Human Rights Violation Hearings — Moutse — 1996-12-02

RUSSELL ALLY: Yes Your Grace.

KING MAYISHA: I was released and in the Parliament in that April month we were arguing about a few things and I saw that I was going to be arrested.  I decided to run away
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before they could arrest me.  I was still staying in a place reserved for Ministers.  I was released of my duties as a Minister on the fifth of December.  I was then released of my duties.  
 In April I decided to run away and I went into ...  My wife was pregnant and she was brought home and only on the 27th of May she gave birth in the morning.  I went to see her and I could not see the baby, I only saw the mother and from there I went to Pretoria where I went to meet the Ambassadors and explained my situation and the situation from Kwandebele.  From there I went to Johannesburg to further explain the situation to other Ambassadors.  I remember it was in the afternoon when I left that area.  The Kwandebele police were already there.  We were parking our car in Commissioner Street.  I just saw a policeman close to me.  This other policeman was called de Jager.  I do not know his first name and he was grabbing me by my belt and that was our arrest.  He asked me where do I want to leave my car.  I said I will leave it at the Swaziland embassy.   We left and he brought me to KwaNdebele.  He brought me to KwaNdebele.  It was myself and Abrahams Skosane and when we arrived here we were put in the cells at kwaMhlanga Police Station.  From there we were transferred to Kwagga Police Station.  
 There was a rumour that there was a bomb found at Moutse Magistrates Court and this bomb was linked to me and the Prince.  The policemen from Pretoria came on the fifth to take me to Bronkhorstspruit until the 15th of June in 1986.  I am sorry, it was in 1987.  They released me on the 15th of June at Bronkhorstspruit.  Actually, I was not released, I was transferred to Gazena.  That is a police 
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station in Pretoria.  I was put in the cells until the 19th of, I am really not good at dates, but I was at Gazena Police Station.  I was then moved from Gazena to KwaNdebele.  We would not be put in any other prison because of the bomb that was found at Moutse Magistrate Court.  
 The Pretoria people said, no, we are going to release you, but the police of KwaNdebele took us to kwaMhlanga and they said they were charging us.  They were charging us with terrorism and arson and many things.  We were charged.  I was then taken to Verina Police Station.  On the 22nd we went to the Court of Law.  It was on the 22nd of July.  It was on the 22nd of June.  I am mixing these dates, I am sorry.  While we were at the court we were told that we will never be given any bail.  Maklala was our attorney and they said we will not get any bail.  They are going to make an application to the Attorney General so that we can be given bail.  They said in the meantime we should submit.  We went to court and we were refused bail and they said we should after 14 days and then we were taken back to Verina Police Station.  
 On the eighth we went to court, it was on the eighth of August if I am not mixing the dates again.  It was on the eighth of July.  We arrived there and we were given bail.  They said it was R10 000.00 each.  I must say the first day when we were at the court Maklala, our attorney, was also arrested.  When we came back on the eighth of July Advocate Mosega came to see us and the advocate was accompanied by Advocate Jordan.  Jordan was a white person.  At least he could say something, but Mosega could not say anything because he was a black man.  They were threatening him that they would send him to jail on that day.  When we went to 
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the court we were chained both the hands and the feet.  They were using very small handcuffs for our hands and we were then given bail.  R2 500 each and we were told to bring in our passports.  That was the first condition.  The second condition was we do not have to leave the jurisdiction of KwaNdebele without police permission.  We had to report three times a week at the police station.
 I remember one day, because I was running a business, people went to destroy my business and I concentrated on that breaking into my store.  I went to report this to the police station.  Instead of looking into the matter, they arrested me.  It was on the eighth of July when I was released.  It was at about three o' clock in the afternoon and I went home.  When I arrived they said they want to give me tea.  I said, no please, I want the chicken because I have two days without any food.  When I came back at about six o' clock in the afternoon the police were around my house with their cars.  They called me even before I could enjoy my meal and they said let us go.  They took me to the cells and they released me in the evening.  In the afternoon they would come and pick me again.  My family made an application at the Supreme Courts and on the 22nd of July I was called.  I was released.  I stayed at home.  The police were always taking care of me.  I went to report to them every day.  When I wanted to go to town I will be escorted by the police.  
 As from the seventh of September I was taken again because there was an agricultural show in kwaMhlanga.  So they invited the Royal family, but I told them that they should not go.  So the people who came to collect the Royal family told them that I refused.  Then the night of the 
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seventh I was taken again to the Verina Police Station until the seventh of, then I was transferred to Pietersburg Prison.  
 The following year in June, at the end of the State of Emergency.  Then inbetween there is something that I cannot be able to explain because of time.  There are so many things that happened.  When the State of Emergency came to an end we were taken from Pietersburg to Verina.  Then we were asked to sign some papers that say we should not oppose the KwaNdebele Government and that we will not refuse any independence, but we refused.  We told them that we are not going to sign.  Then we were taken back to Pietersburg for two weeks up to the end of the State of Emergency when we got released.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Your Majesty.  You have given us a very comprehensive overview of the period and you have also given us a lot of information about your own personal experiences and your many periods of detention.  So much so that the dates get jumbled in your head so often.  So I am not going to detain you too much longer.

KING MAYISHA: No problem.

RUSSELL ALLY: I am going to ask you one or two questions just to assist us in our work.  First, during these periods of detention were you ever tortured or subjected to any ill treatment?