzi Hostel.  They decided to call themselves Toasters because there was a child in the community who was a Toaster. They took this child and put him inside hot oil and that's where the name originates from.

MR LEWIN: From the way you talk these were all young people from within the community, does that mean that everybody knew them or knows them still?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: Yes everybody knew them.

MR LEWIN: And the move into the hostel, why do you think that took place?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: As they were going on they decided to go and join Inkatha, that's why they went to the hostels.

MR LEWIN: Do you think there was any link between that and the police, SAP?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: Yes I would say that because they had a relation with the police.

MR LEWIN: Why do you think the police were interested in having this relationship?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: It is because whenever these boys were arrested they would be discharged and you wouldn't know how they got that right.

MR LEWIN: So when they came to attack your house they were obviously looking for your husband, they knew who you were and what your husband did as part of the patrol group?
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NOMUSA NGWANDI: I think they knew because they knew everything that was happening in Ntombeka, because from every household the men would come and join the patrol.  And my husband was one of the patrollers as well.

MR LEWIN: Were you at any stage able to identify any of the people who were responsible for shooting your husband?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: I cannot say because my cousin told me a different statement because I wanted to find out from him what happened on that day. He did explain to me what happened that day.

MR LEWIN: Can you tell us what else happened that night?  Was your husband the only person who was killed or were other people killed that night?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: Many people were killed on that day and my uncle's child was killed as well and he hid on the roof of the house and that's where a couple was killed.

MR LEWIN: Was there any reason for this activity that particular night, why do you think it happened that night only, or was it only that night?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: It was the first time it happened that night.

MR LEWIN: Thinking back on it which you must have done, and it's obviously very painful to do so, can you think of any reason why it all happened just that one night?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: I don't know.

MR LEWIN: Mrs Ngwandi thank you very much.

MS MKHIZE: We thank you very much and I will ask the other Commissioners to ask you questions to clarify the issues.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mrs Ngwandi from the information that we have it seems that at least 30 people were killed that night, is that a correct number?

NOMUSA NGWANDI: Many people were killed on that day.  Towards
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the BP Garage many people were killed on their way back from work and some were even burnt there.