Human Rights Violation Hearings — Ladybrand — 1997-06-24

CHAIRPERSON: Can you give me the picture of your family?  Just give us the picture of your family.  How many are in the family - mother, father, brothers, sisters, etcetera?

WITNESS:   We are six at home.  My father has just died two years ago.  We are left with your mother.  I am the fifth-born in the family.  We are six boys.

CHAIRPERSON: Six boys in the family.

WITNESS:   Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Are there any in your family who are still in school?

WITNESS:   The one coming just after me is still schooling.  That is the last-born in the family.

CHAIRPERSON: What class is he?  Is it a boy or a girl?

WITNESS:   It's a boy.  He's doing standard eight.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you say that your parents are no more living?  I didn't understand from the interpreter.

WITNESS:   I am left with my mother.  The father just died two years ago.

CHAIRPERSON: What are the other members of the family doing apart from this one who is in standard eight?

WITNESS:   My four brothers are married, they have families of their own.  I am left with my mother, that is myself and my younger brother.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  We are dealing with the times when there were conflicts in certain communities, and when the communities were divided into different groupings, political groupings.  Can you tell us about your family, did your family belong to any political grouping?

WITNESS:   All of us at home were the members of the ANC.  Nobody else belonged to any other party, we were all members of the ANC.

CHAIRPERSON: You were all members of the ANC.  Was there any other organisation around in your community which was not ANC?

WITNESS:   The other organisation was the IFP.  It just came to be without any expectation.  We didn't expect it to be formed, but seemingly the councillors formed such an organisation.

CHAIRPERSON: What were the relationships between the IFP and ANC in your area?

WITNESS:   The councillors who were members of the ANC were not wanted any more.  They were staying by force in the township.  Now, this brought about conflict.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  I just wanted to get the background of your community so that we understand what happened at your home in the context of what was prevailing in the community.  Now, you want to tell us the story relating to the story and the tear gassing of your home.  Can you just tell us what happened on the 17th of April 1991.  Just tell us the story what happened.

WITNESS:   It was in April 1991.  It was during Good Friday, on a Friday.  I found work in the mine.  I came home with my friends.  So I made a party with my friends.  Like liquor, we bought liquor and meat.  We were at my friend's place.  Whilst we were still relaxing, we were playing music, we were outside.  On my hands I had a glass of beer.  I went inside to change the record which was playing, then thereafter went outside.  I heard tear gas smoke.  I turned around, saying, "Comrades, comrades are killed outside."  When we looked on a certain direction we heard gunshots at the councillor's house.  He was fighting with another comrade, because all of us were members of the ANC Youth League.   At the time we wanted to defend by throwing stones.  It's then that he called the police and the police came, and they were many.  Some of them were speaking Afrikaans.  They were using tear gas and guns.  We went to a shack house, which we were drinking next to.  We ran inside the house, we closed the door.  A certain policeman arrived next to the window and he threw a tear gas canister inside the house, and other police were in front of the house, and they shot straight to the door.  It went through the door and hit me on the neck.  I started bleeding.  My clothes were bloodstained, then I fell on the bed and I was crying, saying to the comrades, "They found me."  The police threw the - kicked the door, then they threw tear gas again, and they were kicking us.  We were taken to the police van.  They threw tear gas canisters inside that van, and I was helpless and powerless.  Then from there they took us to the police station.  When we arrived at the police station I thought I would be helped because I was bleeding.  One of the police said, "Fucking comrades, you should have been killed," and then I was crying.  One of the police said I should be - one of them should lock me in.  They took me to the doctor after a while.  The doctor placed the blood and gave me pills and say he - after that I thought I was going to be locked again.  We were told that we should leave and then they'll find me at home.  I arrived at home still in pain.  My mother was crying profusely.  The bullet was stuck inside behind my neck.  On a Sunday I was supposed to go back to the mine.  When I arrived there I reported that I was not able to work.  Then they took me to the hospital, they gave me pain-killers.  I was not able to turn my neck.  After some time I was taken to an x-ray as to whether you are still healthy.  Then somebody told me that the doctor wants to see me.  When I arrived at the hospital I found Dr Swart.  He said to me, "Were you shot?"  I said, "Yes, but that doctor said the bullet didn't stick in the flesh, it just passed through."  That doctor - Dr Swart said to me, "That doctor was lying."  The bullet was inside my flesh.  He showed me the x-ray picture how the bullet was stuck in my neck.  I didn't believe, but I saw it on the x-ray.  Then he said to me, "After a week you'll be taken to the hospital for the bullet to be removed."  After then I went to the hospital for an operation.  They were able to remove that pellet.  But that doctor said that the bullet didn't stick in my neck.  Since I waited for the case to be presented to Court, but even up to now I was not informed what happened to that case in court.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  I am just going to ask you some very few questions.  Is it true that you know the people who tear gassed your home?

WITNESS:   I don't know the people who were shooting, who attacked.

CHAIRPERSON: Is it true that you know the people who arrested you and the other occupants of the house?

WITNESS:   The people who arrested us when we were taken to the police van were speaking Afrikaans, and even the black policemen were speaking Afrikaans.  I was able to identify Police Magele and Mimi, who was a councillor.  Those are the police whom I was able to identify when we were taken to the van.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you remember anything about Tiki Motili, Secheba Mahloso, Senchu Phillips, Foster Magele?

WITNESS:   I know them very well.  They were policemen at that time.

CHAIRPERSON: Some of the police who arrested you?

WITNESS:   Yes, those were some of the police who were there at that time, but at that time I was semi-unconscious, but I was able to hear their voices outside and among us, because our local police were speaking English - Afrikaans all the time.

CHAIRPERSON: In your statement you have mentioned an argument which ensued between two females.  Can you say anything about that?

WITNESS:   The argument was there where this thing started, up to the point where one comrade said to us a certain comrade is being killed somewhere, but I didn't understand what was the argument about between the two women.

CHAIRPERSON: Is it true that one of these women was the wife of one of the constables, Constable Senchu Phillips?

WITNESS:   Yes, that's true.

CHAIRPERSON: When the tear gas was thrown to your house how did the other occupants of the house escape?  Were they all arrested?  Was your mother there in the house?

WITNESS:   My mother was not inside the house, she was somewhere.  I was at my friend's place.  The policeman came next to the window and pushed the window and threw a tear gas canister.  Some of us went underneath the bed, but we were trying to hide ourselves inside that room.