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

MR LAX: In terms of the law we're required to give notice to people that you name.  The people who were named in your statement that I had - because I worked through your statement myself - we've given notice to them.  The name you're now mentioning is a new name, and I haven't heard it before.  You spoke about Mpakathi, you spoke about Simano and you spoke about Moghele in your statement, and we have given them notice.  Well, Simano we can't because he's deceased.  But these other names are new names for me, so I would prefer you not to mention the names, but please write them down for us and tell us what they are supposed to have done to you.  You can do that afterwards, and we will write to them and give them a chance to answer your allegations.  So if you could kindly not mention their names please.

WITNESS:   Thank you.  The station commander of the time used to visit me at the cell.  He was visiting me, he wanted to convince me to leave what I was doing, to join the force, the police force.  I informed him that I was not interested in politics, and he explained the history of my father, which I doubt he knew at all.  Now I remember one night in July - I don't remember the date because it was during this 90 days of detention.  That is where they undressed me and they grabbed me by my penis and they put - the took the mattress off the bed and they tied me on the bed with the handcuffs and they chained my legs too.  I remember at all times my legs were spread.  I did not even have an underwear because I was really naked.  There was an equipment applied to my private parts.  I do not remember what I told them that day, because when I woke up I was unchained, I was lying on the floor naked as I was, and they asked me, "Do you still refuse that you went to that place for training and firearms?" and I negated that, because it is true I didn't go for any training, I wanted to learn as any other school child.  That night I was taken - that was after they have electrocuted me I was taken to a bridge called Henniston Bridge.  This is a bridge between Orange Free State and the Cape, and it has got the Orange River.  I do not know, but I read that that is the highest bridge in South Africa.  There was a bag where they put letters by the post office people.  I was assaulted by those people.  I was put inside this bag and then it was tightened.  I never thought that that bag can afford to carry a person as tall as myself.  You know, I was standing and this bag reached my head.  There was a van.  I can't remember the name they used to give to that van, but we used to call it a 4x4.  It was a Mercedes Benz van, and at the front it has got a chain.  It is used to pull.  That is where they held me, and I was put down into the river, the Orange River.  They put me the third time, and when they put me down for the fourth time that is when I felt that they were now putting me in the water.  I prayed to my God.  I said, "God, if I don't have any chance to unchain myself please help me," because I was chained behind my back.  I was still naked, and they pulled me out.  That was the fifth time, if not the sixth time.  They put me on top of the bridge and they were asking me, "Don't you want to tell the truth still?"  Policemen who were there they were white policemen who I cannot remember, and where they came from, but I think they were members of the Special Branch from Bloemfontein.  Now, the black people were there.  Sergeant Mpakathi was there.  He was a sergeant at that time.  Sergeant Simano was there.  He was already a sergeant at that time.  And the other one was Pitso's father.  We called him Mthathaki Pitso.  Then his surname is Moghele.  They tried to assault me, and they wanted to convince me that my life at home can change because my mother was the only breadwinner.  My brother and my sister were already in their homes.  They were married.  During the torture I came to a conclusion.  If I have to struggle this way and let my mother struggle I'd better die in their hands.  Now, I took a decision to run for my life, and run into the river, down the cliff, and die.  This was not an easy decision.  My body was hurting.  All my body was hurting.  And I tried to do just that decision.  I ran, and at the end of the bridge, when I was just about to hold the bridge to jump, Sergeant Mpakathi was on my heels and he pulled me off.  I don't know what he used, but he used his hands.  Whether fists or not I do not know.  He asked me what was my intention.  I told him that I wanted to kill myself because I do not know what truth do they want from me because I gave them the only truth.  Because it was not yet the end of my detention they took me back to the cell.  I stayed in the cell for a few days.  That was before I was taken to Dr Buys.  I requested help from Dr Buys because I was not eating any more in the cell, and I said I wanted to see a doctor.  I requested help.  I wanted him to examine me thoroughly.  He gave me medication and tablets, which I was supposed to take immediately.  When I arrived in the cell I could not walk.  Now, the prison warder was now escorting me into the cell.  After some time this medication was really working in me.  I sat in the cell.  I woke up, and when I woke up the food was next to me.  I could not hold myself because I was so hungry, because this was now the fifth day without food.  I ate that food, and after two days I was taken to the other political prisoners.  This went on for some time, but I liked one thing, you know, I got a chance to study in the cell, and that was the only time I used to study, and I passed in 1988.  In 1989, when I was doing matric ... (inaudible - end of Side A, Tape 5) ... was my mother.  My mother could not bear the burden any more, because I was a trouble and the police were the trouble.  I know I troubled her because I was her child, but now the trouble from the police was an extra burden.  As a parent she was not supposed to have been treated that way.  She was supposed to be a well-respected person.  And in 1989 in February I was taken under the state of emergency and I was taken to a farm and I was put in the water.  I do not remember whether did they have any kind of an animal with them, but I remember when I got out of the water that is where a cat was put.  Every time when I was hit I had this problem of passing out.  On that day I had an underwear with me.  Luckily, because I was not cuffed, they put a cat.  Because I was cold and I was folding my body they put the cat behind me, and it stayed on my back.  I tried to fight it, but luckily I killed it while inside this sack.  When I got out of the bag I had to go back into that water, the water in the dam.  It was a muddy area, but I could not - I could not run away from that mud.  I had to walk on the mud, but luckily I fainted and some of them pulled me out quickly.  I remember this water was deep to my - just below my breast, my chest.  I do not remember whether I fell on my back or I fell on my face. (Inaudible) ... farm that you spoke about?   ---   If I explain it I think it's on the way to Smithfield.  That is from Bethulie.  Today I still suspect that one of the two farms is the one where I was taken to, because the dams on those two farms are alike, they are the same.

MR LAX: Mr Mbokhwe, you've told us about a whole range of incidents over a long period of time.  Some of them are new things that you didn't say in your statement originally, things you might have forgotten about because so much has happened to you.  What may be helpful for us is for you to sit down in your own time and just to rewrite your statement again, just take your time, remember all the different things that happened to you, so we get a much more detailed picture.  Do you think you can do that for us?