Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tzaneen — 1997-04-10

RUSSELL ALLY: Welcome.  This is our final day of hearing in the, in the Northern Province.  We've been to Messina, to Louis Trichardt and to-day in Tzaneen but although this is going to be the last day that we have Human Rights Violations here in this region, we will be announcing, during the course of the day, we will be telling you about a follow-up meeting which is going to be held in the Northern Province in Pietersberg on the the third of May but we will give you all the details later, the venue and the time and also explain to you what the purpose of such a meeting is.  So welcome and before we actually officially begin I'm going to ask Father Patrick Galvin if he would please open to-day's proceedings with a prayer.  Father Galvin!

FATHER GALVIN: Opens proceedings with a prayer and a hymn.

RUSSELL ALLY: We are going to ask you to just please bear with us to-day.  This public hearing covers a  very wide area.  People will be coming from Tzaneen, people will be also, be coming from Phalaborwa, from Umkonkor and because of that, it's quite likely that there are going to be some delays in the arrival of people.  So please, bear with us.  There are big distances which people have to travel.  That is  going to mean that we will have to change the program unfortunately, so the program that you have in front of you, for hearings to-day, we will have to change that somewhat to accommodate people as and when they arrive.  So we won't necessarily be following the order of the program which you have in front of you.  I also just want to explain to people about the service which is provided.  The interpretation service.  There are these headsets.  It's  a box and there are these earphones and what this enables us to do is to have four languages interpreted at the same time.  So you can follow the witnesses and you can follow the proceedings, either in Afrikaans, if needed, which will be on Channel one.  You'll see on the side of this box there are numbers.  There is a dial and you  can either tune in on Channel one which will be Afrikaans, when needed.  Channel two will be English throughout the proceedings.  On Channel three you will hear Tsonga and on Channel four you will hear Northern Sotho Peddie.  These headsets are available from,  the front here where the, these booths are and I would urge those people who have difficulty following to, to get a set and to use that  to follow the proceedings.  Now as I said, not all the witnesses have arrived so we unfortunately  going to have to change the program.  Our first witness to-day, I'll ask, please come forward.

UNKNOWN: We're going to ask Matias Nkwamba to come forward please.

DR RANDERA: Mr Nkwamba, good morning.  Mr Nkwamba can you hear me?

MR NKWAMBA: Yes, I can hear you.

DR RANDERA: Good morning to you and welcome.  Can you please... (interrupted)

MR NKWAMBA: Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Can you introduce the lady who is with you this morning?

MR NKWAMBA: Loi, this is my wife.

DR RANDERA: I extend a warm welcome to her too.  Mr Nkwamba before I ask you to tell you story, will you please stand to take the oath.  If you will just repeat after me, I swear that the story I'm about to tell is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,  so help me God.

MR NKWAMBA: (sworn states)

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much.  Mr Nkwamba we are with your story going back to 1985 to a place called Lulekane.  You are going to tell us what happened to you and to your community in that area.  We have of course got your statement but please take your time and tell us what happened in 1985.