Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Shepstone — 1996-08-12

COMMISSIONER: (Incomplete) ... like the previous witness in the Murchison area in 1991, and you are like many, many other mothers across this country who have testified before the Commission about the loss of your children. sion about the loss of their children.  There are many other women like you who have lost their sons, usually their sons, in the violence which has affected so many parts of our country, and we express our deep sympathies to you.  Before you tell us your story please can you stand and take the oath.

LANDELWA IVY RADEBE: (Sworn, States) (Through Interpreter)

DR MAGWAZA: We greet you, Mrs Radebe, and we thank you in a special way for being here.  Today you are going to tell us about the harassment and all that took place leading to the death of your son.  First of all please tell us about our family.  Tell us about your children and how many they are, and after that tell us about the late.

WITNESS:   My children - I have four children, and Bhekithemba was the fourth.  Now I have five children.

DR MAGWAZA: In 1991 how old are your children?  Just explain.  Be clear.  The one after Bhekithemba is 1962.  The third one is in 1965.  The next one is 1980, and then 1968, and I have one other born in 1972.  That's it.

DR MAGWAZA: Is their father still alive?

WITNESS:   No.  He died in 1971.

DR MAGWAZA: At the time when Bhekithemba was being attacked is there any other organisation that he belonged to?

WITNESS:   Yes, he belonged to ANC.

DR MAGWAZA: It looks like Bhekithemba was so much involved with

DR MAGWAZA: ANC.

WITNESS:   No, he was actually not so much involved with  /the ANC.

DR MAGWAZA: the ANC.  He was working somewhere else.  He was employed, but now at the time he was on leave.

DR MAGWAZA: How old was Bhekithemba?

WITNESS:   It's 1958.

DR MAGWAZA: We already have the details, now we would like for you to relate what happened.

WITNESS:   I left home headed for work in the morning.  I left him at home, and I asked him to please soak and cook the beans because I will come back late from work.  When I had left for work at 25 past nine I took my tea break.  I got a telephone, and the telephone message was telling me that I should rush with an ambulance because - it was the neighbour who called me, and then I asked her, "What do you mean should I come with an ambulance?  What's happening?" and then she said, "Your son has been injured."  I said, "Can I please ask who did that?"  She said, "Don't ask me too many questions, just rush."  And I left to the casualty, to the nurses.  I reported the matter and I asked for an ambulance as my son was already injured.  And as they were looking for the driver suddenly my last-born came in, my very last son came in and said, "Mum my brother is now late."  I prayed suddenly.  I suddenly prayed.  I prayed.  And Mdlalose, Pastor Mdlalose came in, and Pastor Ndladla came in, and they were also praying for me as well.  I was continuously praying.  And they took me, and the nurses and the matrons came, and the house was packed with doctors as well.  I was continuously praying.  And they gave me an - they injected me and they said I shall go to sleep at two in the afternoon.  At three my family came, my members of the family came and I left, I went back home.  When I arrived at home the neighbours came to mourn, also to relate what

DR MAGWAZA: happened.  They also told me that it was the IFP that  killed my child.  That took place in the morning, and everyone could see.  People witnessed his death.  As I was sitting there they came, they jumped the fence and they said, "We are finishing all of the Comrades today.  We are putting all of them to death."  In the afternoon - at night I could not sleep.  I left, I went to the hospital.  When I got to the hospital I also heard that my brother was injured and admitted into the hospital, and I was taken to another house, to another room, and the doctor said we should not mingle with other people because it's just confusion going around.  Beds were taken into our rooms.  I was not at home when all this was happening during this period.  Every time I would be at the hospital.  Now, when we tried to go out we will see them at the gate, and we got back to the rooms again.

DR MAGWAZA: A few questions I would like to ask inasfar as your son's death is concerned.  You have said when you heard that he was injured after - what happened?

WITNESS:   I was unconscious for five hours, and I was injected and I slept, I took a nap at the hospital.

DR MAGWAZA: At the hospital that's the place you were kept when - each time you were harassed at home?

WITNESS:   No.  Yes, I am working at the hospital.  I was working at the hospital, and that's where I was usually kept all the time.

DR MAGWAZA: And another thing that you have said, you have just said something about your brother.  What happened?

WITNESS:  Yes, I got a message that my brother was also injured, and I tried to go to look for my brother at the hospital and they said he was already dead.

DR MAGWAZA: Now, where was your brother injured?  Was it at home  /or somewhere?

DR MAGWAZA: or somewhere?

WITNESS:   No, he was injured at home.  He was injured at home.

DR MAGWAZA: Let's come back now to your son.  What exactly happened to your son?  When they have explained to you what exactly did they tell you about your son?

WITNESS:   They said people approached.  They came to our neighbour, our opposite neighbour, and the back opposite neighbour.  People just came suddenly, and one guy said, "Don't leave him alone."  There were so many massing.  He asked, "What have I done?"  He tried to escape, he tried to run away up to Sister Ngcobo's place, and they killed him in the garage of that place, of that house.

DR MAGWAZA: When they were killing him what did they use to kill him?

WITNESS:   They used assegais and weapons, and they contacted the police to come fetch the corpse.

DR MAGWAZA: Were there any people who eye-witnessed this?

WITNESS:   Yes.

DR MAGWAZA: Do you know them?

WITNESS:   Yes, and one neighbour of mine came to tell me that he witnessed the incident, and some other people of course are hiding.  They don't want to come forward and tell me as to what exactly happened.  They also told me that they stabbed him, they shoved the assegais through the body.

DR MAGWAZA: The man that you were not so free to disclose his name, would you happen to know where his whereabouts?

WITNESS:   Yes, he is my neighbour.

DR MAGWAZA: Is he still your neighbour?

WITNESS:   Yes, he is still my neighbour.  I did tell him about this, and he said, "Yes, I will tell the truth because I witnessed this thing."

DR MAGWAZA: Among those who injured your children are there any  who are known?

WITNESS:   Yes.

DR MAGWAZA: Where are they?

WITNESS:   They are just here also.

DR MAGWAZA: Are they still alive?

WITNESS:   Yes, some are alive, some are dead.

DR MAGWAZA: You also go on ahead to tell us that after that you reported the matter to the police.

WITNESS:   Yes, I did.  I went to the police and they were just making me a laughing stock.  They laughed at me, and I left for the ANC offices.  And the boy who was just here right now, he took all the details, the boy who was just right here with Chetty.  He is the one who took all the details, and I used to contact him so often, and he would attend to me and take me to the hospital as well.  He is the one I do all things with.

DR MAGWAZA: Did you also - you also reported to the ANC, but the matter was not taken to the police.

WITNESS:   No, it never was taken to the police.  I therefore ran.  I left to live in Gamalakhe at the garage.  That's where I was with my kids.  Okay, I took my kids to Durban.  That's where I had some kind of a shack there with the kids occupying it.