Human Rights Violation Hearings — Heiderveld — 1996-04-23

YASMINE SOOKA: Now the second question is, I know that you asking the Commission to help clear your name, but is there anything else that you would like the Commission to consider?

MR MAY: No, all I want is for these guys to acknowledge their illegal activities and clear my name.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.

MR MAY: Nothing else.

DR BORAINE: Mr May  you told us quite quickly about the times of arrest of detention and of  torture.  During the period when you were arrested and detained and without trial there were 100's perhaps 1000's of people who suffered a similar fate as you know.
 And they suffered it under the law which was commonly known as the 90 days Act and then later on the  180 days, where the - you could be held by the authorities without trial for that particular period.  Can you recall how many days or how many months were you kept under  detention or told, the total period, have you ever worked that out?

MR MAY: I think I was held for over - for about eleven months. Two months in Mdantsane, East London under Ciskei Security Laws and then nine months under S.A. Security Laws.  I was held under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act.

DR BORAINE: Ja and when you were held were you in solitary confinement or were you with a group of other people or what were conditions like?

MR MAY: I was held on solitary confinement, the conditions in Queenstown were better off than in East London because I was held in a bigger cell and also the food was better there.  But when we were transferred to East London the conditions were definitely very - very bad.
 The cells were moist and then when you lift the mat you were sleeping on you would find that there was moist and some fungi underneath that mat.  They were very small cells, and there was - so we were not allowed to speak to or to sing, to do anything, you were just allowed to be in that cell at all the time.

DR BORAINE: So it wasn't five star hotel?

MR MAY: No-no it was not.

DR BORAINE: No.

MR MAY: But there were calling it a Blue Train, so that [indistinct]

DR BORAINE: Ja, can you describe for the Commission some of your own feelings and impression particularly a period of nine months in solitary confinement without trial.  How did you feel about that, how did you cope with that?.  What was happening to you?

MR MAY: I think during that time for any political activist I mean we believe it, in fact it was sort of necessary for you to go through that kind of  a pain and situation before you could be I mean regard yourself as an activist.
 I was not feeling very bad but it was painful to be in solitary confinement, after some - for about six months we preferred to be in Robben Island than being held in solitary confinement. It's very bad, it's very-very-very bad.

DR BORAINE: Ja do you have any lasting feelings or mental worries or strains flowing from that very long period of solitary detention?

MR MAY: No nothing, I am okay.

DR BORAINE: So you strong?

MR MAY: Yes I am.

DR BORAINE: And what are you doing now?

MR MAY: I'm working as an consultant.

DR BORAINE: All right, thank very much.
Okay.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, I have some remarks that I will make but I probably ought to wait until your - your friend testifies.

MARY BURTON: Shall I go on then?

CHAIRPERSON: Yes please yes.

MARY BURTON: Okay then we welcome Mr Lamani.  Thank you for coming to contribute your evidence this morning.  Could you start of just by telling us a little bit about yourself on how you come to know Mr May before we go to the question of the receipt?

MR LAMANI: Okay thanks, I am from Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape.  And together with Zenzile we've been activists in Port Elizabeth and in the Eastern Cape generally.  And we were together involved in the student organisation called COSAS which was Congress of South African Students, so we have known each other for sometime now, late 70's early 80's up to university level where we were at the University of the Western Cape and we still together now in Cape Town thanks.

MARY BURTON: Thank you very much.  Now I believe that you have some additional information to give us about this receipt which was used as alleged proof of Mr May's being a paid informer for the security police.  Could you tell us about that please?