Human Rights Violation Hearings — Newcastle — 1996-09-12

WITNESS:   It was Zwane, Gama, van Huyssteen, Olivier.  I don't remember the last one, but he was a white person.  They never got anything.  They said they were looking for guns because they had got some information that I had some bombs with me, explosives, as well as guns.  They took me out and they manhandled me to the van.  We drove to Newcastle and I was put there.  We were made to sit at the top of the building, and they were talking over the phone as well as using - there came a certain Mr de Kock, who said, "Ja, I've got you now.  You are going to speak the truth here in Newcastle.  We don't take shit."  We did not know what he was referring to.  He showed us a window, a certain window, and said we were going to go up to that window and we were going to be interrogated, and he showed us this window.  He said could we see down there, and if we did not speak the truth he was going to throw us down there, and there were many who had been thrown down there and killed.  He further told the other policemen to take us to the police cells.  We were given two blankets as well as little mats, which were dirty and full of lice.  And at that time it was cold because it was winter.  We had not eaten.  Even the following day we were not given food up until the second day.  The food that we were given was porridge, very light porridge.  I think it was about four spoons.  That's what we had for breakfast, as well as for lunch, and there was no supper at that time.  I even fell ill, I had gastric problems as well kidneys, and I was passing on blood.  I told them that I was sick and the police at that time - there were SAP police as well as the Security Branch, and we would report to the SAP, Mr Makhubu.  He was the prison warder.  And he would go to tell Major de Kock, and Major de Kock came to see us on the first day.  He said he didn't care, he wanted me to die, and I was not going to see a doctor.  And there is another black one who was called Sithebe.  Sithebe also reiterated de Kock's words that he wanted us to die in prison.  That's the life we lived for quite some time.  I never saw any doctor.  We were not allowed visitors.  We became filthy, as well as our clothes, because we were not allowed a change of clothes.  We became filthy and we were now smelly, we did not have soap to wash ourselves.  Thereafter we heard that there were certain attorneys who had come, but we were quite confused because we never consulted with any attorneys.  And we were told that our attorneys were present and we were introduced to our respective attorneys.  And they had come to take our grievances.  There was absolutely no change at that stage.  And I was still sick.  The attorneys went away.  A number of months passed by, then there came a Judge called Justice Cumleben.  He is the one who brought about change to the conditions in which we were living.  We were allowed to buy books as well as newspapers, and we were allowed visitors to bring us a change of clothes, and we were able to buy our own food.  This went on and on, and we could buy bread if we wanted to, and buy anything that we wanted to.  I hadn't yet seen a doctor by then.  Then one time I was taken to a certain doctor called Dr Wait next to Checkers Stores.  I will never forget the torture and the ridicule that went on at that time.  We were handcuffed.  Our feet were handcuffed, we were put in chains, our hands  /were

MR LAX: were handcuffed, and we would be made to parade, and people would laugh at us and they would push us when we were going to Dr Wait's surgery.  The very ones who were called SAP police were putting us in the van.  They would drive the van very roughly, in such a way that we would be falling all over the place, and we did not have any balance whatsoever because our hands were tied to our backs and our feet were also put in chains.  We were being made to parade, and they showed people - we were being made some sort of a show of.  Then in November 1986 we were transferred to the Waterval Prison.  When we got to Waterval we were put in certain police cells, and I was put in a place called the hospital.  At that time the condition was a little bit better, but the food itself in Waterval was so filthy and dirty.  It had worms in it, and there were certain insects in the food, and you wouldn't know what method was used to cook the food.  It looked like dog food, and we complained to Major Klein.  Major Klein told us that we were going to eat the food whether we liked it or not, because this was prison, it was not a holiday resort.  We ended up eating that type of food.  Then came a certain Judge called Judge Nienaber.  That was in 1987, though I don't remember the month quite well.  And when Judge Nienaber came we were just about to have our meals, and we called Judge Nienaber to come and see the food that we were eating.  He saw the worms, the insects, as well as the mould that was on the food.  Our attorneys also came and we showed the attorneys the food.  Our attorneys instituted some claims against the prison, but I don't know where the matter ended.  But I was later told that the Judge, as well as Bhekashezi Mlaba and  Advocate Derek were fighting that I should be taken to

MR LAX: some specialist for medical attention because I was very sick at that time.  I was taken to 'Maritzburg Medical Centre.  It was on a Sunday that day, and I was taken from Waterval by Gama, van Huyssteen, as well as Major de Kock.  As we were driving they were threatening me in all sorts of ways, and abusing me verbally.  When you go to 'Maritzburg you via Colenso, but they did not take that route, they took the route to Winterton.  And it had rained at that time, the rivers were full.  And we saw Spioenkop Dam, it was full and overflowing, and they were threatening me that they could possibly put me in that dam.  But it did not happen, we got to 'Maritzburg quite safely, and I was taken to the police cells in Alexandra Police Station and I was put in solitary confinement.  I could not sleep that day because there was a ghost which was assaulting me.  I could not sleep.  The following day I complained that I had not slept the previous day, and they just laughed at me and I was taken to Dr Schoeman at the Medical Centre.  And Dr Schoeman asked them as to why they had kept me for quite a long time until my condition deteriorated in that manner.  They could not answer him, and I was taken back to Waterval.  And I was supposed to be taken back to that doctor the following week, but they never did.  The attorneys kept on coming, as well as the Judges, until they were forced to take me to a certain medical practitioner.  That is Dr Breytenbach.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... show us the medical report from Dr Breytenbach.  We do have a copy of that already.  He conducted - he was a radiologist doctor, in other words he took x-rays of you, is that right?

WITNESS:   That is correct. (Inaudible) ... on you.   ---   That is correct.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... happened after that please.

WITNESS:   Thereafter they were forced to take me to a hospital in St Augustine in Durban.  Let me just retrace my steps with your permission.  When I was sick in Waterval, and when I had gone to the hospital to ask the doctor to examine me, I was always chased away by a certain Mr Vilakazi, who told me that I was not sick, I was just pretending to be sick, I was afraid of being a prisoner.  Up until such time that I was taken to St Augustine, because it's Mpunzulu who made attempts to get me sent to St Augustine, and he would steal medicine and give medicine to me because Vilakazi did not allow me to be seen by a practitioner.  I was taken to St Augustine.  It was on the 17th of the 6th month in 1987, and I had gone to undergo an operation.  I don't know whether I can show you this operation with your permission.  Am I allowed to show you the operation?