Human Rights Violation Hearings — Lusikisiki — 1997-03-26

CHAIRPERSON: Rodney Goba Keswa, please come forward.  We welcome you General Keswa, thank you for coming to the Commission to give evidence.    We will hand over to Reverend Xundu to swear you in.

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: (sworn states)

REV XUNDU: Properly sworn in Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: ... that the statement of Brigadier Keswa was read, sorry by General Keswa was read by our staff to include no perpetrator, but closely to look at it now, there is an indication that there may be mention of perpetrators.  We have agreed with General Keswa that in his testimony, he will not mention the names of perpetrators, they will be on record, because they have not been informed, according to Section 13 of the Act.
 By agreement between him and ourselves, he is going to go ahead and make his testimony.  I wish to place that on record of our proceedings.  Thank you Ntsiki Sandi.

ADV SANDI: Thank you.  General Keswa, I am going to ask you questions so that we can - when I look at your complaint in 1981 you were arrested and detained by the Security Police in Transkei, after allegations have been made about you.  What were you doing at the time, General?

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: I was the leader of the Transkei Defence Force.

ADV SANDI: I will hand over to you so that you can tell us what happened.

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: Yes.  I have written, I have a submission, I don't know whether I can read it as is?

ADV SANDI: You can read it General.

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: I am a retired Civil Servant residing at Ibotha Farm, Umzimkulu District.  On the 27th of May, 1981, during my tour of duty as Commander of the Transkei Defence Force, I was arrested and detained in terms of Transkei Security Laws.
 I was subjected to the most sadistic and dehumanising treatment imaginable.  My arrest was reported on the front page of the Sunday Times of 31 May, 1981.  As I will for the first time today give the background to my arrest and torture in detention, it will become clear how nefarious the role which was played by some newspapers in their disinformation campaign to justify the violation of human rights, in the South Africa of the past.  
 Some of the things written  about me in that front page report of the Sunday Times, are distortions of the truth apparently aimed at justifying to the general public, my arrest and detention.
 I pray that this Commission will find time also to look into the reporting of the newspapers, such as the Sunday Times, during the apartheid years.
 After my arrest, I was detained in the police cells in Inqobo.  The cell in which I was locked up, had no lights and had a dreadful stench which at times made me sick.

ADV SANDI: General, please pardon me - do you have a copy of this article that you are referring to?

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: I do, I do have a copy.

ADV SANDI: Can you please furnish us with a copy?  Do you have a copy for yourself?

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: I need a copy please.  I don't have one on my file, I need a copy of that, if you could make a copy for yourselves, please.

ADV SANDI: Will you be referring to this article as you are giving your talk?

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: You will be referring to this article?

RODNEY GOBA KESWA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: We will just go through it very quickly and give it back to you, so that when you have to refer to it, you will be able to do so, thank you.